Well... BASIC8 isn't free, and probably i will be using it for just this jam.
I think that for me BASIC8 is just a waste of money, because i'll use it for this jam and then abandon it.
When it comes to fantasy cosnoles, i usually make JS games with the TIC-80 or the SCRIPT-8. So spending $13 on a fantasy console that i'll be using for only one time... Just isn't worth it. I'd consider to lower the price a bit, maybe to $10, where it is more affordable. Then, if you'd lower the price for me, i could sponsor it, or even make a commercial.
To make the user base more big, and not do the same "mistakes" the PICO-8 and other paid fantasy consoles did, i think you should make a free demo version of the BASIC-8 to be more competitive to the other paid fantasy cossoles. in the demo version, the user should be able to:
- Make a game
- Use the sprite/tile editor
- Use the map editor
Howeaver, with the following limits:
- The user can't save disks.
- The user can only use the game dev. tools for a limited amount of time (For example, 4 hours)
- The user can't use any advanced tools.
I think that this demo version would bring more users to the fanbase.