hiloteam/hilo

★ 5,933JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((hilo))
    What it does
      HTML5 game engine
      Multi-renderer support
      Asset loading
      Input handling
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      Canvas
      WebGL
      npm
    Use cases
      Browser games
      Mobile web games
      Game prototypes
    Audience
      Game developers
      Web developers
      Indie developers

mindmap root((hilo)) What it does HTML5 game engine Multi-renderer support Asset loading Input handling Tech stack JavaScript Canvas WebGL npm Use cases Browser games Mobile web games Game prototypes Audience Game developers Web developers Indie developers

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build browser-based games like Flappy Bird or 2048 clones that run on both desktop and mobile without a download

USE CASE 2

Add physics simulation to game objects using the built-in Chipmunk extension for realistic movement and collisions

USE CASE 3

Use the skeleton animation extension to create character animations from bone-based sprite sheets

USE CASE 4

Scaffold a new game project in one command using the yo generator, then customize the ready-to-run structure

Tech stack

JavaScriptCanvasWebGLnpmgulp

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Building from source requires gulp, the yo generator simplifies initial project setup.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial projects, with no restrictions beyond keeping the copyright notice.

In plain English

Hilo is a JavaScript framework for building browser-based games, developed by Alibaba Group. It targets HTML5 games that run in a web browser, meaning players do not need to install anything, and the games work on both desktop and mobile devices. The framework provides the building blocks that game developers commonly need: a system for managing visual objects on screen (like characters, backgrounds, and buttons), multiple ways to draw those objects (using Canvas, WebGL, or regular HTML elements), and tools for loading assets and handling user input like mouse clicks and touch events. It also includes optional extensions for physics simulation (powered by Chipmunk) and skeleton animation (powered by DragonBones), which are techniques for making game objects move realistically. Developers can add Hilo to a project through npm, the standard JavaScript package manager. Building the source requires running a few commands with the gulp build tool. A project generator using the yo scaffolding tool is also available, which creates a ready-to-run game project structure in one command. The library supports several JavaScript module formats including CommonJS, AMD, and CMD, so it can fit into different build setups. The README links to live demo games including a Flappy Bird clone, a version of 2048, and a Fruit Ninja game, all built with Hilo. These give a concrete sense of the kind of games the framework is designed to produce. Hilo is licensed under the MIT license and is open source. The project is developed primarily in Chinese and also provides a Chinese-language version of its README, reflecting its origins within Alibaba's engineering team.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Set up a basic Hilo game with a Canvas renderer that shows a moving sprite on screen and handles mouse click events.

Prompt 2

I want to build a simple platformer game with Hilo. Show me how to set up a game loop, add a player character, and detect collisions with a floor platform.

Prompt 3

Add physics to a Hilo game using the Chipmunk extension, show me how to make a ball fall and bounce off a wall.

Prompt 4

Walk me through using the Hilo yo generator to scaffold a new game project and explain the folder structure it creates.

Prompt 5

Show me how to load image and audio assets in Hilo before the game starts, with a loading progress indicator on screen.

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