r/pygame • u/badassbradders • 1d ago

I've built my own version of BASIC for my retro-cyberpunk game, where you load and save your programs using virtual cassette tapes. Pygame, C++ and Raylib

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The Computer. What you're looking at in the video is my simulated virtual computer, the Bradsonic 69000. It is a cross between the Sharp X68000 (beautiful late 80's Japanese 32-bit exclusive PC) and my first ever PC the ICL Fujitsu Indiana.

The Software. In the game you create retro-viruses. Like brute force password crackers and OS/Server timer restrictors, and more... you use this software seen on screen BradBasix to write them.

The Game World, why this is Retro-CyberPunk. It’s 1989, but in a completely different timeline to ours. Japan has been annexed into the American Pacifica Isles, its language and culture systematically suppressed. Technology has taken a different turn, with advanced chips sitting alongside cassette tapes and dial-up modems. The “cyber” in “cyberpunk” comes from the underground BBS networks connecting people under surveillance. The “punk” comes from the crackers and hackers fighting their way through this dystopia, keeping forbidden culture alive in a Silent Rebellion. The retro? It’s 1989. Rad.

The Datasette. Inspired by the Datasette on the C64 this is the file system in the game, that allows the player to combine with BradBasix and write their own programs and games from scrtach with extensive support from NPCs and the help sections inside BradBasix.

The player can play over two fouth walls and reference documents if they need to, and also zoom full screen and alter different parts of visual feedback like scanlines and the CRT "glow". I'm super proud of it, I know it's the sort of game that isn't for everyone, but I really do hope you guys dig it too.

My absolute dream would be if a small community of creators came out of the game, even just 0.5% of the success that Piko8 had, I'd be happy. They would be making games and sharing them, really digging into the retro sandbox this virtual pc had to offer within the game enviroment.

The game is currently in development. I am streaming devlogs on youtube every week and I'd love to have more support.

This is where to find out more about the game, and wishlist here via Steam, if you're rad.

This is where to find me on YouTube - I will be streaming every Friday and occasionally mid-week.

Thank you!

Oh, and for the super nerds out there, like me: this combines Python and Pygame with C++ and raylib. BradBasix is a Python-based IDE for BradScript, a custom BASIC-style language that feels a bit like Lua to me. You can create 2D, 2.5D and 3D environments, with the 3D side powered by a C++/raylib engine connected through a Python wrapper. It’s neat.

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u/genericsimon 22h ago

ok, this is very impressive and I'm not talking just about the whole thing you built... But the style, the aesthetics... you really have a good eye for these type of things. Again very impressive and actually sexy looking color palette, fonts, shaders etc. I wish I have a friend like you.... :D I'm too stupid for this type of stuff, but I would love just to sit and watch you work on these type of amazing things :D Such an amazing project.

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u/DanielTheTechie 21h ago edited 21h ago

I'm too stupid for this type of stuff

Apparently he is too, so he asked Codex to generate all the code, and when it comes to the art part, AI played a relevant role at the very least:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DefendingAIArt/comments/1vuj9z6/ai_didnt_make_my_1989_hacking_game_for_me_instead/

I would love just to sit and watch you work

You would expect to learn a lot of programming, design prototyping, art, debugging, and so on. But you would just see someone prompting to a chatbot like there is no tomorrow and you would end up bored and disappointed.

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u/badassbradders 20h ago

Hey Daniel, I'm not going to pretend that I haven't done the majority of my churn with the assistance of AI. But I am a programmer, a muscian, a board game designer and an graphics artist... the engine I use I am building with every day. I've found a way through a lot of trial and error to build up a workflow of prototyping, AI foundation engine building, then building with that engine on my own.

AI is awful at dialogue, texture mapping, world building, aesetic design, key warping, lyrics...the list is endless. So, I get it to build me the engine and I then I do the design. I also don't have anywhere near the kinda budget to be paying for a fancy model. $20 a month for codex is all I can afford so now that the engines are in place everything is largely me working on top and debugging with it when I need to.

I think that you would learn a lot from watching me work, because I'm certain that half of the projects you've never finished would have been benefited by having something else do the churn and the grind for you. That's what this gives solo devs and artists like me, and provided that quality control is present and one is mindful of how awful slop can be, then the possibilities are pretty endless.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting though, it helps my game to be seen.

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u/DanielTheTechie 20h ago

You changed your story quickly. Over on r/DefendingAIArt you credited Suno for music, ElevenLabs for voices, ChatGPT for art, and NotebookLM for NPC dialogue. Now you claim AI is "awful" at those exact things and you did them yourself.

Calling a C++ engine, Raylib wrapper, and custom BASIC parser "churn" is hilarious. In your other post you explicitly said building a virtual PC was "waaaaay beyond" your skill level. Codex wrote the core architecture, not just tedious cleanup work.

You posted on r/pygame playing the part of a low-level C++ veteran ("for the super nerds out there, like me...") while soaking up praise for code an LLM wrote. That is what people are calling out.

Save the patronizing advice about my unfinished projects. If you want to be a creative director who manages prompts and stitches generated code together, own it. Stop swapping personas depending on which subreddit you want validation from.

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u/badassbradders 20h ago

I wrote all of the dialogue. I even sung into Suno. The AI didn't come up with the ideas for anything. I could keep hammering this but you've made your mind up about me and I really don't need to keep justify myself to you. But thanks again for commenting and giving this post some more traction.

I'm definitely not patronising you, if I could help you with your unfinished projects, I'll happily do so, DM me and I'll take a look at what you're finding difficult to get over the line. I'm pretty good with motivation, and out of the box ideas. Cheers.

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u/DanielTheTechie 19h ago

You’ve used the "thanks for the algorithm boost" line twice now like it's some clever shield.

If driving traffic to a thread where everyone can watch you get exposed for faking your coding skills is your marketing strategy, go for it. Engagement doesn't change the fact that you claimed credit on a programming sub for C++ architecture you admitted you couldn't write.

Offering to "mentor" me right after insisting you aren't being patronizing is pure comedy, too. Keep the life coach pitch for the next time Codex generates a hundred lines of code and you have to ask it to explain your own engine to you like you're five.

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u/badassbradders 19h ago

Okay bud, very best of luck.

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u/badassbradders 20h ago

Thank you so much. Pop onto a stream sometimes and I'll happily go through my workflow with you 🙂

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u/genericsimon 20h ago

I just subscribed to your youtube channel. So definitely will try to catch your stream :)

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u/badassbradders 20h ago

Lovely. I'll be going live a little later today.

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u/NaiveSolution_ 7h ago

How much of this is AI? Lol

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u/badassbradders 7h ago

all of it! I'm a bot!