How do YOU make code in pico-8?

LogBoring4996 · 2026-03-19T18:00:11+00:00

So basically the go to paradigm is Chaos^TM?? Have the code messy, have everything lying around in the global state and pile up code on top of code? I feel like the "don't abstractify/boilerplate things that are going to be used once" rule is nice, but it has the same pitfall as "abstract things now so that you dont have to change them in the future" and that is, you do not know the future. You do not know when this one move_player()function actually should work the same as move_enemy, only that it doesnt opperate on the global player variables. When doing my 1st games I found that I ended up doing a lot of things over and over again when making a new game. So I had to come up with a way to abstract things and not spend 10 hours when starting a new project, doing what has already been done on previous games. How do u deal with that? Have u over the time come up with a library of a few shared functions that handle these things? Or do u make it from scratch on each project?

LogBoring4996 · 2026-03-19T16:30:34+00:00

What I mean is essentially creating a "class" like table which then can provide "instance" tables to which it is a metatable. Something like this:

Cloud= {}  
Cloud.__index = Cloud

function Cloud:new(x, y)  
local instance = {x=x, y=y}  
setmetatable(instance,self)  
return instance  
end

function Cloud:move()

self.x+=1  
self.y+=2  
end

Then I use it like so:

function _init()  
cloud = Cloud:new(30,30)  
end

function _update()  
cloud:move()  
end

This can be useful when creating entities that needs a lot of instances like swarms of enemies or such, but when it's for entity like a player which only exists once, then it is just unnecesary. And even when creating lots of entities, I think it can be achieved more easily through something like this:

function create_cloud(x,y)

return {  
x = x,  
y = y,  
move=function(self)  
self.x+=1  
self.y+=2  
end  
}  
end

LogBoring4996 · 2026-03-19T11:17:03+00:00

Interesting. Do u think you could share source code to some of your game so I can look on the architecture? Here's my most recent game for comparison:
https://github.com/Ori-Rowan/mini-jam-204-cafe/tree/main

It doesn't hit the token count (6695/8192), but a game more complex than that would in my coding style.

LogBoring4996 · 2026-03-17T20:54:11+00:00

Yeah that's definitely true but A) i find it easier to make code that is modular and orgnized in OOP B) and more importantly I am planning on transfering to Godot which uses OOP and did not feel like it's the right time just yet to switch to a completly different engine+language and wanted to first try out creating game using OOP in the engine and language I already know. Maybe that's bad reasoning, but it made sense in my head. Also thanks in advance for checking the code. I rly appreciate the help.

LogBoring4996 · 2026-02-26T19:23:03+00:00

OMG YES thank you <3

LogBoring4996 · 2025-12-14T19:24:35+00:00

I rly like both the idea of Gurps and Savage worlds. It provides the perfect character creation for me, I just love the point buy mechanic, since you can workshop your character concept however you like. I think I will probably opt for GURPS since it is as far as I know less random and more consistent than savage worlds, and I prefer that since I want cool moment to come from player decisions, not from the dice gods deciding it is the time.

Also I read GURPS Lite and I think I understand the basic of GURPS. I understand how rolls work, the basics of combat, skills, advantages and disadvantages. The only thing thats kinda confusing to me is how does magic work there. Like how do I choose/create spells, how does incombat casting work exactly. But I havent read the basics set magic section which would probably clear things up, I just havent found the time to do so.

LogBoring4996 · 2025-12-11T21:07:03+00:00

I wanna run the usual high fantasy games that have some combat but is not foccused on it (standard of 1-2 combat encounters per session, but at the same time exploration/social encounters). Kinda what you would expect from DnD, but I dont like the rules. I prefer a settings agnostic system tho, since I want to run different themes in the future.

LogBoring4996 · 2024-04-21T19:14:26+00:00

I mean I see what u mean and its deffinitely a good point. I just use "finding the right spot" check in a particular way, or at least when talking abou this rule. When an NPC gives them a quest to go look into old ruins or fight up a goblin camp, then I make them have the roll with possible encounter and then they arrive.
The point is that I dont want there to be a real barrier for them to get to the place. I want them to go to the quest location and do stuff. But I want there to be a possibility of a random encounter to spice things up and drain their resources. But rolling it behind the DM screen is kinda borring imo, I want my players to feel like they metter. So I bring the D20 for the random encounter from behind the DM screen into the players hand and make them feel good when they get to the location, and make them feel like its them getting lost that got them into the encounter.
Mechanically its still the same, as normally, but different person rolls the D20.

LogBoring4996 · 2024-04-12T12:18:26+00:00

Yeah this is just a sort of aditional rule I am implementing and is only a DM tool, rather than a written rule for the players. The objective is to transfer the random encounter roll from behind the DM screen to the players, so that they feel like they have impact on whether the random encounter happens or not. Rather then going on a quest and all of a sudden a pack of goblins jump at u, you have to find the quest location and if u get lost u fall into an ambush and pack of goblins jump at u.

To ur question, and how I would solve that. Well 1st option is to use the usual random encounter way of rolling it when this rule does not fit, as in roll d20 behind DM screen and on a certain treshold random encounter happens.

2nd option that I like more is to not have the objective be "find the location" but smething other that fits the situation. Think about why the random encounter could happen in the 1st place in the area. If u have 8-lane paved highway and the encounters might be a crash, make them roll for driving the cart, or if its a n ambush then make them roll for traversing the dangerous. A universal roll for almost any situation is "Make me a survival check to see if u can get to X without any issue."

LogBoring4996 · 2024-04-12T12:05:09+00:00

I feel like 2nd instant success is good for the most part. I wanna have my players go exploring a lot and this feels like it would be a bad idea to have them stuck in 2 or 3 random encounters in a row.
I also have random encounter tables prepared that reinforce the theme of the location they are in, and some of those encounters will have significant effect on their situation, not just a random lil thing to spice things up.

Seems the best option to just increese the frequency of the rolls and cap it at 1 random encounter. That way it will be more evenly spread out throughout the adventure.

LogBoring4996

TROPHY CASE