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Game Dev Team Reference

A collection of useful links and resources for development.

Core Documentation

Section titled “Core Documentation”
Resource Link Description
libnds Docs libnds.devkitpro.org The main DS library we build on. Reference for all hardware APIs - backgrounds, sprites, input, sound, etc.
GBATEK Docs problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm Low-level DS hardware reference. Covers registers, memory maps, and hardware behavior in detail. Essential for understanding what libnds is doing under the hood.
NDS Examples github.com/devkitPro/nds-examples Official devkitPro example projects covering graphics, audio, input, and more. Good starting point for unfamiliar systems.
DS Dev Guide patater.com/manual-git Beginner-friendly intro to DS programming. Covers 2D graphics, sprites, and backgrounds with clear explanations.

Graphics

Section titled “Graphics”
Resource Link Description
VRAM Calculator mtheall.com/vram.html Visual tool for planning VRAM bank allocation. Use this when loading images to figure out which banks to assign to backgrounds vs. sprites.
Grit Documentation coranac.com - grit readme Docs for grit, the tool used to convert images into DS-compatible formats (tilesets, tilemaps, palettes).
BlocksDS 2D Graphics Intro blocksds.skylyrac.net Clear overview of how the DS 2D graphics system works - palettes, tiling, backgrounds, and sprites explained concisely.

Audio

Section titled “Audio”
Resource Link Description
Maxmod Conversion Guide maxmod.org - conversion guide Guide to converting audio files for use with Maxmod, the music and sound effect library used in P3D.
Maxmod Reference maxmod.org Full Maxmod API reference for playback, sound banks, and streaming.

Math & Utilities

Section titled “Math & Utilities”
Resource Link Description
P3D Math Reference Google Sheets Spreadsheet covering math used in the project.
Fixed-Point Math (GBATEK) problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#dsmath The DS has no floating-point unit - all math uses fixed-point integers. This section covers the hardware math accelerator registers.

Missing a link? Drop it in the #game-dev-lounge channel on Discord and we’ll add it here.