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AppGameKit Classic Chat / Why do you use AGK?

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RickV
TGC Development Director
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 16:57
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Hi,

TGC would like to hear why you choose to develop with AGK. What are the reasons you use it to make your apps. Please post your comments in this thread.

We'd also like to know if any of your are Steam Curators. If you are, please post a link to your curation page.

Thanks,

Rick

Development Director
TGC Team
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Van B
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 17:16 Edited at: 14th Nov 2014 17:20
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The main thing for me is that it allows multi-platform development without the need for obfuscation, complex SDK's and requirements, and still allows finite control over things that are specific to each platform.
I find it a very fluid language, probably because I'm used to DBPro and AppGameKit is much like a close sibling of that IMO, if you know DBPro then you'll take to AppGameKit like a duck to water. I like the way it lends itself to retro projects, pixelation is very easy and the collision and physics system is very straightforward. AppGameKit allows us to concentrate on gameplay dynamics and visuals, the parts of game development that are actually fun to develop. A lot of the difficult aspects of game development are just non-issues with AGK.

Plus, theres always the community behind AppGameKit - lets be real, it's the best game development community on the internet.

I am the one who knocks...
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Ranietz
AGK Gold Backer
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 17:55
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I don't consider myself as a game programmer but more like a hobby programmer who is curious about how things work in a game. Like, how do I create a random dungeon for a roguelike or how do I make a character jump in a platform game.

Click and drag programs like Game Maker are too restrictive and programming languages like c++ are too complicated to get into (like Van B said).

With AppGameKit I just start a new project and start coding. AppGameKit lets me focus on the thing I like most about programming.

In other words: what Van B said.
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CJB
Valued Member
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 18:00
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I agree with Van B. The price-point has been absolutely bang on for the bedroom-coder enthusiast and imho V1 should remain in that domain. I feel V2 is taking the product to a whole new level of viability for commercial game and application developers. It's like AppGameKit is going Pro at last!

I was a DarkBasic Classic user from very early on, progressing to DBPro. Let's face it, most of the ideas for AppGameKit were mine anyway - Interpreter & bytecode, multi-platform, shaders & such *thinks back to the old DBC wish-list days* - still haven't seen a web-player yet though (export to HTML5 anyone?) Heheh. The AppGameKit development has been like watching all my coding dreams come true! I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling like that. It has taken a LONG time coming, but it's now getting to that point where I can really get stuck in and write some amazing apps and games without having to worry about all the boring stuff!

Why do I choose to develop with AppGameKit? Because Paul and TGC are super-heroes, AppGameKit is becoming uber shiny, and the community is amazing. Simple!

Uzmadesign
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janbo
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 18:49 Edited at: 14th Nov 2014 18:50
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For me it's definitely the Comunity and
Quote: "if you know DBPro then you'll take to AppGameKit like a duck to water"
100% true.
DBpro was/is very powerfull, but easy to dive in and so is AGK.

And I found that I can now shape AppGameKit like I want, cause TGC/Paul is listening to us and is doing a great job.

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Naphier
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 19:29
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Price
Easy of use
Stability of the 2D engine
Frequency of patches from a very small team

Quotable:
"Before AppGameKit I really had no experience in programming. We now have 4 published games and quite a few in the pipeline. AppGameKit allows us to prototype and develop games in a very short period of time. I can usually write a prototype in a couple of days because of the engine's stability. When there are issues, AppGameKit gets them fixed and they listen to their customers!"

Napland Games - Sudoku In Space - Wordspionage - dFenz Facebook
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george++
AGK Tool Maker
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 20:05 Edited at: 14th Nov 2014 20:06
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Alhtough I am a hobbyist here is my answer

In order of importance:
1. Ability to use C++
2. Forum support
3. Multi-platform development
4. Low-cost
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MikeHart
AGK Bronze Backer
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 20:23 Edited at: 15th Nov 2014 15:14
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My oppinion:

1) Great API in Tier 1
2) Very good IDE which is crossplatform in version 2
3) Fast enough for my needs
4) Good community, no stupid Brand bashing
5) fast broadcasting to a player on a different device

The most important for me

6) ongoing development and enhancement of AGK. Open to user requests. Active user support. Please don't stop that. As this is a closed system, this is the most important aspect for AGK.
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Digital Awakening
AGK Developer
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Posted: 14th Nov 2014 21:18
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It works the way I think. It removes hurdles and makes programming fast and easy. And I don't need to follow a structure or learn an interface made by someone else. I am truly free to do whatever I want and I am always in full control of every aspect.

