u/Positive_Board_8086

I recently spent some time exploring TIC-80 and wrote an introduction article about it.

I wasn't looking for a replacement for anything—I was just curious about how TIC-80 compares with other fantasy consoles. The more I explored it, the more I felt it deserved a proper introduction.

If you're thinking about trying TIC-80, I hope this gives you a useful overview before you dive in.

Feedback is welcome. If I missed something, let me know.

Article:
https://papoo.work/doc/43606531d6f879f6

Hi everyone, I’m currently working on a new game called 1d-pacman, a minimalist take on the original Pac-Man concept — inspired by the work of ABA Games, especially the excellent "1d Pacman".

It’s still in development, and I’d love your feedback!

Gameplay tweaks, visual improvements, UX ideas — all thoughts are welcome. I’ll be actively replying to all comments!

▶️ Try it out now (no install needed — works on iPhone, Android, and desktop):

https://beep8.org/b8/beep8.html?b8rom=cbe69ff11e8400e198723aefd0c1f062.b8&

This is a solo dev project built for BEEP-8, a fantasy console for C/C++ developers.

Expect short bursts of action, tight controls, and a different kind of chase mechanic.

Looking forward to hearing what you think!

I've been poking at Picotron lately and wanted to write down, in plain English, what it actually is for someone coming from PICO-8 — so I put together a little intro article.

Short version: it's Zep's "fantasy workstation" rather than a fantasy console. Instead of one cartridge slot it boots into its own tiny desktop with windows and built-in tools. Bigger screen (480×270), 64 colors, Lua 5.4, and a lot of your PICO-8 muscle memory carries over (_init/_update/_draw, btn(), +=/-=, all still there).

The writeup walks through a hello-world and a small "move a dot with the arrow keys" example, since I think the fastest way to get the feel of it is to just put something on screen. There's also a bit on how it compares to PICO-8, TIC-80, WASM-4 and friends.

It's pitched at newcomers, so nothing here will be news if you've already lived in Picotron for a while — but if you're a PICO-8 person who's been curious and hasn't taken the plunge, it might be a useful 5-minute read.

https://papoo.work/doc/236e7a6b9435d5bd

Happy to fix anything I got wrong — it's still in early access so some details move around.

I recently spent some time exploring TIC-80 and wrote an introduction article about it.

Article:
https://papoo.work/doc/43606531d6f879f6

What impressed me most was the balance between simplicity and capability. Compared with some other fantasy consoles, TIC-80 feels approachable while still providing a complete environment for creating retro-style games.

The article covers:

• What TIC-80 is
• Key features and built-in tools
• Supported programming languages
• How it compares to other fantasy consoles
• Why it can be a good starting point for hobby game developers

The article is written in Japanese, but browser translation should work reasonably well.

I'd be interested to hear what long-time TIC-80 users think are its biggest strengths and weaknesses today.

Hey everyone — just wanted to share a small project I've been working on.

It’s called RoPaSci — a territory control game where you conquer the board using Rock-Paper-Scissors rules. Super simple concept, but actually kind of addictive once you start playing.

You control the white army, and your goal is to turn the entire board white. The rules are easy to pick up — just watch the short gameplay video on the site and you’ll get it instantly.

Since it's browser-based, it runs perfectly on Linux (and pretty much anything else) without any installation required.

Play here:

https://beep8.org/b8/beep8.html?b8rom=d1e5030bea0f2f80d55b32857c00f656.b8&

Would love to hear any feedback from the community! It’s also surprisingly fun to just zone out and watch the board fill up. Enjoy!

You swing a monkey upward using a rope.

That’s basically the whole game.

It runs in the browser, so you can try it instantly on mobile or PC.

🕹️ https://beep8.org/b8/beep8.html?b8rom=199b1141a053a512d83cfb20650ed6f4.b8&

Still a prototype, but I’m experimenting with the swing feel.

Let me know if it’s fun or just frustrating.

Made a simple browser game: Pac-Man stripped down to a single line.

Inspired by ABA Games' "1d Pacman" — run, chase, devour in one dimension.

Built on BEEP-8, an MIT-licensed fantasy console for C/C++ development.

