Starbound 1.4.4 Source Code

Starbound has been one of my favorite games of all time, so I’m happy to say that I have the latest Starbound source code, last commit August 7th, 2019. I will not be explaining how I got these files. It is the actual source, not just a decompilation, and as such includes build scripts, unused stuff, old migration code, comments, a stored test player, etc.

Source Screenshots

The source has minimal comments, and the structure is reasonable. I found the code easy to read and understand, but perhaps that’s because I’ve been modding Starbound for years now and am familiar with its behavior.

Languages Breakdown (GitHub)

StarEnvironmentPainter.cpp

StarEnviroment.cpp preview

StarMixer.cpp (audio related)

StarMixer.cpp source preview

StarTools.cpp

StarTools.cpp source preview

Building

And of course, we can build it. I compiled this version without Steam API or the Discord rich presence API, but those are easily included.

Skip to 1:10 to see the game launch

Funny Developer Comments

Here’s a look at some of the best (in my opinion) developer comments in the source. This is not intended to be a mockery, far from it, I’m ecstatic I can take a peek into the minds of the developers. Enjoy.

// message is fullbody encrypted so the response is trust worthyish
// message is fullbody encrypted so the response is trust worthyish

// Meh, padding is hard-coded here
// Meh, padding is hard-coded here

// TODO: I hate these hardcoded values.  Please smite with fire.
// TODO: I hate these hardcoded values. Please smite with fire.

// TODO: Get rid of this stupid fucking bullshit, this is the ugliest
// fragilest pointlessest horseshit code in the codebase.  It wouldn't
// bother me so bad if it weren't so fucking easy to do right.
// TODO: Get rid of this stupid fucking bullshit, this is the ugliest
// fragilest pointlessest horseshit code in the codebase. It wouldn’t
// bother me so bad if it weren’t so fucking easy to do right.

// This was once simple and elegant and made sense but then I made it
// match the actual platform rendering more closely and now it's a big
// shitty pile of special cases again. RIP.
// This was once simple and elegant and made sense but then I made it
// match the actual platform rendering more closely and now it’s a big
// shitty pile of special cases again. RIP.

Example: Simple Re-implementation of Vapor Trail and Sitting Toolbar Usage

At some point during development, Chucklefish had the idea to add a vapor trail when the player was falling fast. I could’ve sworn I saw a post on their news about it back when the game was in beta, but I can’t find it now. Anyway, we can add a small snippet to restore it, as an example of further engine work Starbound can benefit from.

// Vapor trail
if (m_movementController->velocity()[1] < -50) {
  m_vaporTrailTimer += WorldTimestep;
  if (m_vaporTrailTimer > 1)
      m_humanoid->setVaporTrail(true);
  }else{
  m_vaporTrailTimer = 0;
  m_humanoid->setVaporTrail(false);
}

By adding this snippet, we can see what it was roughly meant to look like.


We can also modify Player restrictions such as

bool Player::canUseTool() const {
  return !isDead() && !isTeleporting() && !m_techController->toolUsageSuppressed() && m_state != State::Lounge;
}

to just

return !isDead() && !isTeleporting() && !m_techController->toolUsageSuppressed();

Allowing us to use our inventory while sitting down

Further Thoughts

Future work on the engine can lead to further modding capabilities and engine optimizations. There are many potential client side performance improvements that could be made without touching any network code. This would maintain compatibility with the vanilla client. The netcode could be updated as well, but this would break compatibility once major changes were made. If both (or more) parties are willing to use a modified client, any theoretical modification could be made. The possibilities are endless.

As of 2024, there now exists a few Starbound open source community projects with the aim of enhancing the base game’s experience. : )


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Published 2023-05-27 04:55:45