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Socoder -> Off Topic -> GLBasic or Blitzmax

Fri, 19 Mar 2010, 14:44
omadan
hello all.

Its time for me to move on from BlitzBasic. my love and passion goes with it I have loved every bit.

I saw GLBasic coded with it but just a little. seems good.

Blitzmax im sure is very good too. I can obviously achieve the results I want with both languages. but any of you guys have tried these Languages in more depth?

What can you say about both before I purchase.

Your views are appreciated thanks.
Fri, 19 Mar 2010, 15:51
Jayenkai
GLBasic lets you compile for other systems using only Windows. That's a pretty good plus point, if you ask me.

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Fri, 19 Mar 2010, 18:12
Afr0
If you're looking to become a professional coder at some point in your life, I'd suggest looking into the C family of languages right about now. There's no way around it (well, there's Java and possibly Delphi for application/business coders, but C# is very popular).

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Afr0 Games

Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
Fri, 19 Mar 2010, 18:41
9572AD
I have both but have actually used neither.
The only advantage I can think of to using BMax, though, is the ability to use DX or OGL on PCs.
Otherwise, GLBasic seems to be much more active and growing and supported.
Is there even any BMax documentation yet? I've had it for 5ish years and still no good idea on how to use it. (I am completely incapable of learning by reading others' code, btw, so I need all functions well documented.)

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All the raw, animal magnetism of a rutabaga.
Sat, 20 Mar 2010, 02:37
omadan
thanks for the quick feedback.

No I have no intentions on becoming a professional C coder. I have my Government steady Job . (so not all the time in the world)
I have used C/C++ before, understand quite well but I really want to sit down and plan good games. Then make it happen as quick as possible. C does not go with that and it would take more of a team effort imo. Using glbasic/blitzmax or any other dialect effectively, you can produce games you would program in C or any other language but you will be cutting down on headaches PP and save up many hours of work. Perhaps in the future if it goes good maybe publish few games, but that would be my target. nothing more than that.

Thanks again guys.

-Joe
Mon, 22 Mar 2010, 20:17
dna

I went to look at glbasic and its not free!!

I thought it was open source?

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DNA
Tue, 23 Mar 2010, 02:55
Cower
C does not go with that and it would take more of a team effort imo

I think this is only true if you're a bad/incompetent programmer who can't apply what he knows regardless of language.
Tue, 23 Mar 2010, 03:33
Jayenkai
I don't mind using C to do DS stuff, because I know the target is always going to be a DS, with it's system being entirely as expected, and things working as they should.

But I don't think I'd like to properly attempt something like AGameAWeek in C, for PCs. The number of different configs is getting stupid nowadays. It's tricky enough double checking everything in BMax, without having to do it all in C.

I'd say it depends entirely on your timescale, and what sort of framework you're working in.

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Tue, 23 Mar 2010, 06:14
JL235
If your more confident with C++ or C then you'll (typically) be faster. That's not to say you should use them, it's just that experience confidence with a language makes a big difference then the language itself.

One big difference with todays mainstream languages are the wide array of tools. Using one of the main IDEs with a mainstream languages is a very different experience to BMax in it's editor (which even for a text editor is quite basic).

For me, the tools and the community available online (including free code, tutorial, support, etc) are what make me choose the languages I use. They might have a couple of forums, but overall BMax and GLBasic come out pretty badly on both counts when you compare them to the wealth of other stuff around.

Another factor is then 'what if I want to go pro?' You'll find either you will need to switch language, or the potential team mates will because very few people use those languages.

But this is all opinion, there is no right or wrong. Plus a good programming will make a better product in BMax then a bad programmer using a mainstream language with the latest tools. But tools are important, they are like learning an instrument. Having an expensive guitar won't make you a talented musician. But if I was a professional muscician then I would be able to make better music using a high-end guitar then a bad one because I can make better use of it (hence why professional muscians, artists, engineers, architects and programmers too buy and use expensive high-end equipment).

And I didn't even use the J word!
Tue, 23 Mar 2010, 06:20
Jayenkai
I've said this before, and here I am saying it again.. I feel that I've always been very amateurish in my dev-skills, as well as my art and audio skills.
I'm kinda crap, but inexplicably managing to bluff my way through some pretty interesting stuff.
One of the reasons for this is that I've tried my best to stick with the tools that I know.

I've grown so accustomed to PaintShop Pro 7 that I'm actually doing LAYER stuff! Me! Layers!!
In Blitz, it took me YEARS before I dared to touch the 3D stuff, and even then it was just to enhance the 2D stuff.
And if you listen to the stuff I was making a couple of years ago in Fruityloops, there's a massive difference to the stuff I'm doing now.

It's not just about picking the right language, it's about building your knowledge of it up to a better standard. Learning every little nook and cranny, and figuring out the best way to do everything.

When I was trying to decide "What next" in December, I really tried a whole lot of stuff.

I guess it was inevitable that I'd end up going with BlitzMax. I'm still in my comfort zone, even if it's punctuation is wildly different.

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Tue, 23 Mar 2010, 06:39
omadan
thanks for replies. But i can see many of you going very much off-track. thanks all anyways.


Wed, 24 Mar 2010, 14:29
dna
You could try freebasic.