The Piconomicon
Tags: gamedev, pico8, programming, books
Published: 2021-11-06 06:15:02

[cover]: <https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ad6035i5nwy08i6lj5lf.png> "The Piconomicon Cometh"

[devilpong]: <https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1nhlu3h2mull7g4qkpvp.png> "The Devil's Pong"

> **UPDATE**: _[Click here](http://eepurl.com/hRb9Gv) to sign up for The Piconomicon mailing list!_


**Ensure you press play, for there is a dark mood that needs enhancing**.
{% soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/myuu/disintegrating %}
I come to tell you a tale most foul, most sinister, most intriguing. 

In the days of yore lived a man, his real name, lost to time. The nom-de-lude (_<span style="color: gold;">coined</span> that just now. It's a synonym for 'handle', but specific to game developers!_) That name - is [zep](https://twitter.com/lexaloffle). It is with certainty that it shall go down in the hidden histories as both brilliant and beastly, for he developed the very craft I bring before you today:

# The Fantasy Console

It is a door that once unlocked, can never be barred again. It has a will all its own, and that will is of a power unseen in all of mankind's epoch. It will possess you, take hold of your mind, and force you to produce the most devious little trinkets to ever have been tinkered - **cartridges without physical form**.

That's right. They take no corporeal state, yet see here, if you have the stones.

![devilpong]

> _"Bah!"_, you say. _"Tis nothing more than an image, a collection of colors arranged in a mosaic to give the **appearance** of evil, but it holds no power over **me**._

Not convinced, I see. Well, that's because you haven't the cauldron of creation needed to perceive the horror within. Here, gaze into this acrid abyss conjured by the [pizza boys](https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?uid=42646) coven. 

_Ugh...I can only capture a...brief..._


![](https://www.lexaloffle.com/media/42646/pong_10.gif "BEHOLD!")

# Making Your Darkest Dreams Come True

See here, reader. I suspect you wish to know more about this horror, this tool of Ludum Devil, with which you can craft spells of both joy and terror, view the spellbooks of your fellow witches and wizards freely, and advance your knowledge of the forbidden art of game development.

Gander, if you dare, at the book that will teach you **everything** there is to know about the [Pico-8](https://lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php).

![cover]

# The Journey Awaits

A tome most foul, 2 years in the making is coming together sooner than you could imagine. It quite literally contains **everything** there is to know about this fantasy (or nightmare) console and then some.

_<u>Well, probably in the Spring of 2022</u>_.

***

## But What Doth this Spawn of Sin Contain?

+ **The Basics**
   - An History of the Fantasy Console itself.
   - A full examination of the [IDE](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_development_environment)
   - Installation walkthrough, keyboard shortcuts, and cheatsheets galore.
+ **6 Full Games**. 
   - As this book intends to be the one and only resource one could ever need to become a master in the field, I have made certain to leave no skill level ignored.
   - 2 beginners, 2 intermediates, and 2 expert level games will be taught, from beginning to end.
   - The order is important, even if you're experienced. So don't skip around. _I'll know._
+ **Lessons and Lectures**
   - These are chapters that focus on 1 central topic, generally to ready you for upcoming content.
   - I don't want you to be copy pasting, I want my reader to **grasp and understand** the darkness within them. 
   - These chapters are my favorite part of the book, and I think you will like them too. 
   - They contain lots of wisdom and examples useful to almost every programming language there is too - just like magic...**magic most foul!**
+ **A Complete API**. 
   - Heavily Documented with examples. 
   - There is nothing this complete currently available, even the [official docs](https://www.lexaloffle.com/dl/docs/pico-8_manual.html) or the [unofficial api](https://iiviigames.github.io/pico8-api).
+ **Lots of Art**
+ **Digital Version will be Interactive**
   - With slideshow style presentations, running inside Pico-8!
+ **Physical Version?**
   - This is a possibility, but as Pico-8 is constantly in development, I may wait a while to do it.
   - It would also need to be Kickstarted, most likely.
+ **MORE THAN YOUR MORTAL MIND CAN FATHOM!**


## I Want to Sell My Soul NOW!

In the meantime, I shall give those interested a bit of beta access if they so desire. I need some guinea pigs to experiment - I mean - _enrich_ with knowledge they will never forget.f

If you're interested - email me at <a href="mailto:iiviigames@pm.me">this address</a>. Make sure the subject matter reads like the examplel below.

```markdown
SUBJECT LINE: Piconomicon Piggy
CONTENT: Include your:
- Name and Preferred Method of Contact.
- Experience in the Dark Arts of Pico-8
- Your favorite spell, I mean, cartridge, for the wretched device.
BONUS: If the email rhymes, you are almost guaranteed to be chosen.
```