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Here's a funny little collaboration project that I'm afraid only works offline by nature. I've set up a system to pass data back and forth between carts for a "WarioWare Inc."-style micro-game system.

If you have Pico-8 installed, you can download the current API / project and microgames from here: picoware-inc_2015-11-19_2.zip
You're all set to play and/or make your own microgames, microgame loaders, etc. Have fun!

Starter pack microgame list:

  • Jelpi by Zep
  • ennuigi by joshmillard
  • Simon Says by Connorses
  • pick the nose booger by Connorses
  • Tech Exercise by Connorses based on Graphics Exercise by Mason
  • Puzzlecave - Raiders Of The Lost Potato by hackefuffel
  • Endless Train by le_gars

Currently missing features:

  • "Skill" ramping. The microgames never get harder, only faster.
  • The interface is entirely barebones right now. It could use some art assets, fuller music, etc.

If you need help, you can contact me as JTE on IRC or catgirl on Slack, I'd be happy to work with you if you have any problems or improvements or just want to slip a new microgame cart or two into the next release package.

P#16418 2015-11-08 06:09 ( Edited 2016-07-02 23:36)

I like this idea a lot. Can't collab right now but will keep watching!

P#16446 2015-11-08 20:46 ( Edited 2015-11-09 01:46)

You know this reminds me of an idea I had ages ago, that I was going to organize for Silver Creator... Except the community for that software was tiny and the project never went anywhere... But I digress. This is a great idea. I'd love to submit a microgame! Has anyone made a nose-picking game yet? :L :L :L :L

P#16467 2015-11-09 17:34 ( Edited 2015-11-09 22:34)

No "new" microgames have been produced yet. Instead, to begin with, I've been adapting existing games into the microgame format with a simple paste-in API. So far I've made 2 Jelpi microgames (one of them has you defeating enemies, as seen in the GIF above, the other one has you breaking the long line of blocks under the dark castle room) and joshmillard has contributed 2 ennuigi microgames.

I'm looking for more games to adapt to microgames before I make a formal bbs release here so that I can be sure the API is complete and functional. So far I've already had to make a few small adjustments.

P#16470 2015-11-09 19:11 ( Edited 2015-11-10 00:24)

Oh man! I'd love to contribute something. My game super pico jumper might make a nice fit.

P#16474 2015-11-09 20:32 ( Edited 2015-11-10 01:32)

Go for it. We're ready for you with the first version of the API.

P#16475 2015-11-09 21:41 ( Edited 2015-11-10 02:41)

Just corrected a minor error in api_game_command.lua and another one in minigame-jelpi2.p8 (it's supposed to give you 8 seconds, not the default 5)

P#16500 2015-11-10 14:02 ( Edited 2015-11-10 19:02)

Cart #16501 | 2015-11-10 | Code ▽ | Embed ▽ | License: CC4-BY-NC-SA

P#16502 2015-11-10 14:31 ( Edited 2015-11-10 19:31)

Since licensing and ownership and whatnot in collaborations like this can be a mess, we've decided only CC4-ATTR-NC-SA licensed carts will be accepted into the formal release package from now on, just to have everything settled.

Feel free to make and release your own microgames under any legal scheme you please (post them here if you like), but that's the rule of thumb we'll go by for if it can be included in the starter package downloaded from my website linked in the first post.

This is still totally open for discussion if you think it's a bad idea or want special accommodations or something. The thought is mostly just to make redistribution and maintenance easier, since we have to edit all the microgames whenever the API is significantly changed. Fair enough?

I've accepted Connorses' Simon Says to be included in all future distributions and fixed a few more bugs in the API (sound speeding up 3x as fast as gameplay leading to false impressions, ennuigi's walking animation being tied to drawing frames)

Future distributions like the one that's out now. Boop, done.

P#16513 2015-11-10 19:59 ( Edited 2015-11-11 10:11)
1

Cart #16559 | 2015-11-11 | Code ▽ | Embed ▽ | License: CC4-BY-NC-SA
1

P#16560 2015-11-11 17:08 ( Edited 2015-11-11 22:08)

Cart #16566 | 2015-11-12 | Code ▽ | Embed ▽ | License: CC4-BY-NC-SA

P#16567 2015-11-11 19:04 ( Edited 2015-11-12 00:04)

YES!!!

