u/Puzzleheaded_Bug595

PicoDate 0.2 is out, and it brings the biggest optimization so far: a game can now run compiled to the Playdate's own machine code instead of being interpreted line by line.

The video is my Playdate playing Dark Streets by yaky with the same scripted button presses, in real time. Left is compiled, right is interpreted, each with its frame counter underneath.

- Corridors: 19-20 fps compiled, 11-13 interpreted

- The whole scripted walk: 81 seconds vs 129 seconds, about 1.6x

It is not 30 fps, but it turns a shooter you put up with into one you can play. How much a game gains depends on the game.

Compiled versions are downloaded over Wi-Fi from my server. I have only played a small fraction of them, so if one misbehaves PicoDate switches that game back to the interpreter by itself, and you can switch any game either way.

Free on itch.io: https://bitcalibergames.itch.io/picodateplaydate

If you try a game both ways, tell me its name and the two fps numbers.

Hi! After PicoDate I wanted to try one more small console. Arduboy fits well: its screen is black and white too, so nothing gets converted.

• 7 games built in, about 200 more to download over Wi-Fi
• your own .hex and .arduboy files work too
• sound and saves

The video is from my Playdate, no speed-up. Most games run at full speed, heavy 3D ones like Catacombs at 80-99%.

It's the first version, so some games will be slow or broken.

Free on itch: https://bitcalibergames.itch.io/ardudate

Which Arduboy games would you like to see?

If you want to follow the project, follow me on itch.io.

Hey everyone! PicoDate got a big update focused on how it looks and feels:

- New game library with the original cart labels, likes and save dates

- Save state / Load state in a big, readable pause menu

- No more accidental pauses: A + B now goes to the game

- Swap A/B, remembered for each game

A few days ago there was also 0.1.6, which I only announced on itch.io. It fixed crashes in Bunny Survivor, BAS and Pigments, and made Bunny Survivor up to 3x faster.

I don't post every update here so I don't flood the sub, so follow me on itch.io to hear about every release first:

👉 https://bitcalibergames.itch.io/picodateplaydate

Hey guys!

A week ago I posted a couple of rough boss sketches here and asked what you thought. I honestly did not expect that reaction. It got more replies and more ideas than anything I've ever posted about MonoTanks. So here they are, in the trailer above. Turn the sound on: the music is the new boss soundtrack, Phobos by LonePeakMusic.

Version 1.3 is out, and every tenth mission is now a boss fight, ten in total. They fall apart as you hit them, and regular tanks keep coming the whole time, so you can't just hide and wait. A lot of that came straight out of your comments in that thread.

Not everything made it in. The machine gun, infantry, air strikes and the rest of your list are still on my list. I'm going to ship smaller updates more often instead of disappearing for months, so more is coming.

One thing I should say clearly: MonoTanks is not in Catalog, and unfortunately it won't be.

itch.io is the only place to get it. If you've been meaning to pick it up, now is a good time: it's $5 and every future update is included.

The free demo is now 10 missions and ends with the first boss, so you can fight the armored train before you decide.

https://bitcalibergames.itch.io/monotanks

Thanks to everyone who replied last time. Tell me which boss annoys you the most.

Hey Guys,

I came across SideloadTracker the other day and started wondering: could you make it convenient to get the Playdate games you've bought on itch.io onto the console?

Two GitHub projects gave me a starting point, pd-usb for talking to the Playdate over serial and playdate-itchio-sync for the itch.io side. Wiring them together was the easy part. Most of the work went into the interface: your library, what's actually on your console, and what you could grab from itch.io, all in one window. That's the part I'm proud of. I called it MonoLoader.

What it does:

• Finds which of your itch.io purchases are Playdate games and installs them over the cable
• Puts the console into disk mode by itself, so you never touch the Playdate
• Lets you browse the playdate tag page by page. Free games install in one click, paid ones link out to the store
• Shows what's actually sitting in /Games on the console, whatever put it there
• Tracks versions, so it won't re-download what you already have

It signs in with an itch.io API key rather than your password, so it works with 2FA and I never see your credentials.

The project is raw. Windows only for now (it's Electron), and the worst wart is that it's unsigned, so the first launch throws a SmartScreen warning you have to click past.

