McRogueFace/ROADMAP.md

# McRogueFace - Development Roadmap

## Project Status: 🎉 ALPHA 0.1 RELEASE! 🎉

**Current State**: Alpha release achieved! All critical blockers resolved!  
**Latest Update**: Moved RenderTexture (#6) to Beta - Alpha is READY! (2025-07-05)  
**Branch**: interpreter_mode (ready for alpha release merge)  
**Open Issues**: ~46 remaining (non-blocking quality-of-life improvements)

---

## Recent Achievements

### 2025-07-05: ALPHA 0.1 ACHIEVED! 🎊🍾
**All Alpha Blockers Resolved!**
- Z-order rendering with performance optimization (Issue #63)
- Python Sequence Protocol for collections (Issue #69)
- Comprehensive Animation System (Issue #59)
- Moved RenderTexture to Beta (not needed for Alpha)
- **McRogueFace is ready for Alpha release!**

### 2025-07-05: Z-order Rendering Complete! 🎉
**Issue #63 Resolved**: Consistent z-order rendering with performance optimization
- Dirty flag pattern prevents unnecessary per-frame sorting
- Lazy sorting for both Scene elements and Frame children
- Frame children now respect z_index (fixed inconsistency)
- Automatic dirty marking on z_index changes and collection modifications
- Performance: O(1) check for static scenes vs O(n log n) every frame

### 2025-07-05: Python Sequence Protocol Complete! 🎉
**Issue #69 Resolved**: Full sequence protocol implementation for collections
- Complete __setitem__, __delitem__, __contains__ support
- Slice operations with extended slice support (step != 1)
- Concatenation (+) and in-place concatenation (+=) with validation
- Negative indexing throughout, index() and count() methods
- Type safety: UICollection (Frame/Caption/Sprite/Grid), EntityCollection (Entity only)
- Default value support: None for texture/font parameters uses engine defaults

### 2025-07-05: Animation System Complete! 🎉
**Issue #59 Resolved**: Comprehensive animation system with 30+ easing functions
- Property-based animations for all UI classes (Frame, Caption, Sprite, Grid, Entity)
- Individual color component animation (r/g/b/a)
- Sprite sequence animation and text typewriter effects
- Pure C++ execution without Python callbacks
- Delta animation support for relative values

### 2025-01-03: Major Stability Update
**Major Cleanup**: Removed deprecated registerPyAction system (-180 lines)
**Bug Fixes**: 12 critical issues including Grid segfault, Issue #78 (middle click), Entity setters
**New Features**: Entity.index() (#73), EntityCollection.extend() (#27), Sprite validation (#33)
**Test Coverage**: Comprehensive test suite with timer callback pattern established

---

## 🔧 CURRENT WORK: Alpha Streamline 2 - Major Architecture Improvements

### Recent Completions:
- ✅ **ISSUE_FIX_PLAN.md merged** - Fixed 10+ critical issues
- ✅ **Grid.at() flexible arguments** - Tuple, keyword, and pos support
- ✅ **Alpha 0.1 Release achieved** - All blockers resolved!

### Active Development:
- **Branch**: alpha_streamline_2
- **Goal**: Complete architectural improvements for solid Beta foundation
- **Timeline**: 10-12 weeks comprehensive plan
- **Strategic Vision**: See STRATEGIC_VISION.md for platform roadmap

### 🏗️ Architectural Dependencies Map

```
Foundation Layer:
├── #71 Base Class (_Drawable) 
│   ├── #10 Visibility System (needs AABB from base)
│   ├── #87 visible property
│   └── #88 opacity property
│
├── #7 Safe Constructors (affects all classes)
│   └── Blocks any new class creation until resolved
│
└── #30 Entity/Grid Integration (lifecycle management)
    └── Enables reliable entity management

Window/Scene Layer:
├── #34 Window Object
│   ├── #61 Scene Object (depends on Window)
│   ├── #14 SFML Exposure (helps implement Window)
│   └── Future: Multi-window support

Rendering Layer:
└── #6 RenderTexture Overhaul
    ├── Enables clipping
    ├── Off-screen rendering
    └── Post-processing effects
```

