Nintendo DS code editor and scriptable game engine

5 days ago

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A scriptable 3D game engine for the Nintendo DS was developed, allowing users to write and run games directly on the console.
The engine is written in C using libnds, compiles to a ~100KB .nds ROM, and runs at 60 FPS.
Features include a touch-based code editor on the bottom screen and real-time 3D rendering on the top screen.
Includes a default 3D pong game as a working example.
The engine is inspired by nostalgic experiences of making games on a TI-82 graphing calculator.
The engine is divided into three main parts: 3D rendering, a touch-based code editor, and a script interpreter.
3D rendering utilizes the DS's hardware to render colored cubes with controllable camera positions and angles.
The touch-based code editor is custom-built with a pixel-by-pixel UI and features like syntax highlighting.
The script interpreter executes one line per frame (~60 lines/sec) and supports variables, loops, and conditionals.
Scripts are built from tokens with numeric parameters, executing instantly without parsing overhead.
The engine ships with a playable pong game, demonstrating its capabilities with simple register math and conditionals.
To use the engine, compile the ROM and run it on a Nintendo DS with a flashcart like R4, DSTT, or Acekard.
The project can be tested in a Nintendo DS emulator like Desmond.

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