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cynicalsandel
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« on: February 20, 2017, 11:10:59 PM »

I'm trying to make a game. I've been a member of these forums since 2010. I've watched countless others progress in this same time period. This is the closest I've come to making a game of my own. At most, I've finished tutorials for different game engines (Unity, Game Maker, Godot, Stencyl), which mostly consist of breakout clones.



The engine I am using for this game is PICO-8. I love restrictions when it comes to pixel art. However, the programming has led to an existential crisis on whether I even like making games or not. So far, I have tile based movement and collision programmed. A number of art assets are also done. If I had used Game Maker instead, I would most likely already be finished with this game. PICO-8 caused the idea for this game two years ago. This led to me putting the idea on hold until I was more experienced. That programming experience never came. I finally decided to stubbornly pursue this game idea after all this time. These past two weeks I've spent a lot of time fumbling through the little progress I've made on this game. The movement code and collision code are not where I want them to be, but are more functional than I thought I could achieve. However, this much would not have been possible without the help of PICO-8 forum members.



Here is a .gif of the current state of the game.I have my character animations drawn, but not yet programmed. I have most of the map drawn, but no screen transitions programmed. The gameplay has yet to be implemented, and there is no start screen. No music or sound. I'm aiming for a 5-10 minute experience. When giving advice, most recommend "starting small", and this is the smallest I could conceive of. There isn't much to explain regarding the design of the game. It is functionally a "walking simulator".

Code:
function _init()
player={}
player_x=56 --xpos
player_y=56 --ypos

--timer
frame={}
frame.count=0

end
 
function _update()

_timer()

local old_x=player_x
local old_y=player_y


  --check if player is still moving in the same direction as last frame
  if not btn(direction) then
    direction=-1
  end
 
  --check if there is a new button pressed
  for i=0,3 do
    if btn(i) and (not btn_prev(i) or direction==-1) then
      direction=i
    end
  end
 
  --move player
  if btn(direction) and frame.count==0 then
    if direction<=1 then
      player_x+=(direction-0.5)*16
    else
      player_y+=(direction-2.5)*16
    end
  end
  
  --store current buttons
  btn_ = btn()
  
  if hitwall(player_x, player_y) then player_x=old_x end

if hitwall(player_x, player_y) then player_y=old_y end
end

function _draw()
cls()

map(0,0,0,0,16,16)

draw_player()
palt(2,true)
palt(0,false)

--print(frame.count,12,6,15)

end

function draw_player()
spr(1,player_x,player_y,2,2)
end

--check if button was pressed previously
function btn_prev(i)
  return 2^i==band(2^i,btn_)
end

function _timer()
if frame.count<4 then frame.count+=1
else frame.count-=4
end
end

function hitwall(_x,_y)

if (checkspot(player_x,player_y,1)) return true
if (checkspot(player_x+15,player_y,1)) return true
if (checkspot(player_x,player_y+15,1)) return true
if (checkspot(player_x+15,player_y+15,1)) return true
 
 --otherwise: false
return false
end

function checkspot(_x,_y,_flag)

local tilex=_x/8
local tiley=_y/8
local tile=mget(tilex,tiley)
return fget(tile,_flag)
end

This is my current codebase. I'm mostly leaving this here in case I need help. Please forgive the wacky indentations. It looks very different inside PICO-8 itself.

I believe this is my first devlog. It's sad that I've taken this long, but I'm finally here.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2018, 01:59:25 PM by cynicalsandel » Logged

Luno
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« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2017, 11:30:21 PM »

Awesome! I love the art. That resolution looks challenging but your scene reads perfectly.

Your scope sounds very reasonable, so I hope you stick with the code...I expect it will be less discouraging with each new challenge you solve. AFAIK the pico8 community is pretty active if you needed help too...and hey, if it turns out you hate coding, you could probably find someone to collaborate with to realize your idea. Good luck!
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TonyManfredonia
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« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2017, 05:56:01 AM »

Agreed, the resolution could be tough for various monitors / play setups.

However, I LOVE the art! Reminds me of classic Pokémon.
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« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2017, 06:35:30 AM »

Wow this pixel art is just beautiful! The colours and the simplicity really take me back to the days of the game boy advance. I really look forward to seeing more of this as you develop it. Although pico-8 is tricky to get into it the community and the ease with which your game can be shared is something very valuable.
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« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2017, 06:57:17 AM »

You have a GB like style in you art, i love it.

How do you feel with PICO-8? i buy it in a bundle some weeks ago but no time to try it Sad.

PD: i love retro style game, as i'm working on a retro game too  Coffee
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cynicalsandel
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« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2017, 03:11:43 PM »

Thanks everyone! I'm glad you like the art, but the perfectionist in me still finds flaws.



