TheTomster [Lexaloffle Blog Feed]

Present Wrapper

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 03:40:29 UTC

Present Wrapper 1.0

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Wrap up a bunch of toy mice for the kiddos in this solitaire-inspired present wrapping puzzler.

Bonus points are awarded for efficiently combining pieces to make wrapped gifts. Most deals should be solvable, but once in a while the RNG gives you a bad one. I didn't write a solver to avoid those, so good luck is needed to get a long streak going!

PICO-8 Holiday Bundle 2023

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 03:37:07 UTC

Holiday Bundle 2023 0.6

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

A smol bundle of holiday goodness. Check back daily for new games!

music by paraK00PA
menu by TheTomster

games by:
Present Wrapper - TheTomster
Watflakes - SmellyFishstiks
Sleigh Ride Saga - extar
Wrap and Find - SmellyFishstiks
The Polar Distress - bikibird
Santa's Fulfillment Center - ohhcurtains & tinyevilwizard
Who Took the Books? - ThatTomHall
E.L.F. 1978 (2023 update) - Squirrel
Elf Curling - zep

Advent Calendar Sign Up

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 23:05:07 UTC

Hi all! It's time once again to start building a PICO-8 holiday calendar thing of some kind. Usually we keep the games a secret while they're in development, so each game is a surprise when it releases in the calendar. If you're interested in participating, shoot me a DM on Discord (thetomster) and I'll get you added to the server where we coordinate things!

We're looking for winter or holiday themed games, and games will need to be wrapped up by the end of November. As we get closer to the deadline we'll look at how many games we have and make a decision about what format to run. The past couple years we've run it as a "twelve days of christmas" thing, but if we get enough sign ups it would be great to get back to a full 25-day calendar.

Interested in joining? DM me on Discord (my username there is thetomster)!

Avery's Angling Adventure

Sat, 17 Dec 2022 04:24:35 UTC

Avery's Angling Adventure 1.0

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Avery's Angling Adventure

A bizarre PikPok™ trend has taken the world by storm, and kids everywhere are asking Santa to bring them... fish?! Santa has chosen YOU to track down every fish on the list, from the North-Pole-Adjacent Wilderness Area and beyond.

Talk to people and read informational signs to discover the key combinations required to land a variety of fish. Tire a fish out and enter the magic combination to catch it! Keep trying combinations until you figure out what kind of fish you have on the line.

Revisit the marble-obsessed town of Townton. Explore a coal mine and catch creatures from the deep. Visit the moonlit seaside of Cheddar Beach. Talk to everyone, catch everything, and become the best fisherperson in the world.

Stuck?

Be sure to talk to every NPC and read every sign you can find to learn fish combinations.
Some fish appear in multiple areas. Even if you've discovered every clue in an area, you might have an unknown fish in your list. Go explore the wilderness!
Pay close attention to the combinations. PICO-8's dpad icons can be tricky to read in the heat of battle >.<
Regal Tallfin and Marlin are very difficult to catch. You can do it!
Sometimes you just get super unlucky and catch 9 guppies in a row. Thanks RNG!
There are 72 coal facts to discover. Sorry haha.

Twelve Days of PICO-8 Christmas 2022

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 04:45:40 UTC

12 Days of Pico-8 2022

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

We're back with another 12 days of PICO-8 surprises. Every day a different game, animation, or coal-related nonsense will be revealed!

Happy Holidays!

Dec 14th: Mittens by ohhcurtains - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50645
Dec 15th: Santa Scouts by bikibird - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50669
Dec 16th: Freezing Knights by tinyevilwizard - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50683
Dec 17th: Avery's Angling Adventure by TheTomster - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50691
Dec 18th: Puffy Coats by bikibird - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50699
Dec 19th: Santa's Elf Workout by tinyevilwizard - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50717
Dec 20th: Xmas Patterns by ElGregos - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50742
Dec 21st: Snowstorm by paraK00PA - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50752
Dec 22nd: DJ Deci by SmellyFishstiks - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50774
Dec 23rd: Silent Slopes by Jusiv
Dec 24th: SnowballGaiden by ohhcurtains - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=50806
Dec 25th: Wooden Toy Joinery by zep - https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=123001

Previous holiday collections:
2018: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=32388
2019: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=36076
2020: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=40701
2021: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=45525

Mitt's Marble Adventure

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 04:32:26 UTC

Mitt's Marble Adventure 1.0

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Mitt's Marble Adventure!

Explore the town of Townton and the surrounding area and battle EVERYBODY* in intellectual duels of marble supremacy.

*You cannot battle mom or the dog, sorry. But you can pet the dog.

This cartridge is part of the Twelve Days of Pico Christmas, our Advent Calendar project for 2021. https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=45525

Stuck? Open the spoilers for some hints:

Twelve Days of Pico Christmas

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 22:55:37 UTC

Twelve Days of Pico Christmas 0.25

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Hi folks! If you were eagerly anticipating the Advent Calendar's return this year, do not fret! The shadowy cabal behind the calendar has not forgotten.

We've decided to release a slimmed-down calendar this year, with twelve entries for the 12 days of Christmas. Check back starting on December 14th for the usual daily installment of holiday cheer.

Happy Holidays from the Pico-8 Advent Calendar Team!

Game Threads:
Totally Accurate Holiday Bowling by @freds72: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=45701
Mitt's Marble Adventure by @TheTomster: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=45710
Winter Wars by @2Tie
2018 Throwback - Secret Santa by @Liquidream: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=59306
2019 Throwback - Toboggoban by @2darray
2020 Throwback - Xmas RPG by @BoneVolt
Spirit Solstice by @Jusiv: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=45795
Courier & Ives by @beepyeah: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=45805
Present Pop DX by @MarkGamed7794
E.L.F. 1978 by Squirrel Eiserloh
Holiday Jumper by @zep: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=45856

Yule log features particle wizardry by FredS and art by Jusiv :-)
Calendar menu by johanp with modifications by MarkGamed

advent2021_log

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Coal

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 03:27:45 UTC

Coal

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Deep below the North Pole, Santa needs YOU to find some tasty anthracite to plop in some bad kid's stocking. Unfortunately the elves have already excavated most of the coal in the mines. The elves and an explorer have been digging deeper to try and find more coal... what could go wrong?

A quick little exploration game for the Holiday 2020 bundle. Happy holidays!

Snow Tower

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 16:28:24 UTC

Snow Tower 0.9

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

A bite-sized arcade precision platformer for the Advent Calendar!

In a tower, deep in the Adirondack Mountains... Old Mage Zythandar studies slimes, barrier magicks, and undead creatures. As if the ghost attacks weren't bad enough, the Flame Orbs keep attracting Mothbugs!

Late one night in late December... Zythandar looks out from his study and watches the space candies glittering in the sky above. Watching the candies sparkle and pop and listening to annoying Christmas music... inspiration strikes him!

I'll conjure a creature, of cold ice and snow.
This gentleman of ice, I'll send deep below.
To the depths of my tower, in the basement he'll be.
Forever climbing, and freezing Mothbugs for me!

Controls:

Left / Right: Move

Z / C / (O): Jump
Up: Also Jump

X / V / (X): Throw Snowball
Down + (X): Throw Snowball Fast

About the PICO-8 Advent Calendar

This winter another group of PICO-8 elves has worked hard to release a shiny new toy approximately every day until the 25th of December. Check out the PICO-8 Advent Calendar 2019 every day for a new surprise! https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=36076

There's even more festive fun waiting on last year's calendar! https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=32388

Happy Holidays!

Known Issues

It is possible to become boxed in by frozen bugs and soft-lock the game. If this occurs, reset the game from the pause menu.

UFO Santa Candy Blaster

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 07:44:51 UTC

UFO Santa Candy Blaster 1.0b

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Santa has to send presents to more people than ever... thankfully he's got a UFO to help him get around faster. But these flying candies keep getting in the way! Throw gifts at the candies to pop them and collect coins. You can spend coins to buy upgrades and blast even more candies! Will you make it to the ultimate upgrade??