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unlikely
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 05:32 Edited at: 15th Nov 2014 05:35
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1) Cross-platform tools! Yay!
2) Has lots of out of the box advanced features that take VERY LITTLE effort to pick up and use in projects (physics, shaders, networking)
3) Multiplatform support with extremely little hassle (especially now in v2!) Broadcaster for testing
4) Open and responsive to requests / concerns from users - active development.
5) Great performance
6) Tier 1 Basic is simple and straightforward to use without forcing you to feel like you're wrestling with it, but has C++ support for those who need / like it
7) Friendly, knowledgeable, established community
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BatVink
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 12:52
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AGK makes games and mobile App programming accessible to all. Specifically for me, it reduces setup time to an absolute minimum.

Combined with V2 exporting, you don't have to be concerned with project configuration, hardware requirements, differences between platforms or even how it does what it does. All you need to focus on is your game/app idea.

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur
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29 games
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 13:18
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I find AppGameKit to be flexible and versatile, allowing me to create a wide variety of games from 2D top down shooters to 3D racing games. Tier 1 allows a lot of creative freedom without being overly difficult.

I also think the community is really good, with lots of help and advice available, and the forums are one of the more pleasant corners of the internet.

Purple Complex: An Arcade Style First Person Tactical Shooter - full game available now
Hover Car Race Challenge Accepted! - full game available now
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JohnnyMeek
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 14:07
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The thing I love most about AppGameKit is the ability to test on the device without having to continually make builds.

The broadcast to device is avery powerful feature and makes rapid prototyping super simple.
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Alex_Peres
AGK Master
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 15:50 Edited at: 15th Nov 2014 15:50
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1. Cross-platform
2. Low-cost
3. Easy to start with
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Impetus73
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 16:15
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AGK reminds me of AMOS, and the "Amiga" feeling from the golden years of computers

It's as mentioned here not too easy and restricted, and not too complicated and hard, so I guess it must be PERFECT!

I wish Lee were programming full time alongside Paul, on AppGameKit, then it would rule the programming world by now.

----------------
AGK programmer
Did Amiga / AMOS programming in the 90's.
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Blendman
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 17:18
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- easy to learn (tier1 basic)
- Active developpement and regular news and versions
- Cross-platform : easy export to Pc, mac, android,ios, specially with the v2.
- powerfull and stability of the engine
- a lots of premade functions (sprite, physics, shaders...)
- great community (forum and team)

http://www.dracaena-studio.com
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ACKohollic
AGK Backer
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 17:43
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AGK V2 for me is a way to connect the dots. From the simplest basic program to the most complex c++ algorithm you can use this software and see the results across multi platforms. Without having to know the ins and outs of each each platform. From window to android to ios you click a button and you have your program ready to go. AppGameKit V2 is coming of age and at this price point it's going to be hard to beat. I have tried most of the other software packages and the other so called development kits and hands down AppGameKit V2 is the one to beat. If you need something to use for your project weather it a game or other app I would recommend this highly. Don't just take my word for this give it a try you will not be disappointed. Love the Developer support concern for making the best products for me not just because it the right thing to do but because they love to do it. Way to go TGC on another great product.

FPSCR and AGK2 how great is that!!!
Go TGC yay!!
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miguetrek
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 18:12
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I am developing mobile games in my spare time and need a simple and powerful tool that allows me to fast developments. I come from GDK and transition to AppGameKit was quick and easy. C++ is important to me because I love OOP and is the language which learned many years ago (and I have no time to learn another in profused).

Summarizing:

- Low cost
- Programming with C++
- Powerful and simple SDK
- Multiplatform development with very few changes

miguetrek mobile games
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Hodgey
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Posted: 15th Nov 2014 23:43
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Hi all.