I fixed the hitbox so it's only the bottom half of the player, so the player can walk "in front" of things on the map. I also implemented sprites based on direction, but have yet to solve the animation programming. Hopefully that's next!

How do you feel with PICO-8? i buy it in a bundle some weeks ago but no time to try it Sad

I'm probably going to switch to a different engine after this game is finished. I assume it's probably more fun for more experienced programmers, but it's a real struggle for me. I like restrictions when it comes to pixel art, but I suppose they'll have to be self inflicted if I stop using PICO-8.
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cynicalsandel
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« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2017, 12:09:38 PM »



I've got animations working, but it broke my tile based movement, so now I gotta find a new way to do that. Smiley Either that or reprogram my collisions. The reason I haven't updated is because I wanted to wait until animations were working instead of the half broken state they've been in for months.
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« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2017, 03:38:23 PM »

I love your commitment! You wanted to make a game and you did and it's inspiring and makes me want to show off my work even more knowing it might make someone follow through on their passion to make a game!

Do you have a plot line or goal for the game? It looks like it's going to be some sort of RPG, I have no coding experience so sadly I couldn't give any advice but it looks perfectly fine so far to me!
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cynicalsandel
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« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2018, 11:17:58 AM »

Quote
Do you have a plot line or goal for the game? It looks like it's going to be some sort of RPG..

I have a plot sort of, but since it's going to be a very short game, it's not very in depth. I'm heavily inspired by rpgs, but this time it's pretty much just a walking simulator. I hope to inch my way closer to an rpg with each game I make though. Gotta get this practice in.



So, it's been a while. I've made significant progress. I've been working on the map and made it so you can leave and enter the house. Now, I just gotta finish the map, make some tunes, and hopefully add some fading in and out when you leave and enter buildings.
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« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2018, 02:42:30 PM »

Your pixel art makes great use of the Pico8 palette! Good job on this progress so far, I love seeing fellow Pico users on here.
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cynicalsandel
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« Reply #10 on: August 08, 2018, 08:38:49 PM »

https://zacharysandel.itch.io/agorap8

The game is "finished" as in I uploaded it to itch.io and semi accomplished what I set out to. It's nothing special and takes less than a minute to get basically the entire experience, but it's something and now I can move on. Everyone always says to start small.
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« Reply #11 on: August 08, 2018, 09:19:12 PM »

Wow, this is a really neat little piece of interactive art! Sure it's simple, but it was really effective.

Maybe you're just being humble, but from the tone of your post I think you're not giving yourself enough credit. First of all, you actually finished a thing. It is a complete game. On your first try, with no programming experience, too. That's impressive!

Second, it's actually a genuinely interesting, memorable thing. Honestly, I think the simplicity works in its favor -- nothing is there that doesn't contribute to the experience. It's like a little poem.

Congrats, and well done Grin
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« Reply #12 on: August 09, 2018, 01:16:30 AM »

Wow, I just tried it and it sure is nice to look at! Were the glitches done on purpose, cuz they look super complicated to pull off.  Shocked
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« Reply #13 on: August 09, 2018, 01:27:51 AM »

That was great! The glitches were unexpected and convincing and I love that it's different each time.
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« Reply #14 on: August 09, 2018, 12:18:20 PM »

I really liked this and think you did a great job! I'm assuming the glitch stuff once you leave the house was on purpose as once I noticed the game name the experience clicked for me. I have horrible anxiety and definitely feel much more relaxed as a recluse inside my own home; the glitching of the game feels like a great way to simulate that anxiety that I experience when venturing out into the world.

The game may feel small to you, but I think you should be very proud of it. For one thing, you managed to create and finish a game. Even if it's small, that is such a feat of its own! On top of that, I think the end result is a very cool little thing. Congrats on your first game! I hope you stick with it and I'd love to see you post whatever you end up working on next.
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« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2018, 12:31:55 PM »

This was cool and the work that went into it was worth it. The glitch effect was really well done. It makes me want to blow into my computer.
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cynicalsandel
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« Reply #16 on: August 09, 2018, 02:07:32 PM »

Thank you all for playing it and for the kind words. For those that asked, yes the glitches are intentional. They were the way I thought of to attempt to emulate anxiety in video game form. I didn't show them or mention them much in the devlog because I wanted them to be a surprise for those that did play it.

I'll try to get working on my next devlog and project asap.
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« Reply #17 on: August 09, 2018, 02:36:24 PM »

By the administrative forum powers that have been granted to me, I declare that this is, indeed, a good little gam.

Well done! Hand Thumbs Up Right
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« Reply #18 on: August 10, 2018, 02:30:46 AM »

Nice!

The lua lang makes the things better to make a game
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