For an extra challenge, try completing a run without letting any candies escape through the top of the screen!

Game Controls:

up / down / left / right: movement
Z / C / (O): drop presents

Shop Controls:

left / right: select item
Z / C / (O): buy item
X / V / (X): skip buying an item (save up those coins for next time!)

About the PICO-8 Advent Calendar

This winter another group of PICO-8 elves has worked hard to release a shiny new toy each day until the 25th of December. Check out the PICO-8 Advent Calendar 2019 every day for a new surprise! https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=36076

There's even more festive fun waiting on last year's calendar! https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=32388

Happy Holidays!

Candies:

Classic Peppermint

	[0x0]

This is the most common candy seen in the skies of UFO Earth. After an incident at Confection Production Facility 97, thousands of peppermints were launched into low earth orbit. Santa's UFO is tough enough to ram these without taking any damage, and a few solid hits with a gift will shatter these mints into dust.

UPDATE: Dec 2 2199 - Extremely large mints have been spotted on radar in the upper mesosphere. Be on guard and throw as many gifts as you can at these large mints. --Rolf, North Pole Recon Unit

Spearmint Swirl

	[0x0]

The Council of Commercial Confectioners attempted to remedy the CPF-97 disaster by launching denser spearmints into orbit to break up the peppermints. The plan backfired. Spearmints and peppermints happily coexist in the upper atmosphere, and now the dense spearmints provide a more challenging obstacle for pilots.

Wintermint Freeze

	[0x0]

Occasionally orbital mints get pulled into arctic storm systems. Most of these mints get pulled out of orbit and crash land in Upper New Canada, but occasionally they are launched back into orbit and become another obstacle for UFO pilots to navigate around. These mints are transformed by the ice and hail, and take on a refreshing wintergreen flavor. Try destroying these mints for a cool blast of refreshment.

[REDACTED]

	[0x0]

NOTE: Santa, I found this file on the New Canadian Intelligence Force's network. Not much info here, but you might encounter these on your route. --Ernesto, North Pole SIGINT

First discovered in [REDACTED], flying in airspace above
[REDACTED]. Appear to be composed of [REDACTED]. Extremely
dense, tests have shown they can only be shattered by
[REDACTED].

Barrier Blast

Sun, 16 Jul 2017 21:17:37 UTC

Barrier Blast 1.0

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Arcade wizard game made in 48 hours for GMTK Jam.

Press Z to jump, X to shoot magic missile. Down+Z to drop through platforms.

Smash all the gems with your magic to advance to the next level. When you shoot the missile, you're left vulnerable, so be careful! See how far you can get and set the high score.

Apple Town

Sun, 22 Jan 2017 17:13:44 UTC

Apple Town 1.0

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

A small apple farming sim.

Tab turns on the TV. Once the TV is on, arrow keys move, X displays the inventory, and Z uses the current item.

Tools:

Magnifying Glass

	[0x0]

Examines the square you are facing. Brings up a full screen detailed view of whatever is in front of you. Useful for checking on your trees.

Apple Basket

	[0x0]

Holds all of your apples. The red number on screen when your inventory is open is the count of how many apples are in your basket. Pressing "use" while this is selected will either plant an apple in tilled soil, or harvest apples from a grown tree.

Watering Can

	[0x0]

Young seedlings need to be watered to grow. Pressing "use" while this is selected will sprinkle water on the square in front of you.

Hoe

	[0x0]

Tills soil. Pressing "use" will till the square in front of you.

v0.9:

Entity Example

Thu, 05 Jan 2017 14:26:48 UTC

Entity Example

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Someone over in Discord asked about some entity drawing code in Hug Arena, so I took a look a stab at explaining it. I realized the code in Hug Arena is similar to a technique I've used quite a bit, so I put together a small example cartridge demonstrating the technique.

