Those sorts of tools are super empowering and cool!
Making something (even a 5-10 minute experience) in an app like that will definitely teach you about game development, logical thinking, and problem solving, if not specifically about a programming language.
Gamemaker is another really good, approachable option.
GBStudio is cool too as a fun, easy to use tool for making Pokemon style RPGs.
There are so many choices available if you want to get started in games. I think as long as you are making something you are on the right track, no matter what you are using!
Haven't heard about hardware kits, but I have been looking at GB Studio and the community, and man, what a joy that is.
Some people are way too good at this.
I'm excited for the new games that will be launched for the Pocket!
It's really not that terrible. Starting out, writing GB games in C is a perfectly reasonable option. There are plenty of tutorials, a large community, you'll learn a lot about the platform, and your first game is unlikely to be so complex that raw assembly is necessary. I should also point out that, using GB Studio, you don't have to know how to program at all to make platformers, RPGs, point-and-click adventures, and shooters. GB Studio, by the way, is written in C using GBDK.
That said, GBZ80 is a super easy to learn assembly language.
Just a demo at the moment, but hoping to have much more features!
Wouldn't have been possible without GB Studio: https://www.gbstudio.dev/
You can download the demo rom here: https://kazy.itch.io/ffxi-adventure
If you're familiar with programming, you can look into GBDK, it's a library for developpping Game Boy games using C. It's rather old, so I suggest using GBDK 2020 instead, but most GBDK tutorials will still stand, such as Gaming Monsters' youtube chanel.
If you're not into programming, GB Studio may be a good solution for you. It's a small game engine (which uses GBDK) that allows you to create simple GB games using your own graphics. And it's completely free.
As far as scripting goes:
Here's a tutorial on how to attach menus to a button.
There's also a built in text menu scripting event under Text: Display Menu. That doesn't rely on creating multiple scenes worth of menus if that's more suitable to your game. You'd follow the same tutorial but use that script instead of stacking scenes. Here's a link in the docs that displays what the menu would look like.
​
You can also do a hybrid where you use the text menu as the main menu and bind the options to secondary menu screens.
So you press start, a text menu opens with four options. You select "item" and it takes you to the attached "item menu" scene.
You could also use Text: Display Multiple Choice script if you only need two options.
​
There are interesting things you can probably do with by making buttons into actors and animating them, or not hiding the player and animating it to press buttons, but I haven't played around with that yet.
​
As far as design inspiration:
I'm subbed to indiedev and a few similar small game engines that use pixel art. I get a lot of inspiration from the UI posts even if they're not suitable for my project or possible to use in GBStudio. High contrast is great for accessibility and readability.
I played the entirety of the Mother series (Earthbound on pocketSNES, fan-translated Mother 3 and Mother 1 on reGBA) on the RG350M and it was a joy.
Ducktales on FCeux is worth it for the soundtrack alone (I prefer the GB version because nostalgia but the NES version is objectively better). Theme Hospital is my favourite management sim of all time and the PS1 port runs perfectly on Pcsx4all. I realise these are not exactly retro classics, they’re just my favourites!
Bonus round: download GB Studio and make your own Gambatte ROMs.
Without knowing your skill set, maybe try starting with GB Studio (https://www.gbstudio.dev). I started there, mainly because of the game boy nostalgia, and then moved on to GameMaker Studio when I was ready for a bigger challenge. Its fun being creative in GB Studio, trying to get around the limitations of the Game Boy.
Good luck!
I've been making a game in my spare time in GB Studio just as a brain break. Do you know how to make music using a tracker?
Here's some info https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/music/
Not directly, but if you ask the GB Studio discord (in the sidebar of this subreddit) they can give you some guidance if you ask for it in #graphics-help. Admittedly there's not much guidance on the docs other than "how the font is changed" https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/ui-elements/ ^ ^;
GB Studio 2 is from a different company. It's not Analogue that makes it. If you want to make games without programming, you can do that now and not have to wait. I believe you can load your game up on a flash cart or through an emulator.
Well... There's really no simple answers here l, so I'll do my best. How much time do you have?
Game Boy games are programmed in C. If you are skilled with C programming then you've got a jump start on things. If not, then (dependant on the kind of game you want to make) you may want to look into that. I highly recommend looking over this Gamasutra article for a good idea of what it's like to develop and produce your own cart. There are also links to the tools they used.
