6 ms·

Nintendo DS code editor and scriptable game engine

190 points by Antibabelic 9mo ago

scoops_ 9mo ago
Are you kidding me? This is awesome! I imagine I can try it on my modded 2DS using the DSi emulator
- TuxSH 9mo ago
  > modded 2DS using the DSi emulator The DSi and GBA modes on 3DS aren't emulation, there's an actual Arm7 and GBA/NDS IP blocks in the 3DS. For the parts that do require software intervention (DSi RTC, input remapping, etc.) it's more-or-less hardware virtualization. Anyway, good job OP.
cmovq 9mo ago
The scripting language looks like it would be more cumbersome to use than C.
- RodgerTheGreat 9mo ago
  I did a double-take at > Executes one line of script per frame (~60 lines/sec). Makes the "runs at 60FPS" aspect of the engine feel a lot less relevant. At this speed, anything more complex than Pong would be a struggle. Even a CHIP-8 interpreter is usually expected handle a dozen or so comparably expressive instructions per frame.
  - nxobject 9mo ago
    Don’t worry, you can’t have that many lines anyway… > Up to 128 script lines per program
  - famahar 9mo ago
    Which is why I love this. Extreme constraints. Takes a lot of creativity to make something interesting, without feeling overwhelmed with possibility. I'm considering making tiny arthouse game projects with this.
  - azharav 9mo ago
    ،sh12
  - networked 9mo ago
    I agree. It seems like interpreting one instruction per frame is the developer's way to guarantee real-time performance. I don't want to discourage the developer from experimenting with this design. What I think they should do is determine the most instructions they can interpret each frame. I like the idea of on-device programming like this. While I haven't used it, I know there is a DSiWare application Petit Computer that lets you implement more complex (sprite-based) games in a Basic dialect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit_Computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit_Computer. As DSiWare, it has an official video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AYlEo3rJHs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AYlEo3rJHs.
plagiarist 9mo ago
Are {,3}DSs easily hackable? Is it just running software from disk or is the whole firmware replaceable? I love the form factor, would be fun to have one as a home automation remote. I love the form factor of the Switch also. I wish Nintendo hardware was more hackable.
- striking 9mo ago
  A DS set to Auto mode will boot to the cartridge (and you can reflash the firmware to skip the health and safety screen). From there the OS is replaced with whatever is on the cart. A flashcart with the right shell will boot right into whatever app you want (and you can soft reset the console with a key combination to switch apps). 3DSes require a little more work and have a longer boot chain, but it's been thoroughly broken all the way to the bootstrapping process so you can use whichever firmware version and whatever patches you like with enough effort.
  - functionmouse 9mo ago
    Once a DS has been flashed (skips the health and safety screen) it also disables signature verification for DS download play, so you can beam homebrews directly to your DS' home screen with a wifi card. But this is an awkward process that most people don't actually do with their original DSes, as it requires putting tinfoil over a toothpick and jamming it into a hole next to the battery to close the flash write jumper. I think DS' crypto has also been defeated but I can't find any documentation of arbitrary download play on unflashed DSes. Also seems no .nds signing keys in the leaks from what I can tell.
- Joel_Mckay 9mo ago
  A Steam Deck won't fight you every step of the way. Proprietary closed hardware is not great for home brew projects. =)
  - manytimesaway 9mo ago
    Right, because the Deck is open source hardware...
liveoneggs 9mo ago
The Nintendo DS (lite or XL) is probably the greatest portable gaming system to ever exist.
- haunter 9mo ago
  Honestly I'd say that's the New 3DS XL.
  - regenschutz 9mo ago
    I'm not sure. At least for me, part of the charm of these older consoles (do they qualify for the "retro" term yet?) is the smaller resolution of the displays. Especially for the bottom screen on the DS line, there is something very warm, fuzzy, and cosy about clearly being able to see each individual pixel. Perhaps it's just nostalgia. I still own my DS Lite, though.
    - someperson 9mo ago
      The best music is always from ones own youth
    - soulofmischief 9mo ago
      The DS came out ~21 years ago, in 2004. In 2004, the games I played that had come out ~22 years prior, give or take two years, were already considered retro: Donkey Kong, Pitfall, Pac-Man, Asteroids, etc. And ~21 years prior was the great video came crash of '83. Suffice to say, we're dinosaurs. I've made my piece with it and spend a considerable amount of time listening to old British dudes break down 30 year old games.
  - komali2 9mo ago
    Agreed over the dsi, though I love it. The only exception is if you only play physical media, then the DS lite's ability to play the entire GBA library is pretty cool. For me it's the fact that I can emulate basically all retro consoles on the n3ds, including imo the best existent way to play VirtualBoy games in actual stereoscopic 3d. That on top of the fact that it's the only way to play 3ds games in the native experience, with 3d, which is impossible on any emulator. Combined with the social features and build quality of the device, and it's unbeatable. Get a USB 3ds charger and it's the perfect travel console. I bring it on every trip and leave it on streetpass mode. Especially for Japan trips, I still to this day pick up new street pass pings, which is so incredibly delightful to find when I get back to the hotel room. Though I prefer the non xl version, as it's a truly portable console rather than the XL which is huge and heavy in my bag.
functionmouse 9mo ago
Yesssss this is right up my alley with my current projects. I'm working through K&R 2nd Ed and making little demo apps with libnds using framebuffer manipulation for graphics along the way. My goal is to eventually end up with a useful 15bit sprite-ing application, and an endless scrolling handwriting journal thingy with bookmarks. Thank You for posting this! I'm loading this onto my DSi XL right now.
maineagetter 9mo ago
[dead]
kstenerud 9mo ago
"This video is unavailable. Error code: 152 - 4" Also, the emulator doesn't start?

