Documentation

Learn Simulant

Everything you need to know to build games with Simulant

Installation Guide

This guide will walk you through installing Simulant on your platform of choice.

Prerequisites

Before installing Simulant, ensure you have:

  • A terminal and basic command-line familiarity
  • Git installed for version control
  • Sufficient disk space (~1-2 GB for development)
  • A working internet connection

Fedora

Fedora is the recommended platform for Simulant development due to its up-to-date packages and excellent Docker support.

1. Install Dependencies

Open a terminal and install the required packages:

sudo dnf install \
    gcc-c++ cmake make \
    mesa-libGL-devel mesa-libGLU-devel \
    openal-soft-devel \
    libpng-devel \
    freetype-devel \
    glfw-devel \
    git

2. Install Simulant CLI

The Simulant CLI tool helps you create, build, and manage projects:

# Clone the Simulant repository
git clone https://gitlab.com/simulant/simulant.git
cd simulant

# Build the engine
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc)

# Install system-wide
sudo make install

3. Verify Installation

Test that the simulant command is available:

simulant --help

You should see a list of available commands.

Next Steps: Follow the IDE Setup guide, or jump straight to Your First Game.

Ubuntu / Linux Mint

Ubuntu and Linux Mint are also well-supported.

1. Install Dependencies

sudo apt update
sudo apt install \
    build-essential cmake \
    libgl1-mesa-dev libglu1-mesa-dev \
    libopenal-dev \
    libpng-dev \
    libfreetype-dev \
    libglfw3-dev \
    git

2. Install Simulant

Follow the same steps as the Fedora installation above (clone, build, install).

Windows (WSL2)

Simulant supports Windows via the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2). This gives you a full Linux environment while running Windows.

1. Install WSL2

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
  2. Run:
    wsl --install
  3. Restart your computer when prompted
  4. Set up your Ubuntu distribution (username and password)

2. Install Dependencies

Inside your WSL2 terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install \
    build-essential cmake \
    libgl1-mesa-dev libglu1-mesa-dev \
    libopenal-dev \
    libpng-dev \
    libfreetype-dev \
    libglfw3-dev \
    git

# Enable WSLg for GUI support (Windows 11)
# On Windows 10, you may need to install an X server like VcXsrv

3. Install Simulant

Follow the same build steps as above.

Note: For native Windows builds (not WSL2), you'll need to cross-compile using Docker. See the Dreamcast Development guide.

Manual Installation (DreamSDK)

If you prefer not to use the CLI tool, you can install Simulant manually:

  1. Clone the repository
  2. Build using CMake
  3. Link against the Simulant library in your own project

See Manual DreamSDK Installation for details.

Docker (Optional)

Docker is not required for basic development, but it enables:

  • Cross-compilation for Dreamcast and Windows
  • Reproducible builds
  • CI/CD pipelines

Installing Docker

Fedora:

sudo dnf install docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker
# Add your user to the docker group to avoid sudo
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Ubuntu:

sudo apt install docker.io
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Troubleshooting

CMake can't find OpenGL

Ensure you have Mesa development packages installed:

# Fedora
sudo dnf install mesa-libGL-devel

# Ubuntu
sudo apt install libgl1-mesa-dev

OpenAL not found

# Fedora
sudo dnf install openal-soft-devel

# Ubuntu
sudo apt install libopenal-dev

C++17 errors during compilation

Ensure your compiler supports C++17. You need GCC 7+ or Clang 5+:

g++ --version

If your compiler is too old, consider upgrading your OS or using a newer toolchain.

Next Steps