It's an app that allows you to program and create your own games, apps, or whatever you want in BASIC (A programming language). There's an older DSiWare version that I own that I've really enjoyed making stuff in, and if you really know how to program you can make some incredible stuff. (For example, some one is about to release a Mega Man 2 remake for it this month) This newer version is...
slated for release in NA this Spring. It has a lot of new features I'm really looking forward to. (Interestingly, while the DSiWare version is known as Petit Computer, the 3DS version will be called SmileBasic in NA) People can easily share their games through QR codes on the DSiWare version and through the internet on this version. I've always enjoyed making stuff and so these have been great for
me, and they're great for learning some of the basics of programming as well, especially since you can look at the code for any program, and there's a decent sized community that's always ready to help new programmers. (And I bet Miiverse will really help the community grow!)
Whoa, sounds pretty awesome! I'll have to look into it. It sounds a little complicated, but I'd say it'd be very enjoyable once I get the hang of it. Can you only program 8-bit games, or can you make more complex 3D models and things like that? Do you draw out sprites and things by hand, then program them in? I'm not sure if my questions really make sense. I've only heard of this game today...
...and so I don't know how this works, but I'm very intrigued. I really enjoy games that focus on customisation and games with level editors, so this seems right up my alley. I just started my Web Design class at school a few weeks ago, so I have *slight* experience with coding. And hey, maybe this will fill the void of Flipnote Studio 3D!
Yeah, it's pretty different than a simple level editor or something like that. And it's definitely a slower, learning experience. You start out with the "Hello World!" program, and as you read tutorials, check the manual, and analyze others' code, you slowly figure more and more out. Sadly, neither of these games natively support 3D, although that hasn't stopped people from making very basic 3D...
games! The sprites in the first one are limited to 8bit color palettes (I think it's 8bit, each sprite can have a 16 color palette and each game can load 16 palettes at once) but this new one doesn't have that limitation. It comes with some built in tools for drawing backgrounds and sprites, etc. that you can use in your games, as well as a ton of premade sprites to help you get started as well.
(People have also created programs and things to allow you to import files from your computer into the game.) Once you get the hang of it, creating games is a ton of fun! I just love the satisfaction of seeing a game slowly come together as I add more code, and fixing all the bugs that pop up is fun too. I almost think of programming as a sort of puzzle game. You know what you want the game to do,
you just need to use your knowledge of the language, math, and logic to figure out how to put it all together, and there's nothing quite like that moment when you figure out how to do something that's been stumping you for a long time!
