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Newcomers DBPro Corner / Path to follow?

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GLaDOS
14
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Joined: 16th Jul 2009
Location: Italy
Posted: 20th Dec 2012 17:16
Hello everyone! Im extremely interested in Darkbasic and i really want to learn it but i have no idea what to do..what "Path" Should i take? i mean what to learn first,ecc.also some tutorials? cant find good ones (or newer ones)
Thank you

~GLaDOS
TheComet
16
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Joined: 18th Oct 2007
Location: I`m under ur bridge eating ur goatz.
Posted: 20th Dec 2012 21:04
Damn, I can't believe I didn't choose that forum name. Actually, I can't believe it was available!

The best path to take is composed of 3 things.

1) Read and do TDK's tutorials : http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=99497&b=10

2) Download some very simple projects and look at the source code. Start changing some numbers and play around with it a bit so you understand how it works.

3) Make your own programs. This is obviously the most important step. You'll never learn how to program if you don't program.

TheComet

GLaDOS
14
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Joined: 16th Jul 2009
Location: Italy
Posted: 20th Dec 2012 21:10
Thank you! Also i was Called "FPScreator4ever" But i asked a mod to change it to GLaDOS Since its my Nickname...everywhere

~GLaDOS
MrValentine
AGK Backer
13
Years of Service
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Joined: 5th Dec 2010
Playing: FFVII
Posted: 21st Dec 2012 01:27
The Hands On books are priceless in my view... You can get cheaper PDF versions too, I reference them on EVERY project!

Book 1

Book 2

GLaDOS
14
Years of Service
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Joined: 16th Jul 2009
Location: Italy
Posted: 21st Dec 2012 07:48
Thank you MrValentine,but I Prefer online tutorials,they're Free,and i i cant afford those 2 volumes right now,but thanks anyway

~GLaDOS
Chris Tate
DBPro Master
15
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Joined: 29th Aug 2008
Location: London, England
Posted: 23rd Dec 2012 15:54
It's easy to get trigger happy when you get started with DBPRO, but spending a week away from the keyboard and reading the tutorials and books will make you more self sufficient.

For me, reading the FPSC source code or some of the full game snippets was a challenge but valuable; that really helped me to understand the engine better; I've never had to ask much questions over the years, the answers are in the source code.

Dragon slayer
17
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Joined: 3rd Nov 2006
Location: Bourbonnais Illinois
Posted: 23rd Dec 2012 16:41
Yes reading source code does do a lot to help you. I have had this problem of which path to follow. I get board as hell working from a book but you have to learn somehow. I also don't know which path to follow with languages. I want to learn DBP but I am also very interested in learning C++ and have been learning both at the same time for a little while. It is a very slow process and I am going to have to drop one for now. I just don't know which one yet. One day I say I am going to drop DBP and work with C++ but then the next day I come back to DBP to implement everything I learned in C++ the day before into DBP then I will work with DBP for a few days and say I am going to drop C++ but then I go back to it and try to work out everything I learned in DBP in C++. I guess what ever works!

Chris Tate I did have the idea to read the FPSC source code but kind of forgot about it. You just brought it to the front of my mind now I am going to go do that!

Dragonslayer
Chris Tate
DBPro Master
15
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Joined: 29th Aug 2008
Location: London, England
Posted: 23rd Dec 2012 20:21 Edited at: 23rd Dec 2012 20:36
Quote: " I just don't know which one yet. One day I say I am going to drop DBP and work with C++ but then the next day I come back to DBP"


I had this issue with DBP and Visual Basic.NET; my final decision is to use them both.

C++ is far more complete than DBP, but the reason I haven't bothered to learn it is because I don't think I have to. If I ever need something that only C++ can deliver, I'll just pay for it. Many games and applications out there a interpreted these days.

I think C++ would bring you closer to the core of the DirectX API and is an educational investment that would bring you more employment than DBP would. I would choose C++ unless you already have alternative industry standards under your belt.

From my perspective, I have VB.NET, PHP, JS, XML, XSL, a little Python and MySQL; plus CG and design; so what I cannot do in DBP gets done with one of these assets; and wouldn't need additional tech on my CV.

Quote: "Chris Tate I did have the idea to read the FPSC source code but kind of forgot about it. You just brought it to the front of my mind now I am going to go do that!"

Have fun, it's real long program; you got the game, the editor and an X10 version I think. A good tip is to add comments as you study it, and start off with the entity UDT, the main core loop and AI script select branch; once you grasp those parts it then makes more sense.

There's also Van B's Bruce code snippet. The other big one was a space simulator, can't remember its name, thinks its ESP, but I found that one difficult to understand. (Have a search for them)

Dragon slayer
17
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Joined: 3rd Nov 2006
Location: Bourbonnais Illinois
Posted: 25th Dec 2012 19:10
I really like C++ as much as I know of it now but I can't even use text commands in it yet like I can with DBP It will be a real long time before I can do anything worthwhile with C++. Also I am not looking for a job in this industry. I may want to sell some games and programs from my own website. That's about it.

I will probably devote more time to DBP right now and mess around with C++ here and there. I do like to do things in one language and then try to do them in the other. There is a lot of stuff I can do in DBP that I can't do on C++ right now!

Merry Christmas
Chris Tate
DBPro Master
15
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Joined: 29th Aug 2008
Location: London, England
Posted: 26th Dec 2012 16:00
Cool.

Quote: "I really like C++ as much as I know of it now but I can't even use text commands in it yet like I can with DBP"


Oh. Are you not using DarkGDK with C++?

Text commands are just as easy; once you add your references. It's practically what DBP uses; what you can do in DBP you can do in DGDK.

Cya.

Dragon slayer
17
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Joined: 3rd Nov 2006
Location: Bourbonnais Illinois
Posted: 28th Dec 2012 01:42 Edited at: 28th Dec 2012 02:07
No but I should set it up. I have been using some new version of Dev c which is pretty good. I would have to use Visual c++ which I don't really like. I have 2008 which I can get along with pretty well. I have used 2010 and 12 and they seem very slow with everything.

Can you set up classes with darkGDK, I know what they are but have not really gotten into them yet but that would be very cool if you could.

I have been working out of a C++ book. Would I still be able to do those exercises with DGDK? They have nothing to do with 3D or graphics, just learning about the language, arrays, functions, classes, pointers etc...? I would still like to do those but with dark basic pro commands if that can be done.

I checked, I have this all set up. Don't know why I have not been messing with it! Might be the best of both worlds, learn both at the same time which I have been trying to do any way!
Chris Tate
DBPro Master
15
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Joined: 29th Aug 2008
Location: London, England
Posted: 28th Dec 2012 04:10
Cool; I'm not the best reference for C++ advice; but based on my .NET experience, yes you can setup your own classes which implement DGDK to suit; thus the benefit of using DGDK is OOP.

I can't see why you could not work from most C++ books with DGDK, you'd just interoperate between them.

I still use VS 2008 for most of my work. For frontend presentation might use VS 2010 once and a while.

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