While I know the question is why do you use AppGameKit, I thought I'd say why I don't use it anymore as I feel this feedback will also be helpful to TGC. I've kept it quite short and so there's a fair bit of detail missing but it should give an overall idea of my experiences.

As some of you may remember, I was fairly active in the community a while ago, had a few AppGameKit projects going on etc. I first used AppGameKit BASIC to build games but after attending uni and learning languages like Java, C/C++, and Python I've found BASIC to be far too limited for my needs. At that point I moved to Tier 2.

Working in Tier 2 was ok for a while (some of you may remember a game about a spider known as Snackantula). I mainly developed this on my mac and then Xcode updated and broke the template and thus broke the project (had version control on the code but not the project file) . I tried to recreate the project but it wouldn't work. Tried to move the code to Eclipse and it wouldn't work there either (didn't even make it to the compile stage). The hours I poured into getting the Tier 2 templates to work just became too much. I could also see on the forums, I wasn't the only one who suffered from this. While this wasn't necessarily AGK's fault, I think I gave up waiting for an updated version of the templates for the latest Xcode release (at that point in time). Unfortunately, for me at least, everytime I attempted to set up a template, it took hours and I kind of knew there was only a 10% chance I'd see "Hello World" pop up instead of 100+ compile errors.

It may be a different story nowadays but I'm reluctant to try again given that AppGameKit is still in the alpha phase. Perhaps when there's an official release I'll give it another shot.

The other thing that has affected my use is the want to dive into other areas of development like web dev and most recently, Augmented Reality.

All in all, AppGameKit was fun to use and boosted my programming skills but too many problems with things like setting up T2 projects has made me want to explore other dev kits (like Unity). I'm glad to see that it's still being worked on and that the community is still as supportive (if not more) as it was in the past.

A few other small points
- knowing that only 1 person is developing the whole of AppGameKit isn't the most comforting thought in terms of product quality. While Paul's skills are amazing, he can only work on one part of AppGameKit at any time.
- I can't think of anything else actually. I guess the above was the main one.

I hope this feedback helps TGC in their development of AGK. I do have an itch to try it again, just when it's closer to a release.

I'm not trying to start any debates, arguments or flame wars. Also keep in mind this isn't my full experience with AppGameKit - just the key turning points that have caused me to stop using it (for the time being anyway).

Cheers
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unlikely
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 00:43
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Quote: "but too many problems with things like setting up T2 projects has made me want to explore other dev kits (like Unity)."


Sorry you had so many issues w/ T2 Hodgey! FWIW, I have set up and successfully compiled a tier 2 project in Alpha 9 on Mac. It took me about 5 minutes to do that including renaming everything!
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Harlequin
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 01:20
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Hi All,

I keep coming back to DB and AGK. I had version1, got version2. I have tried quite a few game dev tool kits (Stencyl, Unity, Leadwerks) and the reason I keep coming back is because.
1. lots of examples and a very helpful community.
2. The Basic version is nice a easy and you get quick results, making programming fun and giving that feeling of success.
3. Cross platform, so if I ever chose to publish a game its easy to hit multiple platforms.
4. Stable and simple to get started with.
5. Price is really good (even AGKv1 was a great price for what you got).


The downsides (not what you asked for I know).
1. Limited rate of development, I know Paul is busting his gut to get everything done, but he is only one man....
2. Limited 3d and no real terrain commands (that's where my interest in this is).
3. No Linux target support, I feel this will be important once you hit Steam and I feel could really help sales in Steam.


In a nutshell the simplicity of the language and the speed you can get stuff done brings the fun in home/indie game dev.

cheers

It's late, I'm tired, out of coffee and now I'm wet.
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Lucas Tiridath
AGK Developer
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 09:29
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I use AppGameKit because:
1. It allows me to develop in C++.
2. I find it intuitive and easy to use (possibly influenced by the fact I learnt to code with DBP).
3. It's cross platform.
4. The community around it is great.
5. It's a pure programming solution (not a drag and drop visual engine).

I've found AppGameKit to continue to be useful, even as my needs from it have changed. I've used AppGameKit to develop rapid game jam games, using AppGameKit BASIC, because it's so quick and easy to work with. I've used tier 2 to create published apps and games. During the last year, while I was studying Games Programming at uni, I found AppGameKit extremely useful for mock ups and tests. For example, using AGK's 3D commands, I quickly threw together an example for my team of how to use Bullet Physics. As I was demonstrating the physics, I didn't want to worry about writing the OpenGL rendering code, and AppGameKit stepped up and did that all for me so I could focus on the code that mattered. As Harlequin said, the lack of Linux support is a little sad, as it limits the possibilities for Steam developers, but I still intend to use AppGameKit Tier 2 for my next game.

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george++
AGK Tool Maker
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 13:27
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@Hodgey:
To be honest, I don't feel that I will be able to publish a game made with Tier 2 on other platforms except the Windows platform. There is not a clear and a step by step guide using the AppGameKit V1.
I don't know what is happening in V2 and I will not waste my time until a basic debugger will be implemented.
Let's face it: the AppGameKit offers the ability to build games with C++ but it is not cross platform. The TGC team would have to prove it with working examples and tutorials.
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 14:00
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@Yiorgo - What is the exact problem?

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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Lucas Tiridath
AGK Developer
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 14:02
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Quote: "Let's face it: the AppGameKit offers the ability to build games with C++ but it is not cross platform."

How can you say that? Just look on the gallery at how many people (myself included) have published Android and iOS apps made with AGK.

@Hodgey
I wondered where you'd gone . I've never tried Mac OS X or iOS development with AppGameKit myself so I can't comment on the difficulty of setting up XCode projects. I certainly had my share of troubles with Android, although in the end, I'd say it only took a couple of days to get everything working, and I've been living off that setup ever since. But again, that was done on Windows, so maybe it was different. As for your concerns about there being just a single developer, that's one of the many reasons I steer clear of AppGameKit BASIC these days. I like the fact that working in C++, I can always implement anything that is missing, whilst still benefiting from the huge amount that is available in AGK.

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george++
AGK Tool Maker
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 14:17 Edited at: 16th Nov 2014 14:17
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Quote: "How can you say that?"

I don't know how to publish a game made with Tier 2, on Google Play
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Timshark
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 17:04 Edited at: 16th Nov 2014 17:04
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(In no particular order)

- Easy to use and perfect start platform for home/aspiring devs
- 2 Tiers is a great Idea if you want to expand agk and your programming skills later
- Great features "out of the box" without a bunch of dependencies
- Mac and windows versions
- Deploy for multiple platforms
- Great price and no licensing fee
- Clean and good Ide
- Broadcasting
- User community and Paul is fantastic!!

I never want what I know.
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Hodgey
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 21:34
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Quote: "I have set up and successfully compiled a tier 2 project in Alpha 9 on Mac. It took me about 5 minutes to do that including renaming everything! "

@unlikely - glad to hear that it's faster!

Quote: "Let's face it: the AppGameKit offers the ability to build games with C++ but it is not cross platform. "

I wouldn't say this is entirely true (I had my repo set up so that my code would work with both xcode and visual studio but I don't remember simply pulling and compiling). In other words, it's not as easy as it could be (might be now in v2 but I haven't tried). My repo seemed and the templates seemed to be a very delicate system.

Quote: "I wondered where you'd gone"

Good to see that you're still around. Everyone I knew is now hiding in the shadows...and there are like 50 new moderators. Have you guys been naughty in my absence?

Quote: "I'd say it only took a couple of days to get everything working"

This is kind of my problem - a couple of days is just a bit too long for me. I just have memories of fiddling with the templates for hours and getting nowhere. I think I've just been bitten by the same snake just once too many times unfortunately.

Everyone has their own unique experiences. I feel like AppGameKit needs some polishing before I'll use it as often as I once did. I really think TGC need to get another developer or two to work with Paul on developing AGK. Easier said than done I know but given that there's one person fixing all of the bugs of the apis and the BASIC programming language (while trying to add new features to both) I don't have a lot of confidence in the product (or speed of development). I don't like to say it but I hope that in saying it TGC are now aware of it and can take some action.

