Stories with Tag JavaScript games

• Show HN: 90s.dev - game maker that runs on the web

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  Posted: 2025-05-20 14:58:03

  Verbose tl;dr

  90s.dev is a web-based game maker designed to evoke the look and feel of classic DOS games. It offers a simplified development environment with a drag-and-drop interface for placing sprites and backgrounds, along with a scripting language reminiscent of older programming styles. The platform aims to make game development accessible to beginners while providing a nostalgic experience for seasoned developers. Created games can be played directly in the browser and shared easily online.

  The blog post, titled "Finally Releasing 90s.dev," announces the launch of 90s.dev, a web-based game development platform designed to evoke the nostalgic experience of creating games in the 1990s. It's presented as a user-friendly tool for crafting 2D games directly within a web browser, eliminating the need for complex software installations or specialized hardware.

  The creator details their motivation stemming from a childhood fascination with game creation tools of that era. They sought to replicate the simplicity and immediate accessibility of these older programs while leveraging the power and convenience of modern web technologies. The platform specifically targets an experience reminiscent of classic game development environments like Klik & Play, focusing on a drag-and-drop interface and an event-based logic system. This approach allows users to build game mechanics by visually linking actions and reactions, minimizing the requirement for traditional coding.

  The post further elaborates on the technical underpinnings of 90s.dev, highlighting its use of WebAssembly for performance and JavaScript for the user interface. This combination allows the platform to offer a smooth and responsive experience within the browser. The project is open-source, further emphasizing the creator's commitment to accessibility and community involvement.

  The blog post also outlines the platform's core features, including a sprite editor, a level editor, and a comprehensive event system. Users can create and manipulate game assets directly within the platform and then use the intuitive event system to define game logic. The sprite editor allows for pixel-art creation and animation, further reinforcing the 90s aesthetic. The level editor provides a grid-based system for constructing game worlds. Finally, the event system, as previously mentioned, facilitates the creation of complex game mechanics without requiring in-depth programming knowledge.

  The announcement concludes with an invitation for users to explore the platform, experiment with its features, and contribute to its ongoing development. The creator expresses excitement about sharing 90s.dev with the wider community and anticipation for the games that users will create. The overarching tone is one of enthusiasm and a genuine desire to bring back the joy and simplicity of retro game development for a modern audience.

  • Game Development
  • Web Development
  • online game maker
  • 90s style
  • retro games
  • HTML5 games
  • JavaScript games
  • game creator
  • no-code game development
  • web-based game editor
  • 2D Games
  • Pixel Art
  • Indie Game Development

  Summary of Comments ( 6 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44042371

  Verbose tl;dr

  Commenters on Hacker News largely praised 90s.dev for its nostalgic appeal and ease of use, with several comparing it favorably to simpler, pre-Unity game development environments like Klik & Play. Some expressed excitement for its potential as a teaching tool, particularly for introducing children to programming concepts. A few users questioned the long-term viability of the project given its reliance on a custom runtime, while others offered suggestions for improvements like mobile support, local storage, and improved documentation. The discussion also touched upon the challenges of web-based game development, including performance and browser compatibility. Several commenters shared their own experiences with similar projects or reminisced about the golden age of shareware games.

  The Hacker News post discussing 90s.dev, a web-based game maker, has generated a number of comments exploring various aspects of the project.

  Several commenters express enthusiasm for the project, praising its accessibility and the potential for fostering creativity. The ease of use, especially for beginners and those nostalgic for simpler development environments, is a recurring theme. Some appreciate the throwback to older game development tools and the potential for educational use. The choice of JavaScript as the scripting language is also highlighted as a positive, given its widespread familiarity.

  A significant thread of discussion revolves around the underlying technology. Commenters delve into the specifics of the platform, including its use of WebAssembly and the performance implications. Some raise questions about scalability and the handling of more complex games. The discussion also touches upon the advantages and disadvantages of browser-based game development compared to native applications.

  Several users share their own experiences with similar tools and offer suggestions for improvement. Ideas for expanding the feature set, such as incorporating multiplayer functionality or integrating with other platforms, are proposed. The potential for community involvement and the development of libraries or extensions are also discussed.

  Some commenters draw comparisons to other existing game development platforms, both web-based and desktop-based. The relative merits and drawbacks of each are considered, with some suggesting that 90s.dev fills a specific niche for simple, accessible game creation.

  Concerns about long-term sustainability and the potential for project abandonment are also raised. The importance of open-sourcing the project or providing clear plans for future development is emphasized.

