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Table of Content

• About GB BASIC
  • About This Repository
  • Why GB BASIC?
  • Programming Paradigms
  • Features
  • Specs
• Glance
• Installation
  • Using Prebuilt
  • Compiling from Source
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • MacOS
    • Other platforms
• Learning
  • Documentation

About GB BASIC

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.

About This Repository

This repository contains the full source code of GB BASIC, including the kernel (runtime virtual machine), the compiler (for BASIC), and all the editors.

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

Glance

Installation

Using Prebuilt

• Steam
• Itch.io

Compiling from Source

A C++14 capable compiler is required, any compiler came after 2014 should be ok. You need to get this repository before build:

git clone https://github.com/paladin-t/gbb.git
cd gbb

Windows

Dependencies: Visual Studio (with C++ development tools installed).

Steps

1. Build SDL2
   1. Compile from "lib/sdl/VisualC/SDL.sln"
   2. Execute lib/sdl/copy_win.cmd
2. Build GB BASIC
   1. Compile from "gbbasic.sln"
3. Build GBBVM
   1. Execute gbbvm.cmd

Linux

Dependencies: CMake, GCC.

Steps

1. Build SDL2
   1. Execute:

      cd lib/sdl
      ./configure
      make
      sudo make install
      cd ../..

   2. Execute lib/sdl/copy_linux.sh
2. Build GB BASIC
   1. Execute:

      cd gbbasic.linux
      cmake . && make
      cd ..

3. Build GBBVM
   1. Execute gbbvm.sh

MacOS

Dependencies: Xcode.

Steps

1. Build SDL2
   1. Compile dylib from "lib/sdl/Xcode/SDL/SDL.xcodeproj"
   2. Reveal "libSDL2.dylib" in Finder
   3. Copy "libSDL2.dylib" to "lib/sdl/lib/mac/"
2. Build GB BASIC
   1. Compile from "gbbasic.xcodeproj"
3. Build GBBVM
   1. Execute gbbvm.sh

Other platforms

Details

You can also setup your own build pipeline for other platforms. The "lib" and "src" directories are almost what you need.

The "platform_*" files contain most platform dependent code, you'll probably make a specific port.

Learning

Documentation

• Manual
• Extensions
• Launching
• Troubleshooting
• Changelog
• About