Which works best for me... BlitzBASIC, DarkBASIC, or XBASIC?
Author
You see, I am trying to make a game with a BASIC Language, but I can't tell which one will work best for me. I was trying to make a game maker earlier with DarkBASIC but I just don't know if I can do it. In case you were wondering, guys, I was trying to mimic RPG Maker XP with my game maker but not completely. I was wondering if you know which BASIC language I can use to make a game (or game maker) so that I can do it with ease (seeing my skill level is extremely low in programming right now). Anyone know what I need?
I'll move this to General Programming, as this forum is probably not the right one for the help you need.
I haven't tried XBASIC but I used DarkBASIC for ages. I can tell you it's a great solution for beginners, although it's a double edged sword in that way.
DB Pros:
- Easy to learn and understand the principles of programming
- Does a lot of low level stuff for you
- Free DLL's available expand it to a much more fature rich language
- Somewhat healthy community
DB Cons:
- A poor performance language. Ease of use over speed.
- Exes can get hefty, though for the smaller apps they hover around 1.5mb
- As with all smaller languages, a limited collection of help and examples online
- The Basic language structure. Easy to learn in itself, but can apparently teach you some bad habits if you plan to move on to another language like C++. (which I did, but haven't had that much trouble learning. Check GD's Cpp workshop)
- Windows only, as it solely relies on DX9.c
As with BlitzBasic, I cant say much about it, although I hear its faster and more portable. Its language looks like a cross between C and Basic.
DB Pros:
- Easy to learn and understand the principles of programming
- Does a lot of low level stuff for you
- Free DLL's available expand it to a much more fature rich language
- Somewhat healthy community
DB Cons:
- A poor performance language. Ease of use over speed.
- Exes can get hefty, though for the smaller apps they hover around 1.5mb
- As with all smaller languages, a limited collection of help and examples online
- The Basic language structure. Easy to learn in itself, but can apparently teach you some bad habits if you plan to move on to another language like C++. (which I did, but haven't had that much trouble learning. Check GD's Cpp workshop)
- Windows only, as it solely relies on DX9.c
As with BlitzBasic, I cant say much about it, although I hear its faster and more portable. Its language looks like a cross between C and Basic.
If you like the BASIC dialect for your programming, give FreeBASIC a try. Its free to download and offers compilers for Windows, Linux and DOS.
Its a little different than the "BASIC" dialects you talk about, which in many ways are more of a game-engine with a scripting language that looks like BASIC than a real programming language.
For example, I don't believe that FreeBASIC has many built-in graphic commands, but it does have bindings for the Allegro, SDL and OpenGL graphics libraries among other things. I believe you can use any C/C++ library, which is pretty much all of them, as long as the bindings exist (or create your own.)
At least give it a try before spending any money on one of the commercial "BASICS"
Particularly if you want to make a "game maker" program you won't want to use any of the BASICs you've mentioned, they're basically already "game makers" without the point-n-click interface.
Its a little different than the "BASIC" dialects you talk about, which in many ways are more of a game-engine with a scripting language that looks like BASIC than a real programming language.
For example, I don't believe that FreeBASIC has many built-in graphic commands, but it does have bindings for the Allegro, SDL and OpenGL graphics libraries among other things. I believe you can use any C/C++ library, which is pretty much all of them, as long as the bindings exist (or create your own.)
At least give it a try before spending any money on one of the commercial "BASICS"
Particularly if you want to make a "game maker" program you won't want to use any of the BASICs you've mentioned, they're basically already "game makers" without the point-n-click interface.
There's also visual basic.net which is free( and superior to any of the mentioned languages imo ), but its definitely a more complex route. Object oriented, .NET framework, and just like freebasic, you'd have to link to a library/framework like xna, sdl.net, hge...
If youre just starting out though, and want to jump right in to coding your game-- I really don't think you can beat blitz.
It has a nice built in library, which lets you avoid some of the more mundane bits like starting up directx, loading images, handling joysticks, etc -- but you're still responsible for pretty much everything past that.
I have to disagree about it being a "game maker" though. Its obviously aimed at simplified game dev, but you still end up having to get down and dirty with code.
If youre just starting out though, and want to jump right in to coding your game-- I really don't think you can beat blitz.
It has a nice built in library, which lets you avoid some of the more mundane bits like starting up directx, loading images, handling joysticks, etc -- but you're still responsible for pretty much everything past that.
I have to disagree about it being a "game maker" though. Its obviously aimed at simplified game dev, but you still end up having to get down and dirty with code.
Author
Thanks for the input!! I really, REALLY, needed that stuff.
By the way, I decided against doing a game maker in one of the BASIC languages, but I have to say that I chose a difficult road to follow programming-wise... anyone ever heard of Ruby? That is the programming language that I am going to use for making a game maker. Anyone wish to give me some pointers?
By the way, which of you guys checked out the link I gave to RPG Maker XP? Just curious, seeing that I have real problems trying to make the program even come NEAR RPG Maker XP anyway with no word on how to see the program shredded down.
By the way, I decided against doing a game maker in one of the BASIC languages, but I have to say that I chose a difficult road to follow programming-wise... anyone ever heard of Ruby? That is the programming language that I am going to use for making a game maker. Anyone wish to give me some pointers?
By the way, which of you guys checked out the link I gave to RPG Maker XP? Just curious, seeing that I have real problems trying to make the program even come NEAR RPG Maker XP anyway with no word on how to see the program shredded down.
Ruby is a good language, but you won't find much support in the gaming community as it's not commonly used here. You will find you don't have easy access to the same number of programming libraries as you would with a more traditional game programming language. Even Python has better support than Ruby. So do make sure you do a bit more research to make sure you're on the correct path and that Ruby will do what you need.
I used DarkBasic for ages too (Remember me Conor? :D ). It _is_ good, and you wont see many limits till you get good at it. The good thing about that is that by then you will have learned alot of programming concepts, and be able to move to a more advanced language, like C++. Yet, this is possible for any basic language I think. I only know DBPro.
Out of curiosity, have you made a game before a game maker? Just wondered why you were doing it this way if not..
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
