PureBasic for Game development a good idea?

[adshead]

I have for a long time been searching for a language and IDE that will allow me to build a game which can be run on all three platforms (windows, Mac, Linux). I've used BlitzMax in the past but never liked the IDE.

I have always kept my eye on PureBasic but have never used it because the Mac version was always lagging behind the windows version. That now seems to have been rectified with version 4.10.

However the online documentation seems to suggest that some features are still not available on all platforms. Is this true or is it simply that the docs need to be updated?

Also, can anyone point me to some good RECENT examples of games that have been written using PureBasic (particularly any commercial games)?

[djes]

I don't know much of the Mac or Unix version of Purebasic, but we have developped all our games with it on Windows, and we love it

By now, we're waiting the final 4.20 release to have a better support of DirectX, especially for Vista. However, it's possible to efficiently use OS functions and completely bypass PB in some areas (if you have a better graphic lib for example), and this is really powerfull.

[traumatic]

Also, can anyone point me to some good RECENT examples of games that have been written using PureBasic (particularly any commercial games)?

Maybe http://www.restricted-area.net/ or http://www.legend.de/ ?

[adshead]

Wow - these games were both done with PureBasic? Thats impressive.

[traumatic]

Wow - these games were both done with PureBasic? Thats impressive.

Well, it's safe to assume almost no built-in functions (ie libraries) have been used but anyway,
PureBasic is a full-blown programming language and seen as that, it's capable of everything...

[Thalius]

What you can do is basically limited only what librarys / engines you know how to use. And ofc the already build in commandset/libs help on most cases for the not-too-out-of-standard-stuff greatly in development speed.

As for 3D Games you need to know the Engine your using as OGRE as it is implemented currently may seem simple to use from start but is far from beeing complete - Irrlicht is meanwhile kind of complete wrapped but not all yet documented.

Thalius

[pdwyer]

I don't know much of the Mac or Unix version of Purebasic, but we have developped all our games with it on Windows, and we love it

By now, we're waiting the final 4.20 release to have a better support of DirectX, especially for Vista. However, it's possible to efficiently use OS functions and completely bypass PB in some areas (if you have a better graphic lib for example), and this is really powerfull.

DJES,

Theres one too many slashes in your web page "http:///www.bgames.org"

Not sure if this is deliberate.

[djes]

I don't know much of the Mac or Unix version of Purebasic, but we have developped all our games with it on Windows, and we love it

By now, we're waiting the final 4.20 release to have a better support of DirectX, especially for Vista. However, it's possible to efficiently use OS functions and completely bypass PB in some areas (if you have a better graphic lib for example), and this is really powerfull.

DJES,

Theres one too many slashes in your web page "http:///www.bgames.org"

Not sure if this is deliberate.

Thank you, it is not deliberate of course

[pdwyer]

thought it might have been some new anti spam harvesting technique

[djes]

Let propose a patent

[Rook Zimbabwe]

However the online documentation seems to suggest that some features are still not available on all platforms. Is this true or is it simply that the docs need to be updated?

Not exactly.

Not all features work the same in ALL OS... There are minor variations in OS Process or CALL that make you have to tweak your code slightly in most cases to ??? in the case of a 3D game.

If you are writing a game, what graphics engine are you going to use? Does that engine work on Linux and MAC?

OpenGL (if I remember correctly) was supposed to be multi-platform but again the users have pushed the engine ahead for each platform at a slightly different pace. Same with DX same with Irrlicht I think??? (punditing wildly here, only used DX)



Anything you write that does not use API calls should cross platform easily. Write and test is the only way to be sure.

[BriceManuel]

can anyone point me to some good RECENT examples of games that have been written using PureBasic (particularly any commercial games)?

The two best games (IMHO) made in PB:

Lost Labyrinth

Gloomy Nights and Living Dead

Both games have had very good reviews on third-party gaming sites.

[Thalius]

or drac's MMORPG:
http://mmorpg.dracsoft.com/