Play free (no install, works on mobile):

https://beep8.org/b8/beep8.html?b8rom=5883dac775883187f1aea16b134b39a5.b8&

SDK source: https://github.com/beep8/beep8-sdk

Been working on a small side-scrolling platformer called Penpen.

It’s a simple run/jump game, built as a hobby project. No install, just runs in the browser.

What I focused on:

• tight jump feel (still tweaking this)
• stable 60fps even on mobile
• keeping everything lightweight enough to run anywhere

You can play it here:
https://beep8.org/b8/beep8.html?b8rom=883f1f5ab00a9a8105b860bc19a9206b.b8&

Still pretty rough in places.
I’m especially unsure about:

• jump timing / responsiveness
• enemy interaction feel
• overall difficulty curve

If anything feels off or frustrating, I’d like to know where and why.

I’d like to share BEEP-8, a small open-source fantasy console I’ve been building for C/C++ developers who enjoy retro-style constraints.

Key points:

• MIT-licensed, fully open source
• Emulated 4 MHz ARMv4-style CPU with 1 MB RAM
• 128×240 resolution with a 16-color palette
• Runs entirely in the browser via JavaScript + WebGL
• Games are written in C/C++, compiled to a ROM, and then executed on the virtual hardware

On top of the core console, there are multiple sample games and demo projects – simple arcade games, platformers, and other small experiments – all provided with source so people can study or modify them.

You can play the games in your browser here:
https://beep8.org

And here is an article that introduces BEEP-8 and links to the full source code for the console and sample games (all under an open source license):

https://github.com/beep8/beep8-sdk

I’d really appreciate any feedback from this community:

• Is the project in line with what you consider a good open-source game ecosystem?
• Are there things you’d expect from an open-source console (docs, packaging, contribution guidelines, etc.) that are still missing?
• If you’ve built or maintained FOSS games before, what would make a platform like this more attractive to you?

Thanks for taking a look, and I hope some of you might find BEEP-8 useful either as a tiny game platform or as a learning resource for emulators and game engines.

Made a minimalist Tiny Pac-Man that runs entirely on a single horizontal line.

The twist: it runs on BEEP-8, a fantasy console with tight constraints:

- 4 MHz ARMv4 CPU

- 1 MB RAM, 128 KB VRAM

- 128×240 display, 16 colors only

- 8×8 tile-based graphics

The game strips Pac-Man down to its core: run, chase, devour — in one dimension. Simple controls, brutal timing.

Inspired by ABA Games' "1d Pacman".

Play in browser (no install):

https://beep8.org/b8/beep8.html?b8rom=5883dac775883187f1aea16b134b39a5.b8&

SDK (MIT): https://github.com/beep8/beep8-sdk

Curious what other tiny/constrained projects people are working on.

Side project that turned into a full fantasy console: a cycle-ish accurate ARMv4 integer core running in the browser.

Low-level details:

- ARMv4 instruction set (data processing, multiply, load/store, branching)

- 16 registers + CPSR, all conditional execution

- Memory-mapped I/O: PPU at 0x04000000, APU at 0x05000000

- 1 MB RAM, 128 KB VRAM, up to 1 MB ROM

- Fixed 4 MHz clock, ~66,666 cycles per frame at 60fps

You write games/apps in C or C++20, compile with GNU Arm GCC to a flat binary, and the JS emulator executes it. No WASM involved — pure JS doing the instruction decode and execute loop.

The PPU is tile/sprite based (8×8 tiles, 16-color palette), and the APU is a simple PSG-style tone/noise generator.

GitHub (MIT): https://github.com/beep8/beep8-sdk

Live demo: https://beep8.org

If anyone's into CPU emulation or retro hardware design, curious to hear your thoughts.

A simulation where armies of Rock, Paper, and Scissors battle across the board following simple local rules.

Each cell fights its neighbors: Rock beats Scissors, Scissors beats Paper, Paper beats Rock. The patterns that emerge are surprisingly mesmerizing.

The twist: you're not just watching — you control the white army and can intervene to shift the balance.

Built as a browser game, so you can try it yourself:

https://beep8.org/b8/beep8.html?b8rom=d1e5030bea0f2f80d55b32857c00f656.b8&