190 points by Antibabelic 9mo ago

scoops_ 9mo ago

Are you kidding me? This is awesome! I imagine I can try it on my modded 2DS using the DSi emulator

TuxSH 9mo ago
> modded 2DS using the DSi emulator The DSi and GBA modes on 3DS aren't emulation, there's an actual Arm7 and GBA/NDS IP blocks in the 3DS. For the parts that do require software intervention (DSi RTC, input remapping, etc.) it's more-or-less hardware virtualization. Anyway, good job OP.

cmovq 9mo ago

The scripting language looks like it would be more cumbersome to use than C.

RodgerTheGreat 9mo ago
I did a double-take at > Executes one line of script per frame (~60 lines/sec). Makes the "runs at 60FPS" aspect of the engine feel a lot less relevant. At this speed, anything more complex than Pong would be a struggle. Even a CHIP-8 interpreter is usually expected handle a dozen or so comparably expressive instructions per frame.
- nxobject 9mo ago
  Don’t worry, you can’t have that many lines anyway… > Up to 128 script lines per program
- famahar 9mo ago
  Which is why I love this. Extreme constraints. Takes a lot of creativity to make something interesting, without feeling overwhelmed with possibility. I'm considering making tiny arthouse game projects with this.
- azharav 9mo ago
  ،sh12
- networked 9mo ago
  I agree. It seems like interpreting one instruction per frame is the developer's way to guarantee real-time performance. I don't want to discourage the developer from experimenting with this design. What I think they should do is determine the most instructions they can interpret each frame. I like the idea of on-device programming like this. While I haven't used it, I know there is a DSiWare application Petit Computer that lets you implement more complex (sprite-based) games in a Basic dialect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit_Computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit_Computer. As DSiWare, it has an official video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AYlEo3rJHs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AYlEo3rJHs.

plagiarist 9mo ago

Are {,3}DSs easily hackable? Is it just running software from disk or is the whole firmware replaceable? I love the form factor, would be fun to have one as a home automation remote. I love the form factor of the Switch also. I wish Nintendo hardware was more hackable.

striking 9mo ago
A DS set to Auto mode will boot to the cartridge (and you can reflash the firmware to skip the health and safety screen). From there the OS is replaced with whatever is on the cart. A flashcart with the right shell will boot right into whatever app you want (and you can soft reset the console with a key combination to switch apps). 3DSes require a little more work and have a longer boot chain, but it's been thoroughly broken all the way to the bootstrapping process so you can use whichever firmware version and whatever patches you like with enough effort.
- functionmouse 9mo ago
  Once a DS has been flashed (skips the health and safety screen) it also disables signature verification for DS download play, so you can beam homebrews directly to your DS' home screen with a wifi card. But this is an awkward process that most people don't actually do with their original DSes, as it requires putting tinfoil over a toothpick and jamming it into a hole next to the battery to close the flash write jumper. I think DS' crypto has also been defeated but I can't find any documentation of arbitrary download play on unflashed DSes. Also seems no .nds signing keys in the leaks from what I can tell.
Joel_Mckay 9mo ago
A Steam Deck won't fight you every step of the way. Proprietary closed hardware is not great for home brew projects. =)
- manytimesaway 9mo ago
  Right, because the Deck is open source hardware...

liveoneggs 9mo ago

The Nintendo DS (lite or XL) is probably the greatest portable gaming system to ever exist.

haunter 9mo ago
Honestly I'd say that's the New 3DS XL.
- regenschutz 9mo ago
  I'm not sure. At least for me, part of the charm of these older consoles (do they qualify for the "retro" term yet?) is the smaller resolution of the displays. Especially for the bottom screen on the DS line, there is something very warm, fuzzy, and cosy about clearly being able to see each individual pixel. Perhaps it's just nostalgia. I still own my DS Lite, though.
  - someperson 9mo ago
    The best music is always from ones own youth
  - soulofmischief 9mo ago
    The DS came out ~21 years ago, in 2004. In 2004, the games I played that had come out ~22 years prior, give or take two years, were already considered retro: Donkey Kong, Pitfall, Pac-Man, Asteroids, etc. And ~21 years prior was the great video came crash of '83. Suffice to say, we're dinosaurs. I've made my piece with it and spend a considerable amount of time listening to old British dudes break down 30 year old games.
- komali2 9mo ago
  Agreed over the dsi, though I love it. The only exception is if you only play physical media, then the DS lite's ability to play the entire GBA library is pretty cool. For me it's the fact that I can emulate basically all retro consoles on the n3ds, including imo the best existent way to play VirtualBoy games in actual stereoscopic 3d. That on top of the fact that it's the only way to play 3ds games in the native experience, with 3d, which is impossible on any emulator. Combined with the social features and build quality of the device, and it's unbeatable. Get a USB 3ds charger and it's the perfect travel console. I bring it on every trip and leave it on streetpass mode. Especially for Japan trips, I still to this day pick up new street pass pings, which is so incredibly delightful to find when I get back to the hotel room. Though I prefer the non xl version, as it's a truly portable console rather than the XL which is huge and heavy in my bag.

functionmouse 9mo ago

Yesssss this is right up my alley with my current projects. I'm working through K&R 2nd Ed and making little demo apps with libnds using framebuffer manipulation for graphics along the way. My goal is to eventually end up with a useful 15bit sprite-ing application, and an endless scrolling handwriting journal thingy with bookmarks. Thank You for posting this! I'm loading this onto my DSi XL right now.

maineagetter 9mo ago

[dead]

kstenerud 9mo ago

"This video is unavailable. Error code: 152 - 4" Also, the emulator doesn't start?