Tetris in PostScript

by beefburger • 1 year ago

72 17 1 year ago

I've just implemented Tetris in PostScript, pushing the limits of a document-processing language to run a realtime game. It works in GhostView on macOS.

* 600 lines / 10 KB * 69 different PostScript operators, no external libs * Realtime input, direct drop, increasing speed levels * 7-tetrimino random bags * Nintendo-style scoring and high score tracking

This project builds on my earlier experiments with PSChess and PSSokoban.

It show that PostScript is a lightweight, expressive, and surprisingly interactive programming language. A perfect tool for hacking on unexpected platforms.

yodsanklai• 1 year ago

Cool! I didn't know that postscript supported interactive content. I thought the code would be generating the document and that's it.

hamburglar2• 1 year ago

Well, it really doesn’t. This uses a clever hack where you write the input to a text file that the PS program is continuously reading. Very cool.

cenamus• 1 year ago

PS was actually used for OS graphics multiple times (with more adaptions of course)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_PostScript

codr7• 1 year ago

It's actually a pretty cool language, a forthy lisp/lispy forth.

bobajeff• 1 year ago

This is pretty neet. Tried running it with ghostscript under Linux and it crashes pretty much after the first tetromino falls a square.

zzmmm• 1 year ago

Anyone remember NeWS - Network extensible Window System? It was built in Postscript.

http://dev.rsnous.com/dewdrop/executive/

pjmlp2• 1 year ago

I surely do, all my favourite UNIXes went the extra mile to not be yet another clone, embraced better GUI development approaches, and additional userspace stack.

Unfortunately only one of them survives to this day.

cafeinux2• 1 year ago

In two weeks we'll see "Doom in PostScript" pop on the homepage.

kristianp• 1 year ago

Is there a C to PS transpiler?

OhMeadhbh• 1 year ago

There's already Doom in PDF... https://github.com/doom-pdf/ And Linux in PDF... https://github.com/ading2210/linuxpdf

cafeinux2• 1 year ago

...but not in PostScript (I didn't know about Linux in PDF, gotta check it out)

WCSTombs• 1 year ago

This is very cool! To run this on a modern Linux, install Ghostscript and run it like this:

    gs -dNOSAFER tetris.ps

In another terminal in the same working directory, run the command it gives in the source file:

    stty raw -echo; cat >> t.txt

Keep the second terminal focused for your keyboard inputs. I don't know if there's an elegant way to quit, but I just close the Ghostscript window and kill the second terminal.

redbell• 1 year ago

Somehow, this reminds me of Tetris in a PDF: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42645218

DrNosferatu• 1 year ago

Is there any PS web reader that can run it?

(WASM or otherwise)

Tetris in PostScript

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