moechofe 2026-01-28 13:03
I've been working on a fork of Lowres-NX targeted mobile game development for a while now. It's a long-term project and still unfinished. However, because the original project by @Timo was so well-made, my fork worked from day one, and I now use it daily.
If you're adventurous, I can provide access via Apple TestFlight in the coming weeks. Just reply to this post with your thoughts.
The main goal is to take advantage of vertical mobile screens. The app runs in portrait mode and is always fullscreen, meaning the pixel resolution varies by device. It supports iPad split-screen, safe areas (to avoid notches and home buttons), and adapts to the visual keyboard. No more gamepads; the only inputs are touch and the virtual keyboard. Technical upgrades include more addressable memory, more layers, more sprites, more CPU cycles, a non-EGA palette, a WIP particles library... Some BASIC commands have been removed, while others were added.
The most important part is the official graphics editor I've been building for years. It's a massive challenge to create an app that adapts to non-fixed resolutions. Honestly, I sometimes spend my time making games instead of finishing the editor because it's just so fun to use. I will soon share my "experiments" on the website: https://re.tro.it
What's working now:
- The iOS app.
- iCloud storage (will go live once I renew my Apple Developer Membership).
- A community website with basic interactions.
- The original graphics designer and sound composer (functional, but not practical).
- The new graphics editor includes background and palette editors.
- Complete documentation (I hope).
What's not working yet:
- The character editor.
- Better features for the editors, including undo, settings remembering, multiple background layers, advanced view mode, sprite sheet editor.
- An official sound editor (this may take years).
- An Android version (currently without sound).
- The particle system (needs a rewrite).
- Community website features like search and an online player.
- More math functions.
I've also decided to rename the app to improve App Store search visibility: currently Retro Game Creator.
Timo 2026-01-29 07:05
Cool! I won't have time to actually program something with it, but I would like to have a look and play with your graphics editor :)
Bifrost Coalescence 2026-01-31 23:36
This sounds pretty interesting, would love to check it out
Sylveon 2026-02-01 05:38
Yeah I would try it :3
moechofe 2026-02-06 16:29 (Edited)
The website: https://ret.ro.it/
Sylveon 2026-02-07 13:43
How do I get the app installed?
Bifrost Coalescence 2026-02-07 23:18
Hi, can you please implement a sign up feature not tethered to google or discord? I refuse to use any platform that treats my data as those do.
moechofe 2026-02-09 09:23
@Sylveon, I will invite you to the TestFlight program, you'll receive a link that will allow you to install the beta version of the app throuht another Apple app.
But, it's not ready yet. I want to finish 2-3 things that I consider important for you to actually produce programs.
@Bifrost I'm in France, and I'm obliged to respect some rules that force me to develop a very strong sign-up process. And that's not an easy task at all: Security, Privacy Policy, Legal Notice, User Rights, F2A, Password recovery, Account deletion...
I'm not ready to do all of that right now, but it's part of my TODO list.
Also, because my app will be shipped to AppStore, you'll need a Apple account anyway to install it. I can provide authentication using Apple, it is a much safer and faster implementation task.
Bifrost Coalescence 2026-02-09 11:05
If SSO is a must, can you implement it via Github then?
moechofe 2026-02-09 11:13
I blame myself to not thought about it. I will do it.
Bifrost Coalescence 2026-02-09 11:13
Thank you very much
moechofe 2026-02-14 11:17
The app is in review at apple, I still need to fix one more things in the backround editor before making it available on testflight
I've added a way to execute code line by line in the debugger, I hope you'll love it as much as I do. https://imgur.com/a/YLXCVKn
I also alllow user to sign-in using GitHub
moechofe 2026-02-16 17:35 (Edited)
If you want to try the beta version, send an email to lowresrmx at gmail and I will add you as TestFlight tester.
moechofe 2026-02-18 08:23
I have to fight the Apple review team...
Timo 2026-02-18 14:57
What do they say? I probably have experience with this...
moechofe 2026-02-19 06:12
They talk about the rule 2.5.2: self contained, not downloading code, except for educational purpose.