I'm glad to see that a whole community is still supporting it.
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xCept
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Posted: 16th Nov 2014 23:38
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I've been using TGC products since the earliest DarkBASIC builds circa 1999. The syntax of AppGameKit is similar albeit more structured than DBPro so it was a breeze to adapt to. I have used dozens of development frameworks along with raw lower level coding (Objective C, C++) and have never found anything as straightforward and quick to develop on than AGK. The ability to develop on PC or Mac and instantly test on other devices is highly efficient, magical even. As a testament to its power, I sat down over a weekend with V2 and coded up a fully cross-platform app that works identically on Mac, Windows, Android and iOS (it was also one of the top three winners in AGK's last competition). Using the new export capabilities, I was able to take my creation and create the APK immediately, which I then published to Google Play without any hassle! AppGameKit allows me to focus on the content and not about the intricacies of creating cross-platform apps, which can take weeks or even months if done directly and would often require a total conversion from one platform to the next.
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Alien Menace
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Posted: 17th Nov 2014 04:24 Edited at: 17th Nov 2014 04:37
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AGK breaks down barriers by providing a very well thought out command set and excellent performance across a variety of platforms. Come to think of it, if I were to write my own language, it would look a LOT like AGK. A bonus is the exceptional community that goes with it. V2, is definitely AGK's coming of age.

Apps published: 4
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xGEKKOx
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Posted: 17th Nov 2014 10:57 Edited at: 17th Nov 2014 11:02
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Well as you know, i'm the one with more AppGameKit apps here, and i developed both games and utility.
I also bought many other 2D engine to compare them with AppGameKit, but i'm still here for some reasons:

- I hate visual drag'n drop
Drag'n drop, in my opinion, is for noobs... so i code all by myself including buttons and windows.

- C++ Native
I started with AppGameKit to earn c++, before it i never used c++ in this way.
As for me Java is a stupid and dangerous language, i love the way AppGameKit use the c++ Tier 2.
I love the way it appear as 1 file LIB. No 1000 files, no confusion.

- Great 2D engine
Well, sometimes it have bugs, but as 3D is useless for an indy coder, the 2D part is great.
With c++ and this engine i can do all i want. And i mean really what i want, is only a matter of time.

- Community
I love the Forum Community, since the DB time. We always try to help each other.
The forum is always the best way to communicate. Go home who say facebook and social stupidity.

- Price
For me the price was a problem when i started, and it was a good price.
Now i can say it is a great price.

- Cross Platform
Well, this is the part i hated...
I never released something for Android cause the things that i need in c++ on NDK are really stupid to code and take long time to understand. I can't lose that time, so i choose the one could make money, iOS.
My choice was right.

App released : 98

Some suggestions:
The things that change on the various OS better if implemented only in the FULL version leaving the LITE without FB, TWITTER, GAME CENTER, IN APP.
I think the community could help each other also on this thing.

Anyway i think Paul and the others are doing a great work, in fact every time i can do a video on my youtube channel to promote the AppGameKit, i do it.
For me is the best for those reasons, and many others now i can't remember, but i use it for all, really all.

AGK + OBJ C + C++ = Something crazy!

Edit : I think a new badge must be added to the user profile, where you can add the number of app released with agk.

Youtube Channel WebSite FB Page
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Markus
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Posted: 17th Nov 2014 12:31
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mainly for developing android apps at pc.
i like the fast way, compile and run.
easy using, just combine provided functions.
(cross platform gone secondary because much differences each platform.)

AGK 108 (B)19 + AppGameKit V2 Alpha .. : Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit : AMD Radeon R7 265 : Mac mini OS X 10.10 (Yosemite)
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ThrOtherJoJo
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Posted: 18th Nov 2014 01:31 Edited at: 18th Nov 2014 01:34
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The reason I choose AppGameKit was because of the amount of help videos on the AppGameKit website.

I also liked seeing the creators behind the product; and from watching those videos it gave me a sense of you guys really believing in your product.
And you provide a lot of resources and tools to help us succeed.

And I liked that you offer two tiers.

Prove Your Worthiness
KG2Entertainment.com
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easter bunny
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Posted: 18th Nov 2014 03:07 Edited at: 18th Nov 2014 03:09
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I'm pretty sure I've tried just about every single mobile engine out there, and for my needs, AppGameKit still comes out on top.

