GameBuilder BASIC (GB BASIC)

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GameBuilder BASIC (GB BASIC) is a retro Fantasy Console that generates ROMs compatible with the popular handheld game console. It has everything ready-to-use for writting code, making assets, compiling projects, running with the built-in emulator, exporting to runnable ROM, etc.

This is the web version of the software, compatible with most modern browsers like Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. For desktop versions, see Steam (DRM free).

Resources:

• GitHub
• Reference Manual
• Changelog
• About

Why GB BASIC?

GB BASIC is programmable in a brand new BASIC dialect. The integrated assets editors are intuitive to use. You can generate real ROMs and play on any GB emulator or hardware.

Programming Paradigms

• Imperative paradigm
  • Non-structured programming
  • Concurrent processing approach
• Declarative paradigm
  • Data driven approach

Features

• Programmable in BASIC, an easy to learn and fun to use programming language
• Easy to use API for graphics, input, audio, and other facilities
• Built-in libraries for scene, actor, controllers, GUI
• Built-in libraries for collision detection, persistence, RTC, etc.
• Extension feature including mouse & touch, shell command, debugging, etc.
• Handy tools for editing tiles, map, scene, actor, font, sound, etc.
• Project can be exported into real ROM
• Dozens of example projects

Specs

• CPU: 4.19MHz/8.38MHz for classic/colored respectively
• Threads: up to 16 concurrent execution contexts
• Display: 160x144px
• Code: BASIC, supports multiple source pages
• Gamepad: 8 buttons (D-Pad + A/B + Select/Start)
• Mouse and touch: supported by extension
• Tiles: up to 256 units per page
• Map: up to 255 tiles in one dimension per page; two layers (graphics, attributes)
• Sprite: supports 8x8 and 8x16 sprites
• Scene: up to 255 tiles in one dimension per page; four layers (map, attributes, properties, actors)
• Actor: up to 8x8 tiles per frame; up to 1024 frames per page
• Font: supports TrueType (.ttf) and bitmap-based (.png .jpg .bmp .tga); up to 16px; 1bpp or 2bpp
• Audio: 4 channels; supports importing from JSON, VGM, WAV, FxHammer
• Palette: 2bit (4 colors) per tile, palette of map and actor is configurable for colored device
• GUI: supports label, progress bar, menu, etc.
• Persistence: supported
• RTC: supported
• Serial port: supported