Show HN: Evolved.lua – An Evolved Entity Component System for Lua

Summary

evolved.lua (work in progress) Evolved ECS (Entity-Component-System) for Lua Introduction evolved.lua is a fast and flexible ECS (Entity-Component-System) library for Lua. It is designed to be simple and easy to use, while providing all the features needed to create complex systems with blazing performance. Before we start exploring the library, let's take a look at the main advantages of using evolved.lua : Performance This library is designed to be fast. Many techniques are employed to achieve this. It uses an archetype-based approach to store entities and their components. Components are stored in contiguous arrays in a SoA (Structure of Arrays) manner, which allows for fast iteration and processing. Chunks are used to group entities with the same set of components together, enabling efficient filtering through queries. Additionally, all operations are designed to minimize GC (Garbage Collector) pressure and avoid unnecessary allocations. I have tried to take into account all the performance pitfalls of vanilla Lua and LuaJIT. Not all the optimizations I want to implement are done yet, but I will be working on them. However, I can already say that the library is fast enough for most use cases. Simplicity I have tried to keep the API as simple and intuitive as possible. I also keep the number of functions under control. All the functions are self-explanatory and easy to use. After reading the Overview section, you should be able to use the library without any problems. And yes, the library has some unusual concepts at its core, but once you get the hang of it, you will find it's very easy to use. Flexibility evolved.lua is not just about keeping components in entities. It's a full-fledged ECS library that allows you to create complex systems and processes. You can create queries with filters, use deferred operations, and batch operations. You can also create systems that process entities in a specific order. The library is designed to be flexible and extensible, s...