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Apple Businesses Software Entertainment Games Linux

BlitzMax released for Mac OS X 70

Posted by Zonk from the gaming-across-the-oses dept.
Junks Jerzey writes "The long awaited long suspected-to-be-vaporware BlitzMax game programming language has been released for Mac OS X. Linux and Windows versions are set to follow "soon," making this a truly cross-platform, OpenGL-based game development system. Don't be scared by the BASIC monicker: this is a modular programming language that lets you get under the hood if you want, but also includes OOP support and higher-level features. But of course C++ game programmers will still shake their heads in a puzzled fashion, ignoring all the amazing games written by hobbyist programmers. If nothing else, write a cross-platform OpenGL demo in ten lines of code!"
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BlitzMax released for Mac OS X More

BlitzMax released for Mac OS X

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  • Why (Score:5, Funny)

    by JavaLord ( 680960 ) on Thursday December 16, 2004 @12:36PM (#11106191) Journal
    Why would anyone need this when there is Java!
    • You mean other than byte compiling and being able to code OpenGL in something that resembles the OpenGL API?

    • Re:Why (Score:4, Insightful)

      by presearch ( 214913 ) on Thursday December 16, 2004 @12:44PM (#11106292)
      Why would anyone need Java when there is C!
      • Why would anybody need C when there are hundreds of assembly languages?

        Oh.

        But yea, I know you might be joking, but there is a solid point in what you said (my statement was a joke). Java is overused.
        • And Java is completely unsuited for game development.
          • And Java is completely unsuited for game development.

            That depends on the type of game you are thinking of. If the game doesn't demant killer killer FPS, like civilization clones, it can be quite suited for the purpose.

          • Re:Why (Score:2)

            by chrish ( 4714 )
            As much as I hate Java, that's not entirely true. You wouldn't want to write a game that needs to be fast in Java, but it's fine for turn-based games and even some MMOGs [puzzlepirates.com].
    • Saying Java is great because it's compatible with a large variety of platforms is like saying animal fucking is great because it's compatible with a large variety of livestock.

      --Me

  • Python (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Doesn't python do all this and more already?

    • Re:Python (Score:2, Interesting)

      by KDR_11k ( 778916 )
      Yes but Python is freaking slow. if you want an engine that runs at more than slideshow speed with a decent amount of stuff onscreen (and not going by PS1 standards) you have to implement it as a C module. Python is nice for the game logic but writing an engine in it results in framerates worse than Doom 3 with graphics worse than a Playstation One game.
      • Apparently, you've never implemented psyco. The psyco module speeds up Python and gives it a whole lot better speeds, close to that of C++.

      • Re:Python (Score:3, Informative)

        by EnglishTim ( 9662 )
        To be fair to python, you can get a lot of stuff onscreen at excellent framerates, but you do have to be careful how you do it. Extensive use of vertex arrays, or at least display lists is essential, but to be honest that's the kind of thing you'd really want to be doing with C/C++ anyway, it's just that it hurts even more if you don't do it in python.

        One of the other replies mentions pysco [sourceforge.net], but to be honest I think that pyrex [canterbury.ac.nz] would be more useful, as it for most intents and purposes allows you to compile
        • Thing is, I've already been using psyco and drawlists don't seem to be of much use for objects that change shape (i.e. animation). A few thousands of polies that cannot be put into a drawlist because they are animated already kill Python.
  • According to the website, a linux version is in the works. Anyone have any idea when/if such a thing will be released?

    I would buy it just to be able to play around with it (its only $80), but won't install windows for it.

  • it's the same guys who made Blitz Basic... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by nickos ( 91443 ) on Thursday December 16, 2004 @12:57PM (#11106516)
    ...on the Amiga which was the first language I really got my teeth into. The original version of Worms [mobygames.com] and Worms: The Director's Cut [mobygames.com] were also made using using that language, so don't be put off these languages just because they're forms of Basic.

