CharmingBlaze/moonbasic
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README
moonBASIC A modern BASIC for building 2D and 3D games — write .mb source, download pre-built binaries, and run. No Go, no C compiler, no build tools on your machine. One download gives you moonrun (play games), moonbasic (check, compile to .mbc, language server), and optionally the moonBASIC IDE — a desktop editor with the full documentation built in. The engine bundles Raylib, Box2D, and Jolt — graphics, audio, 2D physics, 3D physics, networking, terrain, UI, particles, and more behind 4,200+ built-in commands across 40+ namespaces (WINDOW., ENTITY., PHYSICS3D., GUI., NET.*, …). This repository is the official home for documentation, examples, and pre-compiled downloads for Windows, Linux, and macOS (Apple Silicon).
Download (nothing else required) Latest release: github.com/CharmingBlaze/moonbasic/releases/latest Direct links by platform: charmingblaze.github.io/moonbasic/ You do not need to install Go, GCC, Node.js, or Raylib separately.
Your goal Download
moonBASIC IDE (editor + compiler + runtime + docs — easiest) IDE bundle — moonbasic-<tag>-ide-windows-amd64.zip, linux-amd64.tar.gz, or macos-arm64.tar.gz
Play / make games (terminal only) Full runtime — moonbasic-<tag>-windows-amd64.zip, linux-amd64.tar.gz, or macos-arm64.tar.gz
Lint / compile / LSP only (no game window) Compiler only — moonbasic-<tag>-compiler-…
VS Code / Cursor Included in full-runtime zip + moonbasic-<tag>-vscode.vsix on Releases
IDE bundle — moonbasic-ide, moonbasic, moonrun, README-IDE-RELEASE.txt, START-IDE. Documentation is inside the IDE. Full runtime — moonbasic, moonrun, README-RELEASE.txt, VS Code .vsix, INSTALL-VSCODE.bat / INSTALL-VSCODE.sh. All artifact names and platform notes: RELEASES.md
moonBASIC IDE (recommended) The fastest way to start — one folder, no extra setup.
Download moonbasic-<tag>-ide-… for your OS from Releases. Extract anywhere permanent. Run START-IDE.bat (Windows) or chmod +x START-IDE.sh moonbasic-ide moonbasic moonrun && ./START-IDE.sh (Linux/macOS). Write or open a .mb file in the editor.
Shortcut Action
F5 Run game (moonrun)
Ctrl+Shift+C Check syntax
Ctrl+Shift+B Compile to .mbc
Alt+H Help at cursor
Gear menu (title bar) Themes, fonts, colors, settings
The IDE auto-detects moonbasic and moonrun in the same folder. Open Documentation in the sidebar for BEGIN_HERE.md, guides, and the full command reference. Engine source: moonbasic-compiler (moonbasic ide/).
Quick start (terminal) If you downloaded the full runtime instead of the IDE: moonrun --version # Windows: moonrun.exe --version moonbasic new MyGame cd MyGame moonrun main.mb Try an example from this repo (clone or Download ZIP — examples ship here, not inside release zips): moonrun examples/spin_cube/main.mb moonrun examples/guides/game_loop.mb
VS Code / Cursor (one command) After extracting the full runtime: moonbasic install-vscode Or double-click INSTALL-VSCODE.bat (Windows) / run ./INSTALL-VSCODE.sh. That installs the extension and sets moonbasic.languageServerPath and moonbasic.moonrunPath automatically. Then open any .mb file — completions, hover help, Ctrl+F5 run, Ctrl+Shift+C check, Alt+H help at cursor. Extension source: editors/vscode-moonbasic/ · Guide: docs/GETTING_STARTED.md
Documentation
Start here
docs/BEGIN_HERE.md Install, first 10 minutes, learning path
docs/GETTING_STARTED.md Ship your game, VS Code, player installs
docs/systems/GUIDES.md Topic guides (physics, lighting, multiplayer, math, …)
docs/COMMANDS.md Command index
docs/reference/ Full API by namespace
web/command-browser.html Searchable offline command browser
examples/ Runnable demos + examples/guides/ copies of doc examples
What's built in
Layer Technology
Graphics & audio Raylib
2D physics Box2D
3D physics & KCC Jolt
Multiplayer ENet (where enabled)
Example APP.OPEN(960, 540, "Hello moonBASIC") WHILE NOT APP.SHOULDCLOSE() RENDER.CLEAR(20, 24, 32) RENDER.FRAME() WEND APP.CLOSE()
(APP. aliases WINDOW. — same engine, clearer tutorials.)
Tooling
Tool / command What it does
moonBASIC IDE (moonbasic-ide) Desktop editor — syntax, docs, check, compile, run, themes
moonrun game.mb Compile (if needed) and run — primary terminal entry point
moonbasic --check game.mb Parse and type-check without running
moonbasic game.mb Compile to game.mbc bytecode
moonbasic --lsp Language server (stdio) for other editors
moonbasic new Name New project: main.mb, assets/, .vscode/
moonbasic install-vscode Install VS Code / Cursor extension + configure paths
License MIT — see LICENSE. Engine source (contributors): github.com/CharmingBlaze/moonbasic-compiler