Libgdx Audit

Arguments: [path-or-description]. Wherever <arguments> appears below, substitute the text the user typed after the skill name.

libGDX Project Audit

Analyze an existing libGDX project and produce an actionable audit report.

Instructions

1. Identify libGDX components in the codebase:

   • Project layout (multi-module Gradle structure)
   • libGDX version in build.gradle (target 1.14.0 baseline)
   • Generator used (gdx-liftoff vs legacy gdx-setup, detect via project shape)
   • Language (Java vs Kotlin), and HTML5 target compatibility
   • Application root (Game vs ApplicationListener)
   • Screen architecture
   • Asset loading strategy (AssetManager vs direct construction)
   • Rendering pipeline (SpriteBatch, ShapeRenderer, ModelBatch usage)
   • Scene2D / Ashley / Box2D presence
   • Platform launchers (lwjgl3, android, ios, html modules)

2. Audit each component against best practices:

Project Setup

• libGDX version is 1.14.0 or later (or pinned with documented reason for older version)
• Build JDK is 17 or 21
• Gradle wrapper is current (8.x or 9.x)
• Multi-module structure: core + at least one platform module
• Kotlin used only if no HTML5 (GWT) target, OR HTML5 uses TeaVM
• iOS source level pinned to Java 8 if iOS module exists
• gdx-liftoff used for project generation (or legacy project explicitly migrated)
• Migration to libGDX 1.14.0 PoolManager if Pools API still used
• JsonValue#get calls audited for case sensitivity (1.14.0 breaking change)

Application Root

• Game class extends Game, not raw ApplicationListener (unless intentional)
• create() initializes batch/AssetManager once
• dispose() cleans up all root-level OpenGL resources
• No new MyGame() inside create() (the launcher owns the Game instance)

Screen Lifecycle

• Each major game state implemented as a separate Screen
• Gdx.input.setInputProcessor(...) set in show(), NOT in constructor
• Gdx.input.setInputProcessor(null) in hide() to avoid stale handlers
• viewport.update(width, height, true) called in resize()
• Screen instances reused or properly disposed on permanent transition
• No constructing new Screens on every transition (avoid asset re-allocation)

Asset Management

• AssetManager used as central loader (not new Texture("path") everywhere)
• AssetManager held as instance field (NOT static)
• assets.update() called every frame during loading
• On dedicated loading screens, update() pumped multiple times per frame
• All Textures, Sounds, Music loaded via AssetManager
• Sprites packed into TextureAtlas via TexturePacker (no loose Textures)
• Atlases are power-of-two (typically 2048x2048)
• No finishLoadingAsset() in blocking mode combined with AbsoluteFileHandleResolver

Disposal Discipline

• Every Texture, Sound, Music, Skin, BitmapFont, ShaderProgram, FrameBuffer, ParticleEffect, Stage, SpriteBatch has a .dispose() call
• Resources loaded via AssetManager are NOT disposed directly; only via assets.unload(...) or assets.dispose()
• No static fields holding OpenGL resources (forbidden on Android)
• Screen.dispose() releases everything owned by the screen
• Game.dispose() releases batch, AssetManager, top-level Skin

Rendering Pipeline

• SpriteBatch.begin()/end() always paired
• No ShapeRenderer use inside SpriteBatch begin/end (or vice versa)
• batch.setProjectionMatrix(camera.combined) called per frame
• Draw calls ordered by texture, not by entity
• Viewport configured for resize handling (FitViewport / ExtendViewport typical)
• GLProfiler used or available for performance debugging
• No per-frame Texture/FrameBuffer/Pixmap allocation

Performance

• No IO, network, or heavy computation on render thread
• Worker threads use Gdx.app.postRunnable(...) to push back to GL thread
• Group.isTransform = false set on Scene2D Groups without rotation/scale
• ComponentMapper.getFor(...) cached as private final field (Ashley)
• Ashley components with collections implement Poolable and clear in reset()
• Box2D simulation uses fixed timestep (not delta-time stepping)
• No per-frame allocation of Vector2/Color/Matrix (pool or reuse)

Scene2D Architecture

• Stage held by Screen, disposed in Screen.dispose()
• Skin loaded via AssetManager (not direct construction per Screen)
• Table layouts used instead of manual positioning where possible
• InputMultiplexer used when Stage + custom input handlers coexist
• stage.act(delta); stage.draw(); called each frame in proper order

Ashley ECS (if used)

• Engine.update(delta) called once per frame
• Systems registered with appropriate priorities
• No component reflection in hot paths
• Family definitions cached in System constructors
• Entity pool used for high-churn entities (bullets, particles, enemies)

Box2D (if used)

• Fixed timestep (typically 1/60s) with accumulator pattern
• world.step(...) called with reasonable iteration counts (6 velocity, 2 position)
• PPM conversion constant defined and used consistently
• ContactListener does NOT modify world inside callbacks (queue changes)
• Box2DDebugRenderer disabled in release builds
• Bodies disposed when entities are removed

Platform-Specific

• Android: targetSdk at 34+ for Play Store
• Android: AAB build for store submission
• Android: No static OpenGL resource references (lifecycle safety)
• Android: Immersive mode considered for fullscreen gameplay
• iOS: Java 8 language level enforced in core
• iOS: Reflection-loaded classes listed in robovm.xml <forceLinkClasses>
• HTML5/GWT: No Kotlin code in compilation path
• HTML5: Reflection use audited; classes added to GdxDefinition.gwt.xml
• Desktop: Window icon, title, FPS limit set in Lwjgl3ApplicationConfiguration
• Desktop: jpackage or PackR considered for end-user distribution

Error Handling

• FileHandle reads checked for existence before parsing
• JSON load failures handled (corrupt save, missing file)
• Asset load failures handled (network drop on HTML5, missing file)
• Box2D edge cases (NaN positions) guarded

Logging and Diagnostics

• Gdx.app.log / Gdx.app.error used (cross-platform)
• Gdx.app.setLogLevel(Application.LOG_DEBUG) configurable per build
• GLProfiler available for performance debugging
• Frame-time logging for slow frames

Production Hardening

• Game saves use Preferences for small data, Json for larger files
• Save format versioned; migration path defined
• Crash reporting integrated where appropriate (Firebase Crashlytics on Android, Sentry, etc.)
• Analytics opt-in respected (GDPR/CCPA where applicable)
• Settings (volume, controls, resolution) persisted via Preferences

3. Generate report with:
   • Current state assessment (what is implemented correctly)
   • Risk areas (missing or misconfigured components)
   • Priority improvements ordered by user-impact (frame rate / crashes / leaks first)
   • Code examples for each recommendation
   • Migration notes if pre-1.14.0
   • Platform-specific notes for each active target