DAD.PRG - making BombBloke

I’m a dad, I love retro (especially Atari ST), I build stuff, AI helps me get shit done, and I believe in a thing called love.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

This is what I'm building right now and I'm super-proud of how it's coming together. Not sure how well it comes over in the video but I've really put effort into making everything feel just right.

[koalasoft @koala_software]

So I thought I'd show off the level editor I've been working on for Bomb Bloke, my puzzle game running in an Amstrad CPC464 mode 0 style on modern hardware. Let me know what you think in the comments. I can't wait to see the levels people build.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@AllAgesofGeek https://t.co/JtHozjrGg6

Can I pitch a tool I’ve built for retro game developers? Web UI to create sprites on your pc or phone, export to many different retro file formats and currently to Atari ST disk images with more coming soon.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

Lemon&Lime release 1.1 updates:
- Export Atari ST images to a .st disk image
- Move the canvas around
- Fix bug downloading gifs for images with > 256 colours

Enjoy the lovely eyeball made for an Atari ST.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

This is me (the former, not the idiot). I work full time and do the sprite editor and my game in my spare time. It’s slower that way, of course, but it’s a lot more sustainable.
Most importantly it takes pressure off and gives me time to learn and make mistakes.
Chances are BombBloke won’t make much money. And that’s fine. I’ll have learnt a tonne about how to execute, how to market, how to get the game just right and find my niche, and how to lean into what I’m good at. My second game will do better. No I won’t get rich but over time I’ll build an audience that’s interested in my work.
So yeah, if I gave up my job I’d be a fucking idiot.

[Vista Larga Games | ᯅ @VistaLargaGames]

People ask me all the time “how do you fund your game?”

I have a real primary full time job.

“But I quit my job to focus on my indie game and now I’m broke”

You’re a fucking idiot.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

And here’s the sprite on an Atari ST.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

Lemon&Lime release 1.1 updates:
- Export Atari ST images to a .st disk image
- Move the canvas around
- Fix bug downloading gifs for images with > 256 colours

Enjoy the lovely eyeball made for an Atari ST.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

https://t.co/a5JuDFsKMn Lemon&Lime is free, and if you can guess why I've called a sprite editor Lemon&Lime you're a genius.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@UK_Daniel_Card @AtariCrypt Indeed - I hope you recover from them soon.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

I cannot stress enough just how dystopian the British government’s obsession with tracking out every move is.

[Mullvad.net @mullvadnet]

Is the UK on the verge of banning VPNs?

On May 26, the consultation intended to help the British government make decisions on age verification for websites, digital services, and social media platforms came to an end. Some form of restrictions regarding at least age limits for social media already appear inevitable; government officials have confirmed as much. The only question is what kind of restrictions will be imposed.

For example, the age verification restrictions could end up including VPN services. National restrictions for websites and social media can be bypassed using tools such as VPNs, virtual phone numbers, eSIM cards, Tor and dedicated services. It is therefore unsurprising that politicians have begun looking toward VPN services, which are the most common and accessible method of changing one’s geographic location.

In early 2026, the House of Lords sent an amendment(regarding the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill) to the House of Commons, proposing an 18-year age limit for using VPN services. The House of Commons rejected the House of Lords amendment four separate times. However, the House of Commons instead introduced its own proposal, which was passed and has now become law. This agreement grants the government the power to introduce restrictions through secondary legislation, with only limited parliamentary scrutiny.

Unfortunately, the risk that the UK government will crack down on VPN services is real – effectively joining countries such as China and Russia in opposing VPN services. Officials have already hinted that they may consider introducing age restrictions for VPN usage under the slogan “No platform gets a free pass”.

If VPN services were to implement identity verification, this would mean collecting data that could be abused through either malice or incompetence. It would, for example, make such services risky for whistleblowers and activists, make it harder for journalists to work with sensitive information, and create a chilling effect on online debate (VPNs can help people post anonymously on social media). In a society like the UK, where 30 people are arrested every day for writing something online that authorities classify as “grossly offensive”, VPN services are an important tool for free speech.

If VPN providers were to impose an age limit on their service, this would also mean that underage users would effectively lose their right to online privacy. Ironically, one consequence would be that social media companies mapping people’s lives through third-party trackers on websites could continue monitoring young people’s online behavior via their IP addresses without any interference. In other words, politicians would remove one of the protections children have against the very companies they claim to want to protect children from.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@AtariCrypt @UK_Daniel_Card Some people enjoy losing their freedom. It is what it is.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@UK_Daniel_Card @AtariCrypt Well up till then they hadn’t tried locking people in their homes, arresting people for going out, and forcing people to show their papers (proof of vaccine) to go places etc.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@poopdotjpg They seem to have forgotten that they are meant to serve the people and not the other way round sadly.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

This tweet seems to be doing well so I should probably plug stuff:

https://t.co/L1V45AJCEs

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

So I made a tool to help Indie devs make sprite packs for their retro-themed games, using the proper palettes for a range of machines, or custom ones of their choosing. This video is more quick tutorial than promo. It's free as hosting costs are low, link in the replies.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

If this is true they really have to take it down to minimise the damage. Absolutely retarded to leave it up otherwise.

[Moritz Wallawitsch @MoritzW42]

holy shit - their api is leaking customer data

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

The Chinese propaganda is fairly obvious and easy to laugh at but we all know that western AIs have their own propaganda, very much sticking with a Californian narrative on a number of key issues.

[Jane Manchun Wong @wongmjane]

DeepSeek V4 “improved” the code and said nothing happened in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@SirPuppetPaul 520STfm with the Power Pack. Tbh it was an incredible deal with some brilliant games. Nebulus blew my mind.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

🧵So this is the first computer magazine I ever had. ST Format issue 8, March 1990, I had got my ST for Christmas in 1989. What an absolute mind-blower it was. I had come from the Amstrad CPC and holy shit look at GFA Raytrace!

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

Just spotted the fucking typo. Our every move, not out. I suppose at least that proves I'm not an AI.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@exQUIZitely That prune went well. My stuff is now getting massively increased views.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@AtariCrypt I was poor and had the 464. Loved the colourful keyboard.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@AtariCrypt Amstrad for me in about 1987 I think. Code listings in mags, waiting 10 minutes for tapes to load.
I love the look of Spectrum games. Lovely palette and the colour clash has a weird charm I can’t quite explain.

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

@AtariCrypt That's quite a remarkable cover.. I was a bit young to read anything much in 1984!

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

https://t.co/a5JuDFsKMn

[DAD.PRG - making BombBloke @code_wizard_uk]

Btw if you've read this far this is where one traditionally says "hey here's my stuff". So here's my stuff. There's a free sprite editor that can export Atari ST disk images - you can work on it on the web, on your phone, anywhere you like. Link in next tweet.
https://t.co/3jR3hULm0q