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AppGameKit Classic Chat / AGKPascal ***Exciting News***

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The Daddy
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Posted: 1st Mar 2014 21:58
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AGKPas (AGK for Pascal) has been updated to AGKv1.8!

On top of this amazing news, as from today, work on upgrading the AGKPas Project to AGKv2a2 is under way!!! Myself, Jim Hawkins and the project creator Erik (Bilsen) will be working on this. Please remember it is a LOT of work being completed by dedicated coders in their 'FREE' time, so please be patient!

On top of this, Jim has been working on a One-Click deploy to Android apk! More from him when he is ready!

Please extend thanks to Erik (Bilsen) for so much hard work to get this project off the ground...he has done all the work to date!

Also to Jim Hawkins for his help on the project and the up and coming one click tool to come!

For those who have been troubled by Tier2 or are new to Pascal here are some advantages of using it:




I need to confirm with T.G.C how they would prefer this release (AGKPas v1.8) to be made available i.e via your products page links provided from the forum! (TGC guys feedback please)!

www.bitmanip.com
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Markus
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Posted: 1st Mar 2014 22:50
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wow , that are good news

AGK 108 (B)19 : Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit : AMD Radeon HD 6670
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bjadams
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Posted: 1st Mar 2014 23:41
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I am still in the process of looking at Delphi as a RAD system for doing mobile apps with buttons etc.

What I noticed is that the screen designer for C++ Builder & Delphi are identical, but C++ builder produces really small sized exes so I might go with that one in the end!

I presume I cannot use AppGameKit v2 with C++ Builder right, only with Delphi
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The Daddy
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Posted: 1st Mar 2014 23:47
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Bjadams

That is correct I am afraid, AppGameKit pascal is a pascal wrapper for AppGameKit! For it to with another C++ compiler the libraries would have to be built from the ground up for that compiler!

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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 02:38
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Very cool!

When I next get some free time (that doesn't need to be used for other stuff), I will give this a try. I remember really liking Pascal.

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
AGK Community Tester and AppGameKit Master
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Zwarteziel
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 08:35 Edited at: 2nd Mar 2014 09:26
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Wow! Exciting news indeed. What would you guys consider to be the preferred enviroment / IDE for development? Lazarus or Delphi XE? I took a look at version 5 of the latter but find that anything above the Starter-Edition is quite expensive. I'm not sure how much functionality it is missing compared to other versions.

Also, I tried to set up Lazarus with the earlier version of AGKPas yesterday, but can't execute the examples. I've installed the 32bit-edition and set paths to my AGKPas-folder, but it can't find any includes. Is there a guide to set up AGKPas besides Erik's one?
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 10:21
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bj - There is no difference between Delphi executable sizes using C++ and Pascal. It's the same back-end code generator. They're very small. The student run-time for our language lab includes audio and video playback, recording and interpretation, a full Unicode word-processor, subtitling, CD extraction, mp3 or Ogg compression, a forum, internal email, remote control by lecturer, and a lot more. The executable size is 8 Mbs. It would be less if I removed some hi-definition images used for various backdrops!

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 10:36
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Zerotown - We've just upgraded to Delphi XE5 - it cost about £600 + VAT, but it gives us single-source ability to create Windows, OS X, iOS and Android apps. It does NOT need Eclipse or Cygwin or XCode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxonEzxa6pQ

Using AppGameKit you can build Windows apps using Delphi, but for Android and iOS you must use Lararus.

Check the FPC and Lazarus installs against Erik's instructions. I've never had any problems. Can you say what the problems are?

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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The Daddy
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 10:44
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Zerotown,

One of the main reasons I went down the pascal route was that I found it work with very little tweaking (thanks to Eriks fantastic instructions).

Have you checked your project source & library paths in the project options? These are what usually cause the most errors.

As jim says, to help, we need to know what versions of each you used, preferably your directory structure and a screenshot of your project options....

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JimHawkins
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 10:58
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Just to add to what The Daddy said, there are lots more advantages of using AGKPascal:



From time to time we will add useful extensions to make life as easy as possible.

And I will be looking at making installation as fully automatic as possible.

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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The Daddy
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 11:17
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Also, just to add also Object Pascal offers a very easy to work with linked list. C++ also has this, but I have always found it a little messy to manage (that is just me). In lazarus/delphi it is very simple to implement. Why is this useful?

For Everything in your game that you may wish to add dynamically, linked lists provide a managed solution over arrays.

Linked lists can grow/shrink (managed), they are easily indexed like an array, items can dynamically be added/removed...

It is just so simple in lazarus/delphi and so very useful IMHO. Imagine you are developing an app where the player shoots....if the player only shoots one bullet, an cannot shoot another until the first is dead, then that is easy to manage,,,,but what if you player has picked up a powerup that allows shooting bullets in various directions simultaneously, and then another that adds another extra bullet to each direction....linked lists are you answer!

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JimHawkins
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 12:56 Edited at: 2nd Mar 2014 12:58
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Amen to that! I use StringLists all the time. You can associate pointers (or integers) with each string item in the list. Sorting can be automatic and you can have string-value pairs:



Streams are very powerful too.

