Scripting Rustic games with C++

C++ uses the built-in Rustic API, like every gameplay language. Rustic supplies rustic.hpp, compiles each .cc, .cpp, or .cxx behavior as C++20, and runs one isolated process per instance. The header parses protocol requests and exposes typed native helpers, so ordinary game code should not emit JSON.

Install clang++, g++, or MSVC cl on PATH. Clang/GCC builds use -Wall -Wextra -Werror -std=c++20; MSVC uses /nologo /W4. The editor also writes an IntelliSense copy to .rustic/generated/programming/rustic.hpp, but Rustic supplies the authoritative temporary copy when building. Never edit or vendor the generated header.

Complete behavior

cpp

#include "rustic.hpp"

double speed = 4.0; // process/instance-local state

void on_start() {
    rustic.log("info", "behavior started");
}

void fixed_update(double dt) {
    const auto forward = rustic.key("KeyW");
    if (forward.held) {
        const auto p = rustic.get_translation();
        rustic.set_translation(p.x, p.y, p.z + speed * dt);
    }
}

void on_destroy() {
    rustic.log("info", "behavior destroyed");
}

int main() {
    return rustic_run(RusticBehavior{
        .on_start = on_start,
        .on_destroy = on_destroy,
        .fixed_update = fixed_update,
    });
}

RusticBehavior has on_create, on_start, on_enable, on_disable, on_destroy, on_stop, fixed_update, and update slots. Omitted callbacks are handled automatically. Frame callbacks receive seconds. Collision callbacks are not exposed by this external SDK.

Typed API

cpp

const std::string id = rustic.entity_id();
const double frame_dt = rustic.delta_time();
const double physics_dt = rustic.fixed_delta_time();
const RusticVector3 p = rustic.get_translation();
rustic.set_translation(p.x, p.y + 1.0, p.z);

RusticValue speedValue = rustic.get_property("speed");
rustic.set_property("speed", RusticValue{5.0});
RusticValue color = rustic.GetAttribute("Color");
rustic.EditAttribute("Position",
    RusticValue::Array{1.0, 2.0, 3.0});

RusticActionState jump = rustic.input("Jump");
RusticActionState forward = rustic.key("KeyW");
std::vector<RusticKeyEvent> events = rustic.key_events();
bool pressed = rustic.any_key_pressed();
rustic.log("warn", "message");
rustic.set_enabled(false);

RusticActionState contains pressed, released, held, and axis. RusticKeyEvent contains key, state, and repeat. Named actions currently arrive as an empty map for external adapters. Only held WASD, arrow, and Shift keys from the embedded Play viewport are populated; press/release fields and key events remain empty. See the Lua input guide for exact names and setup. RusticValue supports null, boolean, double, string, array, and object; use its type accessors only when the stored alternative matches.

Scene and object operations

cpp

std::optional<std::string> table = Game.scene.Find("Room.Table");
std::vector<std::string> room = Game.scene.List("Room");
Game.setCurrentCamera("Room.Camera");

instance.add("Cube");
instance.add("assets/models/tree.glb", table);
instance.clone("Room.Table");

Find returns a stable ID or std::nullopt; List returns IDs beneath a path prefix. Instance source strings accept IDs, scene paths, model paths, or built-in object names. The optional parent is an ID. These mutations are queued and applied after the callback, in call order, so creation does not return a new ID.

Built-in attributes are Name, Position, Size, Color, CanTouch, CanCollide, Anchored, and Parent. Property/attribute writes must retain the existing engine type. A rejected command fails and disables only this behavior.

Lifetime, safety, and compatibility

C++ cannot call another behavior process or VM object. API 1.0 does not yet expose the scheduler's Engine Event emit/subscribe surface to scripts; cross-language coordination must use shared engine state.

Create and attach the file in the Explorer as global, scene, or component scope. The Asset ID—not the path—is stored in the attachment. Global instances run first, then scene instances, then object components; editor-created references use order 0 and stable IDs break ties. Process globals persist for that instance until it is destroyed.

The process reads/writes newline-delimited protocol v1 internally. Do not print to standard output, because it is reserved for the SDK response. Callbacks have a three-second deadline and 1 MiB response limit. The process environment and working directory are isolated. Syntax/build failures prevent replacement; runtime failures disable the instance. Legacy C++ behavior members are the current native contract and remain backward compatible.

Target another scene object

See Edit scene objects for named-scene hierarchy calls, supported attributes, copyable examples, and native SDK calls to edit another object. Use your language's native call syntax and its current runtime limitations.