Construct is a free, open source DirectX

DirectX

Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...

 game creator. It aims to allow games to be created in an easy drag and drop manner, using an event-based programming system, or optionally with Python

Python (programming language)

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...

 scripting. It features pixel shaders, motion blur, zooming and rotations, a Behaviors system, a bone animation system, a debugger

Debugger

A debugger or debugging tool is a computer program that is used to test and debug other programs . The code to be examined might alternatively be running on an instruction set simulator , a technique that allows great power in its ability to halt when specific conditions are encountered but which...

, and over 50 built-in objects. In addition, the engine includes support for 2D physics using the Box2D

Box2D

Box2D is a free open source 2-dimensional physics simulator engine written in C++ by Erin Catto and published under the zlib license. It has been used in Crayon Physics Deluxe, Rolando, Fantastic Contraption, Incredibots, Angry Birds, Tiny Wings, Transformice, Stripe physics2, and many online Flash...

 library. Construct is developed by a group of students.

Event system

The primary method of programming games and applications in Construct is through 'event sheets', which are similar to source files used in programming languages. Each event sheet has a list of events, which contain conditional statements or triggers. Once these are met, actions or functions can be carried out. Event logic such as OR

Logical disjunction

In logic and mathematics, a two-place logical connective or, is a logical disjunction, also known as inclusive disjunction or alternation, that results in true whenever one or more of its operands are true. E.g. in this context, "A or B" is true if A is true, or if B is true, or if both A and B are...

 and AND

AND gate

The AND gate is a basic digital logic gate that implements logical conjunction - it behaves according to the truth table to the right. A HIGH output results only if both the inputs to the AND gate are HIGH . If neither or only one input to the AND gate is HIGH, a LOW output results...

, as well as sub-events (representing scope

Scope (programming)

In computer programming, scope is an enclosing context where values and expressions are associated. Various programming languages have various types of scopes. The type of scope determines what kind of entities it can contain and how it affects them—or semantics...

) allow for sophisticated systems to be programmed without learning a comparatively more difficult programming language. Groups can be used to enable/disable multiple events at once, and to organise events.

Event sheets can then be reused by other levels or parts of an application, by including them in other event sheets.

Origin and Development

Construct's event system originates from Clickteam

Clickteam

Clickteam is a software company, founded in 1993 by François Lionet, Yves Lamoureux and Francis Poulain, headquartered in Paris, France. Clickteam is perhaps best known for the creation of a script-free programming tool that allows users to create video games or other interactive software using a...

's Multimedia Fusion 2 product. It initially was developed as a commercial product, but due to the fact that the 4 original developers of Construct were under a Non-Disclosure Agreement

Non-disclosure agreement

A non-disclosure agreement , also known as a confidentiality agreement , confidential disclosure agreement , proprietary information agreement , or secrecy agreement, is a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties...

with Clickteam during the initial step of the development, Scirra re-licensed Construct as a GPL open source software and uploaded the source code to SourceForge

SourceForge

SourceForge Enterprise Edition is a collaborative revision control and software development management system. It provides a front-end to a range of software development lifecycle services and integrates with a number of free software / open source software applications .While originally itself...

 in order to avoid potential legal actions from Clickteam.

Construct uses the commercial Prof-UIS interface library.

Release history

The first public open source build, version 0.8, was released on October 27, 2007. The current stable release is 1.2, released on February 24, 2011. Its successor Construct 2 is being developed as a commercial product and exports games to HTML5.

Hardware requirements

• Windows 2000/XP/Vista.
• A DirectX 9 compatible graphics card.
  • Effects up to Pixel Shader 2.0 can be used if supported by hardware, but is not required.