Blitz3D and AppGameKit differences syntax wise

[Tom]

Hi there,

If a kind soul would take the time to tell me the key differences between Blitz3d and AppGameKit syntax wise. I know that they're very similar but also different. What I would like to know is the differences between types functions and arrays.

Thanks!

[RemiD]

i can explain dim arrays and custom types for Blitz3d :

from the blitzbasic documentation :

TYPE is used to create a 'collection' of objects that share the same parameters and can be interated through quickly and easily.

TYPE defines an object collection. Each object in that collection inherits its own copy of the variables defined by the TYPE's FIELD command. Each object can be easily iterated, and each variable of each objectcan be read / written individually.

in others words, dim arrays and custom types allow you to have a list of entities / things which share the same properties (variables) and components (image, texture, mesh, sound, etc...).

an example with dim arrays :

Code Select Expand

global memberscount%
dim member_name$(100)
dim member_avatar(100) ;image
dim member_karma%(100)

memberscount = memberscount + 1 : i% = memberscount
member_name(i) = "Tom"
member_avatar(i) = tom_image
member_karma(i) = 100

an example with custom type :

Code Select Expand

global memberscount%
type Tmember
 field name$
 field avatar ;image
 field karma%
end type

memberscount = memberscount + 1 
ent.Tmember = new Tmember
 ent\name = "Tom"
 ent\avatar = tom_image
 ent\karma = 100

more examples with custom type, here : https://www.syntaxboom.com/forum/index.php?topic=40.0

[Tom]

So the funny thing is that I know BB more, and I would need a comparison from people who use both.

[Dabzy]

It's what tickles your fancy really as an "individual programmer"... One mans rubbish is another mans gold so to speak.

Ideally, you should write two applications that acheive the same thing, and then you can best judge yourself which one is for you/project you have in mind.

Me, I always make a Croco Magneto clone when trying something new, I've wrote that bugger in so many languages it's unreal... I wrote a version when I tried Monkey for the first time, put it on the Monkey site as a HTML5 game, and later on down the line, Zoe from GameHammer was reviewing it as if it was a proper clone, so I had to explain to her that it was just a bash, that took half a shift to make!

Here's the video:

Me, famous for 5 minutes!

So yeah, just have a play with something short and manageable, because the best judge of such things... Is you!

Dabz

[Tom]

Ah well, thanks. Croco Magneto nice port! I modify my question to what's the difference between type and array in AGK vs Blitz? Other than that I'll try to port something from Blitz to AGK. Thanks!

[RemiD]

Ideally, you should write two applications that acheive the same thing, and then you can best judge yourself which one is for you/project you have in mind.

yes, i would do the same.

AGK has more modern tech, like shaders which looks better (per pixel lighting shading, per pixel shadows, per pixel glow, per pixel relfections)

blitz3d has old tech (per vertices lighting shading, projected shadows (on a textured flat mesh) or stencil shadows, glow with 'screen meshes' with an offset, relfections with cubemap textures.)

but do you really need that to make little games ? personally i don't think so...

but it depends on your goals.

[Tom]

Dabz! How many languages did you port Croco Magneto into? And which port did you like the most? And which language provided the best ground for this game?

[Dabzy]

See, for me, I don't have a set favourite, if I'm playing, Blitz will always be my comfy "warm apple pie" language, the first PC game dev language I used on a PC, and had some great times back in the day.

But, I was more productive with GLBasic in terms of making stuff for a few beer tokens, because around the time, GLBasic WAS the one to go to for iOS.

BlitzMax, again, great Blitz language, but elevated by Brucey and his mods for GUI application based programming, especially wxMax.

The monkeys were alright, but, somewhat lacking due to their lowest denominator type setup in regards to features, HTML5 was cool, but it strangled them if you ask me.

AGK is okay, but, I was pretty much late to the party on that front, but, it does what it does, nowt wrong with it, like Remid said, it's got all the features needed for 2D game dev in the modern world... Shame it was let go really, I probably would use it more then I'm ever going to do now.

I'm a big fan of C# too, I made Croco using MS's XNA, I was a bit torn when they dropped that, I know MonoGame is still about, but, I did enjoy a bit of XNA back in the day!

I've built it in C/C++ using various graphics libraries, even DirectX9 with my own library, which is the foundation of my DX9Lib DLL which I still use now and working on.

One language I havent made Croco in is B4X:

https://www.b4x.com/

This is a great language if your going to go in for mobile based tools and apps, never done anything game related, but you can create games with it... Honestly, it's solid as a rock, syntax is very Visual Basic like, it has a bundled WYSIWYG GUI editor, you can even build and submit iOS apps without even owning a mac, but that service costs extra.

Again, overall... I use what I use on the basis on what I'm doing or what I want to make/faff on with, Croco is my getting to know it toy.

I quite simply don't have a "bestest" language I could pin down, because there simply isnt one.

Dabz

[Baggey]

I quite simply don't have a "bestest" language I could pin down, because there simply isnt one.

Well, BitmaxBG and Cmax are in the making

[Tom]

Dabz, thanks for sharing.