## 🚀 Alpha Streamline 2 - Comprehensive Phase Plan

### Phase 1: Foundation Stabilization (1-2 weeks)
**Goal**: Safe, predictable base for all future work
```
1. #7 - Audit and fix unsafe constructors (CRITICAL - do first!)
   - Find all manually implemented no-arg constructors
   - Verify map compatibility requirements
   - Make pointer-safe or remove
   
2. #71 - _Drawable base class implementation
   - Common properties: x, y, w, h, visible, opacity
   - Virtual methods: get_bounds(), render()
   - Proper Python inheritance setup
   
3. #87 - visible property
   - Add to base class
   - Update all render methods to check
   
4. #88 - opacity property (depends on #87)
   - 0.0-1.0 float range
   - Apply in render methods
   
5. #89 - get_bounds() method
   - Virtual method returning (x, y, w, h)
   - Override in each UI class
   
6. #98 - move()/resize() convenience methods
   - move(dx, dy) - relative movement
   - resize(w, h) - absolute sizing
```
*Rationale*: Can't build on unsafe foundations. Base class enables all UI improvements.

### Phase 2: Constructor & API Polish (1 week)
**Goal**: Pythonic, intuitive API
```
1. #101 - Standardize (0,0) defaults for all positions
2. #38 - Frame children parameter: Frame(children=[...])
3. #42 - Click handler in __init__: Button(click=callback)
4. #90 - Grid size tuple: Grid(grid_size=(10, 10))
5. #19 - Sprite texture swapping: sprite.texture = new_texture
6. #52 - Grid skip out-of-bounds entities (performance)
```
*Rationale*: Quick wins that make the API more pleasant before bigger changes.

### Phase 3: Entity Lifecycle Management (1 week)
**Goal**: Bulletproof entity/grid relationships
```
1. #30 - Entity.die() and grid association
   - Grid.entities.append(e) sets e.grid = self
   - Grid.entities.remove(e) sets e.grid = None
   - Entity.die() calls self.grid.remove(self)
   - Entity can only be in 0 or 1 grid
   
2. #93 - Vector arithmetic methods
   - add, subtract, multiply, divide
   - distance, normalize, dot product
   
3. #94 - Color helper methods
   - from_hex("#FF0000"), to_hex()
   - lerp(other_color, t) for interpolation
   
4. #103 - Timer objects
   timer = mcrfpy.Timer("my_timer", callback, 1000)
   timer.pause()
   timer.resume()
   timer.cancel()
```
*Rationale*: Games need reliable entity management. Timer objects enable entity AI.

### Phase 4: Visibility & Performance (1-2 weeks)
**Goal**: Only render/process what's needed
```
1. #10 - Full visibility system with AABB
   - bool visible() - False if outside view or hidden
   - bool hidden - internal visibility toggle
   - AABB() considers parent offsets recursively
   - Non-visible elements can't be clicked
   
2. #52 - Grid culling (if not done in Phase 2)
   
3. #39/40/41 - Name system for finding elements
   - name="button1" property on all UIDrawables
   - only_one=True for unique names
   - scene.find("button1") returns element
   - collection.find("enemy*") returns list
   
4. #104 - Basic profiling/metrics
   - Frame time tracking
   - Draw call counting
   - Python vs C++ time split
```
*Rationale*: Performance is feature. Finding elements by name is huge QoL.

