Pico 8
Download
You can download Pico 8 from the website below, it costs $15 for a personal copy:
You can also download it from Moodle using the link below, It can be run from your compiled storage folder in college without the need to purchase it. The license means it can be installed on any computer within an educational establishment for free. You will need to enter your moodle login details:
Coding
It can be really annoying using the code editor in Pico 8, the font is so blocky and can be difficult to read. This also makes it difficult to see very much of your program at any one time. So far i have created the basic code within Pico 8, and then installed 'Sublime Text' and added the Pico 8 plugin. It can then be used to edit the '.P8' file.
Basic Game Structure
Type this into the Pico 8 editor:
function _init()
end
function _update()
end
function _draw()
end
Now switch back to the command prompt and type:
SAVE MYFILENAME
It should give you a message to say 'MYFILENAME.P8' has been created.
Adding Pico 8 Plugin
So in your newly installed 'Sublime Text' you need to:
- Open the command palette with ctrl+shift+p.
- Run Package Control: Install Package command.
- Search for PICO-8 and install it.
- Restart Sublime Text.
Now find where your game is saved, mine was in:
C:\Users\wjones\AppData\Roaming\pico-8\carts
You should be able to double click this and choose 'Sublime Text' to open this file.
Tutorials
On the Pico 8 website it does list some documentation, one of them is a large tutorial covering 2 different games and most of the concepts. The direct link to the tutorials is:
Alternative Link for Above Tutorial(ie in college)
Wireframe Magazine also had a Pico 8 special, the link to the pdf is:
Basic features and functions tutorial:
Awesome Pico 8 Resources:
Eugene Library Tutorials:
Pico 9 Fandom wiki:
Pico 8 Cheat Sheets:
