iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 28/09/2026

Here is #PipeMaster, my #FallingBlockJam entry, submitted just in time. No sound and some bugs, but lots of #GameDev fun for me. Will polish it a bit in the next days for a post jam version. oldschoolpixels.itch.io/pipemaster

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 23/09/2026

Welp! Implemented water flow and leaks, and added a more decent background with the name of the game on it. Will I manage to complete basic gameplay before #FallingBlockJam ends?

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 21/09/2026

Blocks are starting to fall! I have to say that jamming when you have a day job and a family is no joke... but I'm having a lot of fun. #FallingBlockJam

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 18/09/2026

Spent the first #FallingBlockJam evening doodling some assets and setting up the basic SDL project with my framework, but I can only show you a little leak... _runs away_

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 28/04/2026

I accidentally made something really trippy while testing a thing.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 17/03/2026

I'm unreasonably happy with this little corner I made for our home server.

Picture of a small wooden rack with three black shelves. The rack is in a corner, near an electrical outlet with a wi-fi extender plugged in. The lower shelf is empty, on the upper one there is a Leonardo Flying Machine Lego model and on the middle shelf there is a black old Dell Inspiron Zino used as a home server.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 04/01/2026

Back again at personal #GameDev for #GetKeyOpenDoor, my short #PixelArt platformer. This is the introductory level for Gargoyles. It's probably too hard right now, but I'm going to fine tune difficulty when I have all the levels laid out. #MadeWithDefold

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 21/11/2025

Unpopular (?) opinion: I kinda like the new bluesky icon.

Picture of the new bluesky icon with a slight inner shadow on the white butterfly that gives it a little volume.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 15/11/2025

Well, I lied. Having optional pickup items for each level means you need a level select screen to replay levels. Also, no more total play time but per level complete time. And the level select grid dictated that the game will have 30 levels total 😬 #GameDev #GetKeyOpenDoor #ScreenshotSaturday

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 20/09/2025

Wanted to express my feelings towards socials, lately, with a 6 panels comic but I can't draw to save my life. So I thought "what the hell" and used my Actual Incompetence and drew it anyway with stick figures, using pencil, pen, paper and some pastels from my kid's stash. It's awful and I love it.

A badly drawn six panels comic (three rows by two columns) made with stick figures with black felt tip pen outlines and light pastel colors.
Panels description:
1) A stick figure with a simple round head is standing on a grey sidewalk in front of a brownish wall, hands on hips, apparently bored.
2) The same stick figure, a little moved on the left, pulls out a phone, gaze lowered, and says: "Let's have a quick look at my timeline".
3) The figure is now seen from the back, on a lime background, a small sweat droplet is visible on the side of the head. We can see both arms, the phone in the right one, extended away from the viewer. Another stick figure comes out of the phone from the waist up, with a frown on the face and a red box in the hands, saying: "Man, I'm so mad at this".
4) Same configuration as panel 3. The red box is now on the left arm of the main stick figure. Another stick figure is coming out of the phone from the waist up, this one with a disappointed expression, a green box and saying: "Oh boy, this sucks".
5) Again as panel 3. On the left arm there are the red and green boxes, one on top of the other. A third stick figure comes out of the phone, with a blue box, a sad look on the face and saying: "Aw, this is heartbreaking".
6) Same scene as panel 2, but the main stick figure is now slightly bent forward and has a weary face. The phone has fallen on the sidewalk, on their left arm there are the red and green boxes and on the right arm there is the blue box. The red, green and blue boxes are labeled, respectively, "angry", "hopeless" and "sad".

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 11/09/2025

I wanted to add some simple collectible to #GetKeyOpenDoor but I didn't want the classic coin, so I opted for a small flame in style with the game. Damn, drawing animated flames is hard... This one isn't great but will do for now. #GameDev #PixelArt

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 24/08/2025

Spent the eve of my 47th birthday hiking on a river trail and discovering that my kid is a freaking ibex. Very reinvigorating.

Photo of a white man with a red hat and a blue backpack (me) seen from behind, standing on a rock just above a river bed.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 31/07/2025

Here is an example of what I can do with the signal handlers from my previous post and a pressure plate that can also be activated by moving slimes. #GetKeyOpenDoor #GameDev #PixelArt #LevelDesign #MadeWithDefold

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 28/07/2025

During a brief holiday, I implemented entity signals with propagation, delay and signal queues to keep the player input sequence when there is a delay. Here is a test with a lever as a signal producer and some blinking platforms as signal targets/propagators. #GameDev #PixelArt #GetKeyOpenDoor

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 26/07/2025

Visiting the cemetery where my parents in law are resting, in a small village in coastal southern Italy. If #GameDev has taught me anything, I'm fairly sure that one of those old chapels hides the entrance to a secret dungeon.

