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Dark GDK / Is DarkGameSDK worth the money

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Tye
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2006 02:08 Edited at: 2nd Feb 2006 02:12
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Hi, I started DarkBasic programming about 4 months ago, but am more comfterble with C++(I could never really create a game with C++).
So is it worth the $60 bocks.


P.s. When do you think TGC will make a version that will work with DEV-C++
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Vlad
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2006 09:29
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Yes, it is worth the money.

It is not the fastest or more powerful SDK out there, but it's easy to get going and saves you from knowing DirectX. There are better graphic engines, but they lack the rest: sound, input, etc. DGSDK has everything you need to make a nice game, as long as you don't want to make the next blockbuster since there are some bugs and it's not a speed demon.

The only lazy people that can complete games are genius. You don't look like a genius, so you better stop being lazy.
Support your local Riker 9 Chapter.
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Smithy
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2006 09:52
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When you're feeling comfortable with C++ then I would definitly use the DGDK instead of DBPro.

//Awards: Best DM at NeverwinterConventionIII (NWCon3)
//Sys: Pentium IV 3200E/Prescott;800Mhz FSB;HT;WinXPPro;ATIR9700PRO;1024MB RAM(2x512MB"DualChanneled";VC++7.net;Delphi6;ADSL512;
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Tye
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2006 22:24
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yeah but at the price of $200 bucks for the commercial edition I really can't afford it
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Paisleys finest
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Posted: 3rd Feb 2006 01:04
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Well I bought the Dark SDK because DarkBasic language was just too limited for me (functions couldn't return UDTs, no procedures just functions, global variables) and Dark seems just fine for me.

It's easy to get up and running, I think. And you can prototype in DarkBASIC and then convert to C++ because the functions are similarly named.

Current work in progress: Retro Remake of BRUCE LEE, by Datasoft (1984)
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Briere
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Posted: 3rd Feb 2006 01:27
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Yes, for like 50 bucks or w/e the freeware is, it certainly is.
The time it saves is amazing.

It can take around 225 lines just to render a 2d square in direct X,
using the DSDK it takes like what... 10?
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Smithy
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Posted: 3rd Feb 2006 08:41
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Tye
Quote: "yeah but at the price of $200 bucks for the commercial edition I really can't afford it"



Why don't buy the Freeware version (which is the same as the commercial , engine wise) and when you finished a game and you're ready to sell it, you should invest the money to buy the commercial and probably will get the money back from your sales.

//Awards: Best DM at NeverwinterConventionIII (NWCon3)
//Sys: Pentium IV 3200E/Prescott;800Mhz FSB;HT;WinXPPro;ATIR9700PRO;1024MB RAM(2x512MB"DualChanneled";VC++7.net;Delphi6;ADSL512;
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Tye
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Posted: 4th Feb 2006 17:11
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What abou the Torque Game Engine is that better.
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Briere
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Posted: 4th Feb 2006 17:18
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Its different.
Torque is a game engine that is already made.

the Dark SDK is just a Direct X wrapper.

You still need to program most of the game engine, its just put all the direct X into easy to use functions.
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Christian B
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Posted: 6th Feb 2006 03:19
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As someone who just moved from Torque to Dark Game SDK, here are my 2 cents.

Torque is more complete, but as such is more restrictive in what you can do. If you want to do something like Tribes 2 or similar FPS with vehicles and such I'd recommend it.

I spend more than a year scratching my head in trying to make a half-decent rail shooter with it and ended up the end being at the same point as I was in the beginning. Not understanding a thing I was doing, not knowing where to put my code, what to script and what to do in C++ and most frustrating of all, not knowing how to place a camera that wouldn't snap to any "control object".

With Dark SDK, I'm four weeks into the same projects and already I almost have a complete prototype of the very same game. To me so far it seems the move from Torque to Dark Game SDK is the best move I've ever made. Of course, it's a bit early to make that judgement.

Hope that helps

Cheers!

C.

---
http://christianboutin.com
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Tye
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Posted: 6th Feb 2006 22:15
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Yeah, that helped( you answered all my questions)

thanks
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AlbertoT
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Posted: 17th Feb 2006 20:29
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I defintly agree with Christian B as far as the engine architecture is concerned, however it is a matter of fact that Torque and its main competitor 3dsg have a great advantage over DarkBasic : The integrated world editor
You just click and you get your BSP file duly compiled, collision detection etc

Alberto
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Red Ocktober
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Posted: 17th Feb 2006 21:44
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that's because Torque is actually a game engine, and DBPro and the SDK is not... you have to create your own engine with both DBPro and the SDK...

if you have the time and the inclination, you can easily create a world editor in which you can add objects, terrain, etc... save the world... and then when the engine is run, these objects can react as the methods in the classes they are derived from make them act...

it might sound hard, but it's not that complex... just involves a lil time and effort... what would be quicker would be to use something like cShop to build your world (or most of it), read in the file, parse it, and create objects from there...

as far as 3DGS goes... well... you can build a nice looking lightmapped world in it... after that, good luck in getting your world to come to life...

