What does /g/ think about Pico 8? Its a virtual 8 bit game console

>>59841770
>virtual 8 bit game console
why

also lua can be 8 bit?

it's shit

>>59841770
It would be interesting if there were hardware. Putting artificial limitations on a VM sounds lame.

>>59841781
I'm baffled by this, the pico 8 manual says the console and cartridges can only hold 64k but I can't find an explanation on how can they write whole games in lua and still fit them in just 64k

>>59841808
Hardware costs money plus R&D time

>>59841770
>lua
Why such an underperforming language?

>>59841888
better than python

>>59841770
>8-bit game
>lua

no educational value whatsoever

>>59841770
just buy an Atari or Sega genesis and use assembly.

why do normalfags hate learning things that are actually userful?

File: [HorribleSubs] Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon - 10 [720p].mkv_snapshot_03.12_[2017.03.15_14.21.24].jpg (167KB, 1280x720px) Image search: [Google]

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>>59841770
>lua
It's shit.

>>59841888
>>59841927
>>59841996
What is so triggering about lua?

>>59842143
Hue hue language. What's so bad about it? You can call C code trivially on it, it's tiny and has less versioning issues than python.

I could see it as a free thing but I don't know why you would pay money for it instead of just using another framework and limiting yourself.

>>59841888

luajit is very fast and its literally just running pixel indieshit.

>>59842143
it's not useful for developing anything besides addons on a program that actually provides it.

developing 8-bit games is not a good use case for lua and you will never learn to actually program that way.

>>59842616
stfu you fucking faggot

>>59842557
I will like to make a libre alternative to the pico 8. I've been toying with an 8 bit computer like the C64 or the ZX but with beefier sound and graphics and because its a computer one could also develop productivity and communication software.

>>59843029
are you making it from scratch?
what processor are you using?

/g/ triggered by lua because they're only smart enough for javascript or python LMAO

>>59843120
Its just an idea I have but if I sat to make it I'll probably use a zilog 80

>>59844657

>a virtual 8 bit game console with all the restrictions that 8 bit implies

Are there sprite and pallet limitations?

>>59841770
>paying for limitations

>>59846173
Working around limitations can be fun, that's why there's still a demo scene for 8 and 16 bit computers.

>>59841888
>>59841927
>>59841996
>>59842283
>>59842616
Talos Principle used Lua quite nicely

>>59841856
>can only hold 64k but I can't find an explanation on how can they write whole games in lua and still fit them in just 64k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NBG-sKFaB0

>>59846132
I know its limited to 16 colors but I'm unsure how many sprites can be on screen at once.

>>59846295
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NBG-sKFaB0
HOW??

>>59841770

So... an emulator.

>>59846634

Huh 96k is a lot in assembly, I wrote a more or less working OS in 82k and I havent even bothered to remove debug subroutines and clean up the code.

>>59846634
The source is in here somewhere:
https://github.com/farbrausch/fr_public

>>59841770
>Its a virtual 8 bit game console with all the restrictions that 8 bit implies
Yeah but I'm sure it's not nearly as difficult to progra-
>but its main programming language is lua
So the truth comes out.

>>59846634
>HOW??
procedurally-generated everything (textures, models, sound samples...)
highly optimised and packed code

File: 39480.p8.png (13KB, 160x205px) Image search: [Google]

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>>59841781
>why
artificial limitations pretty much force the kinds of games you could have seen on older systems
there's many examples of newer "old school style" games which take liberties that wouldn't have been possible on old hardware, pico-8 is designed not to make those possible

plus it's fun, i like their idea of encoding the games into cartridge-like png's

>>59846756
>>59846826
Fascinating

>8-bit machine
>programmed in lua
>not in machine language

>>59849097
if you're cool with machine code, then you might as well just use a real old machine (or emulator)

>>59847115
Did you made that cartridge?

>>59841770
>8 bit
>lua

at least it's not javascript

>>59841770
Kind of weird that they are using Lua of all languages, I can't imagine it offers much control over memory unless they've extended it in some significant way.

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>>59841888
>>59841927
>>59841996
>>59842616
>>59846295
>>59846770
>>59849097
>>59850675
8-bit microcomputers all came with BASIC, you fucking underage idiots. There's nothing wrong with mixing 8-bit aesthetics and limitations with easy languages. You must craw before you walk.

>>59850944
Tell that to the NES.

>>59850944
>There's nothing wrong with mixing 8-bit aesthetics and limitations with easy languages.
Actually there is. I don't think you know how slow BASIC was.