AGK is extremely well priced, you write once and deploy everywhere, testing is a breeze, debugging is fast and the engine runs fast and smoothly, even with tier 1.
It has enough commands to make just about any game you want (Networking, graphics, physics, text, HTTP, advertising, 3d, particles, sound and more).
Tier 2 brings this to the next level, you can extend the basic commands, as well as having the benefits of faster code and OOP.

Like I said, I have tried just about every engine out there, and AppGameKit is no.1


Basically it comes down to this:
1. Super fast coding and testing
2. Brings all your tools into one place
3. Community/forum is great, one of the few unique places on the internet
4. Easy to learn
5. Great for everybody, whether you're coding for a hobby, or for a job. Whether you like C++ or BASIC.
6. Being actively developed
7. You can make $$$

Quote: "I think a new badge must be added to the user profile, where you can add the number of app released with agk."

I like this idea

Apps Released with AGK: 12


Audacia Games - Latest WIP - AUTOMAYTE 2.1, AppGameKit one click deploy to Android
"When you've finished 90% of your game, you only have 90% left"
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Lucas Tiridath
AGK Developer
16
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Joined: 28th Sep 2008
Location: Kings Langley, UK
Posted: 18th Nov 2014 09:12
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Quote: "Everyone I knew is now hiding in the shadows..."

Yeah I've been really busy this last year with uni and starting a new job, so I've not had much time for AppGameKit, but I hope to start working on some new stuff soon.

Quote: "a couple of days is just a bit too long for me"

Yeah I accept that. I've certainly have some real battles with the Android template.

Quote: "I love the way it appear as 1 file LIB. No 1000 files, no confusion."

I think Gekko nailed it with this. This is definitely one of the reasons I use AppGameKit with C++. To replicate its functionality with other libraries, I'd have to compile and link a whole bunch of libraries for each platform, but with AppGameKit, almost all the functionality I need is found in one place.

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Clonkex
Forum Vice President
14
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Joined: 20th May 2010
Location: Northern Tablelands, NSW, Australia
Posted: 23rd Nov 2014 06:18
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I love AppGameKit simply because it's so incredibly EASY! The instant I've created a new project (which is as simple as New > New Project > type name and hit Create) I can run it on any supported device! I mean, compare that to developing for Android where the complexity for just getting a Hello World running boggles the mind.

From a new user's perspective, even getting Visual Studio installed and running is a nightmare, let alone understanding how to do anything with it.

AGK goes back to basics while staying well and truly in the modern era of programming, giving us huge power and flexibility with the simplicity and extreme ease-of-use of a BASIC language!

Also, most other languages (like C++ for example) have been around for so long that there's a culture of expecting new users to "just understand". It's really, REALLY hard to learn C++, not necessarily because the language itself is difficult (although it is a confusing language), but because when you ask a question about something as a total noob you almost always get an answer that completely misses the mark.

With AppGameKit, the language is as close to plain English as is possible to have with a programming language, and the userbase generally remembers what it's like to have no understanding of programming concepts whatsoever and are really helpful.


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Clonkex
Forum Vice President
14
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Joined: 20th May 2010
Location: Northern Tablelands, NSW, Australia
Posted: 23rd Nov 2014 06:25
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Quote: "2) Has lots of out of the box advanced features that take VERY LITTLE effort to pick up and use in projects (physics, shaders, networking)"


DEFINITELY a big feature of AppGameKit for me!! Without a doubt! Much like DBPro, you can basically do anything you can think of with AGK2. Obviously there are some missing features (things like 3D animation support), but they will come in time.

I'm really excited about the fact that AppGameKit has the potential to be expanded to have the out-of-the-box power to do literally ANYTHING you can think of, even in Tier 1! Things like direct camera access, bluetooth support and multithreading (for things like streaming media) could all be added in time!

Also, Paul is doing an amazing job on AGK2! He's a brilliant programmer!


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Timshark
17
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Joined: 30th Jun 2007
Location: Oslo, Norway
Posted: 23rd Nov 2014 13:42 Edited at: 24th Nov 2014 00:48
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I like to add the reason I stopped working with Darkbasic and returned when Agk came out.