  • Blitz Basic on the Amiga (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Xian97 ( 714198 ) on Thursday December 16, 2004 @01:00PM (#11106571)
    I remember the Amiga version of Blitz Basic. With just a few lines of code you could have a rudimentary game with sprites moving on the screen. It was a Basic language variant with specialized commands for game creation, such as sprite manipulation and collision detection. I prefered it's competitior, AMOS, but Blitz was not bad at all for a hobbyist game programmer.
    • There was a reason it was called that! But to be serious, these "BASIC" languages are VERY specialized to the point of coding in them pumped out really great performance with very little work. It probably wont be the next language to create Duke Nukem Forever (Well, maybe it will!!), but for one man teams/hobbiests who want to make simple games, shareware or otherwise, they would be very happy with these types of compilers.

  • What we really need... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by 47Ronin ( 39566 ) <(moc.ninor74) (ta) (nnelg)> on Thursday December 16, 2004 @01:58PM (#11107519) Homepage
    ...is a revived, modern version of the ancient Adventure Construction Set [emucamp.com]. Now THAT was an easy-to-use game making system which allowed you to create/edit sprites, NPC scripting, sound effects, maps, triggers, etc without writing any code at all.

  • Perfect! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by American AC in Paris ( 230456 ) * on Thursday December 16, 2004 @02:12PM (#11107751) Homepage
    I wrote version 1 of Jardinains [jardinains.com] in BlitzBasic for Windows. For version 2, I want to expand to the Big 3 desktop platforms and use modern 2D techniques (realtime scaling/rotations, transparency effects, etc,) among other things. Until just seconds ago, I was pretty much locked into using Torque for this. I checked out SDL, but it was a little lacking in OS X support (for example, double buffering wasn't supported (!).) BlitzBasic was hella-easy to write in, but it didn't have cross-platform support and had limited 2D capabilities--that is, it was 'old school' 2D, not the nice, smooth 3D-in-2D that most modern 2D games use. Torque is wicked slick, but it's overkill for my needs.

    If you want to make games and not focus on programming geekery and coding arcana, Blitz is a great little toolset. With the cross-platform support and in the 2D graphics using OpenGL and you've got a very happy little package here.

  • Manual? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by MrHops ( 712514 )
    This seems interesting, but I'm not happy with their online, web-based manual. No real searching, the layout is torturous, and I want to be able to use a manual when not online. Is there a single file (pdf preferably) manual that I can study?

  • Great News (Score:2, Insightful)

    by podperson ( 592944 )
    Speaking as a fan of Blitz3D (and yes, I've used AMOS and Blitz leaves it for dead), this is great news for hobby and semi-pro game developers.

    Note that while Blitz3D has extensive Windows functionality, BlitzMax does not yet match this. It is the beginning of a more modern architecture for the Blitz product line.

    The online documentation is a little bit ugly, but it's all html so (a) producing your own printed version shouldn't be too difficult, and (b) if you want to reformat it to your own taste, you ca

  • What about network games? (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Aside from graphics, probably the most tedious aspect of programming a good game is the networking. Tons of issues to deal with, since you never really know what the other end is doing. And why should I have to bother with all the piddly details of setting up a TCP/IP connection (or spewing UDP packets) and monitoring it, designing a communication protocol, etc, when I want to focus on programming the logic to make a great game? I'd rather have the game building/programming system do all the gruntwork for
    • There's a lot of networking stuff in there but i have no idea how efficient it is, it's not truly cross-platform(yet) supports "good graphics" without making you do all the grunt-work (You'll still need a good grasp of 3d maths, but i shouldn't have to tell you that) it's pretty powerful and i'm not sure to what extent it's oo, in older versions the answer was "Not very"
      • If you need a good grasp of the math then you're doing at least the majority of the work. I ought to be able to plop down some models, specify something about how they interact, and sit back and watch. I shouldn't have to do any math. Computers help us do stupid things faster.
        • Heh, there is a LOT of work here, being able to move an object around in 3d space is bloody easy compared to, say, rendering a quake2 map file. If you think doing that much is the "Majority" of the work then you're on crack. If you can't even manage that, mebee you should not be looking for a programming language, just wait till someone makes a point and click tool to do this stuff in another 10 years
          • rendering a quake2 map file, however, is a lot easier with a 3d accelerator than without, and writing games is a lot easier with an already-written engine than without... et cetera. Of course, people still write new engines, or rewrite parts of them, for reasons of function or performance, and this is likely to be true for the forseeable future... but now I have no idea how this got started and since I have to type sinisterly because my right hand is broken I will stop here :)

