dsh-plugin-tic80

Making retro games in TIC-80 usually means coordinating Lua scripts, pixel sprites, chiptune patterns, and level arrays, while giving an LLM a fast way to see whether its output actually runs can be difficult. dsh-plugin-tic80 compresses that loop into a conversational workflow inside DeepSeek Harness: the model can write game code, draw sprites, design world maps, synthesize sound effects, and arrange four channel music, then watch every change appear on an embedded official TIC-80 WebAssembly console through live hot reload.

The plugin preserves the official console surface, including 240x136 resolution, 16 color palettes, dual bank sprite and background architecture, multi tile sprites up to 32x32 with 8 bit collision flags, a 240x136 world map, a four channel music tracker with 64 patterns, and 64 sound effect slots. It exposes 13 typed tools for cartridge initialization, code and sprite editing, map placement, SFX and music composition, palette switching, static validation, live execution, and exports to .lua, .tic, or standalone .html. A built in Linter screens Lua syntax, the TIC entry point, the 512KB memory budget, and sandbox safety before changes are accepted, reducing wasted turns. The F3 map editor makes level design visually direct, and gameplay parameters can sit in a cfg table near the top of the script for quick tuning.

It is best for indie developers who want to validate a mechanic in seconds, educators introducing retro programming, and creators who enjoy the TIC-80 aesthetic but want a tighter edit test cycle. Templates for minimal, platformer, sokoban, RPG, and shmup projects provide immediate starting points, while one click export makes it easy to share games as source carts, binary ROMs, or browser playable web pages.