--Mike
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Troll Fiddler
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2006 12:04
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Well, for an alternative perspective, I ditched DGSDK for Torque and despite some real initial frustrations in understanding the architecture, I am streets ahead with my game.

I got sick of waiting for DGSDK to get upgrades to be honest. DBPro is the shiny darling of the game creators, you only have to look at the banner at the top of this forum (the DGSDK forum of all places!).

In Torque you have your game angine built, you effectively mod it to create your new game. You get the full engine C++ source code if you pay $100 for the indie license, so can implement anything you want as easily as in the DGSDK. Often you don't need to touch the source as the C++ like scripting engine is superb.

You get AI code, LOS code, damage calc, physics for slopes etc, built in animation, weapon node names, vehicle mounting, environment effects like sun, fog, rain and lightning, procedural shaders, foliage and shape replicators, a great amount of free code with the starter game, masses of free code in resources on the web site, and too much more to talk about here.

The docs suck, but then so do the DGSDK docs. Trying to get a handle on how it all integrates is a real pain for a newbie as it's so big and has so much stuff in it. But once you creep over that hurdle (which might take you a couple of months), you will be good to go.

Anyway, as a ex-frustrated DGSDK fan I can tell you that I love Torque. Try out the free demo. You can use the scripting language to build a game. You just don't have access to the engine source to do "out of the box" stuff.

I'm *not* sorry I spent my money on the DGSDK, it showed me just how much I would have to write to build an engine myself. That and the frustration of seeing DBPro get all the attention gave me the impetus to find something like Torque. The new early access shader engine really rocks, as does the huge terrain engine. No limits, build it as big as you like and get automatic disk paging. Nice!

T.
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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2006 12:13
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You obviously cant wait for U6 then... But thats your choice...

Blog:http://spaces.msn.com/members/BouncyBrick/
Web Site:http://www.nicholaskingsley.co.uk
Trust me, I know what I'm doing.
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Barnski
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2006 12:40
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I wonder; is it possible to merge part of the source of the Torque engine, like terrain code, into a DarkSDK project (but still use DarkSDK to render things)?

-- I just started with DarkSDK, by translating DBP Projects. --
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Miguel Melo
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2006 15:40
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Quote: "You obviously cant wait for U6 then... But thats your choice..."


I can understand his frustration, though... let's hope that the U6 fixes get passed thtough to the sdk, unlike 5.8 and 5.9....
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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2006 16:02
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Of course they will...

Blog:http://spaces.msn.com/members/BouncyBrick/
Web Site:http://www.nicholaskingsley.co.uk
Trust me, I know what I'm doing.
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Profit
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2006 01:43
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But can you make mmorpg's in torque?

common people are walking in line.
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Miguel Melo
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Posted: 4th Mar 2006 22:24 Edited at: 4th Mar 2006 22:25
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Quote: "Of course they will..."


I should think so but is that so clear cut? We thought that about updates 5.8 and 5.9
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Timidon
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Posted: 20th Mar 2006 06:05
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I own the Torque SDK, it's a bit daugnting. Even running the basic DEMO, I was able to start modifing and tweaking things. I mostly have problems with getting SDK's to work with compilers, once I get over that hurdle I am pretty fine. It's different in the comparison, it's mostly script driven and when that needs changing you have access to the source code. It is a nice product. It has good support, I useually get questions answered quickly.

I myself am working on putting together a combat trading game (kinda mad max meats tradewars). It's a ground based idea still in planning stages.

Quote: "But can you make mmorpg's in torque? "


Here's a link to one in the works

http://www.prairiegames.com/

This is a good attempt, which will get better with more funding.

On the other hand, I also enjoy the freedom DBasicPro gives me, I got it mostly because of the IDE - no linking libraries extra, though the IDE has turned into a frustraing event, the IDE on DBasic works very well. Now that I found out the programer working on it left, it is a bit frustraiting.

There are many answers but just one question" ~ Jerilith the Mad
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