I am really impressed with BlitzBasic. It really looks robust and the price is reasonable. The only problem is I don't know basic real well :( Is there something similar out there with a C like syntax? What else is out there like Blitz? I am interested in 3D.

thanx

Try Java with the LWJGL library and compile it down natively using Jet. C-like syntax, Blitz-like ease of use provided you can get your head round OpenGL.

Cas :)

Originally posted by roujesky
I am really impressed with BlitzBasic. It really looks robust and the price is reasonable. The only problem is I don't know basic real well :( Is there something similar out there with a C like syntax? What else is out there like Blitz? I am interested in 3D.

thanx


I started using BlitzBasic a couple months ago and like you I didn't know Basic either. I had been programming in C++ for about 5 years and was very comfortable with it. And I pretty much had the same thought as you're having, "Gee, wouldn't this be perfect if it used C++ instead of Basic." I'm still using it though and I've gotten very comfortable working in BlitzBasic.

BlitzBasic is actually more of a cross between C++ and Basic though. It's actually not truly Basic but a hybrid language.

Anyway it only took me a few hours to learn the BlitzBasic language and a couple weeks to feel comfortable with it and stop wishing it used C++ instead.

Overall, I think Blitz is awesome and it's allowed me to really hit the ground running with my first attempt at a 3D game.

Originally posted by roujesky
I am really impressed with BlitzBasic. It really looks robust and the price is reasonable. The only problem is I don't know basic real well :( Is there something similar out there with a C like syntax? What else is out there like Blitz? I am interested in 3D.

thanx

You could always look at Allegro. It's basicly a free C++ / C Library that handles all the graphics / sound / input for your game. It's decent and fairly well community supported.

The main problem with blitz is that it's a proprietary language controlled by just one person: Mark Sibly. If he quits/finds religion/wins the lottery/drops down dead/etc. then that's pretty much the end of the language, and any chance of future updates and bug fixes go right out of the window.

This has already happened with blitz 2D. The language wasn't selling very well, so it was dropped. Now, with the latest nvidia driver release it seems there is an incompatability with bitz 2d. But there will never be a patch released because the language has been officially declared as discontinued.

I'm not saying people shouldn't use blitz, I'm just saying you should be aware that choosing a niche language could eventually come back to bite you in the ass because it's future is far less certain than a dominant language like c++.

Originally posted by RedClaw
The main problem with blitz is that it's a proprietary language controlled by just one person: Mark Sibly. If he quits/finds religion/wins the lottery/drops down dead/etc. then that's pretty much the end of the language, and any chance of future updates and bug fixes go right out of the window.

This has already happened with blitz 2D. The language wasn't selling very well, so it was dropped. Now, with the latest nvidia driver release it seems there is an incompatability with bitz 2d. But there will never be a patch released because the language has been officially declared as discontinued.


This is something I've been thinking about a bit. The language itself so far seems pretty stable and already has all the features that I need to make my games so I'm not to concerned about it getting updated. But Blitz is also an engine(actually 2 engines, Blitz3D and BlitzPlus) and when you talk about a new driver coming out that isn't supported, that's an engine issue, not a language issue. It is a good point and definitely something to keep in mind, but I think that's going to be the case whenever anyone decides to use any existing engine instead of building there own.

The engine issue is what Mark wants to address in BlitzMax.

BlitzMax is the one thing that actually concerns me. I don't think I'll be using it since he's said that it will be based on DirectX9 which is a bad thing for shareware since so few people will have DX9 installed on there machines. Personally I intend to stick with Blitz3D. My concern though is that once BlitzMax is out he may stop supporting Blitz3D and then I'd be in exactly the situation that RedClaw described.

Anyway, BlitzMax is still a long way off. Mark Sibly is still very actively supporting Blitz3D and probably will be for quite a while. Also, if the worse case scenerio happens and he does drop it, odds are my games will still run ok on most future cards that will be coming out anyway.

