Sorry your browser is not supported!

It just occurred to me that although Box2D is free I paid TGC $30 for it? I understand that someone had to make the wrapper for the plugin, but now that I think about it it's a little pricey for something based upon a free library. Does any of that profit get donated to the original developer?

I raised this issue in another thread with a slightly bigger problem:

TGC represents it as "Box2D". Not just a wrapper to support it - they make it out to be Box2D itself almost.

Box has a ZLib licence, so it's OK to integrate it into other things and modify it without credit. But I reckon this product is specifically disobeying this:



Nowhere on the Box2D page does it actually say "based on the library Box2D" or anything. Not even a link to acknowledge its existence. It's almost a deliberate attempt to make a buyer think that the wrapper is Box2D itself

The product is represented as Box2D for DarkBASIC Professional
This is a wrapper, not a modification to the original source
There is no claim that TGC wrote the software, just as there is no claim that TGC wrote Leadwerks, AC3D, SFXengine or other non-TGC products sold through the site.

And $30 for this plugin - priceless! I'm using it and it has to be one of the best plugins ever released

I've always described it as either "Box2D for DarkBASIC Professional" or "Box2D plugin for DarkBASIC Professional". On the menu, it's under the "DarkBASIC Professional" group. It's simply easier for people to refer to it as "Box2D" when posting in a DBPro forum. I can't help that. I've always intended to donate to Erin Catto, but I couldn't get a debit card with my old bank account because it was a child account. Coincidentally, the PIN for my debit card with my new account came this morning... I don't know why I should even have to explain this?

As for value for money:

For the plugin I had/have to do this:
- Learn the box2d library inside-out so that I understand what every part of the code does (no simple task).
- The box2d library must be converted from an OOP API to a procedural one using an interface layer.
- All complex types must be converted to use only the built in DBPro types.
- All fields must have functions to both set and get their values.
- All commands must have code added so that all values can be scaled by the units you want.
- The API must be made "safe" so that it won't just crash if you do something wrong.
- A debug rendering api to draw the state of the simulation through DBPro must be written.
- Help files for all 310 commands must be written. Do you have any idea how much work that is?
- Demos must be written.
- Tutorials must be written.
- Media for demos/help files/tutorials must be created.
- If it weren't for the fact that I've written tools to do it for me, I'd have to write the string tables and keywords files by hand, and edit individual help files' html.
- I have to provide updates for feature requests and fix bugs.
- I have to provide support for people using the plugin.

Not to mention the actual programming skills which must be learned before even attempting this.

Then there's the fact that noone else did it. It's not just the work you put in that's worth money, the idea to do in the first place is also worth something.

Finally there's the value side. People find it useful to have this ready to use wrapper. If they didn't they wouldn't buy it.

The simple fact is, if you don't want to pay for it, make it yourself. It's possible for anyone to make Box2D work with DBPro. The reason you pay the $30 is so that you don't have to.

I wasn't questioning the quality of your work, and I did buy the plugin already. My game may not have even been possible without your work. My post wasn't meant to come off as harsh, just merely trying to understand taking something that was intended by the author as free use then charging for it. No doubt it took a lot of work on your part to make it function with DB as seamless as it does. Maybe too much FOSS has spoiled me over the years

@Diggsey - You don't have to explain yourself. You did an awesome job and the Box2D author doesn't require anything monetary as far as I know.