The experiment went better than I expected and I'm happy with the result, but I keep going back and forth on whether there's any point releasing it.

What do you think, useful to anyone besides me?

Hey guys!

I wanted MonoTanks to have a look of its own, and the tiles seemed like the place to do it. Each block now has its own shape instead of a plain square, and its own pattern on the surface. Each of the five worlds gets a different set. What I'd like feedback on is the shapes themselves and the designs stamped on them.

World 1 - Bricks.

World 2 - Stone.

World 3 - Metal city.

World 4 - Winter.

World 5 - Deathmatch.

So: How does the whole look land for you? Which world would you want to fight in? Do the shapes read clearly to you? That's the one thing I can't judge anymore after staring at these for this long.

The new tiles aren't in a build yet. This is a preview. The current version is free to grab and sideload here: https://agentx86.itch.io/monotanks

Hey guys!

Big update for MonoTanks. Now the free version has the second world. That’s an additional 20 missions.

But I am most happy with how the battlefield looks and feels now.

Re-drawing of all the art. I re-visited every tile and remade it from scratch. Walls are more readable at a glance, roads collect litter and wear. The whole field finally feels like a real place and not a grid.

Walls really break now. The game has a full tile destruction system: blocks break up with every hit, and when a wall finally falls it leaves big chunks of rubble. After a long gunfight you can look at the map and literally read the story of the battle.

Now, destroying a tank shakes the screen. Little thing but feels so great.

If you've completed the first 20 missions, the second world is waiting for you.

Monotanks 1.1 is live now. Free to grab and sideload here:

https://agentx86.itch.io/monotanks

Would love to hear what you think — feedback and bug reports very welcome!

Hey everyone!

I’ve decided to spend some time improving the visual side of MonoTanks.

I started by adding more detail to the roads, including debris, rocks, cracks, and other small elements. The problem is that I’ve been looking at the game for so long that I can’t really tell anymore whether it actually looks better.

Which version do you prefer: the clean roads or the dirty roads?

Please vote and write “clean” or “dirty” in the comments. If you have any suggestions for improving the dirty version, I’d also be very happy to hear them.

The next step will be improving the block destruction system and giving the environment tiles a more polished and detailed look.

https://agentx86.itch.io/monotanks

Hey everyone!

A little while ago I asked you to vote on white vs black roads for MonoTanks. The vote came out almost evenly split, so both are now in the game as a switchable theme.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in 🙏

I also finally put together a trailer. Watch it with the sound on. The track is "Trenches" by LonePeakMusic, and it honestly carries the whole thing. It captures the drive and spirit of the game better than I ever could in words.

Some bigger news too: MonoTanks just got approved for the Playdate Catalog. Right now I'm on the hunt for a publisher to help bring it to more players. If you've worked with one you'd recommend, I'd be genuinely grateful for any pointers. Comments or DMs both welcome.

https://agentx86.itch.io/monotanks

Hey everyone!

A while back I shared MonoTanks, my free 1-bit tank shooter for Playdate.

Now I'm stuck on a small visual decision and could use your eyes 👀

I made two versions of the road design:

• Design 1 — white roads
• Design 2 — black roads

Both are attached below. I genuinely can't decide which one fits the game's look better, so I'd love your vote:

👉 Vote 1 for white roads, or 2 for black roads in the comments!

Any reasoning is welcome too — sometimes one just feels more "Playdate" than the other.

(For anyone who missed it, the game is free to grab here: https://agentx86.itch.io/monotanks)

Thanks a ton! 🙏

Hey everyone!

I just released MonoTanks, a free game for Playdate. It's inspired by the

classic NES Battle City (Tank 1990), but it's not a clone. I took the core

idea and built my own game around it.

Here's what MonoTanks brings of its own:

- 20 original missions

- A tank upgrade system that wasn't in the original

- Achievements to chase

- A quick built-in tutorial (D-pad to move, A to shoot, crank to charge the radar))

So if you grew up with Battle City, the spirit will feel familiar — but the

levels, progression, and feel are all new.

A full version with 100 levels and a BATTLE mode is on the way.

It's free to grab and sideload here:

https://agentx86.itch.io/monotanks

Would love to hear what you think — feedback and bug reports very welcome!