Games and graphics (raylib)

What to expect

Flow-Wing can drive 2D/3D games and apps the same way you would from C: you bring raylib in your .fg source, and you pass native link options to the Flow-Wing compiler (library search path -L, system library -l, and on macOS often --framework for GL/windowing). The raylib you use is the one installed on your machine; the language ships the module bindings, not a copy of the game engine.

1. Install the compiler and (separately) a raylib build for your OS—see the main repo INSTALL and your platform’s raylib install guide.
2. In code: bring raylib, then create a raylib::Window, run an update / draw loop, load textures and handle input the way the raylib module exposes in Flow-Wing.
3. On the command line: compile with the same -L / -l (and frameworks on Mac) you would use for a small C + raylib program. All flags are in Language Fundamentals → Flow-Wing CLI.

If you are new to the toolchain, do Getting Started → Installation and Hello World first, then come back here.

Quick example

A minimal game window in Flow-Wing with raylib:

bring raylib

var window: raylib::Window = new raylib::Window(800, 600, "My Game")

while (!window.shouldClose()) {
  window.begin()
  window.clear(new raylib::Color(245, 245, 245, 255))
  window.drawText("Hello from Flow-Wing!", 190, 200, 20, new raylib::Color(200, 200, 200, 255))
  window.end()
}

Compile it by passing the raylib library to the linker:

• Windows: raylib.lib
• Linux: libraylib.so
• macOS: libraylib.dylib

Example:

flowwing game.fg -o game -L/path/to/raylib -l raylib

Two demos in the main repository (clone required)

The open-source Flow-Wing tree (not the docs site alone) includes ready-made samples under docs/demo/—use them once you can compile .fg and have raylib on disk:

Demo	Path	What it is
Bird	docs/demo/bird-game/bird.fg	Single file flappy-style game: classes, parallax, textures, a simple menu loop. Good first read.
Platformer	docs/demo/platform-game/main.fg (plus Player.fg, Platform.fg, … in the same folder)	Multi-file “side-scroller” style: local bring from "./…" next to .fg. Run the compiler on main.fg with your current directory in docs/demo/platform-game so those paths resolve.

These are learning examples shipped with the repo; they are not a separate product or engine.

How to run a demo (pattern)

• Build the compiler from the repo (or use a prebuilt SDK) so you have flowwing / FlowWing on your PATH or a path to the bin tool.

• Point -L at the directory that contains your raylib import library / shared library, and add -l raylib (or the name your OS uses). On macOS you may need several --framework options for Cocoa / OpenGL—match what raylib’s C examples use on that OS.

• Bird — from the repository root, you can do something like (paths are examples only; fix -L to your raylib install):

  cd docs/demo/bird-game
  FlowWing bird.fg -o bird -L/usr/local/lib -l raylib
  ./bird

  On Windows, the library name and paths differ (often .lib next to the compiler or under vcpkg / a raylib SDK); use the same -L / -l style as in the CLI page.

• Platform — cd into docs/demo/platform-game, compile main.fg the same way (raylib -L / -l, plus frameworks on Mac). The entry file pulls ./Player.fg, ./utils.fg, etc. via bring, so the current working directory and import paths must match how you invoke FlowWing (the compiler resolves bring "…" from the .fg file’s directory—see the modules section of the docs if imports fail).

If linking fails, the issue is almost always raylib not found or missing system frameworks—not Flow-Wing syntax. Fix -L / -l / --framework, then re-run.

More detail: linking, other libraries, and another repo

• Not only raylib — any C library you can link from a C toolchain on your OS is fair game: pass -L, -l, and on macOS --framework the same way. Games are a popular use; the mechanism is the same for other native code.
• Why linking matters — bring raylib tells the compiler about types and calls; the linker still needs a real raylib binary. That is why AOT builds require correct -L / -l. The Release-style SDK bundles a C++-style linker driver for Flow-Wing output; you still supply the raylib library you built or installed.
• External project — an older, repo-sized sample also lives on GitHub: Bird-Game-in-FlowWing. It is not the same path as docs/demo/bird-game; treat it as an extra reference if you outgrow the in-tree demos.
• Assets — the in-repo demos may expect image files next to the .fg (e.g. under file::__DIR__ or paths in the code). Run from the right folder, or copy assets with your build.

See also

• Language Fundamentals → Flow-Wing CLI — -L, -l, --framework
• Getting Started → Installation — a working bin and lib/modules layout
• Advanced topics on bring, modules, and objects for larger games