### Phase 5: Window/Scene Architecture (2-3 weeks)
**Goal**: Modern, flexible architecture
```
1. #34 - Window object (singleton first)
   window = mcrfpy.Window.get()
   window.resolution = (1920, 1080)
   window.fullscreen = True
   window.vsync = True
   
2. #1 - Window resize events
   scene.on_resize = lambda w, h: handle_resize(w, h)
   
3. #61 - Scene object (OOP scenes)
   class MenuScene(mcrfpy.Scene):
       def on_keypress(self, key):
           # handle input
       def on_enter(self):
           # setup UI
           
4. #14 - SFML exposure research
   - Option 1: Use existing pysfml
   - Option 2: mcrfpy.sfml submodule
   - Option 3: Direct integration
   
5. 105 - Scene transitions
   scene.fade_to(next_scene, duration=1.0)
   scene.slide_out(direction="left")
```
*Rationale*: This is the "big leap" - modernizes the entire API.

### Phase 6: Rendering Revolution (3-4 weeks) 
**Goal**: Professional rendering capabilities
```
1. #6 - RenderTexture overhaul
   - All UIDrawables render to RenderTexture
   - Enables clipping to parent bounds
   - Off-screen rendering for effects
   
2. #8 - Viewport-based rendering
   - RenderTexture matches viewport
   - Proper scaling/letterboxing
   
3. #50 - Grid background colors
   grid.background_color = mcrfpy.Color(50, 50, 50)
   
4. #106 - Shader support
   sprite.shader = "glow.frag"
   
5. #107 - Particle system
   particles = mcrfpy.ParticleEmitter()
```
*Rationale*: This unlocks professional visual effects but is complex.

### Phase 7: Documentation & Distribution (1-2 weeks)
**Goal**: Ready for the world
```
1. #85 - Replace all "docstring" placeholders
2. #86 - Add parameter documentation
3. #108 - Generate .pyi type stubs for IDE support
4. #70 - PyPI wheel preparation
5. API reference generator tool
```

## 📋 Critical Path & Parallel Tracks

### 🔴 **Critical Path** (Must do in order)
**Safe Constructors (#7)** → **Base Class (#71)** → **Visibility (#10)** → **Window (#34)** → **Scene (#61)**

### 🟡 **Parallel Tracks** (Can be done alongside critical path)

**Track A: Entity Systems**
- Entity/Grid integration (#30)
- Timer objects (#103)
- Vector/Color helpers (#93, #94)

**Track B: API Polish**  
- Constructor improvements (#101, #38, #42, #90)
- Sprite texture swap (#19)
- Name/search system (#39/40/41)

**Track C: Performance**
- Grid culling (#52)
- Visibility culling (part of #10)
- Profiling tools (#104)

### 💎 **Quick Wins to Sprinkle Throughout**
1. Color helpers (#94) - 1 hour
2. Vector methods (#93) - 1 hour  
3. Grid backgrounds (#50) - 30 minutes
4. Default positions (#101) - 30 minutes

### 🎯 **Recommended Execution Order**

**Week 1-2**: Foundation (Critical constructors + base class)  
**Week 3**: Entity lifecycle + API polish  
**Week 4**: Visibility system + performance  
**Week 5-6**: Window/Scene architecture  
**Week 7-9**: Rendering revolution (or defer to gamma)  
**Week 10**: Documentation + release prep

### 🆕 **New Issues to Create**

1. **Timer Objects** - Pythonic timer management (#103)
2. **Event System Enhancement** - Mouse enter/leave, drag, right-click
3. **Resource Manager** - Centralized asset loading
4. **Serialization System** - Save/load game state
5. **Scene Transitions** - Fade, slide, custom effects (#105)
6. **Profiling Tools** - Performance metrics (#104)
7. **Particle System** - Visual effects framework (#107)
8. **Shader Support** - Custom rendering effects (#106)

