Thinking of buying Monkey but still not sure...
Community Forums/Monkey Talk/Thinking of buying Monkey but still not sure...
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| Just wanted to quickly ask users of Monkey how things are shaping up with regards to the program? As the demo is still at version 3.0 (!) have there been many new additions\regular updates? Have the docs been kept up to date with any new additions? Also, has the IDE moved pass version 0.34 yet or has it been left as it was? I would especially like to know if the highlighting of commands is now working, it wasn`t for me before. Finally, after using it for several months do you personally feel that it is worth buying yet? Thanks for any advice, Jason. Last edited 2011 |
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| As the demo is still at version 3.0 (!) Yeah, this is somehow curious. have there been many new additions\regular updates? Updates, yes. Mark is doing a good job to get/keep mojo stable. Additions: DOM module, File system for GLFW, can't think of others atm. Also, has the IDE moved pass version 0.34 yet or has it been left as it was? Don't know, using JungleIde, which rocks. Finally, after using it for several months do you personally feel that it is worth buying yet? Yes. Looks like I'm going to finish 2(!) small projects, which will run on Flash, HTML and android. I didn't care about the other platforms atm. Last edited 2011 Last edited 2011 |
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| BRL demos of their apps have always been out of date... with Monkey I thought it would be very easy to keep it updated though... Monkey was released at version v28 to the public and now up to v43 - heaps of updates! I only use Monk on the Mac and Jungle on Windows. I code my games on Windows so when I load the source into Monk I only compile with it ;) Its been a bumpy 6 months but its been fun and well worth it :) It was great seeing my games running on Android and iOS with very little effort to get them running. |
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| At first, Monkey was very frustrating to get up and running. But once the gears are oiled, things start to smooth out and it becomes a fairly smooth process. The coding iterative process is VERY important to me (code -> test -> debug ->code) as I'm a trial and error guy, and not a very formal programmer. I chose NOT to install the Visual C++/.Net MEGA-install, and went with MinGW instead. It required extra work on my side, but it works well. There are many hidden limitations to Monkey (no pixmap access at all), which will frustrate a lot of people. Additionally, the programming gets a little stricter and more formal, which is also a bit frustrating for the novice. On the plus side, the wealth of Monkey knowledge is finally starting to grow. Overall, Monkey allows a good platform in which to get ideas out to Android and iOS. Last edited 2011 |
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| Does it have memory banks a la Blitz3D? Can it do OpenFile()/WriteFile() and or Streams? Is pixmap or any the above slated for inclusion? Last edited 2011 |
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| No no no |
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| You can load files in the glfw target (Win/Mac) with the LoadString command. On other platforms there are 2 commands to load/save data: LoadState() and SaveState() but you cant specify where this file will be stored. Like AdamRedwoods said, monkey might be frustrating in the beginning. But once you have all things sorted out monkey becomes a joy to use. The syntax is very Bmax like and imo also a little bit cleaner. As for the IDE, i would definetely buy JungleIDE if you are on windows (i use TextMate on OSX) because the standard one is just MaxIDE and very basic (but fully functional). Docs are OK and updated as new things come in. If you want to develop for mobile platforms, go for it, it's stable enough. On the desktop, BMax is the better option for now. |
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| You can load files in the glfw target (Win/Mac) with the LoadString command. LoadString works on every platform. |
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| No, oh well... :( So, LoadString? At the risk of seeming pedantic is there a SaveString command or similar? I didn't go to BMax because I couldn't see the benefit over Blitz3D at my low end use. It sounds really exciting being able to code for such a range of platforms... Monkey seems to be an solid step forward in this respect but I'm concerned I just won't 'get it'. That's ONE of the many things I adored about Blitz3D - It could do just about anything I could imagine and certainly anything I am capable of coding. I'd probably want to make some kind of asset management thang rather than a game as that is about the limit of my ability. What, all other things being equal, would be my chances? |
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| At the risk of seeming pedantic is there a SaveString command or similar? There is only SaveState(). "Saves a string representing the application's persistant state. This is generally used to store data such as user preferences and high score tables." I'd probably want to make some kind of asset management thang rather than a game as that is about the limit of my ability. What, all other things being equal, would be my chances? Multiplatform? Not really good. There is only a filesystem for GLFW. |
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| Thanks for the information. I wish the new product well. |
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| The demo version doesn`t highlight certain keywords, DrawImage for example. Has this been fixed yet? I find this very annoying and if I buy Monkey I do not really want to buy another IDE on top. For me the standard IDE is good enough but I am a little disappointed to see this problem even exists. Can a registered user please confirm for me if this has been fixed yet after all of these updates? Also the F1 help doesn`t seem to work here either. Jason. |
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| DrawImage for example DrawImage isnt a keyword, its a command from the mojo module. I do not really want to buy another IDE on top You dont have too, you can use JungleIDE lite: http://www.jungleide.com/?page_id=375 Also the F1 help doesn`t seem to work here either Works here... |
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| I will give Jungle IDE a go but I still think commands such as DrawImage, whether or not they are keywords or commands, should highlight as they have done in all versions of Blitz up until now. Shouldn`t the aim of the IDE be to make the end users life easier? Jason. Last edited 2011 |
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| Oh sorry should have put this in the last post: JungleIDE scans the modules you are using and highlights them for you, so DrawImage does highlight in Jungle. Shouldn`t the aim of the IDE be to make the end users life easier? Yep! |
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| Thanks for the info therevills. Jason. |
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| I finish my third game in monkey this week. I have managed a little work on the Monk IDE. Ideally (excuse the pun) next version will have F1 / keyword fixes. Hitting F1 twice will take you to the correct help page in current/original version. |
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| That`s great to hear skidracer, thanks for letting me know, you may have just convinced me to finally take the plunge. It`s also nice to know that people are producing some games with Monkey. I`m looking forward to seeing what can be done with this exciting new language. Jason. |
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| I will be getting it, its just a question of when now - I reckon within the next month ;) I'm probably gonna have to buy a copy of Microsoft Project at the same time to keep on top of the various dev tools I have to 'create' with. Last edited 2011 |
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| skidracer, would it also be possible for you to please remove BMax specific items from the IDE such as Import BB Project as this must confuse any newcomers to the language. I realise that the IDE is from BMax but it would be nice if it looked a little more Monkey related. Jason. |
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| Monkey is cool... nothing more to type ;) |
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| OK, latest version of Monkey has just been released, please could someone clarify that the IDE update has been added? If not, would you mind allowing people to download it separately skidracer? Jason. |
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| Only the Mac version of Monk has been updated to work with Lion. Just use JungleIDE ;) |
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| I'm probably gonna have to buy a copy of Microsoft Project at the same time to keep on top of the various dev tools I have to 'create' with. Just use Gantt Project or Open Workbench - they do the same job and they're free. |
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| @therevills Jungle IDE doesn`t run on Mac though :( |
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| Use JEdit then. I'm going to try it when I can be bothered to write something else. [edit] LINKY Last edited 2011 |
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| Jungle IDE doesn`t run on Mac though :( Ahhh your one of those... ;) |
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| me too! |
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| Jungle IDE doesn`t run on Mac though :( Same here. |
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| I raise my hand, too. I use Windows only at work, OS X and Linux everywhere else. So for me a Windows-only product basically is DOA. Last edited 2011 |
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| I use a mac too and would appreciate a proper mac ide(like jungle ide). Although I have to say i am currently quite happy with TextMate, worth every penny :) |
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| I've been using Textmate for the duration before monk was functional on Lion. While it did serve its purpose, i didn't really like it much. Much rather have a mac version of Jungle :). |
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