Photo of a small town cemetery. In the foreground there's a graveyard, with ground tombs, tombstones of various shapes and flowers. Amongst those there are some tall trees. In the background, two sides of the graveyard are lined with small chapels.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 13/07/2025

Things yet to implement in #GetKeyOpenDoor before I can make some actually interesting levels. #GameDev #LevelDesign

Photo of a paper notebook with various sketches and notes: on the upper left there are two couples of square platforms with a circle in the middle. The first circle is empty, the second is full, the third (on the second row) is full while the fourth is half full. The note on the first couple says "Switch Platform ", while the note on the second couple says "Timer Switch Platform". A note on both couples says "Both are automatically activated on passage by the player or the enemies". A callout on both couples says "How to differentiate in 8x8?". Below there is another couple of platforms both with a lever on them, the first switched to the right, the second to the left. A note says "Lever switch: must be explicitly activated by the player pressing down arrow". Below, a bigger centered note says: "Can all be connected to:". In the lower part of the page, there is a drawing of two square platforms one above the other with a closed metal gate between the two, two other platforms a little to the right have an open metal gate instead. A note below says: "Gates (will kill player if closes on them)". Two other square platforms are to the right, one normal, the other with dashed contours, a note below says: "Disappearing platforms". Finally, a square platform between two edges with movement arrows to its left and right, the note says: "Moving platforms".

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 07/07/2025

#LevelDesign has always been the part of #GameDev that makes me nervous the most. It gives me a lot of blank canvas anxiety, so I'm trying to use #GetKeyOpenDoor as a way to practice this skill.

Photo of a paper notebook with a black pen sketch of a platformer level. The sides are numbered, horizontally and vertically, to mark the tiles coordinates. On the upper side a couple sketches indicate the height and length of the character's jump. The level is named "The Pit".

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 27/06/2025

Italian news site "Il Post" just posted a headline about this. It reads something like: "Haaretz investigation about palestinian people massacre during food distribution in Gaza" - "Israeli soldiers anonimously told about receiving precise orders to deliberately shoot civilians".

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 11/06/2025

Another slime for #GetKeyOpenDoor. This one is on a roll! Making these pixels has become a sort of retreat from... *gestures at the world in general* Now I need to bring them to life in a test level. #GameDev #PixelArt

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 10/06/2025

I'm enjoying drawing these little slimy #PixelArt foes for #GetKeyOpenDoor. I'm no artist, but at this resolution I feel like I can experiment within my limits. Gave the previous slime a red eye, to make it a little more menacing, and made it jump. #GameDev

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 08/06/2025

A running slime enemy. Someone might find it cute, but better not try to pet it. #GetKeyOpenDoor #PixelArt #GameDev

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 02/06/2025

Since my kid started playing with SMB from various eras, he's become obsessed with creating levels with anything he comes across.

Photo of a small diorama created with some Lego pieces and some plastic figures: Mario, Yoshi, a Goomba and a yellow Cheep Cheep.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 31/05/2025

Update on #GetKeyOpenDoor progress. In short bursts, in the last few weeks, I have: - Widened the resolution a bit - Got a title screen and menu - Added a transition showing elapsed time and number of deaths - Started a few tutorial levels #GameDev #PixelArt #MadeWithDefold #ScreenshotSaturday

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 02/05/2025

Working on this little #GetKeyOpenDoor thing has inspired me so much that I even started making music again, after more than twenty years without touching a keyboard. #GameDev

Photo of my working setup: a small desk with keyboard, mouse two monitors and a couple speakers. Under the desk there is a medium tower pc. On the left side of the desk there's a midi keyboard on its stand. The two monitors show OpenMPT and a browser with the program docs open.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 13/04/2025

Implemented ladders (they are HARD to get right), first hurting entity, death and respawn. #GameDev #Defold #PixelArt #GetKeyOpenDoor

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 11/04/2025

Sometimes I think I have too much fun writing #GameDev git commit messages.

Screenshot of a git commit message, which reads: "You can now assault sleeping folks, you damn sicko!"

