Picoban Mac OS
Simple text editor, in the style of the Pine Composer. Commands are displayed at the bottom of the screen, and context- sensitive help is provided. PicoOS is a highly configurable and very fast real time operating system (RTOS). It targets a wide range of architectures, from very small 8 bit processors and microcontrollers up to very huge platforms. Ports are available for ARM, AVR, PPC, MSP430, 6502, MYCPU and for developing and testing purpose also for 8086, Win32 and Unix. Picoban is a fun online Puzzle game that you can play here on Games HAHA. If you enjoyed this game and want to play similar fun games then make sure to play Classic Tetris, The Minecraft Trials or Sonic Boom Link 'N Smash! Or just go to the Puzzle games page. Picoban has been played multiple times and is another one of the many Puzzle games. PicoPix Viewer for Mac is categorized as Audio & Video Tools. The following version: 1.0 is the most frequently downloaded one by the program users. This free software works fine with Mac OS.
| Developer(s) | Lexaloffle Games |
|---|---|
| Initial release | April 2015; 6 years ago |
| Operating system | Windows, Mac OS, Linux |
| Platform | PC, Raspberry Pi, HTML5 (player only) |
| Included with | PocketCHIP[1] |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Virtual machine, Game engine |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php |
The Pico-8 (stylized as PICO-8 and in Japanese as ピコ-8) is a virtual machine and game engine created by Lexaloffle Games. It is designed to mimic a 'fantasy video game console,'[2] by emulating the harsh hardware limitations of the video game consoles around the early 1980s. The goal of this is to spur one's creativity and ingenuity in producing games, and avoid being overwhelmed with the many possibilities of modern tools and machines. Such a design also allows Pico-8 games to have a familiar look and feel.[3]
Notable games released for the system include the original version of Celeste, which was created in four days as part of a game jam.
Capabilities[edit]
The Pico-8 program integrates a Lua code editor, sprite and map creation tools, and an audio sound effect and music editor. The program can load games saved locally on a computer, in the form of text or as specially encoded .png images. The interface also supports a splore mode, where games uploaded to the BBS can be previewed and then played in the Pico-8 program. The PocketCHIP miniature computer shipped preloaded with Pico-8.[4]
Pico-8 games, as well as the program's interface itself, are limited to a 128x128 pixel, 16-color display, and a 4-channel audio output.[5]
The Pico-8 palette contains the following colours:
| Number | Hexadecimal RGB value | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | #000000 | Black |
| 1 | #1d2b53 | Dark blue |
| 2 | #7e2553 | Dark magenta |
| 3 | #008751 | Dark green |
| 4 | #ab5236 | Brown |
| 5 | #5f574f | Dark gray |
| 6 | #c2c3c7 | Light gray |
| 7 | #fff1e8 | White |
| 8 | #ff004d | Red |
| 9 | #ffa300 | Yellow-orange |
| 10 | #ffec27 | Yellow |
| 11 | #00e436 | Green |
| 12 | #29adff | Cyan |
| 13 | #83769c | Indigo |
| 14 | #ff77a8 | Pink |
| 15 | #ffccaa | Peach |
The following colors can be accessed by entering specific instructions:[citation needed]
| Number | Hexadecimal RGB value | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 128 | #291814 | Ultra dark brown |
| 129 | #111d35 | Midnight dark blue |
| 130 | #422136 | Dark maroon |
| 131 | #125359 | Ultra-dark green |
| 132 | #742f29 | Dark brown |
| 133 | #49333b | Dark purple |
| 134 | #a28879 | Dark-saturated tan |
| 135 | #f3ef7d | Bright yellow |
| 136 | #be1250 | Dark red |
| 137 | #ff6c24 | Orange |
| 138 | #a8e72e | Green-yellow |
| 139 | #00b543 | Dark green |
| 140 | #065ab5 | Blue |
| 141 | #754665 | Purple |
| 142 | #ff6e59 | Red-pink |
| 143 | #ff9d81 | Red-peach |
Development[edit]
Coding on the Pico-8 is accomplished through a Lua-based environment,[6] in which users can create music, sound effects, sprites, maps, and games.
Users are able to export their games as an HTML5 web game or to upload creations to Lexaloffle's official BBS where other users are able to play the games in a web browser, and view the source code.[7] Pico-8 games can also be exported to 'binaries', which will run on Windows, macOS, or Linux.[8]
Adoption[edit]
The release of Pico-8 attracted the attention of programmers and video game developers who enjoyed the challenge of developing under these limitations, and spurred the development of similar game engines with intentional retro-style limitations. These engines are now commonly dubbed 'fantasy consoles,' based on a definition of the term on Pico-8's website, and roughly simulate the strict limitations of old game consoles and computers. Among these are TIC-80, which styles itself as a 'fantasy computer,' and Pixel Vision 8, which allows the user to specify the simulated hardware limitations they wish to develop under. The development of fantasy consoles, as well as development of games for them, has evolved into its own, almost exclusively hobbyist, sub-community of game development and programming.
Pico-8 has also seen interest among the demoscene, due to its harsh restrictions attracting programmers and musicians who wish to make retro-style demos for the console.[9][10][11]
Pico-8 gained additional attention in 2018 with the release of Celeste. Originally created as a Pico-8 game for a game jam, Celeste Classic became one of the most popular games on the Pico-8 BBS, prompting the developers to expand the concept into a more expansive, fully realized game. The original Pico-8 version of Celeste is fully playable as an easter egg in the full version of the game.
References[edit]
- ^'Next Thing Co. PocketC.H.I.P. Documentation'. Archived from the original on 2018-04-20.
- ^Debock, Arnaud (August 2015). PICO-8 Zine #1. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
- ^'Pico-8 website'. PICO-8 Fantasy Console. Retrieved 12 March 2020.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^'PocketCHIP online documentation'. Next Thing Co. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2017.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^Hossam, Mostafa (August 16, 2016). 'Alone in the Dark is still creepy in its brightly-colored remake'. Kill Screen. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^Wawro, Alex (May 3, 2016). 'PICO-8 'fantasy console' to become an actual handheld console -- sort of'. Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^'PICO-8 BBS'. Lexaloffle. Retrieved 20 February 2019.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^'PICO-8 Fantasy Console'. www.lexaloffle.com. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^'Puroresu No Seishin, a demo made with Pico-8'. Lexaloffle. Retrieved 12 March 2020.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^'Ad Astra'. Lexaloffle. Retrieved 12 March 2020.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^'PICOCHAK'. Lexaloffle.
External links[edit]
- PICO-8 and the Search for Cosy Design Spaces: a talk by Joseph White, PICO-8's creator
