microsoft / tilecode

Design, Code and Play Games on MakeCode Arcade Devices

Microsoft TileCode

Microsoft TileCode is a game creation app that allows you to design, code, and play games directly on Microsoft MakeCode Arcade devices. Read more about it in the UIST 2020 paper TileCode: Creation of Video Games on Gaming Handhelds. For more information, see the Microsoft TileCode project page.

Building

TileCode is built using Microsoft MakeCode Arcade, a web app for programming retro video games in the web browser, with support for a variety of gaming handhelds. Once the web app is loaded, click the "import" button on the right side of the screen and then input the URL of this repo to load the TileCode project into MakeCode Arcade.

Contributing

This project welcomes contributions and suggestions. Most contributions require you to agree to a Contributor License Agreement (CLA) declaring that you have the right to, and actually do, grant us the rights to use your contribution. For details, visit https://cla.opensource.microsoft.com.

When you submit a pull request, a CLA bot will automatically determine whether you need to provide a CLA and decorate the PR appropriately (e.g., status check, comment). Simply follow the instructions provided by the bot. You will only need to do this once across all repos using our CLA.

This project has adopted the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information see the Code of Conduct FAQ or contact [email protected] with any additional questions or comments.

tilecode's Issues

save not working reliably on rule creation

change-based optimization for resting rules

a resting rule R on (resting) sprite S shouldn't be evaluated if:

1. R's precondition != true
2. S's neighborhood hasn't changed

change of S's neighborhood can be approximated by

• a sprite S2 (!= S) moved in/into/outof S's neighborhood (motion bit)
• a tile changed value (change bit)

fix up dpad handling

all menus on top for consistency

Top Menu Options

• map
• paint
• code
• music
• play
• debug
• system

make it easier to code a sequence of commands

synthesis of tile maps

given a rule, create tile maps to show the activation/deactivation of rule

separate world editor from game home screen

World editor should look like paint so that you can author bigger maps (eg render smaller squares for tiles)

make one-click to clear attributes for a tile

it's too hard to clear the constraints associated with a tile

assert failure (collision sprite editing)

can't get a repro

default games

-[ ] world map with walls
-[ ] nice default sprites
-[ ] rules for player sprite

need a way to clear settings (from help menu)

programming against A button

sharing rules across sprites (e.g. boulder, diamond)

parser/unparser for TW

• extract binary representation of TW in settings to Static TypeScript (hex literal)
• versioning information embedded in settings

debugger

• debugger interaction
• set of programs outside of simulator and loading them

repeat

https://arcade.makecode.com/courses/csintro3/events/buttons . You want ControllerButtonEvent.Repeated, and the properties in the hint after task 3

extract settings from UF2 as typescript

• export from game to console
• extract from UF2 file (michal)

global rules

Need a way to specify "global" rules, such as

• count of sprite has reached zero

help system (help everywhere)

sprite/tile property sheet

Put global commands here

go directly into game

I have created a TileWorld game and want to share it so that people go directly into the game.

repeated key press for movement in editor...

• repeat logic added
• for sprite and map editors, if A is held while repeating, you make a line...

UI for generating new rules from existing

• use four arrows with annotations, just like with sprites.

allow both tile and sprite to be painted

We should have a separate map for tile art and sprites, so that the user can paint a tile with both tile art and a sprite

save all project settings to flash

only one player sprite on board.

and player should have default rules and be sprite 0

support for multiple levels in a game

• naming convention for the levels in a game
• how to switch between levels for editing
• how to switch between levels in game?

export game to console.

0-based tiles and 0-based sprites

documentation

token produced/consumed => petri net!