Enhancement packs.

The enhancement packs or plugins for darkbasic became a mess for me as I like a clean enviroment. For the beginning coder it can be very confusing/difficult to know what you need. As I progressed with darkbasic and suddenly dreamed up something I wanted to do - I started looking through enhancement pack - instead of using what I had. I would rather do another Kickstarter than have TGC start this approach again. Also, as a beginner, i get much better at coding when I have to use what I already have in creative ways - instead of looking for an enhancement pack or another game maker to suit my non-realistic dream of a game.

When I have a specific problem in Agk, I sometimes post a suggestion for another command, but again and again, this wonderful helpful community shows me a way of doing it with what I already have. I think AppGameKit and the AppGameKit community now have a very balanced and realistic environment for beginners like me.

I do hope TGC do not start this type of monetizing again. I like to get my hands dirty and start coding. Agk is now way ahead of me - and I have to use my logic thinking and not only my imagination.

I never want what I know.
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Blue Steel AU
AGK Developer
17
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Joined: 22nd Aug 2007
Location: Bundaberg, Qld, Australia
Posted: 24th Nov 2014 06:31
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To show off Games that I've Written (Well am going to Write) , its easy to use and can grow with you and you need more with its 2 tier system. Hopefully it'll enable me to sell games that I have Completed , (big thing there started so many in the past in other language but hit brick walls and never got them finished) Great supportive community and company behind it, its been designed by coders for writing good fast code on modern day systems, relying on their past experiences over the years of producing many great programming utilities and languages.

My Web Site: http://www.codingmonkeys.com
My Computer Specs: http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=164587&b=2&msg=1947153#m1947153
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DavidAGK
AGK Developer
10
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Joined: 1st Jan 2014
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Posted: 24th Nov 2014 15:47
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Writing PC games in BASIC language in one easy integrated environment. I don't want simplified 'game creator' type application and nor do I want to learn a 'proper' programming language, so AppGameKit is perfect for me - BASIC all the way. It's my replacement for AMOS on the Amiga!

Perhaps one day I'll do a mobile game too.
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Yodaman Jer
User Banned
Posted: 24th Nov 2014 20:53
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I don't own AppGameKit yet but I'm definitely going to buy it soon!

I've been playing with the demo and in a little over an hour I managed to create a basic undo/redo list system, using the new dynamic array functions. It was very easy to do and will help me out a lot in the long run when I get my 2D game engine going!

AGK is by far the easiest programming language I've used, even easier than DarkBASIC Pro was! With each update new things are added, older things tweaked to work better, and it's very exciting to see what people are creating with such an excellent tool.

It also feels like the much-requested "DarkBASIC Elite", with the new 3D commands being expanded quite often. AppGameKit will definitely become more and more popular as time goes on!

I guess I will be using AppGameKit because it's easy, fast, supported by a great community and has my favorite game developer company behind it. I have been a member of these forums for over seven years now and it's great to see the company continuing to create excellent products!


Meh game development blaugh!
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Jammy
21
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Joined: 15th Jan 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 27th Nov 2014 18:42
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For me, AGK2 provides a complete development environment for my programming hobby.

I have always programed in basic, Oric (based on BBC Basic),Amiga (Amos), PC (the Dark Basic family) and now AppGameKit for everything. The power that TGC gives to BASIC is amazing and they never stop surprising me with their new ideas and products.

I am a Steam Curator and have reviewed AGK2

Here is the page

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Clonkex
Forum Vice President
14
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Joined: 20th May 2010
Location: Northern Tablelands, NSW, Australia
Posted: 28th Nov 2014 01:28
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Quote: "The power that TGC gives to BASIC is amazing and they never stop surprising me with their new ideas and products."


+1 to this!


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xGEKKOx
AGK Master
15
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Joined: 7th Dec 2008
Location: Italy
Posted: 9th Dec 2014 01:31
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I decided to download the AppGameKit 2 logo kit and add it in all my future releases.
I want to help TGC more that i can.