If you just want to bust something out quick, with little programming knowledge, then I would recommend GBStudioGB Studio. It's currently free (donation recommended) but allows you to create a top-down adventure or RPG game with minimal effort. In the future there may be more modules (aka - game types) but in it's current version it is still fairly basic. Not to downplay it, it's still a great piece of software but not very versatile. Programming in C is going to allow you to create ant kind of game you want.
Once your game is done you'll need to write it to an epromeprom or flash cartridge. You'll either need the hardware to flash an eprom or a flash cartridge with an SD card slot or similar and have your game file on the SD card.
I hope that is helpful for you. I've spent years trying to create GB games and have (so far) not made anything worth making public.
Well, Pokémon wasn't written with GB Studio :D This probably mixes some sprites with a tiled background. There are less than 192 tiles anyway in these menus, which is the BG tile limit in GB Studio https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/backgrounds/#tile-requirements The problem is GB Studio has totally static backgrounds. It's probably the one remaining big limitation that's not necessarily caused by hardware, but by choices made in the game creation UI and engine.
If GB Studio had a way to swap tiles (similar to how you can swap sprite sheets maybe) it would allow a lot more dynamic backgrounds and would unlock a lot of cool features that you see in many old b&w GB games. e.g. animated water, using tiles to let you collect or modify a large number of items, "fog of war" or hidden areas. Right now the only way to do some of these, in a limited way, is with palette swapping, so you can't do that on non-GBcolor games and it's really limited.
No probs, hopefully that helps!
Working out your background tiles versus sprite tiles is a bit of a balancing act but there’s some useful info in the GB Studio docs about this, specifically this part:
The exact number of sprite tiles available in a scene depends on the amount of tiles used in the selected background image as some memory is shared between sprite and background tiles. If the selected background uses less than 128 unique tiles, you can use 96 sprite tiles, each background tile above 128 takes away from sprite tiles available until a minimum of 64 tiles are available.
Hope that makes sense!
Here's a link from Chris Maltby himself about API calls:
https://chrismaltby.itch.io/gb-api-poc
It's not about url's (i.e. links) but in the game itself there is a link. Here's the script for it:
<script>
setInterval(function(){
var variablesPtr = 0xC545;
var openUrlVar = 0;
var callApiVar = 1;
if(gameboy && gameboy.memory[variablesPtr + openUrlVar]) {
// Open Url
window.open("https://www.gbstudio.dev", "_blank");
// Reset the variable back to zero once done to stop
// repeated calls
gameboy.memory[variablesPtr + openUrlVar] = 0;
}
}, 10);
</script>
It should work the same as the API script. Also, the version he's talking about is 2.0.0-beta4, in 2.0.0-beta5 the variable location can be found in the game.noi file instead of the game.map file. Though I'm not sure about version 3.0.0 and higher yet...
I'll come back once I know.
Hi, check out GB Studio. For the programmable cartridges, I just use any repro from Aliexpress and a GBxCart RW to flash them. Sorry, no idea about the gb operator, but guess it would be possible too to use those cheap repros.
Whilst researching Gameboy stuff while making this I came across https://www.gbstudio.dev/ where people are using it to make playable Gameboy games. Unfortunately, I don't think this would be a great fit due to the lack of online multiplayer. I'd be interested in possibly making some kind of spinoff though 🤷 I'll see if they've got a forum and see if I can get involved in a project 👍
There is a sprite limit which you could be hitting? You’re limited to I think 30 actors per scene in GB Studio 3.0, or 25 individual animation frames. This info can be found in the GB Studio Docs
There’s also a limit to how many actors can be rendered in the same space, I think it’s recommended to stay below 10 actors on screen at once and I’ve had situations where I’ve had 5 actors in a row and any more don’t render so it’s likely your problem is to do with the any of the above.
If not you’ll have to raise it as a bug I suppose!
While most of these games are only available for download in .gb files, assuming a jailbreak is released, these will be playable on the Pocket. Additionally, you could contact the developer (who are all usually very reachable) and ask them to build the game for Pocket, which is seemingly pretty simple.
check out gbstudio
https://www.gbstudio.dev/
its a free game boy game maker that dosent require programming. oh and you can also export gameboy roms from it so you can play your own game on a gameboy
This info is in the documentation here: https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/assets/
You basically just copy/move the final PNG file into the project folder structure.
