[HN Gopher] The Diorama Engine
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       The Diorama Engine
        
       Author : grzm
       Score  : 52 points
       Date   : 2023-10-04 20:14 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (dioragame.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (dioragame.com)
        
       | ecliptik wrote:
       | This is for the PlayDate [1], which is a fantastic handheld
       | gaming system.
       | 
       | Aesthetics really hit a lot of Monument Valley notes and would
       | pair well with the systems crank to rotate the world.
       | 
       | After reading the devlog and rest of the site I'm not entirely
       | sure what the gameplay is, but looking forward to seeing more.
       | 
       | 1. https://play.date/
        
         | msephton wrote:
         | As far as I know it's a puzzle adventure game.
        
       | itronitron wrote:
       | Very nice aesthetic.
        
         | all2 wrote:
         | Phenomenal, even. I can imagine this will look fantastic if
         | color and particle effects (transparent pngs on planes?) are
         | added. Maybe they won't be added. If not, this art style still
         | reminds me of black-and-white movies. It's effervescent,
         | visceral somehow. It tugs at my hearstrings for some reason
         | that I -- as yet -- cannot express.
        
       | ChrisArchitect wrote:
       | add "for PlayDate" or something to the title for clarity
        
       | proee wrote:
       | Estimated ship date for Playdate is end of 2023 (per website).
       | Have there been any updates from the company on this?
        
         | jmcphers wrote:
         | This is Panic's first foray into hardware and it really shows;
         | while the device itself is very handsome and feels great, they
         | really underestimated demand and have had a tough time getting
         | the supply logistics under control. I ordered mine in February
         | and got it 7 months later.
         | 
         | I think they're (finally) catching up on orders, but I wouldn't
         | take their word for it on ship dates
        
         | ecliptik wrote:
         | They ship in batches. I got mine 3 weeks ago in Batch 5 that I
         | ordered in March 2023.
        
           | proee wrote:
           | Are you happy with the device - looks pretty cool minus the
           | grayscale screen. Curious if that was chosen for battery life
           | or cost?
        
       | nightowl_games wrote:
       | Looks incredible! I was thinking about how to similate a 3d
       | effect on an arduboy at one point. Great job, fun project, love
       | the writeup.
       | 
       | I'm pretty thumbsdown on the playdate as a disposable good,
       | though.
        
         | jmcphers wrote:
         | I have a Playdate and I think they did about as well as they
         | could to try to keep it from becoming disposable:
         | 
         | - the device doesn't require any network connection or service
         | and works great offline
         | 
         | - games are generally offline only
         | 
         | - games are easily sideloaded via USB
         | 
         | - intentionally anachronistic aesthetic and tech is a sort of
         | guard against obsoletion (it's ... already obsolete?)
         | 
         | So even if Panic stops selling and supporting Playdates
         | tomorrow, people can continue to build fun things for them for
         | some time to come, and if you find a 10 year old Playdate in a
         | draw and power it on, you should still be good for a few rounds
         | of Whitewater Wipeout!
        
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       (page generated 2023-10-04 23:00 UTC)