Frontline Command is playable and unfinished. Here's where help matters most, how to get it running, and the few rules that keep a deterministic RTS deterministic.
You need Go 1.27, Node with npm, and the Protocol Buffers compiler. Everything runs on your machine; no account or cloud service is involved.
Reports missing tools and anything the build still needs.
make doctor
Pinned versions from the lockfile.
npm --prefix client ci
Go tests and vet, plus the client's type and runtime checks.
make test
Starts the Go host on port 8080 and the client on 5173, both on localhost.
make dev
Then read the game design (the authority on every rule), local development notes and the current release blockers.
Five fronts. Pick one that matches what you like doing. Each list is drawn from the project's current priorities.
The rules engine and the bots that play it. Ideal if you like correctness, pathfinding and game AI.
Go, pkg/sim, pkg/contentEverything the player touches: command sidebar, menus, renderer and accessibility.
TypeScript, React 19, PixiJS 8, Vite, PlaywrightThe biggest gap. Stylized, readable, military-industrial; charcoal, olive, brass and amber, never photoreal.
Blender, Python, assets/pipelineLevel design, objectives and writing. Works through JSON and the in-game editor.
content/, cmd/contentcheck, map editorNo code needed. The design's balance can only be proven by people playing it.
A mouse, a keyboard and honest notesShort, and each one exists for a reason.
No rendering, network, wall clock, database, floats or platform-dependent state in pkg/sim. Fixed-point, 20 ticks, stable order.
Gameplay changes start as a proposed edit to the design document, with the reason and the counterplay.
Say what you ran and what happened. Keep failing results; never relabel an old run as a new pass.
An internal milestone is not the full game. Release means every unit, map, mission, mode and asset, complete.
Localhost by default, LAN only by explicit opt-in. Don't add deployment or hosted services.
Humans and AI agents both work here. Claim the files you're changing so two authors never edit the same one at once.
Original names, insignia and leaders. No real extremist symbols, no political slogans, no combat units disguised as civilians.
Record decisions and limits honestly in docs/, next to the code they describe.
Before the public opening: the repository still needs a license file and a contribution guide. Until they land, please open an issue before starting large changes.
The design defines four production gates. They are completion gates, not a calendar.
One map runs the full economic and combat loop with authoritative orders, fog and saves.
Internal build passesAll four rosters, buildings, abilities, aircraft, missiles and counters operate.
Rules in code, acceptance ongoingEvery mission, map, tutorial and mode, plus replays, editor and debriefs, integrated.
In progressComplete art and audio, accessibility, stress testing, human balance, security review.
Not yet
Comment on an issue, propose a change to the design, or post your first playtest notes. Small, careful contributions are exactly what this stage needs.