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DarkPRINCIPLES Professional is a tutorial DVD kit for DarkBASIC Professional. It spans across 3 DVD's, and totals just over seven and a half hours of video tutorials.

The Products name is DarkBASIC Professional Foundations. As the name suggests, the DVD focuses on getting the users most essential skills up to speed. Allowing them to progress further and faster than they would otherwise.

At present DarkPRINCIPLES Foundations is the largest single Video based tutorial available, and is well on it's way to hitting stores. It features professional level, sensible, easy to navigate menu's, meaning you can select which lesions you what, when you want it on your own terms. Allowing even the busiest of people to fit a little learning into their routines.

The video is captured at native DVD resolutions. No cropping, no pixelation, the text is crystal clear allowing you to easily duplicate what's on the screen. You can pause the video at any time, or simply watch the result in real time as I take you through the language.

You can check out the latest WIP Video I've uploaded to Youtube:

DarkPRINCIPLES Professional WIP Video - DVD Disc 1

The tutorial starts off with the absolute foundations you need to get you started. From installing the software, to learning how to setup variables, data types, arrays, then how to create loops, and make decisions with that data with logic and case statements.

Tutorial Disc 2 and 3 then guide you into the world of 2D and 3D Programming.



The DVD tutorial kit will be available in both PAL and NTSC standards.

I'm definatly buying, looks really good.
How much will it cost?

Jack

I've yet to set the price, it depends on the printing cost per unit. I'm hoping to keep it around $19.99 - $25 (about £15.99) but at the end of the day, it's 3 DVD's, and 7.5 hours of video. Plus there's the DVD burning, and printing costs. I'll update as I get more information from the publisher.

I can however say that the DVD will be sold through the amazon store primarily.

Ok thanks, I've been looking for something like this.

Ah finally. I remember asking for this way back, about a year ago.

Yes sorry there's been such a wait. This project was initally the little book of source code a couple of years ago. But with the price of shipping books oversea's. I decided a DVD tutorial kit would be more effective. It's light packaging, and could be sold at a fraction of the cost. Then I spent some time putting together tutorials on youtube, until I could settle on a format. Since then it's been writing, recording and editing.

The WIP video wasn't very good, because I used fraps to capture it from windows media player. I'll need to sort out a better capture system for the menu. Then I'll render a couple of three minute clips from a few of the tutorials.

In the mean time, here is a complete list of all the chapters across the tutorial set, to give you an idea of the disc content.

Please note, that none of these are WIP, they have all been recorded, encoded, built into a professional DVD menu. The only reason it's not on sale yet is because I've been converting the DVD's into both NTSC as well as PAL for oversea's customers. I should have the master DVD's sent off to the publisher by mid next week.

Chapter List
DVD Disc 1

Getting Started

C0 - Video Beginning
C1 - Logging in
C2 - Activation Keys
c3 - Download DBPro
C4 - Download updates
C5 - Installing DBPro
C6 - Installing Upgrades
C7 - Running On Vista
C8 - Activating DBPro

Understanding your IDE

C0 - Video Beginning
C1 - New Project
C2 - Project Summary
C3 - Toolbar
C4 - Menu Bars
C5 - Help
C6 - Hello World!
C7 - The Colour Code

Variables

C0 - Video Beginning
C1 - Three Basic Types
C2 - Changing Variable Data
C3 - User inputs
C4 - Declarations
C5 - Advanced Variables
C6 - Understanding Floats
C7 - Globals and Locals

Logic and Decision Making

C0 - Introduction
C1 - The IF statement
c2 - Arithmetic Operators
C3 - Relationship Operators
C4 - Boolean Operators
C5 - Case Statements

Loops

C0 - Beginning
C1 - For, Next
C2 - Do, Loop, Exit
C3 - Repeat, Until
C4 - While, EndWhile

Subroutines and Functions

C0 - Introduction
C1 - Gosub
C2 - Functions

DVD Disc Two

2D Space and Text Commands

C0 - Introduction
C1 - X and Y
C2 - Sync Setup
C3 - Backdrop On
C4 - Text
C5 - Circle
C6 - Line
C7 - Box
C8 - Set Text Font
C9 - Set Text Size
C10 - Setting Text Styles
C11 - Moving Text with arrow keys
C12 - Displaying system data
C13 - 2D Clock
C14 - Break_Down_Time()
C15 - Main Program Loop
C16 - Formatting the Clock

3D Objects space.