This is a good explanation! Follow what MannedGuild said, its a more detailed than what's in the documentation, but there's some additional info there too if you need it:
https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/build/#build-and-deploy-for-web
Are you a newbie to GBC or a newbie to programming?
For the former, the answer is use the GBDK C libraries or to just learn assembly.
For the latter, it's GB Studio.
I had the exact same issue with making a NES game, it was such a steep learning curve that I abandoned it.
I'm using a program called GB Studio, its free and really easy to use. Heres a link to the website....https://www.gbstudio.dev/
You can by using the events related to 'Player Position' like for example 'If PLayer at Position'. docs source: https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/scripting/
Checking for a background collision map is still impossible to do, however you can try a work around by checking if player is at a certain position and have that act as a scripted collision map.
Yeah, homebrew games do exist. If you're asking about making a triple A title it's possible but will take the same amount of development time as it did for devs back then, plus you would need an SDK for that system to develop with which were only given to devs back in day or look up different documentation and libraries assuming someone has reversed engineer them.
Lately there's some more modern options, like NES Maker and GB StudioGB Studio, but there's a little bit more restriction compared with making one without a template.
If you are using GB Studio 1.2.0, you could use a timer script instead of looping forever. Alternately, you could merge this pull request, which adds an experimental ability to do things in the background. It worked really well in my testing; not sure why it wasn't officially merged.
If you are using GB Studio 2, add your script to the "On Update" tab of your actor.
Try this!
Make a gameboy rom with this program.
You can do it.
Just make it a hobby, or pitch your finished game to Megacat studios.
Hell, just make the game so I can play it.
Yes, your game will still work with a complicated background. This is only a visual bug that creates some broken background tiles. In my opinion, if it looks OK then it can stay as-is.
However, any edits you make to this background may not look as you intended. If GB Studio can't properly display all of the background's unique tiles, you could have a glitched tile showing up in-place of any edits you make to this background, which would be disappointing and frustrating if you're trying to change finer details in the background.
You could try replacing unreachable tiles with simpler patterns, or make sure that you're using a 16 pixel by 16 pixel grid to make your background. This might also be helpful for you if you speak Spanish and haven't read this yet: https://www.gbstudio.dev/es/docs/backgrounds/
If you haven't seen the GB Studio program already, the documentation provides an excellent guide on how the GB classic works and what limitations it has. The program itself will actually allow you to make a game that could be on a GameBoy cartridge if you use their limitations and software, though you guys could probably just use the documents for a GameBoy-like reference https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/
There's a program called GB Studio that makes developing GB games much easier: https://www.gbstudio.dev/ If you scroll down there's a link to their Discord community. You could ask if anyone there is interested.
I think the program is named GB Studio (it's this: https://www.gbstudio.dev/ ); but I imagine how hard must be, and judging by the quality of your fan games you took your time and it shows, at least to me they are really good games.
Looking forward to see more from you (games and cosplays)
https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/music/
Honestly, the official docs page for music can likely explain everything better than any of us can. It goes into great detail about how to get started and what the limitations are.
Some of your best options are linked at the start of this page:
https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/music/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
And just keep in mind any other software you might choose has to be able to save as a .mod format. Cheers!
Potresti farlo giocare a minecraft, o qualcosa che è facilmente moddabile/hackerabile (perdonatemi i termini, dopo vado a mettermi sui ceci in ginocchio).
Così per fare una modifica o "imbrogliare" nel gioco è costretto a imparare cosa sono gli indirizzi di memoria, perché devo fare player.getCoords() ... è un inizio!
Oppure un progetto IoT? Un gioco per gameboy? O un bot per tiktok? Qualcosa che interessi e che lo "costringa" a trovare come fare.
Poi se gli piace continuerà, se no pace e farà altro.
As noted it’s just noise.
This would be channel 4 of the GB internal sound module, the noise channel. It had 16 different noise waveforms. You can find them around. I know GB Studio has a sample MOD music template that contains waveform samples of the GB sound card. https://www.gbstudio.dev/
If you want to recreate this it isn’t hard to do it with noise on any hardware synth. There are also plenty of gameboy music trackers that could do this - check LSDJ and nanoloop. If you wanna get real chiptune with it you can run LSDJ off an old gameboy and generate the sounds in analog.
your problem might be the ED5 you added on the effects column.
