I took a small leap into a multicart game - one cart for the title/intro, another for the main game - so 2 carts in total. I've never tried this before and didn't think much of it until I go to uploading it to the BSS so it will get into Splore any whatnot. This is new territory for me but I know it's something folks do all the time. The docs are not very clear on how to handle it for the BBS.

Here's what I think I have to do...

1. Export the 2nd cart as a PNG: game_cart2.p8.png

2. Upload game_cart2 first so it can get an ID from the BBS: #mygame2

3. Once I have that ID, go into game_cart1 and add the load("#mygame2") call in the proper spot, in this case when the player press a button to start the game.

4. Export game_cart1 as a PNG and upload that to the BBS as a full release game so it has a thread and everything else. This is the cart that will be the one people see in Splore and on the BBS...right?

So assuming those steps are correct, how do I upload a cart to the BBS without it getting a thread?

Just start a post, upload the cart, then cancel the post? Does the cart still exist and everything even if I don't publish the thread?

...and all this is why I usually try to keep my games within the single cart limit :) It does simplify a lot when it comes to publishing a game, huh?

Exporting multicart for binaries and web is not an issue. I have that working already. However, I have found that another downside to multicart seems to be that you have to have 2 versions of the carts...one that does the load("#bbsid") and then one that does load("cart2.p8") for the non-BBS versions. At least that seems to be the case...maybe not?

Any insight to publishing multicart games is appreciated.

you have the basics right, and not the first one to seek info (this is asked often on discord, and nobody has made a post here yet that can be referenced easily).

for bbs compatibility, multi-cart must use load (not reload) and data can be shared using general work memory and upper memory, as they are not cleared when loading a cart.

subsequent carts (meaning not the entry one) must be uploaded to the bbs to have IDs, but uploading is separate from message posting so that’s the mecanism to use. start a thread or reply, upload the cart, cancel the message. the cart should be unlisted and available in the cart selector next time you write a message.

load does not stop execution when the cart is not found, so it’s fine to have load("game1.p8") load("game1.p8.png") load("#coolgame1") to handle local dev / downloaded / bbs cases seemlessly.

Additionally, @morningtoast, you can make invisible posts. Only seen to you, and post your carts there.

Excellent, thanks guys. I'm glad I wasn't far off. Nice to know the load() will fail quietly so you can avoid maintaining different versions of files.

I do wish there was some more official/better directions for BBS publishing in the docs or somewhere. Believe me, I searched a lot before posting because I know someone had the same thing but I didn't find any sort of "here's what you should do" type of instructions.

Even the process of "start a post, upload a cart, then cancel post" is an incredibly poor experience to have to follow, lol - so hopefully it's something that can be remedied as the site updates happen in the future.

As mentioned @morningtoast, you can make an invisible post where you are not deleting it - it is just that only you can see it. It will not even appear in the list of posts, and of course you can edit this post and read it later if you like.

@dw817 How do you flag a post to be invisible? I don't see any checkbox for that, outside of the "Save draft" button.

Nono, here is how you can make an invisible post, @morningtoast.

Click on your name, in this post if you like.

Select POSTS.

Select NEW UNLISTED POST. (It will be in the upper-right-hand corner).

And there ya go. You are now entering a post only you can see.

If you want to see your current unlisted posts do the following:

Click on your name, also in this post if you like.

Select POSTS.

Then click UNLISTED. It should be in the upper-left-hand corner of the screen.

Manage and work with your unlisted posts and you can insert cartridges here too if you like.

Hope This Helps !

Ah ha, thanks. Guess I don't feel too bad since it's a not obvious feature, wow.

Glad to assist, @morningtoast. :)

As my Dad told me years ago, "Keep your head on a swivel."

True in life and computers. I always like to poke around and see every permutation and condition of not just software and carts but websites as well.

Best wishes on your multicart ...