C0 - Introduction
C1 - Initialising your environment
C2 - Make Object Cube
C3 - Sync
C4 - Adding real-time
C5 - Make Object Sphere
C6 - Make Object Plain
C7 - Make Object Box
C8 - Make Object Triangle
C9 - 3D Space (free flight, EULA)
C10 - Rotate Object
C11 - Displaying Object Rotation
C12 - Wrapping Angles
C13 - Rotation Directions
C14 - Precise Object Rotation with Floats
C15 - Position Object
C16 - Autocam Off
C17 - Camera and real time object data
C18 - Moving Objects
C19 - Display Object Positions
C20 - Moving and Rotating
C21 - Move Object
C22 - Free Flight
C23 - Turning Object
C24 - Pitch Object
C25 - Roll Object
C26 - Free Flight Angles
C27 - Controlling Object with arrow keys
C28 - Other easy key commands
C29 - Inkey$()
C30 - Keystate and Scancode
C31 - Using a Joystick/ Gamepad in Digital mode
C32 - Using a Joystick/ Gamepad in Analogue mode

DVD Disc 3

C0 - Introduction and housekeeping
C1 - Creating new project
C2 - Initialising the environment
C3 - Pre-Loop setup
C4 - Main Loop
C5 - Setting up Variables and types
C6 - Make_Face_Numbers()
C7 - Clock_Face()
C8 - Free_Object_ID
C9 - Testing the program
C-10 - Make_Clock_Hands()
C-11 - Break_Down_Time()
C-12 - Move_Hands()
C-13 - Write_TimeDate()
C-!4 - Setting up Perspective Mode
C-15 - Normal_View()
C-16 - Set_Perspective_Mode()
C-17 - Keystates and #Constants
C-18 - Returning to Set_Perspective_Mode()
C-19 - Update_View
C-20 - Perspective_Mode()
C-21 - Running the final program.

Seems like a good range of tutorials that cover most of the basics that you need!

Looks nice, and comes with lots!
Will be buying.

Wow, looks good! If I get the money, I will definitely buy! How long have you been working on this project? Also, thank you for getting both NTSC and PAL, seeing as I am American...

Is this something novice programmers would benefit from (ie., someone who has NO programming knowledge)?


I really hope that's a typo, as I do not want any sores on my body!

lol, yes I ment lessions. There is no medical risk that I know of, when using this product.

I've been working on the DVD for about six months in one form or other. This project started out as a lightweight alternative to Hands on DarkBASIC. But what's lighter then a few dvd's? Definately cheaper to ship, and it's like having your own private tutor.

I really look forward to this release. Will there be a digital download version of this in Quicktime format? If there were a downloadable version, that sure would cut down on costs and shipping charges overseas.

I'm ready to throw down some money on this when it becomes available. So hurry the heck up!

The content on Youtube contains a spelling error. "DakrPRINCIPLES DVD Kit (WIP)".

If you're looking for an affordable CD/DVD publisher then check out http://www.discmakers.com/.

I'll be buying - no doubt!

Cant wait mate.

Providing the disc set does well, it's my intention to provide them as a download option as well. However it depends how well the discs sell. I'll also work on more specific tutorials for certain game types. As well as some more advanced tutorials aimed at more specific area's of game development. Physics, AI, etc.

Thanks for pointing out the disk publisher. I've found a service, but I need to get an IRS tax code and tax exception from the UK US trade treaty. That's all that's slowing the process down at the moment.

Thanks for pointing out the spelling error as well.

So many spelling errors, so little time. This looks cool, but it seems like everytime I turn around, there is a new DBPro beginners guide. What I would really love to see, would be some official tutorials for intermediate / advanced programmers.

Intermediate and advanced tutorials take a far greater amount of time and energy to write and produce. Rather than pumping out tutorials that only a select few programmers are going to be experianced enough to handle, it's always better to write a foundation product that builds users up to the level they need to be.

There's no point my teaching people how to use physics and shaders, if they don't know the difference between an Integer and a Float, how to setup arrays, input data, or make the meanest of operations.

However upon saying that. Once the product demonstrates a reasonable return it is my intention to expand the range with more advanced tutorials, and specific tutorials aimed at certain game types. FPS, Retro, RTS, Multipler, etc.

But again it's down to time and money, I need to work on projects that being in some kind of income.

Hey guys, I'm pleased to announce, that at least. I've got the disc's up for sale online. The offical product release threat is loaded HERE or you can proceed directly to the store, by clicking on the banner above or below.