Tiny Tactics
A turn based, tactics / puzzle game for PICO-8
Controls
- When you start the game for the first time it will show you the controls and ask if you are using a keyboard. Your answer will be saved, and appropriate button / key labels will be used on the menus.
- Shorter levels (like the first few ones) will also show the controls at the bottom so you get used to them.
- If you want to change labels from keys to buttons or vice-versa later on, just select controls on the title screen.
Features
- 81 levels
- 9 enemy types
- 2 hours of gameplay (first playthrough estimate)
- Story with an actual ending
- Customizable animations
- Ability to unlock all levels if you get stuck
- Appropriate button / key labels wether you are using a keyboard or not
- In-game tips detailing enemies AI behaviour
- Your settings and records are saved
- Get trophies if you match the dev's records
- Unlockable skin if you get trophies for all levels
Playing Levels
- Select play on the title screen.
- Clear a level to unlock the next one.
- You can quit or restart the current level from the pause menu.
- Notice the level name at the top, it may be a hint on how to solve it.
- Notice the turn counter and the turn indicator (player turn / enemies turn) at the bottom.
Options
- You can adjust the animation speed.
- You can speed up the gameplay further by disabling idle and/or move animations.
- If you get stuck, you can unlock all levels.
- You can also change your active skin (once you unlock the alternative skin).
- Your settings are saved when you go back to the title screen.
- You can also show FPS (frames per second), which boringly stay at 30 at all times in my experience. This setting is intentionally not saved.
Tips
- Select tips from the title screen for some in-game hints.
- Take your time to understand enemies AI behaviour, which is indicated by the color of their hair and jacket.
- Also note the order of activation during enemies turn.
Records
- Your record is saved when you set a new personal record for a level.
- Select records from the title screen to see the dev's records and compare them to yours.
- You earn a silver trophy for each level in which you tied the dev's record.
- It's possible that you are able to break the dev's record in some levels. In such case, you will earn a gold trophy.
- If you earn trophies for all levels you will unlock an alternative skin. It doesn't matter if your trophies are silver or gold.
- Once the alternative skin is unlocked, you can change your active skin in the options.
Project
You can download the complete project from GitHub, including:
- the separate .lua files before flattening;
- a standalone HTML version;
- binary versions for Windows / Mac / Linux / Raspberry Pi.
Walkthrough
I strongly suggest you try to tackle the levels in the game by yourself. If you get stuck, you can unlock all levels in the options and skip the level that's giving you trouble.
The same can be said about records. You don't need to tie the dev's record for every level, unless you want to unlock the alternative skin. Even then, you don't need to do it straight away, you can always keep playing the next levels and come back for records later.
But if you really want to see how the dev's record can be obtained for a specific level, I have recorded GIFs showing my solution for all levels in the game. The GIFs are on the GitHub repository, in the walkthrough folder.
Gold Trophies
On many levels, especially the simpler ones, the dev's record already seem to be the optimal solution, so don't expect to be able to get gold trophies on all levels.
If you manage to get a gold trophy... Take a screenshot of the level clear screen! This screenshot will contain your entire solution so you (or anyone else) can replay it.
Please post your screenshot on this forum. I'll appreciate it, and I'll add your record to the leaderboards (see below), giving you the credit for being the first to discover said solution (to the best of my knowledge, naturally).
Leaderboards
On the GitHub repository there is a leaderboards folder with GIFs showing how to get the gold trophies that I'm aware are possible. First person to claim the record gets the credit (once I can verify the record is really achievable, of course).
Development
I wrote an extensive postmortem. Go read it!
Feedback
This is my first PICO-8 game. It took exactly 3 months of my spare time (5 to 10 hours / week) to make, from purchasing a license to exporting the final version of the cart. Any feedback is appreciated.
I hope you have fun playing Tiny Tactics!
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Congrats on finishing your first game! Looks like a lot of work,so far i've played through the first base and enjoyed it so far. Was also able to get the trophies in base 1, let's see how i fare in the next few bases :) great game description,too :)
Thanks, @taxicomics! I'm glad you are enjoying it! I'm glad the game description is clear.
Tadashi Fujimura, a friend of a friend, managed to finish level 5-7 in just 19 turns!
I think I know how he did it, but I'm away from my compuputer right now, so I can't record a GIF. I'll do it later.
Anyway, congrats, Tadashi! You beat me at my own game!
I actually improved on Tadashi Fujimura's record and finished 5-7 in 18 turns!
Thanks again, Tadahi, for showing it was possible!
Here's how I did it:
Tadashi Fujimura has just finished all 81 levels.
To my knowledge, he is the first!
Congrats, Tadashi!
My friend Filipe D. got a gold trophy on 5-5 with 14 turns!
Congrats, Filipe!
My cousin got a gold trophy on 2-7 with 17 turns!
Congrats!!!
My friend Filipe D. has got two more gold trophies!
He finished level 7-4 in 11 turns, and finished level 7-9 in 90 turns!
Congrats, Filipe D!
Unfortunately, Filipe D.'s browser erased his progress for some reason...
He decided to download the Windows version, as it saves progress to a txt file (Linux and Mac versions do the same).
He was at base 8 and decided to replay the whole game! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, Filipe D!
Note: if something like that happens to you, you can always go to options, unlock all levels and go back to the level you were playing. Filipe D. just liked the excuse to play through the whole game again...
I updated the cart with a minor change: now, when you clear a level, the level number will be displayed.
This way, when you share your accomplishment, you won't need to explain which level you were playing when you took the screenshot.