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 28/03/2025

Hey everyone, remember the imp game thing? Because I've come up with a very clever title 😬 #GameDev #Defold #PixelArt

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 21/03/2025

Folks, that imp thing has got a bit out of hand... #GameDev #Defold #PixelArt

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 19/03/2025

Mh... Made a running fire imp in 8x8 pixels. Do you like them? I like them. #PixelArt #GameDev

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 15/03/2025

I made an experiment: I powered through my deep aversion for Lua and tried to rebuild everything I made for my kid's small game in #Defold. It took me a week, working in my spare time, as usual, and I also managed to make a mostly decent start screen. (small 🧵)

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 25/02/2025

You guessed right: frame sequences. Now the sprite animations are assets bundled in the content file like the rest. No more hardcoded rectangles in my code! Yay! #GameDev #C99 #SDL #OSPFramework

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 23/02/2025

Can you guess what this text file defines? #GameDev #C99 #SDL

Screenshot of a text file with the following contents:

grid 32 32
width 1
height 1
row 0
1.0 0 1 0 2 2 3 3
row 1
1.0 0 1 2 3 4 5 3 2 1
row 2
0.4 0 1 2 3
row 3
0.4 0 1 2 3
row 4
0.4 0 1 2 3
row 5
0.4 0 1 2 3

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 26/11/2024

In #DustGrave we send old people against the player. #GameDev

Screenshot of a scrollable list titled "Enemies" with four entries of a "Infested_Boomer" element.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 15/11/2024

When #GameDev is all about writing strange esoteric codes.

Photo of a paper notepad with a series of cross-like symbols equated to numbers and letter sequences. A pen is laying on it.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 12/11/2024

Tell me you're old (school) without telling me you're old. #GameDev

Screenshot of a code comment displaying, with ascii characters, a table of all necessary square tiles to draw arbitrary grids. On the top two rows the numbers from 14 to 17 are written in vertical, on the left column are the numbers from 9 to 11.

// Fence tiles starting at (14, 8)
// 1111
// 4567
// 8 ┌┬┐╷
// 9 ├┼┤│
// 10 └┴┘╵
// 11 ╶─╴⋅

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 22/10/2024

Yes. Yes, it is. (Testing scene switch and quadratic easings) #GameDev #C99 #SDL

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 11/10/2024

At @innervoid-int.bsky.social we are a tiny #GameDev team working very hard, so hearing someone going from hating the first demo to having fun with the last one, means the hard work is paying off.

Screenshot of a steam community comment saying: "By the way. Really having fun with this after hating the first dem9. The turn-based combat is a blast!"

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 03/10/2024

Life's been tough lately and I've not been in the best of moods, but then I see a simple allocation tracker I made working exactly as it was supposed to, helping me quickly fix an otherwise unnoticed leak, and suddenly I feel happier. Being a #GameDev nerd has its perks, I suppose.

Found leaked allocation of 0x555576367110, 1 elements of 40 bytes, at line 143 in file /home/caran/projects/michael the lion/src/0SP/load map.c, func osp_load map.
Found leaked allocation of 0x55557631e2f0, 1 elements of 40 bytes, at line 143 in file /home/caran/projects/michael the lion/src/0sP/load map.c, func osp_load_map.
Total memory leaks tracked: 2.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 21/09/2024

When your whole party suddenly loses their bicycles. #GameDev #DustGrave

Screenshot of a top down RPG game showing a party of four characters, all standing with their arms slightly leaning forward for an animation bug.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 13/09/2024

Apparently, I can post videos too, now. So let me show you a bit of #DustGrave, the sandbox RPG I'm developing at my #GameDev day job with InnerVoid Interactive, which will make it's early access debut very soon. Showing, in particular, the disguise system working.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 06/09/2024

Go home, copilot, you're drunk (part II).

Screenshot of the following C# code snippet:
Character.Get(Character.Get(Character.Get(),
Where the second and third nested get calls are copilot suggestions.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 05/09/2024

Go home, copilot, you're drunk. (retVal is a bool)

Screenshot of the following two lines of C# code:
LUA_Debug("... result: " + retval + ".");
return retVal ? true : false;
Where the ternary operator on the return statement is a copilot suggestion.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 08/08/2024

Ok, let's do some #GameDev that doesn't involve writing some fancy colored gobbledygook on a dark screen, for a change.

Photo of a small portable photographic studio on a kitchen table. The photo box has a green background and there's a lion shaped plushie ready for the photo shoot. In the foreground, there is a small phone tripod placed on a plastic cereal box, framing the lion plushie.

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 15/04/2024

Google is once more pestering me to "update" my perfectly functioning, totally free little game "enCircled", I've decided to not put up with this anymore and I'll let them terminate my account on April 25. If you want to try it, you have ten days to do so (link in comments) #GameDev #android

Screenshot of encircled gameplay, showing white triangles on a pinkish background and superimposed text that says: "Tap and drag to draw circles!"

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OldSchoolPixels @oldschoolpixels.com · 16/02/2024

Here we go: a #GameDev post where I try to explain what a game loop is and how I implemented mine with #C99 and #SDL. I'm open to constructive criticism and suggestions. Hope you enjoy! www.oldschoolpixels.com/blog/michael...

A diagram representing a simplified game loop, with sketches for setup, input, update, render and shutdown phases.

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