darkbasic: a few questions

I for one have purchased b3d 2 months ago and I don't regret one bit.
I don't understand why some people say it is outdated, even if Bmax reaches maturity it won't prevent you to achieve great programs with b3d, compatible with DX7 , flawless 2D and 3D and native support for anything that is game related (joysticks, audio, etc).
Everything is perfect, except the fact that you have to code in , shrug, BASIC.
If you can't finish your program with b3D then you can blame only yourself.

 

I use Blitz3D, and it is perfect for writing both 2D and simple 3D games. I wouldn't hesitate recommending Blitz3D to anyone interested in starting hobby games programming.

As for support, don't forget CodersWorkshop is there too, especially for beginners!

 

I can't make any comparisons to DarkBasic (as I haven't used it), but I can say that my experience with Blitz3D has been good. There have been some small bumps for me (in the area of collision detection), but overall it's been worth it for me. I would highly recommend it.

 

I just purchased Blitz3D, and I'm learning to program with it. I've hit a couple of small problems with it (created by flaws in Direct X) but the Codersworkshop community has been really great at helping me underdstand things. All in all, I'm excited about creating a game, even though I'm a complete dunce when it comes to programming.

I was happy to go with DX7, because I don't believe the average casual gamer will be up and running with pixel-shader cards in the next couple of years, so... it's the right language for the audience I want to target.

 

DBPro is certainly easy, but I haven't tried Blitz3D. Is Blitz3D so easy to use that you can implement an entire game engine (movement, physics, collision, AI, etc.) in about a week? I manage this sort of workload in DBPro at such a rate it's that easy. Unfortunately, it is slow because of this. The only language I've seen that's more easy to understand is Macromedia's Lingo - the first time I realised how verbose that language can get, I laughed incredulously.

 

You can't do all that in a week in any language, so the answer is no.

In one week, you'll probably master the things that matter: types, arrays, and it's 3D engine.

In the second week you will probably get close to making something of it all...

In the third week I think you'll be wanting to try JV-ODE physics (it costs a token amount but it's worth it). This will give you another whole week of head scratching as you learn ODE's quirks...

Just a rough guideline but I'd say it'll take a month realistically. Thats if you're like me and have kids/jobs/etc

To be honest if you've got a 2ghz+ pc and a decent graphics card then you will probably slow down Blitz3D as well if you've slowed down DBPro as they are comparible once you get to a certain machine speed for "normal" games.

Why are you asking us? try the demo... it's fully working with save.

 

This has already been discussed in other threads, but if you choose Blitz3D you should also consider buying a decent IDE. I personaly feel uncomfortable with the default one.
Don't know about DBPro IDE.

 

TGC are working on a replacement IDE for DB Pro, as the current one is lacking.

For B3D I recommend Protean, it is a good investement, and your productivity will increase with it

 

If you're talking about the Blitz3D demo, it's not fully working. The program size is limited.

 

I used both Dark Basic Pro and Blitz 3D.

While I can't make specific comments on the speed, I do prefer the way Blitz 3D is organized. Blitz 3D also uses DirectX 7 instead of 9 which is probably better for reaching a larger audience. I don't like the default IDE but I'm pretty used to it by now.

 

It's more than enough to evaluate.