So seriously: look at Java. It looks like C++ but it behaves like BASIC which is what the OP wanted, it's as flexible as a very bendy thing, and it's got more support and expertise behind it than almost any other language on the net now barring C++ itself.

Cas :)

Actually BlitzMax will give you more freedom to choose your renderer, rather than less.

Originally posted by HunterSD
Actually BlitzMax will give you more freedom to choose your renderer, rather than less.

I printed out and read Mark Sibly's entire worklog today and now have a much better understanding of Mark's intentions. And you're right. We will be able to at the least choose between DirectX, OpenGL and DIB. What I don't know though is if Mark will support multiple versions of DirectX.

Anyway this is a little off the topic of what the OP was asking so to lean back towards the original topic I'll make a quick mention of SDL as another engine that might be worth looking into:
http://www.libsdl.org/index.php

I have been considering Blitz3D myself. In the past, I used BlitzBasic on the Amiga and totally loved it. The main reason I'd want to use Blitz3D now, is the reduction in development time it offers. Its 3D API is in many ways much simpler than Direct3D and that will be a big time saver.

However, I don't really like the Blitz language itself. The only advanced data type it has is the equivalent of a C struct. And like in the Amiga days, its IDE is still very lame. Just like another poster mentioned, I'd much rather use C++, but in combination with Blitz's 3D API.

I have considered 'porting' the Blitz 3D API (and possibly some of the 2D stuff -- to render text, for example) to C++. Make it a shared library, just like SDL, but focused on 3D games. The backend would use Direct3D on Windows, OpenGL on other platforms.

Interesting as it may sound, time constraints and other obligations keep me from starting this project. Oh well, maybe some day :D

Will be Blitzmax cross-platform?
I am about to finish my first game using Blitz3D.
It was really a pain to make it though. The Blitz syntax is good for small action games, not for big/complex/long simulation/strategy/rpg games (mine is a soccer sim game).

It is really a good language: but not for everyone tastes. The IDE is horrible too.

Since I discovered PTK (http://ptk.phelios.com) I am looking forward to finish this game with Blitz to start a new one with it (well I am already starting a new one with it).

I know practically only the basics of C/C++ but with that lib I can make games using the powerful C syntax, then using pre-defined API.

It is only for 2D games: but it is cross-dev, which is pretty good if you want to sell more.

Originally posted by Jack_Norton
Will be Blitzmax cross-platform?
I am about to finish my first game using Blitz3D.
It was really a pain to make it though. The Blitz syntax is good for small action games, not for big/complex/long simulation/strategy/rpg games (mine is a soccer sim game).

It is really a good language: but not for everyone tastes. The IDE is horrible too.


Yes, it will be cross-platform: Windows, Mac and Linux. I agree currently it's not as good as C++ for large scale projects. Mark is currently adding Object-Oriented components to the language. I think eventually it will be similar to C++ but with basic syntax.

The IDE is horrible. Barely usable in my opinion. I'm using an alternate IDE, it's called Visual Blitz IDE(It's right on the front page of http://www.blitzcoder.com/ in the showcase listing), if you are still working on your game you may want to consider switching to this IDE. It's FAR, FAR better then the regular Bllitz IDE.

Well I am glad to hear that Blitzmax will have OOP components!
For now I'll stick with PTK for sure, maybe when it get out I'll take a look, even if for indie 3D gaming is not really so important (you miss a lot of potential market).
The IDE I am using is the BlitzView IDE, it has some bugs but overall is nice to use, expecially because it have built-in PAK support, through Terabite PAK plugin for Blitzbasic.

roujesky, if you happen to read this I think I may have found exactly what you're asking for.

You said you were looking for something like BLitz3D but used C syntax. You should take a look at the Reaction Engine by Monster Studios:

http://www.garagegames.com/pg/product/view.php?id=14#system

It sounds like it's an easy to use entry level engine, like Blitz, but it uses C++. And it's only $60.