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ADR-009: Inheritance-based Entity Hierarchy ​

  • Status: Accepted
  • Date: 2026-01-04
  • Deciders: Simon

Context and Problem Statement ​

The game features multiple types of entities (tanks, bullets, powerups, weapons). We need a consistent way to manage their common attributes (position, velocity, drawing) and unique behaviors.

Decision Drivers ​

  • Modularity: Separation of entity logic into reusable base classes.
  • Type Safety: Leveraging TypeScript's class system for clear hierarchies.
  • Simplicity: For a project of this scale, inheritance is more intuitive than a full ECS (Entity Component System).

Considered Options ​

  1. Entity Component System (ECS): Composition-based, highly flexible, but can be overly complex for smaller games.
  2. Inheritance (Classes): Traditional OOP approach with base classes like GameObject, Weapon, and Powerup.
  3. Flat Structures: Manage entities as simple data objects with a central processing logic.

Decision Outcome ​

Chosen option: Inheritance (Classes) (implemented in commit e8e3a80), because it provides a clear and intuitive structure for the game's entities, matching the project's complexity and development style.

Consequences ​

  • Positive: Easy to implement and reason about, good IDE support for methods and attributes.
  • Negative: Deep inheritance hierarchies can sometimes become brittle (mitigated by using separate hierarchies for Weapon, Powerup, and GameObject).