mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 18/03/2026Players can sense the common sizes that appear on the screen, so meta sprites can make things feel a lot more natural + less boxy. They can also lead to more efficient OBJ VRAM usage. This sprite could technically be a 64x64 sprite, but it'd take over 2x the VRAM! #gamedev #retrodev #pixelart 082
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 18/03/2026The GBA has fixed sprite sizes, essentially combinations of 8, 16, 32, and 64 for width and height. In order to have sprites free of these constraints, you can make "meta sprites" out of multiple sprites. This brings other challenges, like proper horizontal flipping 😅 #retrodev #gamedev #pixelart 2143
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 17/02/2026At a code level, I've tried to keep the interface for meta-sprites and regular sprite the same. We'll see how long this can hold true. I suspect performance bottlenecks will make me have to reason about them differently. 100
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 17/02/2026My build process now allows me to specify whether an Aseprite file should be parsed as a regular sprite or a meta-sprite. When it's a meta-sprite, each layer is treated as a separate graphic that needs it's own spot in OAM (Object Attribute Memory). Below is how frame 2 looks in Aseprite and in OAM. 140
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 17/02/2026Lately I've been working on being able to properly support meta-sprites in my GBA games. The term meta-sprite is a colloquial way of saying you're combining multiple sprites to represent a single entity. In the video, the mega man zero is a meta-sprite the pink blob is a regular sprite. #gamedev 193
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 08/11/2025It's been a while since I got to work on my game, but today I got to knock out a rough implementation of vertical scrolling! Here you can see platform snapping to an offset and different focus points for when you're in the air versus on the ground. #ScreenshotSaturday #indiedev #gamedev 1114
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 21/09/2025It's #ScreenShotSaturday, and I no longer use pngs for sprites! I now get all pixel information directly from aseprite files, saving me export time and less manual definitions all around :) #indiegamedev #gamedev #aseprite #pixelart #indiedev #retrodev #gbadev 0133
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 23/08/2025This #ScreenShotSaturday includes more than just my game running! This week, the moving platforms now move along a fixed path! I thought it'd be fun to see a bit more of the dev process, so here you can see the platform being placed via Tiled, my map editor of choice. #gamedev #indiedev #retrodev 1144
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 16/08/2025Today's the first #ScreenshotSaturday that I'm on time for! This week I implemented moving platforms. Thanks to @maddymakesgames.com for her amazing "Celeste & TowerFall Physics" article! The logic in my GBA game is inspired by the Solids and Actors approach. maddymakesgames.com/articles/cel... 071
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 13/07/2025Today I FINALLY got level switching on the GBA game implemented! Now I can conceivably make a series of levels that begin to feel like a game, rather than a sandbox. #ScreenshotSaturday #retrodev #gamedev #gba #gbadev #devlog 1317
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 08/07/2025Once again I continue my tradition of being late to #ScreenshotSaturday. This weekend I got multiple backgrounds working in my GBA game. I got some extra inspiration by buying some of @nauris.bsky.social's pixel art assets in their summer sale! Much better than my dev art! #GameDev 0143
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 04/05/2025Playing around with the GBA's affine transformations on sprites #gamedev #retrodev #screenshotsaturday 193
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 07/04/2025Colors for GBA games are hard. All these photos are showing the same scene rendered. The colors that emulators and FPGA devices display by default are dramatically more luminance, even when filters are applied to make it look more like the original device. #gbadev #indiedev #gamedev #solodev 2163
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 07/04/2025It's no longer #screenshotsaturday, but better late than never, right? I Spent the weekend learning Natu's new "Scenes" and "Systems" concepts. Here you can see a new version of one of Natu's examples leveraging the functionality. Two scenes instead of the original one! #gamedev #indiedev #gbadev 092
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 22/02/2025I've been (very) slowly working on a GBA platformer. Today, I implemented animation states, starting with just an idle state and a walking state. A small change, but it's really cool how much more "alive" it makes it feel. Animation as "the illusion of life” indeed! #screenshotsaturday #indiedev 171
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 11/02/2025I still think about this UI on a regular basis. #gamedev #retrogaming #ui 160
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 26/01/2025I went 5-0 at my local #FaBHunted prerelease! Here was my list. I played against a bit of everything, 1 Cendra, 1 Arakni, and then 3 Fangs to close out the event. Hunted limited was great! I can't wait to play more. 000
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 15/12/2024Riptide has now received his 7th expansion slot card. We’re now at 17 cards if you run playsets, meaning we’ll have LSS’ comeplete vision for the hero in only 21 set releases. I don’t know about you, but I’m real excited for the 2031 Riptide meta! #FabTCG 040
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 30/11/2024I won my Skirmish today! I went undefeated with this sealed deck. If anyone tells you it’s impossible to win with Lightning heroes, double check your sealed pool just incase that’s what is best! #fabtcg 120
mtthgn @mtthgn.bsky.social · 24/11/2024I’m at my mom’s place today, and I’m trying not to think too hard about how collectible whatever I made these pogs out of was. Most likely an old Nintendo Power magazine? I’ll have to look it up. 000
