Picocraft is out on pico8 BBS!
It’s now been three years since I started working on this project, and I’m happy to finally share this first version of Picocraft! It’s a demake of Warcraft for the virtual console Pico-8, in other words, a vision of what Warcraft III might have looked like if it had been developed on 8/16-bit machines.
The idea comes from a fantastic mockup by Artem Brullov. The overall design is a mix of passion, nostalgia, and a reinterpretation of the original game. Artem handled the graphics and game design, and I took care of the code and sound.
For those unfamiliar with Pico-8, it’s a virtual console designed to make learning and experimenting with low-level programming more accessible. Its most important features are also its limitations: a 128x128 resolution, a 16-color palette, 2MB of Lua RAM, 64KB of runtime memory, and 32KB of ROM. Given these specs, making meaningful choices and being creative is key to getting the most out of it.
That’s why we chose to focus on certain aspects and let go of others in order to capture the essence of the experience. For example, we dropped heroes and keyboard shortcuts—but in exchange, we added rich animations (for Pico-8 standards). We also managed to include:
- 4 maps
- 4 human units
- 6 buildings
- Some building upgrades
- Smooth mouse interaction
- A bot with multiple strategies depending on the match
- Fog of war
- An interactive minimap
- Expressive sound effects
But the best way to understand it… is to try it for yourself.
Have fun!