::: Why? :::
When you begin to program games, it can be very off-putting to use a launguage which just makes no sense at all. Most people use WYSIWYG software, like 3dGamemaker because they do not want all the hassle of coding. Don't! you are usually limited to a very small number of features and you can not expand your game or use your own ideas. Fair enough, 3dGamemaker is a good program if you like that sort of thing and you just want to muck about, but you will be laughed out of the publishers office and have to pay £100+ for a license.
However, DarkBASIC, (Trying not to sound like an advertisment) combines the power of DirectX with good (Late Ps1 - Early Ps2) graphics, and it's pretty easy to master. personally, I think if you can code HTML then, with a bit of practice, DarkBASIC is a walk in the park. The main differnece with output compared to a WYSIWYG program, is that you are free to do what you like. With other programs, you put in a building, and you can bump into it, that's it! However, with DarkBASIC, you could grow wings, fly to the top, and do a river-dance on the roof : it's up to you!
Coding is not that hard. For example :
(DarkBASIC code : What this command does)
:: Make Light 1 : Make light 1
:: Turn camera left 2 : Turns the camera left at a speed of 2 (Forget this, a speed of 2 is just DarkBASIC's way of speed)
:: Move Camera 2 : Move camera in units of 2
:: If Sound playing(1)=0 then play sound 1 : If sound 1 isn't playing, then play it.
::: What alternatives are there? :::
This really depends on your budget. After the BASIC language, costs tend to sky-rocket. If your thinking about making games for a living, then look at this below. it's the path I'd take early on. You simply buy the next program when your wallets fat enough:
Now I'm too lazy to read all the posts on this topic, so I apologize if this has already been said but I think the best gaming launguage for begginer/intermediate is DarkBASIC.
::: Why? :::
When you begin to program games, it can be very off-putting to use a launguage which just makes no sense at all. Most people use WYSIWYG software, like 3dGamemaker because they do not want all the hassle of coding. Don't! you are usually limited to a very small number of features and you can not expand your game or use your own ideas. Fair enough, 3dGamemaker is a good program if you like that sort of thing and you just want to muck about, but you will be laughed out of the publishers office and have to pay £100+ for a license.
However, DarkBASIC, (Trying not to sound like an advertisment) combines the power of DirectX with good (Late Ps1 - Early Ps2) graphics, and it's pretty easy to master. personally, I think if you can code HTML then, with a bit of practice, DarkBASIC is a walk in the park. The main differnece with output compared to a WYSIWYG program, is that you are free to do what you like. With other programs, you put in a building, and you can bump into it, that's it! However, with DarkBASIC, you could grow wings, fly to the top, and do a river-dance on the roof : it's up to you!
Coding is not that hard. For example :
(DarkBASIC code : What this command does)
:: Make Light 1 : Make light 1
:: Turn camera left 2 : Turns the camera left at a speed of 2 (Forget this, a speed of 2 is just DarkBASIC's way of speed)
:: Move Camera 2 : Move camera in units of 2
:: If Sound playing(1)=0 then play sound 1 : If sound 1 isn't playing, then play it.
::: What alternatives are there? :::
This really depends on your budget. After the BASIC language, costs tend to sky-rocket. If your thinking about making games for a living, then look at this below. it's the path I'd take early on. You simply buy the next program when your wallets fat enough:
DarkBASIC (About £20)
Blitz3D (About £50)
3d Game Studio (About £80)
GameStudio & gameSpace Package (About £200)
And then from there on, your into serious stuff.
I hope I've helped. If you want any other information at all, then feel free to e-mail me at vusay@hotmail.co.uk. Thank you.
Lee Webber - Vusay