And sets are perfect for games coding. Vast amounts of array code and if-then-else can be simplified into one or two lines of code.

Maybe we should ask for a main topic called some like "AGKPascal" so that we can wibble on in there without irritating those committed to Basic or C++.

Also - Would those who haven't used Object Pascal (old hands used to the original forms), or those who have never used it at all, appreciate it if I made some videos explaining the key concepts and the syntax?

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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The Daddy
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 13:30
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Jim,

If you have the time, video tutorials would be a great idea! I have emailed Mr Vanner with the link to the download for AGKpas 1.088 so he can add it to registered users 'products'!

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Zwarteziel
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 13:54
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@The Daddy and JimHawkins

thanks for relying: I was in a hurry yesterday and installed the x64-version of Lazarus, while I could have sworn I downloaded the 32-bit version. Got it working now and have been compiling some examples. Now I face a new dilemma: "Will I convert my current T1-project to Pascal or not". I've invested about 2 to 1.5 years of development into it so far, but still have ways to go. Hmmm...
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 14:45
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Zerotown - Moving legacy T1 code to a more sophisticated model in Pascal can be a problem, but I think we may be able to ease the pain with a few tools. But give us a chance to make the core systems stable first, and this may take a few weeks.

We believe that we can give you a better programming system than either of the existing options. We can't devote all our time to this - we have to make a living - and as the interfaces are going Open Source soon, you will be able to add to updates, given the necessary skills.

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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bjadams
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 14:52
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@JimHawkins: how is that possible that you can generate ios apps through Delphi without Xcode?

I have only tested generating a Windows exe and android APK on a windows machine for now through Delphi
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 16:21
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bj - Because the Delphi compiler produces the executable. The XCode compiler is not needed, as you can see from the video.

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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Neslib
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 17:13
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Just want to let you guys know that AGKPas has gone open source. See my separate post on this for details.

Thank you The Daddy and Jim for keeping AGKPas alive!
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bjadams
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 17:37
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@JimHawkins: pardon my total ignorance, but at one point in the video the app is compiled on windows, and then suddenly the screen shows a mac! what does this entail?
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 19:18
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@bj - You need a Mac for OX X and iOS to run your app. Delphi has a network link that moves the object code across.

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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bjadams
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 20:11
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ok i will check the docs to see how to connect to my osx (windows & osx already connected on the same network)

today i tested again, doing a simple tabbed app. created a gui in a matter of minutes, added some simple code and created an android apk in minutes! looks fantastic so far

however i need to check resources and help to learn the more complex side of gui (like pressing a button and making a new screen pop up with results from previous screen)
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2014 23:20 Edited at: 2nd Mar 2014 23:33
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It's easy on Windows. Not sure what to do on Android yet.

On Windows, just make a new Form. Add it to the project so that is created early on. Let's call it "MyNewForm."

Your button OnClick event then does this:

MyNewForm.Show;

or
MyNewForm.ShowModal;

If you're worried about memory (which is unlikely on Windows) and this form is rarely used, remove it from the left hand list in project properties, and it will be in the right hand panel. It will NOT be created until you need it. But you will have to free it yourself later, otherwise it's automatic.

AGKPascal does this very neatly at the Scene level.

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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bjadams
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2014 09:30
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great idea JimHawkins.

Will test this option, and search if i can do this on mobile too!
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2014 09:38
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It's actually better to use an Action rather than the button OnClick event, because you can then call it from anywhere without messing with the GUI interface events. For example, it can be called from a menu item without adding any more code.

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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Zwarteziel
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2014 10:04 Edited at: 3rd Mar 2014 14:23
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@JimHawkins:

Quote: "Zerotown - Moving legacy T1 code to a more sophisticated model in Pascal can be a problem, but I think we may be able to ease the pain with a few tools. But give us a chance to make the core systems stable first, and this may take a few weeks.

We believe that we can give you a better programming system than either of the existing options. We can't devote all our time to this - we have to make a living - and as the interfaces are going Open Source soon, you will be able to add to updates, given the necessary skills."


Thanks, I appreciate the effort you and The Daddy are making. I've been reading up on Lazarus / FPC and getting al sorts of (positive) flashbacks from ~15 years back. I've decided to continue to work in T1 on my main project for now, but to constuct all additional tools (map-, item- and dialogue-editor etc.) in Lazarus/FPC/AGKPas. This will allow me to gradually increase my proficiency in the language, while avoiding a complete rewrite of my earlier work. (Besides, I really like the way TGC have implemented T1 - I'm not yet ready to let it go )

That all aside, I was wondering if the following is possible / planned in Lazarus:
- AGK-syntax highlighting;
- AGK-code completion or suggestion;
- Link to help-files* after clicking / pressing a key while the cursor is on an 'AGKPas'-command.

* these could be updated to include (or branch to) the new 'T3'-commands

Edit: if I can be of any help with the above items, please let me know.
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 7th Mar 2014 08:56
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At long last there is a new release of AppGameKit Pascal!!!!

And a new forum...

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=210275&b=54

-- Jim - When is there going to be a release?
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