Here's a funny little collaboration project that I'm afraid only works offline by nature. I've set up a system to pass data back and forth between carts for a "WarioWare Inc."-style micro-game system.
If you have Pico-8 installed, you can download the current API / project and microgames from here: picoware-inc_2015-11-19_2.zip
You're all set to play and/or make your own microgames, microgame loaders, etc. Have fun!
Starter pack microgame list:
- Jelpi by Zep
- ennuigi by joshmillard
- Simon Says by Connorses
- pick the nose booger by Connorses
- Tech Exercise by Connorses based on Graphics Exercise by Mason
- Puzzlecave - Raiders Of The Lost Potato by hackefuffel
- Endless Train by le_gars
Currently missing features:
- "Skill" ramping. The microgames never get harder, only faster.
- The interface is entirely barebones right now. It could use some art assets, fuller music, etc.
If you need help, you can contact me as JTE on IRC or catgirl on Slack, I'd be happy to work with you if you have any problems or improvements or just want to slip a new microgame cart or two into the next release package.
I like this idea a lot. Can't collab right now but will keep watching!
You know this reminds me of an idea I had ages ago, that I was going to organize for Silver Creator... Except the community for that software was tiny and the project never went anywhere... But I digress. This is a great idea. I'd love to submit a microgame! Has anyone made a nose-picking game yet? :L :L :L :L
No "new" microgames have been produced yet. Instead, to begin with, I've been adapting existing games into the microgame format with a simple paste-in API. So far I've made 2 Jelpi microgames (one of them has you defeating enemies, as seen in the GIF above, the other one has you breaking the long line of blocks under the dark castle room) and joshmillard has contributed 2 ennuigi microgames.
I'm looking for more games to adapt to microgames before I make a formal bbs release here so that I can be sure the API is complete and functional. So far I've already had to make a few small adjustments.
Oh man! I'd love to contribute something. My game super pico jumper might make a nice fit.
Just corrected a minor error in api_game_command.lua and another one in minigame-jelpi2.p8 (it's supposed to give you 8 seconds, not the default 5)
Since licensing and ownership and whatnot in collaborations like this can be a mess, we've decided only CC4-ATTR-NC-SA licensed carts will be accepted into the formal release package from now on, just to have everything settled.
Feel free to make and release your own microgames under any legal scheme you please (post them here if you like), but that's the rule of thumb we'll go by for if it can be included in the starter package downloaded from my website linked in the first post.
This is still totally open for discussion if you think it's a bad idea or want special accommodations or something. The thought is mostly just to make redistribution and maintenance easier, since we have to edit all the microgames whenever the API is significantly changed. Fair enough?
I've accepted Connorses' Simon Says to be included in all future distributions and fixed a few more bugs in the API (sound speeding up 3x as fast as gameplay leading to false impressions, ennuigi's walking animation being tied to drawing frames)
Future distributions like the one that's out now. Boop, done.
YES!!!
I only got into this scene because warioware diy got discontinued and it broke my heart.
http://tinycartridge.com/post/465833039/warioware-diy-personal-microgames-and-video-game
It's on!
Bump because we still haven't gotten any cartridges from anyone besides me and Catgirl. Trust me guys, it's super easy!
It really is easy :D Here I made two from Endless Train
Updated! We have a decent amount of microgames now, plus two more here which have questionable licensing.
Oh my God, I feel like such an idiot. X_X The last pack included a microgame where I forgot to put in the win condition. Fixed!
I thought I'd make a picoware cart using something from the Rain Jam, and this seemed like a reasonable choice.
Raincloud Simulator is 'creative commons' so I guess this one can go in the official package.
PicoWare Inc. is no longer playable as of 0.1.6 due to the spinney cartridge loading/saving animation thing clearing parts of user memory or something.
Hah, it really is a fantasy console, complete with 'hardware' changes killing cool ideas like stop'n'swop.
Old pico-8 versions are available, right? In case anyone wants to try this silly thing?
Yesh they are, just copy the link from on your updates page and change the version number to an older one, so pico-8_0.1.6_windows.zip for instance would become pico-8_0.1.5_windows.zip and so on. This also works with most other Lexaloffle games (if for some reason you feel so inclined to go back in time) assuming Zep has not removed the downloads from the server (as of writing you can go all the way back as far as at least 0.1.1). Do note older version may be buggy and are not supported and all that jazz.
My own personal recommendation is to get the ZIP and extract it, save it somewhere other than the main pico directory, then making a shortcut called like pico-ware and just using it for picoware (or other carts broken by 0.1.6).
You should even be able to make it boot right into the picoware cart with some arguments (at least in windows as of 0.1.5).
Have fun. ^^
Pico-8 0.1.8 changed how cart loading/running works (again) so now calling load() immediately runs the new cart, meaning the PicoWare is entirely broken now. No way to get the cartridge's microgame directive or check if the cartridge exists before running it.
And of course the spinny cartridge "loading" delay is still present in this version. Turns out it actually represents all manner of loading and saving both cart data and save data, so the only time it won't show up is when re-running the already-loaded cart, I guess.
This got broken due to the user data section getting wiped, correct?
Could it be fixed by passing data between the core and the microgames via cartdata functions? The core and microgames would use the same cartdata id and read/write from there to communicate. I'm assuming not too much data needs to go back and forth so it would fit in there.
It's late here now but I might have a go at doing this tomorrow because this idea really appeals to me.
Here is a quick proof of concept showing you can pass data this way:
https://gist.github.com/anonymous/9ddb54a79417c0f63c1aee1d2366d77a
Edit: It's still possible to reload select data from other carts although you get a spinny cart delay. With some rearchitecturing and these techniques it should be possible to get something working. Maybe it would be better to break out and start a new project rather than hacking the carts from this one?
[Please log in to post a comment]