---

## 🚀 NEXT PHASE: Beta Features & Polish

### Alpha Complete! Moving to Beta Priorities:
1. ~~**#69** - Python Sequence Protocol for collections~~ - *Completed! (2025-07-05)*
2. ~~**#63** - Z-order rendering for UIDrawables~~ - *Completed! (2025-07-05)*
3. ~~**#59** - Animation system~~ - *Completed! (2025-07-05)*
4. **#6** - RenderTexture concept - *Extensive Overhaul*
5. ~~**#47** - New README.md for Alpha release~~ - *Completed*
- [x] **#78** - Middle Mouse Click sends "C" keyboard event - *Fixed*
- [x] **#77** - Fix error message copy/paste bug - *Fixed*
- [x] **#74** - Add missing `Grid.grid_y` property - *Fixed*  
- [ ] **#37** - Fix Windows build module import from "scripts" directory - *Isolated Fix*
      Issue #37 is **on hold** until we have a Windows build environment available. I actually suspect this is already fixed by the updates to the makefile, anyway.
- [x] **Entity Property Setters** - Fix "new style getargs format" error - *Fixed*
- [x] **Sprite Texture Setter** - Fix "error return without exception set" - *Fixed*
- [x] **keypressScene() Validation** - Add proper error handling - *Fixed*

### 🔄 Complete Iterator System
**Status**: Core iterators complete (#72 closed), Grid point iterators still pending

- [ ] **Grid Point Iterator Implementation** - Complete the remaining grid iteration work
- [x] **#73** - Add `entity.index()` method for collection removal - *Fixed*
- [x] **#69** ⚠️ **Alpha Blocker** - Refactor all collections to use Python Sequence Protocol - *Completed! (2025-07-05)*

**Dependencies**: Grid point iterators → #73 entity.index() → #69 Sequence Protocol overhaul

---

## 🗂 ISSUE TRIAGE BY SYSTEM (78 Total Issues)

### 🎮 Core Engine Systems

#### Iterator/Collection System (2 issues)
- [x] **#73** - Entity index() method for removal - *Fixed*
- [x] **#69** ⚠️ **Alpha Blocker** - Sequence Protocol refactor - *Completed! (2025-07-05)*

#### Python/C++ Integration (7 issues)  
- [x] **#76** - UIEntity derived type preservation in collections - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#71** - Drawable base class hierarchy - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#70** - PyPI wheel distribution - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [~] **#32** - Executable behave like `python` command - *Extensive Overhaul* *(90% Complete: -h, -V, -c, -m, -i, script execution, sys.argv, --exec all implemented. Only stdin (-) support missing)*
- [ ] **#35** - TCOD as built-in module - *Extensive Overhaul*  
- [ ] **#14** - Expose SFML as built-in module - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#46** - Subinterpreter threading tests - *Multiple Integrations*

#### UI/Rendering System (12 issues)
- [x] **#63** ⚠️ **Alpha Blocker** - Z-order for UIDrawables - *Multiple Integrations*
- [x] **#59** ⚠️ **Alpha Blocker** - Animation system - *Completed! (2025-07-05)*  
- [ ] **#6** ⚠️ **Alpha Blocker** - RenderTexture for all UIDrawables - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#10** - UIDrawable visibility/AABB system - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#8** - UIGrid RenderTexture viewport sizing - *Multiple Integrations*
- [x] **#9** - UIGrid RenderTexture resize handling - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#52** - UIGrid skip out-of-bounds entities - *Isolated Fix*
- [ ] **#50** - UIGrid background color field - *Isolated Fix*
- [ ] **#19** - Sprite get/set texture methods - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#17** - Move UISprite position into sf::Sprite - *Isolated Fix*
- [x] **#33** - Sprite index validation against texture range - *Fixed*

#### Grid/Entity System (6 issues)
- [ ] **#30** - Entity/Grid association management (.die() method) - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#16** - Grid strict mode for entity knowledge/visibility - *Extensive Overhaul*  
- [ ] **#67** - Grid stitching for infinite worlds - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#15** - UIGridPointState cleanup and standardization - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#20** - UIGrid get_grid_size standardization - *Multiple Integrations*
- [x] **#12** - GridPoint/GridPointState forbid direct init - *Isolated Fix*

