FORGE
Build your own games from scratch in C++ → OpenGL → Vulkan.
Line by line. No engine. No AI. Dense lessons, broken down — you learn what the machine only knows how to guess.
AI wrote the code. It compiled. Now what?
You had Copilot write a particle system. Asked ChatGPT for a basic renderer. It compiled. It ran. Performance is garbage.
Where's the memory leak? Why is Vulkan thrashing the GPU? Why is this draw call taking 8ms?
AI can't tell you. It doesn't understand the architecture — it just guessed the next token based on code other people wrote. Code it didn't understand either.
So you're stuck. No fundamentals to debug with. No clue what the machine is actually doing.
“What does Forge give me that AI or YouTube don't already?”
Fair question. Honest answer — no lies, no AI bashing, no hate fuel.
AI is great — once you know what to ask
Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot are remarkable tools. We use them every day. They explain code, generate boilerplate, debug small bugs, translate concepts. Denying that would just be hater talk.
But AI is reactive — it answers what you ask. That's the catch: to learn low-level game dev from scratch, you don't yet know what to ask. You don't know descriptor sets exist, you don't know command buffers have a lifecycle, you don't know swap-chain-meets-presentation-mode is a whole bug class.
Forge gives you the right sequence of questions. After that — yes, AI is your copilot for the rest of your career.
YouTube has gold — spread across 500 hours
The Cherno, Brendan Galea, Acerola, SimonDev, Casey Muratori — top-tier creators teaching deep material on YouTube. We learned a lot that way. You can too.
The cost is time. Each channel teaches a slightly different stack in a different order at a different depth. You become your own editor, stitching together 30 videos to form a path. No support, no community grading your work.
Forge is the curation you'd do yourself — in 5× less time. Same depth, right order, with support when you're stuck.
What Forge adds on top of AI + YouTube:
Not to replace either — to accelerate you.
- ✓A tested learning sequence. The right order for C++ → OpenGL → Vulkan — no gaps, no backtracking three times.
- ✓1 real game, start to finish. Not loose exercises. You walk out with a working isometric game + OpenGL experiments + a Vulkan project. The game is the spine of the course.
- ✓Support when you're stuck. Discord community + 1 monthly live for 6 months (early bird).
- ✓Time saved.100 curated hours beat 500 hours of doing curation yourself. That's the real trade-off.
Not loose theory. We build a real game, together.
Every concept you learn lands inside an isometric game project you'll write from scratch. Game loop, sprites, tileset, planting system, HUD — piece by piece, in your own repo, with guided lessons.
Then that same game is refactored to run on OpenGL (you see the graphics pipeline up close). After that, the base evolves into a Vulkan project (you feel absolute GPU control). Same project. Three fronts. Guided learning at every step.
You don't leave with slides or notes. You leave with a working binary, code on GitHub, and a game you can show any recruiter.
Picture surgical control over every draw call.
Picture knowing exactly where every byte lives in memory. Picture opening Valgrind on a memory leak and knowing exactly what you're hunting for.
Picture writing your own 3D engine in C++ — knowing the why and the how behind every call you send to OpenGL and Vulkan.
This course isn't here to help you ship faster with garbage code. It's hardcore graphics engineering training.
The market is full of generic devs who can't function without AI. Become the engineer who fixes what the models can't.
Forge is heavy. And it's not for everyone.
If you want to copy-paste Cursor prompts to fake your way through coding, close this tab. Seriously. This course is only for devs who aren't scared of pointers, manual memory, and 3D math.
✓It's for you if
- • You want to build your own games — not assemble parts in Unity or Unreal
- • You already code in a modern language (JS, Python, Java) but hit a wall with C++
- • You're a senior dev fed up with vibe coding and want to actually understand the machine again
- • You'd rather understand 1 line than copy 100
- • You're ready to dig deep, hands-on — no shortcut hunting
✗NOT for you if
- • You want a finished game in a week with no idea what you're doing
- • You're chasing a LinkedIn certificate
- • You think AI-generated code solves everything
- • You want the Unity/Unreal click-and-deploy experience
- • You bail at the first segfault
Three fronts. One journey.
Each front sets up the next. C++ is the foundation. OpenGL exposes the graphics pipeline. Vulkan hands you absolute control.
C++ for Game Dev
From build system (CMake) to game loop. Memory, pointers, RAII, smart pointers, STL used for real work. You walk out with an isometric game running — written from scratch in SDL2.
OpenGL: the graphics pipeline every dev should actually understand
Shaders, VBOs, 3D transforms, textures, basic lighting. Why is the GPU so fast? What's actually happening on each draw call? You leave with the graphics pipeline mapped end-to-end in your head.
Vulkan: absolute control over the GPU
Why does Vulkan run circles around OpenGL? Command buffers, queues, swap chain, descriptor sets. This is where you stop being a coder and start being a graphics engineer.
Each front: ~12-15 dense modules. Total: 60-80h of video + guided practice.
What it costs. What's inside.
No fine print. No price-by-country tricks. One global price, in USD.
Before the price, let's anchor. To master C++/OpenGL/Vulkan at the depth Forge delivers, today you have 3 paths:
CS / Software Engineering degree:4 years. $20k-200k+. Most curricula still don't cover Vulkan.
Self-taught via YouTube + books: 1-3 years. $0-200 in books. Works, but takes 5× the time, no support, scattered.
Forge: 3-4 focused months. $79 (early bird). Curated path, active support. It's the shortcut you wish had existed.
Math: one C++ low-level freelance gig recoups the investment in one deliverable. One game-engine job interview where you can talk descriptor sets recoups it in your first paycheck.
Early bird
One-time payment, USD
For waitlist signups BEFORE launch (Sep-Oct 2026). 7-day window after reveal.
Standard
One-time payment, USD
Full price, after launch window. Same content — minus the monthly live and the discount.
What's included (early bird):
- ✓All 3 Fronts: C++, OpenGL, Vulkan
- ✓Lifetime access — buy once, yours forever
- ✓All updates included (Fronts 02 and 03 drop progressively)
- ✓Complete GitHub repo
- ✓Exclusive Discord community
- ✓1 monthly live for 6 months (early bird only)
- ✓7-day refund window — use it to evaluate
- ✓Waitlist bonus: "Game Graphics Architecture Roadmap" PDF delivered instantly
- ✓Direct support via Discord
Questions that come up before buying:
How do I pay?
Credit card via Stripe. Access released in seconds after confirmation. International cards welcome.
What if I don't like it?
7-day refund window. Buy, open the course, do Module 0 + 01 (Setup + Window). If in those 7 days you can't compile your first C++/SDL2 window understanding what's happening, full refund. After 7 days, no refund — so use that window to actually evaluate.
Is access really lifetime?
Yes. Buy once, it's yours forever. That includes Fronts 02 (OpenGL) and 03 (Vulkan) still being produced — waitlist students get every drop with no extra cost.
What if Front 02 or 03 is delayed?
Front 01 (C++) is fully ready and justifies the price by itself. Fronts 02 and 03 are progressive drops — we commit to firm dates in the community. No empty promises.
What if seats run out?
First batch is 50-100 students to keep support quality high. If you miss it, you go on the queue for batch 2 — full price, no early bird.
Do I need a powerful PC?
For Front 01 (C++ + SDL2), any laptop from the last 5 years works. For Fronts 02 (OpenGL) and 03 (Vulkan), a dedicated GPU (or modern integrated) helps — Vulkan needs an API-compatible GPU. Exact requirements ship with the material.
What language is the course in?
English. The course is also available in Brazilian Portuguese — that release came first. Same content, separately recorded.
This course isn't for everyone. Confirm you understood:
- ✓It's dense. Not a "watch at 1.5× during lunch" course. 60-80h of ACTIVE study. If you don't have 4-6h/week to dedicate, don't buy.
- ✓No quick wins. Low-level game dev takes MONTHS to master — not days, not weeks. If you want a "ship a game in 30 days" shortcut, this isn't it.
- ✓You'll have to code. Watching videos isn't enough. The course is hands-on — if you won't open an editor and grind through segfaults, don't buy.
- ✓Refund window is 7 days. Use it to complete Module 0 + 01 (Setup + Window). If you can't compile your first SDL2 window in that time, full refund. After 7 days, no refund.
If any of these break it for you — don't buy. Better for both of us.
Doors open September-October 2026.
First batch: 50-100 students. Waitlist gets first dibs + 50% off the early bird price.
No spam. Just the launch announcement + waitlist-only bonus PDF.
Already in the can: 10+ C++ modules · OpenGL and Vulkan fronts in production