Cute Framework Game Development

Cute Framework (CF) is a lightweight 2D game development framework in C. This skill helps you build games efficiently using CF's APIs.

Quick Reference

Concept	Key Functions	Notes
Project Setup	CMake + FetchContent	See references/project-setup.md
App Setup	cf_make_app, cf_destroy_app	Initialize once at startup
Game Loop	cf_app_update, cf_app_draw_onto_screen	Call every frame
Drawing	cf_draw_* functions	Push/pop for state management
Sprites	cf_make_sprite, cf_sprite_update, cf_draw_sprite	Load from Aseprite
Input	cf_key_*, cf_mouse_*	Polled each frame
Collision	cf_*_to_* intersection functions	Shape-based detection
Audio	cf_audio_load_*, cf_play_sound	OGG/WAV support

Getting Started

To create a new CF project, you need:

• CMake 3.28+ and a C++20 compiler
• A CMakeLists.txt that fetches CF via FetchContent
• A main source file (C or C++ API)

See references/project-setup.md for complete setup instructions and examples/project-setup/ for starter templates.

Coordinate System

• Origin: Center of screen (0, 0)
• Y-axis: Increases upward (mathematical convention)
• Resolution: User-defined (e.g., 640x480)

Basic Game Structure

#include <cute.h>

int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
    // Create window
    cf_make_app("My Game", 0, 0, 0, 640, 480,
                CF_APP_OPTIONS_WINDOW_POS_CENTERED_BIT, argv[0]);

    while (cf_app_is_running()) {
        cf_app_update(NULL);  // Process input, advance time

        // Your game logic here

        cf_app_draw_onto_screen();  // Present frame
    }

    cf_destroy_app();
    return 0;
}

Drawing Basics

CF uses a push/pop pattern for draw state. Always pop what you push!

// Draw a red circle
cf_draw_push_color(cf_color_red());
cf_draw_circle(V2(0, 0), 50.0f, 1.0f);
cf_draw_pop_color();

// Draw text
cf_draw_text("Hello!", V2(-50, 0), -1);

Draw State Functions

• cf_draw_push_color / cf_draw_pop_color - Tint color
• cf_draw_push_antialias / cf_draw_pop_antialias - Smoothing
• cf_draw_push_layer / cf_draw_pop_layer - Z-ordering

Sprite Animation

Load sprites from Aseprite files (.ase/.aseprite):

CF_Sprite sprite = cf_make_sprite("player.ase");
cf_sprite_play(&sprite, "idle");

// In game loop:
cf_sprite_update(&sprite);
cf_draw_sprite(&sprite);

Input Handling

// Keyboard
if (cf_key_down(CF_KEY_SPACE)) {
    // Space held down
}
if (cf_key_just_pressed(CF_KEY_ESCAPE)) {
    // Escape just pressed this frame
}

// Mouse
CF_V2 mouse_pos = cf_mouse_position();
if (cf_mouse_just_pressed(CF_MOUSE_BUTTON_LEFT)) {
    // Left click
}

Collision Detection

CF provides shape-based collision with cf_X_to_Y functions:

CF_Circle player = cf_make_circle(player_pos, 20.0f);
CF_Aabb enemy = cf_make_aabb(enemy_pos, 30.0f, 30.0f);

if (cf_circle_to_aabb(player, enemy)) {
    // Collision detected!
}

Common Collision Shapes

• CF_Circle - Circular hitbox
• CF_Aabb - Axis-aligned bounding box
• CF_Capsule - Rounded rectangle
• CF_Poly - Convex polygon

Best Practices

1. Always use push/pop pairs for draw state changes
2. Update sprites every frame with cf_sprite_update
3. Use CF_DELTA_TIME for frame-independent movement
4. Check cf_app_is_running() in your main loop
5. Load resources at startup, not during gameplay

Common Pitfalls

• Forgetting to call cf_app_draw_onto_screen() - nothing renders
• Not popping draw state - affects all subsequent draws
• Using pixel coordinates - CF uses world coordinates centered at origin
• Forgetting cf_sprite_update - animations don't play

Using MCP Documentation Tools

This plugin includes an MCP server with comprehensive CF documentation. Use these tools:

Tool	Purpose	Example
mcp__cf-mcp__search	Find functions/structs by keyword	Search "sprite animation"
mcp__cf-mcp__get_details	Get full docs for specific item	Get details for "cf_make_sprite"
mcp__cf-mcp__get_topic	Read conceptual guides	Get topic "drawing"
mcp__cf-mcp__find_related	Discover related functions	Find related to "CF_Sprite"
mcp__cf-mcp__list_category	Browse by category	List "draw" category

Recommended Workflow

1. Start with search to find relevant functions
2. Use get_details for function signatures and parameters
3. Read get_topic for conceptual understanding
4. Check find_related to discover helper functions

References

See the references/ directory for detailed documentation:

• project-setup.md - Creating new projects, CMake, C vs C++ API
• core.md - App lifecycle, game loop, time
• draw.md - Shapes, sprites, text rendering
• input.md - Keyboard, mouse, gamepad
• collision.md - Collision shapes and detection
• audio.md - Music and sound effects
• sprites.md - Aseprite loading, animations

Examples

See the examples/ directory for working code:

• examples/project-setup/ - CMakeLists.txt, C and C++ starter templates
• examples/core/ - Basic app setup, game loop patterns
• examples/rendering/ - Drawing shapes and sprites
• examples/input/ - Handling player input
• examples/collision/ - Collision detection