12 isnt too young to start. I started when I was 13, and 12 isnt too far behind. Mattman just turned 13, and hes a pretty good DB user as far as I can tell.
Dont get over excited is the big thing when your young. Get this through your head first - The next big Star Wars game is not coming out of you anytime soon
Read the post at the top that Yellow and I compiled with the rest of the communities help. It has lots of free resources, and FAQ's.
Yes, there are demos of DB/P. Id look at DBP since its the better (I think) of the two, only a little more expensive. Here is the link to the demo..
http://darkbasicpro.thegamecreators.com/?f=trial
In case you dont have the cash or think that that might be too many commands to start off with (I dont agree with that theory myself) you can check out Dark Basic Classic (I started with it, only because DBP wasnt out yet
)
http://darkbasic.thegamecreators.com/?f=trial
Thats the classic trial download. Pro is still being updated, so if you have the cash and confidence, go for it. Remember, each command comes with a full explanation and working example of how it works. Learn from code. Not only is there a digital manual, you also get a printed manual.
You may want to look at "The Beginners Guide to Programming with DarkBasic" as I have heard it is really good.
Remember to start small, else you will get overwhelmed, and quit. You dont want that to happen
You have the most helpful thing you could get at your fingertips - US! When you have a() question(s), first look in your manual, the tutorials and the examples and make sure its not there, and come on over here and ask. But remember to explain with detail (we hate that
) Search the forum first - it may be answered elsewhere
So, your not too young. It is a lot about maturity (IE. you dont come to the forums requesting a tutorial how to make FF12) Keep everything in contrast, dont overwhelm yourself. Start small, pretty soon youll be programming with the elite
Hope thats helpful
RPGamer