Make me a minecraft clone in c with one file
Executive summary
Producing a playable Minecraft-like voxel renderer in a single C source file is achievable as a learning exercise, but robust, feature-complete clones in C typically span multiple files and depend on libraries and build systems; the well-regarded Craft project is “a few thousand lines of C” that uses modern OpenGL, shaders, and relies on external tooling like CMake [1] [2] [3]. Existing small implementations and ports demonstrate the approach and trade-offs: compact Python/C versions exist, plus multiple C/C++ repos that show common dependencies and patterns [4] [5] [6].
1. Why single-file is attractive — and what it costs
Packing a voxel engine into one .c file simplifies distribution and experimentation, but it forces either reimplementing or embedding functionality normally provided by multiple modules (windowing, GL loader, math, texture loading, networking), which increases code size and reduces maintainability; projects like Craft deliberately split code (matrix.c, cube.c, shaders) and use CMake and libraries to stay readable and performant [1] [2] [3].
2. What established examples teach about dependencies
Open-source examples show almost every practical clone leans on OpenGL (modern shaders), an extension loader like GLEW, window/context code (GLFW/SDL), and build tooling; guides for Craft on Ubuntu and other write-ups list installing GLEW, CMake and libcurl as part of the build process, illustrating that a one-file approach will still need those external binaries or bundled headers [2] [1].
3. Minimal technical blueprint for a one-file clone
A minimal single-file path is to focus strictly on a renderer and input loop: embed a tiny window/context creator (or require linking to GLFW), include a minimal matrix and voxel mesh generator in the same file, use a single shader pair as string literals, and implement greedy mesh generation to reduce draw calls — the Craft repository shows models are generated in code (cube.c) and uses shaders for rendering, which are core lessons to copy into one file [1] [3]. If online multiplayer is desired, note that Craft keeps networking in a Python-based server separate from the C client, so merging networking into the single C file greatly increases complexity [3].
4. Practical steps and a realistic scope for a single file
Start by cloning or studying Craft and tiny clones on GitHub to understand chunk generation, greedy meshing, and shader usage [1] [7]; then choose a constrained target: single textured block type, fixed world seed, CPU-side block storage, basic sunlight or flat lighting, and no persistent server—this keeps code manageable while reproducing the core “walk and place blocks” experience that small projects demonstrate [1] [5]. Expect to link to system libraries (OpenGL, X11/Win32/GLFW) or vendor-provided headers rather than truly producing a dependency-free binary [2].
5. Alternatives and next steps for a production-ready clone
For learning and fast progress, study Craft’s few-thousand-line C codebase and community write-ups that explain building it on Ubuntu and other platforms — these sources provide an honest view of the effort and dependencies required and include build notes like use of CMake and libcurl for optional features [1] [2] [3]. If the goal is an extremely compact single-file demo, consider writing a software rasterizer or WebGL transpile so the renderer and assets remain self-contained, but those are trade-offs in performance and platform reach compared to the shader-driven approach used in Craft [1] [2].