  One commenter points out that the game examples on the website autoplay with sound, which might be disruptive to some users. Another requests the ability to right click within the code editor for common actions like copy and paste. A suggestion is made to include a "save as" functionality to allow users to preserve multiple versions of their work more easily.

  Overall, the comments reflect a generally positive reception to 90s.dev, with many expressing excitement about its potential. However, there are also pragmatic concerns about technical limitations and long-term viability. The discussion provides valuable feedback for the project's developers and highlights the community's interest in accessible and user-friendly game development tools.

• Show HN: Editable Games

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  Posted: 2025-03-10 15:31:57

  Verbose tl;dr

  Playscl is a platform for creating and playing simple, editable games. Users can modify existing games or build their own from scratch using a visual, block-based scripting language. The focus is on accessibility and ease of use, encouraging experimentation and sharing within the community. The platform aims to empower users to not just play games, but to understand and modify the mechanics behind them, fostering creativity and learning through playful exploration.

  The Hacker News post titled "Show HN: Editable Games" introduces Playscii, a platform offering a novel approach to game creation and modification. Playscii allows users to directly manipulate and alter the underlying code and assets of games within a browser-based environment, essentially turning gameplay into a live editing experience. This innovative system utilizes a simplified, text-based representation of game elements, reminiscent of ASCII art, where characters and symbols correspond to different in-game objects, tiles, and entities. By modifying these characters directly, players can instantly see the changes reflected in the game world, enabling real-time experimentation and customization. The platform promotes a highly accessible and iterative design process, empowering users to learn game development principles by actively tweaking existing games or building their own from the ground up. Playscii provides a library of pre-made games that serve as both playable experiences and modifiable templates. Users can explore these examples, dissect their mechanics, and then adapt or expand upon them to create their own unique variations. The integrated code editor facilitates further customization, allowing for manipulation of game logic and behavior beyond the visual representation. This dynamic interaction with the game's code and assets blurs the line between player and developer, fostering a deeper understanding of how games are constructed and encouraging creative expression through direct manipulation of the game world. Playscii presents itself as a powerful tool for both learning and creating, offering a user-friendly entry point into the world of game development while simultaneously providing a platform for experienced users to experiment with new ideas and rapidly prototype game concepts.

  • Game Development
  • game editor
  • Online Games
  • Web Games
  • HTML5 games
  • JavaScript games
  • No-Code
  • Low-Code
  • visual scripting
  • game creation
  • playable games
  • SCL
  • Playscl
  • Indie Games
  • game maker

  Summary of Comments ( 0 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43321688

  Verbose tl;dr

  HN commenters were generally positive about the "editable games" concept presented. Several praised the simplicity and educational potential, suggesting it could be a great tool for teaching programming concepts or creating quick prototypes. Some expressed interest in seeing more complex examples and features like multiplayer functionality. A few commenters drew parallels to existing platforms like Bitsy and Pico-8, highlighting the niche this project fills for accessible game creation. Some questioned the long-term viability and whether the "edit while playing" aspect was truly novel, but the overall reception leaned towards appreciation for its ease of use and potential as a learning tool or creative outlet. A couple of users pointed out missing features such as undo/redo and improved UI elements.

  The Hacker News post "Show HN: Editable Games" with the URL https://playscl.com/make sparked a modest discussion with several insightful comments.

  One commenter expressed excitement about the potential for educational games and the possibility of building a "programmable space" within the game, allowing players to create and share their own game logic. They were particularly interested in the idea of combining this with a visual scripting language.

  Another commenter pointed out the similarity to the game "Kodu," developed by Microsoft Research, which offered a visual programming environment for creating games on the Xbox 360. They praised Kodu's intuitive interface and suggested that the project highlighted in the HN post could benefit from a similar approach.

  Further discussion revolved around the challenges of discoverability for user-created content. One commenter emphasized the importance of making it easy for players to find and play games created by others. They suggested implementing a system for sharing and browsing user-generated content, perhaps incorporating features like tagging, searching, and curated lists.

  A later comment questioned the closed-source nature of the platform and proposed that open-sourcing the project could foster a larger community and accelerate development. This sparked a brief discussion about the trade-offs between open and closed-source models.

  Other comments touched on technical aspects, including the choice of JavaScript for the game engine and the potential for performance issues. One user inquired about the specific JavaScript libraries used and expressed concern about the scalability of the approach.

  Overall, the comments expressed a mixture of enthusiasm for the project's potential and pragmatic concerns about its implementation and long-term viability. The discussion highlighted the importance of user-generated content discoverability, the potential benefits of open-sourcing, and the technical challenges of building a robust and scalable game creation platform.