SignalCloud Engine + ALMOND SIGNAL: LIVE TAPE

Published alpha: v0.1.0-alpha.1

Current source target: portable-core repair for v0.1.0-alpha.2

Runtime line: Pivot 13 v0.13.0-a3

Status: experimental, source-first Linux alpha

SignalCloud Engine is a C++20 point-cloud game engine and authoring environment built around ALMOND SIGNAL: LIVE TAPE. The repository includes the native game, engine-native stress and machine-profile tools, Point Cloud Paint++, SignalCloud Studio, +SCFS+ font authoring, Illuminosity Light Lab, Jitter & Material Lab, Universal Playbook authoring, the 3D Environment & Physics Showcase, and the Tupd recipe workbench.

This is a working alpha rather than a finished game. File formats, APIs, visuals, performance behavior, and save compatibility may change before beta.

Portable core: important first-run behavior

The public repository intentionally does not track content/core/. Development copies of that directory once contained machine-local paths, so a public clone now creates a deterministic and privacy-safe core on the user's own computer.

The public core system consists of:

Path	Purpose
scripts/build_core.sh	User-facing builder command
tools/core_builder.py	Deterministic core generator and verifier
docs/PORTABLE_CORE_BUILDER.md	Detailed builder and recovery guide
content/core/	Generated runtime core; intentionally ignored by Git
user_data/core_builder/core_receipt.json	Local integrity receipt; intentionally ignored by Git

Normal setup and launch scripts call the builder automatically. For a first installation, running it explicitly makes failures easier to diagnose:

./scripts/build_core.sh
./scripts/build_core.sh --verify-only

The builder rejects private home-directory paths and uses portable project-root placeholders. Never commit content/core/, user_data/, machine profiles, reports, build directories, or local recovery archives.

What is included

• C++20 point-cloud runtime with SDL3/OpenGL applications
• ALMOND SIGNAL: LIVE TAPE Pivot 13 gameplay proof
• adaptive 8M environment profile with a protected 4M fallback
• engine-native workload and stress testing with machine-profile promotion
• thermal, memory, watchdog, interruption, and recovery controls
• Point Cloud Paint++ layered asset authoring and native preview
• SignalCloud Studio and managed authoring tools
• +SCFS+ layered point-font authoring and native SCFONT runtime
• Illuminosity, material/jitter, audio-interference, and Playbook systems
• 3D Environment & Physics Showcase and Tupd recipe workbench
• Asset Doctor plus deterministic content-pack inspection and installation
• repository-safe public-source audit and deterministic release manifests

Demonstrations

Engine-native stress-test clip

Watch the SignalCloud Engine stress-test clip on YouTube

Full development demonstration

Watch the full demonstration starting at 1:24

Public-alpha footage may differ from the current source tree.

Linux support

Validated environments currently include:

• CachyOS/Arch-family Linux, KDE Plasma 6, Wayland, NVIDIA + Intel hybrid graphics
• Kubuntu 24, SDL3/OpenGL, Intel/Mesa, with X11 and Wayland-aware launch paths

Linux is the only supported public target in this alpha. Windows and macOS are not currently claimed.

Installation

1. Obtain the source

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/DigiMancer3D/SignalCloud-Engine.git
cd SignalCloud-Engine

Or download a source ZIP/TAR release, extract it, and open a terminal in the SignalCloud-Engine directory.

2. Install platform prerequisites

The setup script can install missing packages automatically on Ubuntu-family systems. Arch/CachyOS users should install the equivalent packages first.

CachyOS / Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S --needed \
  base-devel cmake ninja python tk git pkgconf mesa \
  libx11 libxext libxrandr libxcursor libxi libxfixes libxss libxtst \
  libxkbcommon wayland wayland-protocols libdecor

Kubuntu / Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
  build-essential cmake ninja-build python3 python3-venv python3-tk \
  git pkg-config tar libgl1-mesa-dev \
  libx11-dev libxext-dev libxrandr-dev libxcursor-dev libxi-dev \
  libxfixes-dev libxss-dev libxtst-dev libxkbcommon-dev \
  libwayland-dev wayland-protocols libdecor-0-dev

3. Make the scripts executable

chmod +x scripts/*.sh tests/*.sh

4. Generate and verify the portable core

./scripts/build_core.sh
./scripts/build_core.sh --verify-only

Expected completion includes:

SignalCloud portable core built: ... assets
SignalCloud portable core verification: PASS

5. Configure and compile SignalCloud

./scripts/setup_dev_environment.sh

The script creates or reuses a private Python environment under the user's XDG data directory. When a compatible SDL3 installation is unavailable, CMake fetches and builds the pinned SDL3 fallback once in the shared SignalCloud cache.

6. Run the complete validation gate

./scripts/run_selftests.sh

This validates source literals, embedded GLSL, the generated core, authored runtimes, SCFONT, SCUI/Tk smoke surfaces, Asset Doctor, Python regression tests, native CTest targets, launch bridges, Showcase, Tupd, and public-source policy.

7. Launch SignalCloud

Recommended first entry:

./scripts/launch_control_panel.sh

Direct game launch:

./scripts/launch_game.sh auto

On KDE Wayland, the explicit mode is:

./scripts/launch_game.sh wayland

Direct tool launch commands

./scripts/launch_native_stress_gui.sh
./scripts/launch_studio.sh
./scripts/launch_pcp3.sh
./scripts/launch_scfs.sh
./scripts/launch_light_lab.sh
./scripts/launch_playbook_editor.sh
./scripts/launch_showcase.sh
./scripts/launch_tupd_workbench.sh

Installing SignalCloud content packs

Pack filenames must end in .scpack.zip.

Inspect a pack without installing it:

./scripts/inspect_content_pack.sh /path/to/Pack_Name.scpack.zip

Install an accepted pack atomically:

./scripts/install_content_pack.sh /path/to/Pack_Name.scpack.zip

Then validate the complete content tree:

./scripts/run_asset_doctor.sh

Machine profile and stress workflow

1. Launch ./scripts/launch_native_stress_gui.sh.
2. Review resolution, FPS, workload, RAM, CPU/GPU advisories, thermal sensor, and safe/fail/force-stop thresholds.
3. Run an exploratory campaign first on a new machine.
4. Use Official + Promote only after the selected target and protection policy are confirmed safe for that system.
5. Launch the game again. A valid active profile supplies its target resolution, FPS, environment budget, and protected fallback.

Thermal telemetry can be monitor-only. Do not override limits beyond what is safe for the hardware being tested.

Portable-core maintenance and recovery

Verify the current generated core:

./scripts/build_core.sh --verify-only

Rebuild it when its receipt is stale or a generated file was changed:

./scripts/build_core.sh --force

A forced rebuild replaces only generated content/core/ data. User-authored managed content belongs under content/user/, not under content/core/.

If setup fails after an interrupted native build:

rm -rf build build-core
./scripts/setup_dev_environment.sh

Additional recovery commands:

./scripts/show_machine_profile.sh
./scripts/recover_native_stress_runs.sh
./scripts/repair_clock_skew.sh
./scripts/repair_pcp3_workspace.sh
./scripts/run_asset_doctor.sh

Public-source verification

./scripts/check_public_release_ready.sh
./scripts/audit_public_source.sh
./scripts/build_public_alpha_release.sh

Generated core data, build output, reports, machine profiles, saves, caches, private paths, credentials, and conversation exports must remain outside public source archives.

Documentation

• INSTALL.md — detailed installation and first-run troubleshooting
• docs/PORTABLE_CORE_BUILDER.md — portable-core design, commands, and recovery
• docs/public/GITHUB_PUBLICATION_GUIDE.md — owner publication workflow
• docs/public/PUBLIC_SOURCE_RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md — public acceptance boundary
• docs/user/ — gameplay and tool guides
• docs/help/ — detailed authoring help
• CONTRIBUTING.md — contribution workflow
• SECURITY.md — private vulnerability reporting
• THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md — dependency and asset licensing notices

Known alpha limitations

• Linux is the only supported public target.
• The first setup can take time while the pinned SDL3 fallback is built.
• The recovered editable legacy SCFONT does not contain every layer from the original private multi-layer font; the portable core generates a valid runtime fallback until the custom artwork is rebuilt.
• PCP3 retains historical editor_branch*.py modules behind its stable launcher.
• Physics Showcase is a bounded engine proof, not a production rigid-body stack.
• Public binary packages, CI-built AppImages, and Windows/macOS packages are not included yet.
• APIs, schemas, managed content, and save compatibility may change before beta.

Trust, licensing, and integrity

• CONTENT_LICENSES.md explains the MIT/CC0/third-party boundary.
• content/starter/LICENSE.md scopes public starter-pack data.
• RELEASE_INTEGRITY.md explains audits, manifests, and checksums.
• KNOWN_LIMITATIONS.md states what this alpha does not promise.
• SUPPORT.md explains how to report problems without exposing private data.

Unless a file or managed asset declares another license, this repository's code, tools, documentation, and original ALMOND SIGNAL: LIVE TAPE content are licensed under the MIT License. Showcase starter assets and records marked CC0-1.0 remain under CC0 1.0 Universal. External dependencies retain their upstream licenses.

Project owner

Created and directed by DigiMancer3D.