Having hard time converting from DBPro to BB3D
Blitz3D Forums/Blitz3D Beginners Area/Having hard time converting from DBPro to BB3D
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| Hi there. I've come over from DBPro and I'm having a really hard time adjusting to BB3D's way of doing things. I think what I need is a set of exercises I can go through, like a short primer course. I tried the basic and 3D tutorials in the help but I need some intermediate exercises to help me adapt. I don't want to jump into making games already because my skills are underdeveloped as yet. I've gone through the "tutorials" area of the forum but frankly, half of what's there is beyond me and half is too basic. I need some intermediate, small programming challenges. I'm sure if I wasn't dying from the plague (this cold feels like it anyway) my imagination would be working better and I could come up with some ideas myself. Any suggestions? |
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| Yesssss! Well, have you given up DBPro completely? :D Well, I don't know of many primers, but you should scavenge the articles from http://www.blitzcoder.com/articles.shtml while it still exists. Look in "BB3D Newbies." Another way to learn is to buy a book. Game Programming for Teens by Maneesh Sethi is what I learned - but that only covers 2D stuff. I learned 3D by just messing around. First I made a spinning cube, colored it, added lots of effects and stuff, then I moved on. I just slowly started to memorize it and now I'm creating an FPS, an RPG, and many other projects at the same time, yet I don't feel overwhelmed! Get a book for 2D, which also covers types, globals, functions, arrays, etc. and then start messing around in 3D. |
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| Thanks No Enemies! I guess I'm just frustrated because I was doing some VERY cool stuff in DBPro but the language is just too unstable (no offense to Lee Bamber & Co. , I did pay for it gladly) and Blitz3D is so much more stable and in some areas faster, I just can't believe it. Problem is I'm out of practise AND trying to learn a new language. ARGH! My aging brain just isn't as quick to adapt as it used to be. Maybe I should make a few small 2D programs first to get my "limbs stretched" before I start "lifting weights". |
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| You might want to try www.codersworkshop.com, as there are both DBPro and Blitz users there. They might be able to give you a few pointers on making the transition easier. |
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| If you have some spare cash and want to get the 'basics' of Blitzbasic then buy Learn to Program 2D Games in BlitzBasic available from codersworskhop mentioned above. Use the articles mentioned earlier for both 2D and 3D as they cover most of the Blitz way of doing arrays and types. Finally, try the following for 3D tutorials... HERE although, if you're using the B3D demo, they source size limit might stop you running them all. Good luck. |
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| Don't tryand do anything to complicated right away. You'll only make yourself frustrated :o)WOrkoyour stuff, bit by bit. Put each different part of your game/program into functions, so when one part if working, you can move onto the next part. |
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| Sorry GfK, but codersworkshop isn't coming up for me, could they be down? tonyg, thanks! I'm using the full version of Blitz3D so no worries about the size limit. Agreed Ross C, I don't want to get frustrated. Thing is the game I really want to make is beyond my skills entirely, so I'm planning on making a game that uses some of those ideas but is more realistic and within my abilites, but even that is beyond my current skill level (with BB that is), so I'm just going to have to experiment with smaller, simpler ideas for a while 'till I'm ready. |
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| Well, most complicated games are made up of simple things. It's just a case of breaking everything down really :o) Wise idea to try the watered down version of your game though. It's nice to see someone admit when something is beyond their ability, unlike the many RPG/MMORPG makers we have here :o) |
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| Taking on more than you can handle is a killer in any situation, but especially in game design. My hope is that by showing off a few of my simpler ideas, someone might be interested in my advanced versions of those ideas. If I can attract just one really good developer with money who'll listen long enough for me to say "Have you ever thought of playing a game like... this?", then I'd be happy to share my idea. I don't even care about credit, I just want a few games to go in a certain direction that I think would be both better for the developer and more fun for the player. If I can convince just one major dev studio to steal my idea :)... heh heh. |
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| Sorry GfK, but codersworkshop isn't coming up for me, could they be down? That's because this silly forum thinks the comma at the end is part of the URL. *Click here instead*. |
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| Ahh... thank you, thank you. I'm off to write a screensaver... |
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| In case you haven't seen it, my Programming Tutorial (in my sig) may have a few pages of interest for you. Some of it is probably too basic, but other parts may be up your alley... |
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| Thanks WolRon... I'll check it out! |
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