#### Scene/Window Management (5 issues)
- [ ] **#61** - Scene object encapsulating key callbacks - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#34** - Window object for resolution/scaling - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#62** - Multiple windows support - *Extensive Overhaul*  
- [ ] **#49** - Window resolution & viewport controls - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#1** - Scene resize event handling - *Isolated Fix*

### 🔧 Quality of Life Features

#### UI Enhancement Features (8 issues)
- [ ] **#39** - Name field on UIDrawables - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#40** - `only_one` arg for unique naming - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#41** - `.find(name)` method for collections - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#38** - `children` arg for Frame initialization - *Isolated Fix*
- [ ] **#42** - Click callback arg for UIDrawable init - *Isolated Fix*  
- [x] **#27** - UIEntityCollection.extend() method - *Fixed*
- [ ] **#28** - UICollectionIter for scene ui iteration - *Isolated Fix*
- [ ] **#26** - UIEntityCollectionIter implementation - *Isolated Fix*

### 🧹 Refactoring & Cleanup

#### Code Cleanup (7 issues)
- [x] **#3** ⚠️ **Alpha Blocker** - Remove `McRFPy_API::player_input` - *Completed*
- [x] **#2** ⚠️ **Alpha Blocker** - Review `registerPyAction` necessity - *Completed*
- [ ] **#7** - Remove unsafe no-argument constructors - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#21** - PyUIGrid dealloc cleanup - *Isolated Fix*
- [ ] **#75** - REPL thread separation from SFML window - *Multiple Integrations*

### 📚 Demo & Documentation

#### Documentation (2 issues)
- [x] **#47** ⚠️ **Alpha Blocker** - Alpha release README.md - *Isolated Fix*
- [ ] **#48** - Dependency compilation documentation - *Isolated Fix*

#### Demo Projects (6 issues)  
- [ ] **#54** - Jupyter notebook integration demo - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#55** - Hunt the Wumpus AI demo - *Multiple Integrations*
- [ ] **#53** - Web interface input demo - *Multiple Integrations* *(New automation API could help)*
- [ ] **#45** - Accessibility mode demos - *Multiple Integrations* *(New automation API could help test)*
- [ ] **#36** - Dear ImGui integration tests - *Extensive Overhaul*
- [ ] **#65** - Python Explorer scene (replaces uitest) - *Extensive Overhaul*

---

## 🎮 STRATEGIC DIRECTION

### Engine Philosophy Maintained
- **C++ First**: Performance-critical code stays in C++
- **Python Close Behind**: Rich scripting without frame-rate impact  
- **Game-Ready**: Each improvement should benefit actual game development

### Architecture Goals
1. **Clean Inheritance**: Drawable → UI components, proper type preservation
2. **Collection Consistency**: Uniform iteration, indexing, and search patterns
3. **Resource Management**: RAII everywhere, proper lifecycle handling
4. **Multi-Platform**: Windows/Linux feature parity maintained

---

## 📚 REFERENCES & CONTEXT

**Issue Dependencies** (Key Chains):
- Iterator System: Grid points → #73 → #69 (Alpha Blocker)
- UI Hierarchy: #71 → #63 (Alpha Blocker) 
- Rendering: #6 (Alpha Blocker) → #8, #9 → #10
- Entity System: #30 → #16 → #67
- Window Management: #34 → #49, #61 → #62

**Commit References**:
- 167636c: Iterator improvements (UICollection/UIEntityCollection complete)
- Recent work: 7DRL 2025 completion, RPATH updates, console improvements

**Architecture Files**:
- Iterator patterns: src/UICollection.cpp, src/UIGrid.cpp
- Python integration: src/McRFPy_API.cpp, src/PyObjectUtils.h
- Game implementation: src/scripts/ (Crypt of Sokoban complete game)

---

*Last Updated: 2025-07-05*