I only got into this scene because warioware diy got discontinued and it broke my heart.

http://tinycartridge.com/post/465833039/warioware-diy-personal-microgames-and-video-game

It's on!

P#16632 2015-11-13 19:45 ( Edited 2015-11-14 00:45)

Bump because we still haven't gotten any cartridges from anyone besides me and Catgirl. Trust me guys, it's super easy!

P#16709 2015-11-17 00:14 ( Edited 2015-11-17 05:14)

It really is easy :D Here I made two from Endless Train




P#16730 2015-11-17 22:50 ( Edited 2015-11-18 03:50)

Will do something! You just wait...

P#16732 2015-11-18 01:55 ( Edited 2015-11-18 06:55)

Updated! We have a decent amount of microgames now, plus two more here which have questionable licensing.

P#16774 2015-11-19 05:40 ( Edited 2015-11-19 10:44)

Oh my God, I feel like such an idiot. X_X The last pack included a microgame where I forgot to put in the win condition. Fixed!

P#16782 2015-11-19 18:52 ( Edited 2015-11-19 23:52)



I thought I'd make a picoware cart using something from the Rain Jam, and this seemed like a reasonable choice.
Raincloud Simulator is 'creative commons' so I guess this one can go in the official package.

P#17714 2015-12-11 18:47 ( Edited 2015-12-11 23:47)

PicoWare Inc. is no longer playable as of 0.1.6 due to the spinney cartridge loading/saving animation thing clearing parts of user memory or something.

P#19993 2016-04-25 20:22 ( Edited 2016-04-28 00:07)

Hah, it really is a fantasy console, complete with 'hardware' changes killing cool ideas like stop'n'swop.

P#20033 2016-04-28 02:00 ( Edited 2016-04-28 08:48)

Old pico-8 versions are available, right? In case anyone wants to try this silly thing?

P#20048 2016-04-28 18:35 ( Edited 2016-04-28 22:35)

Yesh they are, just copy the link from on your updates page and change the version number to an older one, so pico-8_0.1.6_windows.zip for instance would become pico-8_0.1.5_windows.zip and so on. This also works with most other Lexaloffle games (if for some reason you feel so inclined to go back in time) assuming Zep has not removed the downloads from the server (as of writing you can go all the way back as far as at least 0.1.1). Do note older version may be buggy and are not supported and all that jazz.

My own personal recommendation is to get the ZIP and extract it, save it somewhere other than the main pico directory, then making a shortcut called like pico-ware and just using it for picoware (or other carts broken by 0.1.6).

You should even be able to make it boot right into the picoware cart with some arguments (at least in windows as of 0.1.5).

Have fun. ^^

P#20384 2016-05-09 23:07 ( Edited 2016-05-10 03:27)

Pico-8 0.1.8 changed how cart loading/running works (again) so now calling load() immediately runs the new cart, meaning the PicoWare is entirely broken now. No way to get the cartridge's microgame directive or check if the cartridge exists before running it.

And of course the spinny cartridge "loading" delay is still present in this version. Turns out it actually represents all manner of loading and saving both cart data and save data, so the only time it won't show up is when re-running the already-loaded cart, I guess.

P#24324 2016-07-02 19:21 ( Edited 2016-07-02 23:29)

This got broken due to the user data section getting wiped, correct?

Could it be fixed by passing data between the core and the microgames via cartdata functions? The core and microgames would use the same cartdata id and read/write from there to communicate. I'm assuming not too much data needs to go back and forth so it would fit in there.

It's late here now but I might have a go at doing this tomorrow because this idea really appeals to me.

Here is a quick proof of concept showing you can pass data this way:
https://gist.github.com/anonymous/9ddb54a79417c0f63c1aee1d2366d77a

Edit: It's still possible to reload select data from other carts although you get a spinny cart delay. With some rearchitecturing and these techniques it should be possible to get something working. Maybe it would be better to break out and start a new project rather than hacking the carts from this one?

P#24327 2016-07-02 19:36 ( Edited 2016-07-02 23:53)

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