>>59850944
But BASIC was nearly worthless for game development, it was way too slow and had very few graphics capabilities.

>>59841770
hi cath

>>59841770

sounds retarded

the reason why the NES looked and before looked like it did was because they actually had a slow CPU, 99% of games were programmed in assembly, small amounts of memory, small amounts of colors, 8 bit sound, etc.

and you are already able to use a non-gpu library like SDL to make a game that isn't such a performance whore

>>59850944

8bit computers came with BASIC which was quickly erased in favor of FORTH

>>59851033
>NES
I'm talking about 8-bit microcomputers and this is /g/, so take your talk about vidya game consoles to /v/, thanks.

>>59851060
I know exactly how slow BASIC was. You could still make primitive games with it. Don't believe me? There was an entire cottage industry of magazines and books that had type-and-play games in them. And once BASIC lit a fire under your ass, you could graduate to assembler.

Thankfully, we live in the age where scripting languages are fast enough to make visually-impressive games in constrained environments, and once you outgrow those training wheels, C++ will always be there waiting for you.

The only reason to be upset over the existence of things like Pico-8 is if you literally do not want people to learn how to program.

>>59851319
>>The only reason to be upset over the existence of things like Pico-8 is if you literally do not want people to learn how to program.
Now you get it.

>>59851319
>>59851383
I tough the only reason to be angry at pico 8 is because it was made by hipsters for hipsters

>>59850610
no

>>59842143
Nothing, /g/ just doesn't get that this is a "just for fun" kind of thing
Same reason roblox uses lua, its very entry level, anyone can learn it pretty quick

>>59841770
I have this on my PocketCHIP, it's neat. There is a meme lord making games on there, you can tell.

>>59848864
You may want to google "demoscene".

I know absolutely fuck all about programming, would I have fun with this?

>>59855535
sure, by playing games others have made

>>59841770
>muh retro
>not somewhat better specs
>Lua as the main language

>>59841770
Is it a chip-8 interpreter with a lua transpiler and standard library?
Sounds like a fun personal programming project, but not really a product

>>59842143
don't you understand /g/ hates everything yet?

>>59841770
It doesn't seem very authentic. Games like Zepton show that it doesn't have any of the limitations on processing power or sprites on screen that real 8-bit systems like the NES, the Master System or the C64 had. It's a very low-effort attempt to recreate the aesthetic of 8-bit games and an incredibly basic interpretation of the idea that limitations can inspire creativity. Maybe modern developers aren't comfortable with this, but """8-bit""" games relied just as much on creative programming as they relied on creative art and music to overcome the limitations of the platform.

It also continues the trend of people who never owned an 8-bit console thinking that the 8-bit style includes things that were only possible on 16-bit consoles or greater.

>proprietary
>pointless
>muh video james

fuck off

If I can't play these things on android what's even the fucking point

The thing i hate about it is the built in editor. 128x128 pixels is too small for text.

>>59857167
Not only that, the screen on the pocketchip is not good for it. There's nothing I hate more than that shit, that's why I didn't like the PSP for emulation. Fucking aspect ratio nonsense.

>>59841770
I think that they should have improved the resolution slightly so that they could have games use fonts that aren't trash. Apart from that it's a neat idea.

>>59855623
I have no idea how does it work and since its closed source we may never know

>>59856518
Even people who are deep into retro games aren't really aware of how retro games were coded so the idea of creative programming to overcome limitations is lost on them.

>>59847115
>there's many examples of newer "old school style" games which take liberties that wouldn't have been possible on old hardware, pico-8 is designed not to make those possible
Except it doesn't have the actual limits that old systems had, it just has a file size limit, a resolution limit, and a ridiculously high sprite "limit" for the resolution that it has. I don't think there are any RAM limitations and there's nothing stopping you from writing code so shitty that your game lags with the limits of a modern processor (supposedly some of the games won't run well on an early Raspberry Pi).

>>59846132
From their site:

Display         128x128 16 colours
Cartridge Size         32k
Sound         4 channel chip blerps
Code         Lua
Sprites         128 8x8 sprites
Map         128x32 cels
Controls         D-pad + 2 buttons

>>59841808
https://getchip.com/pages/pocketchip

>>59841808

Limitations encourage creativity. Similar concept to the demoscene.

There's a lot of trash out there but some gems as well. Check out Ennuigi: http://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=2232

>>59860134

I have one of these. I wish I didn't. Cool concept but it's near impossible to do anything useful with it. I'd have RSI after 30 lines of code.