  • this is a boon (Score:3, Interesting)

    by spir0 ( 319821 ) on Thursday December 16, 2004 @05:48PM (#11110156) Homepage Journal
    this is a boon to hobbyist developers everywhere. I used to be a big fan of AMOS on the amiga before BlitzBASIC hit big, so I understand the grounding.

    I have recently found, however, a C library which makes game coding as easy as Blitz and AMOS. Perhaps simpler. Even better, it's cross platform. So for those looking at something a little different, check out Allegro [demon.co.uk].

  • Still waiting... (Score:3, Funny)

    by agent dero ( 680753 ) on Thursday December 16, 2004 @07:34PM (#11111208) Homepage
    for a cross-platform Hypercard :)

    Then we'll see who has the coolest games!

  • Old School '64 days revisited (Score:4, Interesting)

    by HonkyLips ( 654494 ) on Thursday December 16, 2004 @09:28PM (#11112157)
    I loved Blitz Basic on the Amiga.
    To me, programming languages like this remind me of the Commodore 64, where you were in a BASIC environment from the moment you switched it on. I was writing games on the Commodore 64 in primary school. I loved learning to write simple programs and the ease with which you could do stuff like scroll the screen or set up sprites fed a huge culture of bedroom programemrs.
    When I upgraded to an Amiga, although it was a more sophisticated computer with more powerful hardware, the GUI and OS made it difficult for an average schoolkid (ie me) to access and program in the same manner I had with the '64. Amiga Basic was shit, and lacked the immediacy and flexibility of C64 basic.
    BlitzMax, for me, is a chance to have fun with my machines again. Just reading through the website reminds me of the thrill I used to get on the '64 when I figured out raster interrupts and other hacks.
    I hope applications like Blitz can interest a new generation of bedroom games programmers, as the large companies move games-production into a more Hollywood-level industry.

  • Oh, good. (Score:3, Funny)

    by quamaretto ( 666270 ) on Friday December 17, 2004 @08:25AM (#11114942) Homepage
    BlitzMax is BASIC...but with a few twists, including:
    • Function pointers
    Oh, good. Finally, a Basic-style language that combines the power of C with the readability of C. (I'm kidding. I love function pointers.)
  • If I were really going to make a good game and had a great concept for the game: storyline, environment, logic etc, I'd probably just make a mod for Half-Life 2.
    You certainly can't beat the features it offers, the best network code there is, stunning graphics, and great physics.

    An average Joe can't probably buy a license to have his own standalone game based on HL2, but as you can with CS people who made greats mods for fun are not so bad off after all.
    1. Start with the mod.
    2. After the first beta ask for


    • I agree with you. Mods are very attractive. But to do something really different or value-added than the original Half Life, a programmer needs to know a lot more about programming (C++ especially). I think the point here is that Blitz Basic is a bit more accessible to the common pedestrian.

      But as a final analysis, is the common pedestrian likely to make something very dramatic? Probably not.
  • So I work in the field of 3D graphics with both experience of game and visual effects 3D. It's hell trying to hire people who are any good. But one thing comes up again and again: when we find someone who's really good they often grew up programming in BASIC, often on machines like Atari 800s or BBC Micros. The fact is that these machines were delivered to customers with BASIC built in lowering the entry level to programming. These people had a great headstart. Today the barrier to enter graphics programmin
  • I've always had a facination with Basic. Don't know why. Maybe because it was the first language I ever touched on a Commodore 16 of all things!

    Anyway I bought a copy of BlitzMax to give it a spin on my Win32 box and Mac. Pretty cool. It can actually import c or c++ code directly and compile it.

    I've already written a LUA scripting and Zip module and I'm currently working on an ODE module! :) Did I mention that it is compiled? It's C quick.

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