I built a Source 2004–2008 inspired game engine in Python from scratch
I’ve been working on a small game engine called Kinesis Engine for about 4 months and wanted to share it here for feedback.
It’s a 3D engine heavily inspired by the feel and interaction design of mid-2000s Source games, but rebuilt entirely from scratch with a much lighter stack. The core is written in Python with an OpenGL renderer and physics system, while gameplay is handled through Lua scripting, similar in spirit to Love2D.
The engine also includes its own set of simple file formats like .kmap, .kmat and .kp, and a built-in level editor called ScrewDriver that’s inspired by Hammer, designed to work directly with the engine in real time. The idea is to make the workflow fast enough that you can go from empty folder to playable prototype very quickly.
Right now it’s still in development and not fully stable, but it’s already usable for small experiments and prototype games. I’m mostly focused on improving performance, stability, and the overall tooling experience before thinking about a wider release.
I’d be really interested in feedback from other engine or tooling developers, especially on architecture choices or workflow design.
Showcase video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOU9WtYAd34
I’m aware it’s currently built in Python, but once I’m more confident with C++, I plan to eventually port it over.