The list of usable effects is about halfway down the docs page on music.
https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/music/
"ED5" doesn't seem to be on the list of effects. What effect were you going for? E8x is listed as the panning effect, but you'd have to write it as E85.
If you change that column to C30 (setting volume to 30) it might work.
If you want to just create a game (no ASM), check out GB Studio
Maybe
On scene init -Actor: Hide (slender) -Actor: Store Position In Variables (player) -Timer: Set Timer Script to 30 seconds or whatever -Variable: Math Functions (player x pos) add or minus random with min & max value = the distance you want -Variable: Math Functions (player x pos) add or minus random with min & max value = furtherest/closest to player -Actor: Move To Using Variables (player x & y) -Actor: Show (slender)
Then perhaps -Actor: Move Relative (slender) add or minus depending on what you put in the math function -Wait -Actor: Hide (slender)
Something like that..
I recommend you check out this page for more info
https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/scripting/
Use disable timer to end slender script if you need to
Your player will stop moving when slender moves though as actors and player cannot move simultaneously
Hi, Catskull Games is my publisher and he has both of my GB Games (Sheep It Up and DMG Deals Damage) alongside 6 games made by other devs. But I'm the one who wrote the "how to make a GB game in 2017" about the velcro sheep game you're referring to :).
For your own game, if C programming is not your thing, there is now a new tool that allow you to make games without any programming, but only visual scripting: GB Studio. https://www.gbstudio.dev/ It's focused on narrative adventure game, but it's very powerful, and several great homebrew have already been made with it, such as Deadus (https://izma.itch.io/deadeus).
And don't hesitate to ask me if you have questions
After you learn how to use your chosen program, read the docs! They will lead you along the right path for optimal music-making, and may help you avoid common pitfalls.
​
GB Studio is a nice tool to get into programming 2d games and comes with an emulator to run the game
There are some tutorial videos to go with it:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmac3HPrav--Q4QKUVknwwMSNk1YECFKT
I don't know about GBC and GBA, but GB studio is a free, open source game creator that I've tried out and it's really good for those not as savvy at programming to make GB games! https://www.gbstudio.dev/
there is, It is called GB studio and it is free:
The only limitation is that there is only a single module currently. But hey, it's free
Hello,
The .gbsproj is the project file. If you want your project to be played in a browser, you can export it as html files. “Clicking the Export button and clicking Export Web will build your game and create a HTML5 web build in the folder”
just make a new project and set the background of a scene to whatever you want, and then make it start on that scene, make sure you also hide actors and such, you can find docs here https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/
You can make the images in any image software—Paint.NET, GIMP. etc.—with the only criteria is you should stick to the color palette described in the documentation. (Sprites, backgrounds)
I have a real soft spot for Game Boy games. This one's like an old style adventure RPG, though it's far simpler and shorter. The quirky sense of humor is fantastic, even though it's a little wordy at times. Magic is outlawed, you can make friends with an evil clown, and stuff just keeps exploding.
Point of interest: this was made with GB Studio, a new-ish tool that lets you create actual Game Boy compatible ROMs (or browser games) with a point and click interface, no programming required. Definitely going to play around with that for a little while, too.
As amazing and easy to use as GB Studio is I highly recommend taking some time and learning about the Game Boy hardware and it's limitations before you dive in. They lightly go over it in the documentation but I recommend a bit deeper reading.
https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/backgrounds/
This section of 'The Ultimate Game Boy Talk' will help you understand how the Game Boy draws graphics to the screen and some of it's limitation:
GB Studio only supports 16x16 sprites.
From the docs:
> A sprite consists of one or more 16px x 16px frames laid out horizontally in file. A sprite with a single frame will be 16px x 16px while a sprite with three frames will be 48px x 16px.
This page https://www.gbstudio.dev/docs/assets/ and the next few pages of docs should help :-) basically you put the png files into your project's asset folders and the application should detect them straight away. There's quite a few rules on how those images need to be made, mostly because of the limitations of how the Game Boy works, hopefully the documentation explains it enough though!