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There are a few similar open source projects, like Tic-80 and Liko-12. Both can be programmed with Lua, but Tic-80 can also be programmed with others like Javas

There are a few similar open source projects, like Tic-80 and Liko-12. Both can be programmed with Lua, but Tic-80 can also be programmed with others like Javascript and Wren and the porting process can be fairly simple.

jhbadger 5y ago
And arguably Tic-80 is even better than Pico-8 because you aren't limited to using Lua, but can write games in a variety of languages including Javascript and the Lisp-like Fennel.
- TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
  I just tried tic-80 and don’t see mobile support. Am I wrong? Pico-8 is working for me on mobile.
  - jhbadger 5y ago
    Depends on what you mean by mobile support -- there's an Android version if that's what you mean.
- pull_my_finger 5y ago
  "Limits" are exactly what makes Pico-8 awesome. I definitely appreciate the changes Tic-80 offers, but Pico-8 and the surrounding community definitely have an x-factor that the "clones" are missing.
  - jhbadger 5y ago
    At least in TIC-80, the faux retro limits are still there (including the annoying low-res font which is a bit silly -- actual 8-bit computers didn't have fonts that bad). The main thing that it gives you over PICO-8 (besides being free) is the ability to use different languages. I don't think there is anything particularly retro about Lua -- it didn't even exist in the 8-bit era these fantasy consoles are nostalgic for. There's a (paid) fantasy console on steam that uses BASIC, which is at least period faithful.
  - hypertele-Xii 5y ago
    There's nothing awesome about being artificially hamstrung with the kinds of games you can make. PICO-8's limits are crippling. You are required to perform an absurd amount of hacking which, while of interest to some types, completely bypasses the integrated tools which are supposed to help you make games. It's a fatally schizophrenic tool.
    - abdulmuhaimin 5y ago
      Fatally schizophrenic tool?? More like lovely schizophrenic tool. Not everyone need/want to get lost in a tonnes of features.
      - hypertele-Xii 5y ago
        It's not a "feature" to have no limits.
    - pull_my_finger 5y ago
      If you've spent time in the community you'll see different types of equally interesting projects. Lots of games that are able to provide you a fair amount of entertainment or some that really push the limits of what you'd _think_ is possible. The constraints really help you with scope creep as well as you have to decide what's important to the game. Brief selection of some projects things that I personally enjoyed[1] [1]: https://hastebin.com/raw/xopurataji https://hastebin.com/raw/xopurataji
      - hypertele-Xii 5y ago
        > different types of equally interesting projects And they all have one thing in common: They hit the limits and were unable to progress.
    - otikik 5y ago
      I wholeheartedly disagree. Too many options can be a bad thing, that has been proven and there's plenty of literature about it, for example: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice I remember when the first thing you had to do in order to program a videogame was creating your own TIFF or BMP parser. That's ok if you enjoy that sort of thing, but it gets in the way when what you want is a working videogame, not a tech demo. That kind of limitation, frankly, sucked. On the other hand nowadays the problem is the opposite: there's so many ways to do stuff. So many options. Which engine. Which language. What graphics pipeline. Which Entity-Component System, etc. The trouble is that we are back to the previous problem. The tech decisions get in the way of the creative process. What Pico8 does right is limiting the amount of tech-related decisions you have to make. That frees mental cycles in order to be creative and build something that works. I know from the get go that I've got 8x8 16-color bitmaps, and that's it. No time wasted parsing TIFFs, and also no time wasted choosing tech. You start and go. All that said, I don't think Pico-8 is for everyone. If you feel restricted by it, perhaps you will be more comfortable with other engines. I program games as a hobby an I am very limited on the amount of time I can dedicate to it. I tend to make small 1-evening prototypes that are never finished. Pico-8 is awesome for that. It's definitely awesome for me, at least.
WithinReason 5y ago
I used NICO before which is programmed in Nim: https://github.com/ftsf/nico https://github.com/ftsf/nico Being Nim-based means the result can be compiled to C or JavaScript, so it can run at native speed or in the browser.

jhbadger 5y ago

And arguably Tic-80 is even better than Pico-8 because you aren't limited to using Lua, but can write games in a variety of languages including Javascript and the Lisp-like Fennel.

TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
I just tried tic-80 and don’t see mobile support. Am I wrong? Pico-8 is working for me on mobile.
- jhbadger 5y ago
  Depends on what you mean by mobile support -- there's an Android version if that's what you mean.
pull_my_finger 5y ago
"Limits" are exactly what makes Pico-8 awesome. I definitely appreciate the changes Tic-80 offers, but Pico-8 and the surrounding community definitely have an x-factor that the "clones" are missing.
- jhbadger 5y ago
  At least in TIC-80, the faux retro limits are still there (including the annoying low-res font which is a bit silly -- actual 8-bit computers didn't have fonts that bad). The main thing that it gives you over PICO-8 (besides being free) is the ability to use different languages. I don't think there is anything particularly retro about Lua -- it didn't even exist in the 8-bit era these fantasy consoles are nostalgic for. There's a (paid) fantasy console on steam that uses BASIC, which is at least period faithful.
- hypertele-Xii 5y ago
  There's nothing awesome about being artificially hamstrung with the kinds of games you can make. PICO-8's limits are crippling. You are required to perform an absurd amount of hacking which, while of interest to some types, completely bypasses the integrated tools which are supposed to help you make games. It's a fatally schizophrenic tool.
  - abdulmuhaimin 5y ago
    Fatally schizophrenic tool?? More like lovely schizophrenic tool. Not everyone need/want to get lost in a tonnes of features.
    - hypertele-Xii 5y ago
      It's not a "feature" to have no limits.
  - pull_my_finger 5y ago
    If you've spent time in the community you'll see different types of equally interesting projects. Lots of games that are able to provide you a fair amount of entertainment or some that really push the limits of what you'd _think_ is possible. The constraints really help you with scope creep as well as you have to decide what's important to the game. Brief selection of some projects things that I personally enjoyed[1] [1]: https://hastebin.com/raw/xopurataji https://hastebin.com/raw/xopurataji
    - hypertele-Xii 5y ago
      > different types of equally interesting projects And they all have one thing in common: They hit the limits and were unable to progress.
  - otikik 5y ago
    I wholeheartedly disagree. Too many options can be a bad thing, that has been proven and there's plenty of literature about it, for example: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice I remember when the first thing you had to do in order to program a videogame was creating your own TIFF or BMP parser. That's ok if you enjoy that sort of thing, but it gets in the way when what you want is a working videogame, not a tech demo. That kind of limitation, frankly, sucked. On the other hand nowadays the problem is the opposite: there's so many ways to do stuff. So many options. Which engine. Which language. What graphics pipeline. Which Entity-Component System, etc. The trouble is that we are back to the previous problem. The tech decisions get in the way of the creative process. What Pico8 does right is limiting the amount of tech-related decisions you have to make. That frees mental cycles in order to be creative and build something that works. I know from the get go that I've got 8x8 16-color bitmaps, and that's it. No time wasted parsing TIFFs, and also no time wasted choosing tech. You start and go. All that said, I don't think Pico-8 is for everyone. If you feel restricted by it, perhaps you will be more comfortable with other engines. I program games as a hobby an I am very limited on the amount of time I can dedicate to it. I tend to make small 1-evening prototypes that are never finished. Pico-8 is awesome for that. It's definitely awesome for me, at least.

WithinReason 5y ago

I used NICO before which is programmed in Nim: https://github.com/ftsf/nico https://github.com/ftsf/nico Being Nim-based means the result can be compiled to C or JavaScript, so it can run at native speed or in the browser.