Can you simulate a petri net?

persisting programs in typescript

• extract to hex representation
• extract to text representation

show single excluded sprite

versioning for projects

TODOs

• finish collision rules
• API for reading/writing "bytecode"
• virtual machine
• collision guards and commands
• redo world editor UI with in-world menu
• UI for all rules in program (by sprite?)

make cursor more visible

[9:09 AM] Peli de Halleux
Maybe your cursor should blink or wiggle. It’s hard to see where it is sometimes.
​[9:09 AM] Peli de Halleux
When you select a color in paint, move the cursor to the last known position in the image

allow fixed tiles to be programmed

• there is no self object
• actions allowed on other objects

have a fixed/movable attribute on sprite

Rather than the broken ordering we have now

use proper collision sprite in rules

coding action doesn't work on left-collision with diamond

after adding eat icon, no other icon availabl.e

debugger

In the debugger, show the enabled rules and allow the user to choose which to apply. Other thoughts:

• visual representation of the sprite state (resting, moving, colliding)
• how to deal with the dpad?

collision bug

strangely, no collision if single key press to move right one space, but collision if key held down!

generate download with compiled settings

021 error after playing for a while

error getting when i do app wrapping for intune apk

Application wrapping in progress. App Wrapping Tool Version: 1.0.2676.4
Failed to package app.
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.utils.AppPackagerException: Failed to decode the apk file.
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.utils.APKToolWrapper.decodeAPK(APKToolWrapper.java:142)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.AppPackager.packageApp(AppPackager.java:79)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.PackagerMain.mainInternal(PackagerMain.java:223)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.PackagerMain.main(PackagerMain.java:59)
brut.androlib.AndrolibException: brut.directory.DirectoryException: java.util.zip.ZipException: zip file is empty
brut.androlib.ApkDecoder.hasResources(ApkDecoder.java:307)
brut.androlib.ApkDecoder.decode(ApkDecoder.java:103)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.utils.APKToolWrapper.decodeAPK(APKToolWrapper.java:140)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.AppPackager.packageApp(AppPackager.java:79)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.PackagerMain.mainInternal(PackagerMain.java:223)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.PackagerMain.main(PackagerMain.java:59)
brut.directory.DirectoryException: java.util.zip.ZipException: zip file is empty
brut.directory.ZipRODirectory.(ZipRODirectory.java:55)
brut.directory.ZipRODirectory.(ZipRODirectory.java:38)
brut.directory.ExtFile.getDirectory(ExtFile.java:52)
brut.androlib.ApkDecoder.hasResources(ApkDecoder.java:305)
brut.androlib.ApkDecoder.decode(ApkDecoder.java:103)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.utils.APKToolWrapper.decodeAPK(APKToolWrapper.java:140)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.AppPackager.packageApp(AppPackager.java:79)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.PackagerMain.mainInternal(PackagerMain.java:223)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.PackagerMain.main(PackagerMain.java:59)
java.util.zip.ZipException: zip file is empty
java.util.zip.ZipFile.open(Native Method)
java.util.zip.ZipFile.(Unknown Source)
java.util.zip.ZipFile.(Unknown Source)
java.util.zip.ZipFile.(Unknown Source)
brut.directory.ZipRODirectory.(ZipRODirectory.java:53)
brut.directory.ZipRODirectory.(ZipRODirectory.java:38)
brut.directory.ExtFile.getDirectory(ExtFile.java:52)
brut.androlib.ApkDecoder.hasResources(ApkDecoder.java:305)
brut.androlib.ApkDecoder.decode(ApkDecoder.java:103)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.utils.APKToolWrapper.decodeAPK(APKToolWrapper.java:140)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.AppPackager.packageApp(AppPackager.java:79)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.PackagerMain.mainInternal(PackagerMain.java:223)
com.microsoft.intune.mam.apppackager.PackagerMain.main(PackagerMain.java:59)
Failed to decode the apk file.

design for collision rules

• need a separate space for moving sprite colliding with resting sprite
• limit the neighborhood to self (moving) sprite and 4 other moving sprites
• the only attribution can be to define the kind of the other sprite
• stop and u-turn commands are only for sprites in motion that are about to collide
• remove command can be done any time
• fix up VM for collision

pencil always on

add/remove rule

change size of game board

project settings shows world dimension already - just need to add ability to change it

allow multiple center sprites in rule (sharing)