The sample is commented code that demonstrates how to draw two types of objects that update the same way each frame, but draw differently.

In "Remains of El Dorado" I used this for most objects drawn in the game, you can check out that cartridge to see how this works on a larger scale.

The Remains of El Dorado

Sat, 29 Oct 2016 00:20:43 UTC

The Remains of El Dorado 1.0

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

Explore the lost city. Find the amulet.

The Remains of El Dorado is a roguelike game for PICO-8. You're seeking The Amulet of the Sun which will bring you great fame and fortune... if you survive.

Press C to charge a shot, press a direction while charged to shoot. Press X to enter the potion menu. Select a potion by pressing left and right, and press C to confirm. Aim your throw with the direction keys, and press C to throw the potion. Careful! Potions will explode on contact with a wall.

Remains is turn based. When you're in a tough situation don't forget to slow down and think about all of your options. Don't die with a potion in your pocket!

Potions

Potions are thrown around like grenades! On impact they will affect everything standing in the square they hit plus the 8 squares surrounding it.

Healing potions heal you if you're in the explosion. Enemies are unaffected. They also put out fires in the blast zone.
Fire potions are useful for attacking groups of enemies. They don't put out fires. The fire ants are immune to fire potions.
Ice potions are slightly harder to find than fire potions, but work on all types of enemies and put out fires.

Enemies

Three types of enemies inhabit the dungeon and will defend their turf.

Enjoy!

The Remains of El Dorado (WIP)

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 23:38:35 UTC

Tweening Demo

Sun, 18 Sep 2016 00:40:11 UTC

Tweening Demo 0.1

by TheTomster

[Click to Play]

For the game I'm working on I built a super tiny tweening system for making it easier to move things around. This cart demonstrates a few different easing functions that plug into the system.

Tweening is a way of moving an object from point A to B. You specify where you want the object to go, and how long you want it to take to get there, and the tweening system takes care of the motion. I find it super useful for making games, especially for adding little bits of polish to your game. It's easier to just say "move the ball to x=104 in 60 frames" than it would be to calclate the required speed every time. You can also use an easing function to tell how it should get there, allowing it to accelerate slowly or bounce or spring back.

Tweens have four parameters: the property we want to update, the value we want to end up with, the length of time we want it to take to reach the target value, and the easing function. We'll store those values in a table, and each frame we'll look at each entry in the table and update the target property as needed.

The tween function begins tweening a property:

function tween(target, property, destination, duration, func)
  local tween_info = {
    target = target,
    property = property,
    base_value = target[property],
    change = destination - target[property],
    duration = duration,
    elapsed = 0,
    func = func
  }
  add(tweens, tween_info)
end

Each frame, we loop through that list and update everything. The update function removes any tweens that have reached their duration. Other than tracking this timing information, the tween_update function leaves most of the work to the selected easing function.

function tween_update()
  for t in all(tweens) do
    if t.elapsed > t.duration then
      t.target[t.property] = t.base_value + t.change
      del(tweens, t)
    else
      t.elapsed += 1
      t.target[t.property] = t.func(
          t.elapsed,
          t.base_value,
          t.change,
          t.duration)
    end
  end
end

So the easing functions are the ones that actually move our stuff� how do they work? Well the simplest easing function is linear, which is really no �easing� at all. It just moves the object from a to b at a constant speed. Here's what it looks like:

function linear(elapsed, base_value, change, duration)
  return change * (elapsed / duration) + base_value
end

So far in my game I've only needed one other easing function, In/Out Quadratic. This simulates acceleration and deceleration. It looks like this:

function in_out_quad(t,b,c,d)
  t/=d/2
  if (t<1) return c/2*t*t+b
  t-=1
  return -c/2*(t*(t-2)-1)+b
end

The cart also has a bouncy tween function that is super useful for menus and other UI.

The great thing is that by plugging in different easing functions you can reuse the same simple framework to accomplish many different effects. And tweening doesn't just have to affect movement. You can tween sizes, rotations, color� any numeric value you want to change over time.