daemons-engine 0.1.8

A modern MUD engine - headless game engine for real-time, text-based multiplayer worlds

Daemons Engine — Quickstart Guide

Build your own real-time MUD/RPG game using the Daemons engine.

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Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+ — Download
• A terminal — PowerShell (Windows), Terminal (macOS), or bash (Linux)

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1. Create Your Game Project

mkdir my-game
cd my-game

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2. Create a Virtual Environment

Windows (PowerShell)

python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate

macOS / Linux

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Tip: You should see (.venv) in your terminal prompt when activated.

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3. Install the Daemons Engine

pip install daemons-engine

This installs the engine and all its dependencies (FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, Alembic, etc.).

Verify Installation

python -c "import daemons; print(daemons.__version__)"

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4. Initialize Your Game

Create the initial project structure:

daemons init my-game

Or initialize in the current directory:

daemons init .

This scaffolds your project with all starter content:

my-game/
├── world_data/          # Your game content (YAML files)
│   ├── areas/           # Area definitions
│   ├── rooms/           # Room definitions
│   ├── items/           # Item templates
│   ├── npcs/            # NPC templates
│   ├── classes/         # Character classes
│   ├── abilities/       # Class abilities
│   ├── quests/          # Quest definitions
│   └── ...              # And more!
├── behaviors/           # Custom NPC behaviors (Python)
├── alembic/             # Database migrations
├── alembic.ini          # Alembic configuration
├── config.py            # Game configuration
└── main.py              # Entry point

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5. Database Setup with Alembic

Initialize your game's database:

daemons db upgrade

Or use Alembic directly:

alembic upgrade head

This creates game.db with all tables and seeds the starter world.

Common Alembic Commands

# Check current migration status
alembic current

# View migration history
alembic history

# Upgrade to latest
alembic upgrade head

# Downgrade one revision
alembic downgrade -1

# Create a new migration (after model changes)
alembic revision --autogenerate -m "description of changes"

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6. Run the Server

daemons run

Or use uvicorn directly:

uvicorn main:app --reload --log-level info

You should see:

INFO:     Uvicorn running on http://127.0.0.1:8000 (Press CTRL+C to quit)
INFO:     Started reloader process
INFO:     Started server process
INFO:     Application startup complete.

Server Options

# Different port
daemons run --port 8080

# Bind to all interfaces (for LAN access)
daemons run --host 0.0.0.0

# Production mode (no reload, multiple workers)
uvicorn main:app --workers 4

API Documentation

With the server running, visit:

• Swagger UI: http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs
• ReDoc: http://127.0.0.1:8000/redoc

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7. Connect a Client

Option A: Use the Reference Client

Install and run the Flet-based debug client:

pip install flet
daemons client

Option B: Build Your Own

Connect via WebSocket to ws://127.0.0.1:8000/ws/game/auth. See protocol.md for message formats.

Test Credentials

The server seeds two test accounts on first run:

• Username: testplayer1 / Password: testpass1
• Username: testplayer2 / Password: testpass2

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8. Create Game Content

All content is defined in YAML files under world_data/.

Example: Create a Room

world_data/rooms/tavern.yaml:

id: tavern_main
name: "The Rusty Tankard"
description: |
  A cozy tavern with a crackling fireplace. The smell of
  roasted meat and ale fills the air.
room_type: indoor
area_id: starter_town
exits:
  north: town_square
  up: tavern_rooms

Example: Create an NPC

world_data/npcs/barkeeper.yaml:

id: npc_barkeeper
name: "Greta the Barkeeper"
description: "A stout woman with a warm smile and keen eyes."
level: 5
behaviors:
  - merchant
  - friendly
dialogue_id: barkeeper_dialogue
spawn_room: tavern_main

Hot Reload

Content changes are picked up automatically when using --reload, or trigger manually:

# In-game (as admin)
reload items
reload npcs
reload rooms

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9. Project Structure

my-game/
├── world_data/              # Your game content
│   ├── areas/               # World areas
│   ├── rooms/               # Room definitions
│   ├── items/               # Items and equipment
│   │   ├── weapons/
│   │   ├── armor/
│   │   └── consumables/
│   ├── npcs/                # NPC templates
│   ├── quests/              # Quest definitions
│   ├── dialogues/           # NPC dialogue trees
│   └── triggers/            # Room/area triggers
├── behaviors/               # Custom Python behaviors
├── alembic/                 # Database migrations
├── alembic.ini
├── config.py                # Server configuration
├── main.py                  # Application entry point
└── game.db                  # SQLite database

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10. Quick Reference

Essential Commands

Task	Command
Install engine	pip install daemons-engine
Initialize project	daemons init
Run migrations	daemons db upgrade
Start server	daemons run
Start server (dev)	daemons run --reload
Run client	daemons client

Useful URLs (Server Running)

URL	Description
http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs	Swagger API docs
http://127.0.0.1:8000/redoc	ReDoc API docs
ws://127.0.0.1:8000/ws/game/auth	WebSocket game endpoint

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Troubleshooting

"Module not found" errors

Make sure your virtual environment is activated:

# Windows
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate

# macOS/Linux
source .venv/bin/activate

Then reinstall:

pip install daemons-engine

Database errors

Reset the database:

rm game.db          # or del game.db on Windows
daemons db upgrade

Port already in use

Use a different port:

daemons run --port 8080

Client can't connect

1. Ensure the server is running
2. Check config.py for the correct host/port
3. Verify firewall isn't blocking localhost connections

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Next Steps

• Browse example content: world_data examples
• Read the architecture: ARCHITECTURE.md
• Understand the protocol: protocol.md
• See the roadmap: roadmap.md

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Engine Development

If you want to contribute to the Daemons engine itself:

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/adamhuston/1126.git daemons-engine
cd daemons-engine

Create Virtual Environment

# Windows
python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate

# macOS/Linux
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Install Dependencies

# Core dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Development dependencies
pip install pytest pytest-asyncio pytest-cov pytest-timeout pytest-xdist
pip install pre-commit ruff black isort mypy safety

# Or use the setup script
python setup_dev.py

Run the Backend

cd backend
alembic upgrade head
uvicorn app.main:app --reload

Run Tests

cd backend

# All tests
pytest

# With coverage
pytest --cov=app --cov-report=html

# By category
pytest -m unit          # Unit tests
pytest -m systems       # System tests
pytest -m integration   # Integration tests
pytest -m abilities     # Ability tests
pytest -m api           # API tests

Code Quality

# Install pre-commit hooks
pre-commit install

# Run all linters
pre-commit run --all-files

# Individual tools
ruff check backend/ --fix
black backend/
isort backend/
mypy backend/daemons/

Run the Reference Client

daemons client

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