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PX8 – A PICO-8 compatible fantasy console written in Rust

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Re: PX8 – A PICO-8 compatible fantasy console written in Rust

#21

Post by zokier »

0xcde4c3db wrote: post #16
bootload wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"a VM built as a set of Lua APIs and memory constraints. However, the creator seems to be doing a Java-like push where the language, runtime, standard library, and development tools are all marketed as one "technology", so it's not especially clear to me" Look beyond the technology and you see a tool that allows you to; play games other people make; let you tinker with; or build your own.

I'm not trying to suggest that there's something deficient in the approach, just that it makes it harder to answer the sorts of questions I have. I mostly want to know: 1) What does it mean for PX8 (or any other program) to be "PICO-8 compatible" in this context? 2) Does PICO-8 resemble CHIP-8 only in general concept and name, or also in structure?

> 1) What does it mean for PX8 (or any other program) to be "PICO-8 compatible" in this context?

My understanding is that it PX8 implements the same Lua APIs that PICO-8 has.

Re: PX8 – A PICO-8 compatible fantasy console written in Rust

#22

Post by vertex-four »

0xcde4c3db wrote: post #16
bootload wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"a VM built as a set of Lua APIs and memory constraints. However, the creator seems to be doing a Java-like push where the language, runtime, standard library, and development tools are all marketed as one "technology", so it's not especially clear to me" Look beyond the technology and you see a tool that allows you to; play games other people make; let you tinker with; or build your own.

I'm not trying to suggest that there's something deficient in the approach, just that it makes it harder to answer the sorts of questions I have. I mostly want to know: 1) What does it mean for PX8 (or any other program) to be "PICO-8 compatible" in this context? 2) Does PICO-8 resemble CHIP-8 only in general concept and name, or also in structure?

To be PICO-8 compatible is to run PICO-8 programs, which are written in a slightly extended version of Lua against the PICO-8 API. There isn't a bytecode that these programs compile to - they're shipped as Lua. The format they're shipped in also embeds sprites, sounds, maps, and music patterns.

Re: PX8 – A PICO-8 compatible fantasy console written in Rust

#23

Post by 0xcde4c3db »

vvillena wrote: post #19
0xcde4c3db wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not trying to suggest that there's something deficient in the approach, just that it makes it harder to answer the sorts of questions I have. I mostly want to know: 1) What does it mean for PX8 (or any other program) to be "PICO-8 compatible" in this context? 2) Does PICO-8 resemble CHIP-8 only in general concept and name, or also in structure?

2) CHIP-8 is a tiny computer with a case, a keyboard, a screen, and PICO-8 preloaded.

I'm talking about this:

> CHIP-8 is an interpreted programming language, developed by Joseph Weisbecker. It was initially used on the COSMAC VIP and Telmac 1800 8-bit microcomputers in the mid-1970s. CHIP-8 programs are run on a CHIP-8 virtual machine. It was made to allow video games to be more easily programmed for said computers.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIP-8

Re: PX8 – A PICO-8 compatible fantasy console written in Rust

#24

Post by mmjaa »

Ursium wrote: post #6

To understand why some people (including myself) are going nuts about Pico-8, here's one random feature: when you save your virtual cartridge as 'mygame.p8.png' it automatically generates a neat cartridge png representation with the screenshot of your choice from the game. Like so: http://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/cposts/1/10022.p8.png . Big deal you say! well, check this out: this png IS the game. It embeds the executa…

Great intro to this wonderful tool .. for me, the lure of PICO-8 has really been based around the fact that a) the products it loads are open source, and b) there are almost daily new releases for PICO-8, easily available through the built-in SPLORE command .. which is, I think, one of the very key factors to PICO-8's success.

But yeah, its a wonderful toy environment, and provides weekly entertainment in my household, where the kids kind of prefer to SPLORE over their other, commercial-based game consoles ..

Re: PX8 – A PICO-8 compatible fantasy console written in Rust

#25

Post by jhbadger »

0xcde4c3db wrote: post #16
bootload wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"a VM built as a set of Lua APIs and memory constraints. However, the creator seems to be doing a Java-like push where the language, runtime, standard library, and development tools are all marketed as one "technology", so it's not especially clear to me" Look beyond the technology and you see a tool that allows you to; play games other people make; let you tinker with; or build your own.

I'm not trying to suggest that there's something deficient in the approach, just that it makes it harder to answer the sorts of questions I have. I mostly want to know: 1) What does it mean for PX8 (or any other program) to be "PICO-8 compatible" in this context? 2) Does PICO-8 resemble CHIP-8 only in general concept and name, or also in structure?

The only connection that CHIP-8 has with PICO-8 is that they are systems for making retro games (although when CHIP-8 was new in the 1970s the games weren't retro, of course). CHIP-8 is very low-level, while PICO-8 uses Lua, a scripting language similar to Python or Ruby.
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