👾 Space Invaders (C++ Console Edition)

A modern take on the classic Space Invaders built entirely in C++, running directly in the console with colorful ASCII art, smooth menus, and an engaging gameplay experience.

This project comes with a leaderboard, persistent scoring system, easy-to-use controls, barriers, UFOs, and alien waves — everything you’d expect from a true Space Invaders remake.

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🎮 Features

• 🏠 Main Menu: Start a new game, view the leaderboard, read the how-to-play guide, or exit.
• 👤 Player Profiles: Enter your name before starting, and your score is tracked across sessions.
• 🔫 Classic Gameplay: Destroy waves of aliens before they reach your planet.
• 🎯 Scoring System:
  • Top Row Alien → 30 Points
  • Middle Row Alien → 20 Points
  • Bottom Row Alien → 10 Points
  • Mystery Ship (UFO) → 50–200 Points
• 🏆 Leaderboard: Keeps top scores across players, sorted by score.
• 🛡️ Barriers: Use destructible shields for protection against enemy fire.
• 🚀 Spaceship (UFO): Appears randomly for bonus points.
• ⏸️ Pause Menu: Pause anytime and choose to resume, restart, or return to the main menu.
• 🎨 Colorful ASCII UI: Smooth retro vibes with modern console graphics.
• 💾 Persistent Save: Player scores are saved in leaderboard.txt.

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📷 Screenshots

🎮 Main Game

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🏠 Main Menu

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🕹️ How to Play

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🥇 Leaderboard (Sorted by Score)

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⏸️ Pause Menu

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🏆 Win

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⚙️ Setup & Run

✅ Requirements

• A C++ compiler (e.g., g++, MSVC)
• Windows OS (project uses conio.h and windows.h)
• Console with UTF-8 and ANSI color support

📦 Build & Run

g++ -o spaceinvaders spaceInvaders.cpp -std=c++11
spaceinvaders.exe

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🕹️ Controls

• A / D or Left/Right Arrows → Move ship
• Spacebar → Fire laser
• ESC → Pause game

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📁 Project Files

• spaceInvaders.cpp → Main source code
• leaderboard.txt → Stores player leaderboard data

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👤 Creator

Name: [Meraj Derafshi]
Contact/Portfolio: [https://github.com/MerajDerafshi]

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📜 License

This project is open-source. Feel free to use, modify, or expand it for learning or fun. Attribution is appreciated.