Pac-Man/ROADMAP.md

Roadmap

A comprehensive list of features needed to complete the Pac-Man emulation, organized by priority and implementation complexity.

Core Game Features

Ghost AI & Behavior

• Core Ghost System Architecture
  • Ghost entity types (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde)
  • Ghost state management (Normal, Frightened, Eyes)
  • Ghost movement and pathfinding systems
• Authentic Ghost AI Personalities
  • Blinky (Red): Direct chase behavior
  • Pinky (Pink): Target 4 tiles ahead of Pac-Man
  • Inky (Cyan): Complex behavior based on Blinky's position
  • Clyde (Orange): Chase when far, flee when close
• Mode Switching System
  • Scatter/Chase pattern with proper timing
  • Frightened mode transitions
  • Ghost house entry/exit mechanics
• Ghost House Behavior
  • Basic spawning in ghost house
  • Proper exit timing sequence
  • Dot counter for ghost release
  • Global dot counter reset
  • House-specific pathfinding

Fruit Bonus System

• Fruit Spawning Mechanics
  • Spawn at pellet counts 5 and 170 (TODO: verify if should be 70 and 170 for arcade accuracy)
  • Fruit display in bottom-right corner
  • Fruit collection and scoring
  • Bonus point display system

Level Progression

• Multiple Levels
  • Level completion detection
  • Progressive difficulty scaling
  • Ghost speed increases per level
  • Power pellet duration decreases
• Intermission Screens
  • Between-level cutscenes
  • Proper graphics and timing

Audio System Completion

• Core Audio Infrastructure
  • Audio event system
  • Sound effect playback
  • Audio muting controls
• Background Music
  • Intro jingle
  • Continuous gameplay music
  • Escalating siren based on remaining pellets
  • Power pellet mode music
  • Intermission music
• Sound Effects
  • Pellet eating sounds
  • Fruit collection sounds
  • Ghost eaten sounds
  • Pac-Man Death
  • Ghost movement sounds
  • Level completion fanfare

Game Mechanics

• Bonus Lives
  • Extra life at 10,000 points
  • Life counter display
• High Score System
  • High score tracking
  • High score display
  • Score persistence

Secondary Features (Medium Priority)

Game Polish

• Core Input System
  • Keyboard controls (WASD + Arrow keys)
  • Direction buffering for responsive controls
  • Touch controls for mobile
  • Mouse controls (mouse-as-touch for desktop testing)
• Pause System
  • Pause/unpause functionality (Escape key)
  • Visual pause overlay with semi-transparent background
  • Interactive pause menu with options
• Advanced Input System
  • Input remapping/key rebinding
  • Customizable control schemes

Web Platform Features

Browser Compatibility

• Core Web Support
  • WASM compilation and deployment
  • Emscripten platform integration
  • Browser autoplay policy compliance (click-to-start)
  • WASM loading states and smooth transitions
• Mobile Web Support
  • Touch controls for mobile browsers
  • Responsive touch input handling
  • Mobile-optimized UI

Advanced Features (Lower Priority)

Difficulty Options

• Easy/Normal/Hard modes
• Customizable ghost speeds

Data Persistence

• High Score Persistence
  • Save high scores to file
  • High score table display
• Settings Storage
  • Save user preferences
  • Audio/visual settings
• Statistics Tracking
  • Game statistics
  • Achievement system

Debug & Development Tools

• Performance details
• Core Debug Infrastructure
  • Debug mode toggle (Space key)
  • Comprehensive game event logging
  • Per-system performance profiling with timing breakdown
  • FPS and frame timing display
  • Single-tick stepping (T key for frame-by-frame)
• Maze Visualization
  • Navigation graph rendering (red lines)
  • Node visualization (blue dots)
  • Node hover inspection with ID display
  • Collision hitbox display (green boxes)
• Game State Visualization
  • Ghost AI state display (target tiles, modes)
  • Ghost pathfinding visualization (current path)
  • Ghost personality indicators
• Game Speed Controls
  • Variable game speed for testing

Customization & Extensions

Visual Customization

• Core Rendering System
  • Sprite-based rendering
  • Layered rendering system
  • Animation system
  • HUD rendering
• Display Options
  • Fullscreen support (Desktop only - F key toggle)
  • Fullscreen support (Web - F key + pinch-to-zoom gestures)
  • Window resizing with aspect ratio preservation
    • Pause while resizing (SDL2 limitation mitigation)
  • Multiple resolution support

Gameplay Extensions

• Advanced Ghost AI
  • Support for >4 ghosts
  • Custom ghost behaviors
• Level Generation
  • Custom level creation
  • Multi-map tunneling
  • Level editor

Online Features (Future)

Scoreboard System

• Backend Infrastructure
  • Axum server with PostgreSQL database
  • Optional OAuth2 authentication (GitHub/Discord)
  • Session management with cookies
  • Health check and API endpoints
• Profile Features
  • Optional avatars (8-bit aesthetic)
  • Custom names (3-14 chars, filtered)
  • User profile pages
• Leaderboard Features
  • Global high score board
  • Personal best tracking
  • Score submission from game client
• Client Implementation
  • Zero-config client with default endpoint
  • Score upload integration
  • Manual API endpoint override