Youtube Channel WebSite FB Page
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Sh4d0xx
9
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Joined: 5th Dec 2014
Location: United Kingdom
Posted: 9th Dec 2014 09:40
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Im'm quite new to AppGameKit, and finally decided to commit to it for the following reasons:

1) I have rigorously tested paid and open-sourced 2d game development solutions on the market today, and always found something either missing or dysfunctional. Some frameworks and development solutions came close, but most ended up falling short on the implementation, price and platform support. AppGameKit v2 is the only development solution that actually gives you creative control over your project, whilst providing a logical and easy (BASIC) language to accomplish this.

2) AppGameKit V2 is straight to the point. Load it up, start coding, and compile your code for instant results.

3) The price is insane.

4) Versatility: AppGameKit V2 can theoretically be used for both games and any other type of business or rereational application (desktop and mobile). Knowing you can do this at no extra cost is quite surprising in the current game industry climate.

5) Platform support: You are not having to pay for extra export modules, which is commonplace amongst many drag and drop or 50/50 solutions (Code and visual design).

6) Performance: Stable and extremely clean user interface. It actually makes you enjoy writing your code. Having a Tier.

7) Other Considerations: I don't have a top of the range system at the moment (which can potentially cost a lot). AppGameKit V2 works perfectly with my current one which is far from a recommended development system. This saves an Independent like myself, a lot of money when it comes to actual development costs.



So far, I'm impressed with what I have experienced, and can't wait to begin some serious work on it.

N.B.: I noticed the OBJ examples really looking forward to see how AppGameKit v2 handles 3D.

isgltd (2014)
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paulrobson
10
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Joined: 22nd Nov 2014
Location: Norfolk, England
Posted: 9th Dec 2014 20:23
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1) One thing that people forget ; AppGameKit allows you to forget about events and finite state machines, or mostly anyway. If you want a title screen, game, highscore table you just write three functions that do it. Which simplifies things insanely from systems where effectively the code is running on a clock tick event ; you have to correlate the creation and destruction of display entities and so on (hence the FSM).

Have a look how complicated doing seperate screens is on something like Corona or Gideros or similar systems. Then think what a beginner would make of it !

Of course it's doing it in the background, it probably is Yielding in the bytecode interpreter as well as (obviously) Sync().

2) It's cheap. Maybe too cheap ; it might be better with less up front and an annual sub maybe.

3) You can write C++ with it if you want. For free.

4) The player sources are available so if TGC suddenly vanishes then it can be kept going.

5) ... but TGC have a loooong history. 15 years is pretty good going. Out of interest does it have any company connection to AMOS and STOS ?

6) For an Alpha it's pretty good. Most of the bugs are minor (that I've found anyway). Once worked developing on a BASIC where (literally) variables and routines came and went if they felt like it. 20 GOSUB 3000 if you are lucky.

7) Seems fast enough.

8) Cross platform is manageable. One of the problem with Xplatform stuff is people sometimes want every feature, which means you have to implemented it consistently on five or six platforms which from a devs pov can be a nightmare as certain people (Hello Apple !) deliberately muck about with APIs and so on.
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JimHawkins
15
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Joined: 26th Jul 2009
Location: Hull - UK
Posted: 9th Dec 2014 23:10
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All programs are finite state machines!

The whole Scene issue is handled much more elegantly in AppGameKit for Pascal. A scene is an object (TAGKScene) and you can create, use, swap and destroy scenes with 1 line of code.

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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Clonkex
Forum Vice President
14
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Joined: 20th May 2010
Location: Northern Tablelands, NSW, Australia
Posted: 10th Dec 2014 07:35 Edited at: 10th Dec 2014 07:37
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Quote: "It's cheap. Maybe too cheap ; it might be better with less up front and an annual sub maybe."


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bjadams
AGK Backer
16
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Joined: 29th Mar 2008
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Posted: 10th Dec 2014 19:23
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put an annual subscription on AppGameKit and the userbase will shrink next to zero. keep in mind that the typical AppGameKit user is a hobbyist not someone who works on commercial projects, so budget is always an issue
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MikeHart
AGK Bronze Backer
21
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Joined: 9th Jun 2003
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Posted: 11th Dec 2014 15:38
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Quote: "4) The player sources are available so if TGC suddenly vanishes then it can be kept going. "


Only the player part. Not the compiler, not the actual library.
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