The standalone HTML version and the binary apps (for Windows / Mac / Linux / Raspberry Pi) were updated as well.
Don't worry, the way the game saves your progress did not change. You won't lose any progress by switching to the new version!
I have added a leaderboards folder to the project on GitHub.
The folder contains GIFs showing how to get the gold trophies that I'm aware are possible. First person to claim the record gets the credit (once I can verify the record is really achievable, of course).
Currently, there are six GIFs with gold trophy solutions on the leaderboards:
- level 2-7 (17 turns) - dev's cousin.gif
- level 5-5 (14 turns) - Filipe D.gif
- level 5-7 (18 turns) - Tadashi Fujimura.gif
- level 7-4 (11 turns) - Filipe D.gif
- level 7-5 (20 turns) - andrejtrindade (the dev).gif
- level 7-9 (90 turns) - Filipe D.gif
Thanks, @makaGeorge!
I really appreciate it!
Thanks, @donbattery, I'm glad you liked it!
I found a bug (suprised no one noticed!): you could walk through the locked exit door before you eliminated all the enemies! It's fixed now.
The standalone HTML version and the binary apps (for Windows / Mac / Linux / Raspberry Pi) were updated as well. If you use them, please download the new version.
Don't worry, the way the game saves your progress did not change. You won't lose any progress!
The bug above was only a visual glitch, it didn't affect your logical position in the map. Moving in another direction would redraw the game correctly. That's why I believe no one noticed.
It also didn't compromise any records. All records obtained previously are still legit.
My friend Lecard has finished the game!
Congrats, Lecard! As far as I know, you are the second person to finish Tiny Tactics!
Lecard also got three new gold trophies! I updated the leaderboards with the solutions for these new records:
- level 6-6 (21 turns) - Lecard.gif
- level 8-8 (81 turns) - Lecard.gif
- level 8-9 (96 turns) - Lecard.gif
It's been a week since I launched Tiny Tactics.
I wrote an extensive postmortem. Go read it if you want to know how was my experience making the game over the last three months. I hope you enjoy the writeup!
Cool game, @andrejtrindade! Good job on the execution, and also on the detailed description both here and in-game.
My cousin called this game "what if sokoban had guns?"
This was my first thought too!
Thanks, @raymond_gobler! I'm glad you liked it!
While writing the postmortem, I mentioned that "I remembered how much fun I had optimizing my solutions in Sokoban and Hitman Go, so I decided to add a turn counter and records very early on".
Then my cousin called this game "what if sokoban had guns?" and my friend Alegf called this game a "Hitman Go demake"!
I guess my influences are pretty obvious... And I like that!
Good job, @Borborem !
My cousin has already claimed this record (see the leaderboards), but congrats on achieving it independently!
My friend Elton fhas finished the game! And hd he is the first (to the best of my knowledge) to unlock the alternative skin!!!
SPOILER WARNING: the screenshot below will show the alternative skin, only click Show if you you don't care...
Elton has also obtained many gold trophies... I'll update the leaderboards along the week.
Congratulations, Elton!!!!
My friend Filipe D. has also finished the game and obtained a couple more gold trophies!
Congratulations, Filipe D.!!!
I have updated the leaderboards with new gold trophies from Elton and Filipe:
- level 2-9 (42 turns) - Elton
- level 4-7 (47 turns) - Elton
- level 8-5 (58 turns) - Elton
- level 8-8 (80 turns) - Elton
- level 8-8 (80 turns) - Filipe D.
- level 9-5 (53 turns) - Elton
- level 9-6 (65 turns) - Elton
- level 9-7 (84 turns) - Filipe D.
Notice that both of them finished level 8-8 in 80 turns with slightly different solutions!
Congrats, Elton and Filipe! And thank you for sending me your solutions so I could post these records on the leaderboards!
Perfect, @Rascal !!!
That's exactly what my cousin discoverd a few days ago.
I uploaded a GIF with his solution to the leaderboards at the time.
Thanks for sharing your record though! Your notation (using the letters LRUDXO) is great!
I hope you keep playing and enjoying the game...
I have updated the leaderboards again, as my friend Elton sent me five new gold trophy solutions! His new records are:
- level 8-7 (77 turns) - Elton
- level 9-4 (51 turns) - Elton
- level 9-7 (84 turns) - Elton
- level 9-8 (106 turns) - Elton
- level 9-9 (85 turns) - Elton
Notice that Filipe D. had already finished level 9-4 in 84 turns, but Elton's solution is slightly different and was sent to me before I uploaded Filipe D.'s solution.
Right now, 19 levels have gold trophy solutions on the leaderboards... Of these records, 11 belong to Elton!
Congratulations, Elton! You are officially the greatest Tiny Tactics record-setter!
I have updated the cart with a new feature: now, when you get a gold trophy, the level clear screen will display your solution!
The message at the top of the screen will even suggest you take a screenshot! Please post your screenshot on this forum. I'll appreciate it, and I'll add your record to the leaderboards, giving you the credit for being the first to discover the solution (to the best of my knowledge, naturally).
@Rascal, thank you for the idea for this feature!
Filipe D. and Elton, sorry for not thinking about this earlier. It would have saved you the trouble of recording your screen just to send me all those solutions... Anyway, better late than never!
The standalone HTML version and the binary apps (for Windows / Mac / Linux / Raspberry Pi) were updated as well. If you use them, please download the new version.
Don't worry, the way the game saves your progress did not change. You won't lose any progress!
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