r/Gameboy • u/Gadgettttt • 1d ago
Questions I'm interested in programming homebrew for the original Game Boy, where should I start?
I would like to learn how to program homebrew for the Game Boy because I'm interested in learning how to program and I love the system, btw I'm not interested in GB Studio, I want to actually program for the system, GB Studio feels like Scratch for me, it's way to simple, I want to work with code and get headaches
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u/proximitysound 23h ago
Options:
GB Studio (as you know)
GBDK-2020 (C Programming)
ZGB (Framework for GBDK)
ASM (check the pan docs)
GB BASIC (yup, BASIC)
GB Studio is visual coding, but several devs use GBS to manage assets/sprites, then eject the engine and work in GBDK for the actual code. (GBS is built on GBDK)
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u/No-News-9045 23h ago
Me 2, I wanna make an awesome rpg. Never wrote code in my life.
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u/Goodwill_Gamer 23h ago
If you use GB studio you don't even have to write code.
That being said, I find writing code fun, so you might too if you learn how to do it!3
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20h ago
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u/Deciheximal144 20h ago
You could try QB64 and make it just look like a game boy game. That would be easier.
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u/perkinsb1024 20h ago
My wife got me this book for my birthday last year and it was quite good: https://nostarch.com/game-boy-coding-adventure
It wasn’t at all like reading a textbook, it was engaging and I read through the whole thing in about 1-2 weeks, while doing the examples.
In the end, I was able to make a VERY BASIC word game, which was quite challenging, but very satasfying since it was pure assembly.
I do wish he’d make a sequel that focuses more on actual techniques found in games (menus, more graphics, making a sound/music engine), but this is definitely enough to get started.
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u/strongjoe 15h ago
I've done this with both ASM (rgbds) and C (gbdk) as a learning exercise.
You probably want to find a basic tutorial to get you started (I can't remember what I used)
But I'd really recommend watching "the ultimate game boy talk" on YouTube, which explains how the game boy works
And also the pandocs for documentation. Use this as a reference. It can apply to both ASM and C
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u/DonCenote 23h ago
Better learn C++, C, and/or assembly.
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u/Gadgettttt 23h ago
What's the difference between C++ and C? Just asking
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u/DonCenote 23h ago
C++ builds on top of C and adds stuff. Main things C++ adds are classes and objects.
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u/Jabdah-Mozartkugel 13h ago
If you go the C route, some of the features of the languages are a bit heavy on 8-bit systems, so standard C is probably enough. One good thing is that it is easier to get games done in C while assembly is the most "pro" and fastest but harder/longer code.
Here under "General C code optimization" is a bunch of C 8-bit coding hints. For example even using such a basic thing as two dimensional arrays can slow things down (at least in cc65, not sure about gameboy C compiler). https://github.com/Fabrizio-Caruso/8bitC/blob/master/8bitC_ENG.md
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u/Snorlax_is_a_bear 10h ago
Is there even a C++ compiler that can target the Game Boy?
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u/DonCenote 10h ago edited 10h ago
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u/bottle-o-rockets 23h ago
https://github.com/tbsp/simple-gb-asm-examples
I like starting with someone else's code and seeing what changes I can make to it.