probably the best thing to VB game programming in a while

[nemaroller]

Maybe you have heard of them, maybe not, but the TrueVision 3d Game engine will help bring many VB games into line with C++ sourced games... plus its free to tinker with... you just have to pay publishing fees if you actually sell anything with it!!!



As a VB programmer, i thought I'd share this link with you, since it was reported on www.gamedev.net as a new competitor to c++ sourced games....

TrueVision 3D Engine

[Zaei]

I should put this in my signature...
"Its no fun to use anyone elses engine. Write your own."

Z.

[Megatron]

I would agree with you on that one. Using an existing engine takes out the fun in programming it, and the satisfaction that what you actually built was useful.

[kedaman]

youre all using engines, compilers, api's even the operative system and the computer itself is all a platform for your comparativley "tiny" code. You can try code in pseudo if you want. I'd say if you want to accomplish anything at all, use available resources wisely. If you put that in your sig, i put this in mine If you want to create a 3d engine for fun, go ahead, but if you want a game, i'd pick an engine.

[Sastraxi]

I'm with both of you.
-It's fun and it's a learning experience if you try to make a 3D engine and therefore you know how to use it...
-On the other hand, if you already have a lot of knowledge of 3D physics and want to get programming use an engine.

But I would rather write one as, like nemaroller said, publishing costs. A programmer with no $$$ cannot do anything in today's world.

[Zaei]

kedaman, dont be a smart ass so much =). Of course you have to use the tools we are given (else we wouldnt even be using VB =), but using a 3d game engine written by someone else just takes the fun out of creating something to call your own. All of the pride of "I built something cool" goes out the window when you do. And sifting through thousands of lines of code is never any fun =).

Z.

[edit]
And interesting avatar =).

[kedaman]

what's the pride in living in the 21'th century when everything is already set up for you, you just have to push this button and that button and everything will work. VB is the product of who knows how many million years of work, and still you can call a little app you made "totally made by me, myself and I". Okay if youre asking for pride then designing a actually decent reusable 3dengine is worth it, however if youre just wrapping some D3D api with some math you picked from sites here and there on internet, i wouldn't call that much of work. Anyway, if it's fun, then do it, if you want to get something done in time, concentrate on the main concept.
thanks for the comment about the avatari, well i'm going to change it soon, it's probably the worst one i had, (you can go vote in chitchat)

[Zaei]

Thats why i use C++ (and ASM for 3d soon, hopefully) =). And none of Microsoft's MFC stuff either. Still, D3D is just another premade thingama bobber, but i dont know enough to create my own 3d engine
=(. Too bad for me =(.

Z.

[kedaman]

if you build a 3d engine in ASM, i'm mighty impressed =) it would take years and years again for me. I use basically VB, because it's faster to get something done in time, and i'm seriously dying for someone to assist me, i use whatever api's are available EVERY time, since there's always components that i can't find anywhere and takes ages to code. You should be thankful there are RADtools around you.

[Sastraxi]

Stop picking on each other !!

You guys need to get along.
Or else peace in the forums will be lost.

[nemaroller]

I understand your point in 'pride in programming'. I most certainly could build a 3D engine if I had four to five years to kill. I imagine the 3D engine you may have built would be extremely more difficult to use and more error-prone than a packaged and supported commercial product.

But really, to take pride in something in the way you people are talking, we'd have to reinvent the circuit board, design something other than flip-flop logic circuits, and substitute the binary numbering system with something of our own... as you see the list would involve 40+ years of work... you might as well get to work building an optical computer!

the point is survival of continuous technology builds upon previous work...and using what appears to be a solid, commercial 3D engine will suffice for most programmers and companies. I certainly wouldn't trust millions to a hack engine job.

[kedaman]

Yes, that's about the point i was making, Einstein said that a dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant could see further than the giant (or something like that) What would we be wihtout this principle applied as evolution? If you need productivity then preservation of technology is the key. I think Microsoft is doing a good job with all the programmers interfaces we are being supplied with, so we should not hesitate to use them.

[Zaei]

VB is most definately a good thing, and so are the various API's. But, using someone else's engine isnt always easy. Just because "someone else made it", doesnt mean its better than what you would do. When i program, i try to make it as easy to use as possible. wrap up evey bit of code possible, make it portable, everything. I feel that as my "engine" stands now, in C++, its extremely simple to use. And again, an engine created by someone else is generally geared to one type of game or application, which may, or may not be what you want. It may or may not include all of the features you want. It might, but it might also have features that you dont want, which slow the code down considerably. Just as an example, has anyone ever tried looking through say, the source code for Unreal? there are hundreds of files, an a lot of them dont even make much sense, unless you were the one to code them, or you had the days it would take to familiarize yourself. Its quite annoying. So, if you want a quick game, use someone else's engine. But if you want YOUR game, make your own.

Z.

[Jotaf98]

Here's what I did: I picked a REALLY basic DX engine, since I never really learned DX. But then my needs changed, so I had to modify it. Now, I modified it so much that I can call it my own: there isn't a single line of code from the original engine

So, in my opinion, you can call it "your own" if you did the hard parts of it by your own, and figured out a lot of things in the way, BY YOUR OWN. You know it's yours when you *feel* it's yours, when you finish it. Eg.: I picked up a basic scripting language code. I modified it for my needs. Just like with DX, I think I can call it my own, because I improved it a lot and replaced the bad parts in it

Anyway, if you used an open-source engine, you should give credits to the people that built the engine. Because after all they thaught you lots of stuff
Man, the "thanks to" section in my game is gonna be biiig...

[Megatron]

Originally posted by kedaman
youre all using engines, compilers, api's even the operative system and the computer itself is all a platform for your comparativley "tiny" code. You can try code in pseudo if you want. I'd say if you want to accomplish anything at all, use available resources wisely. If you put that in your sig, i put this in mine If you want to create a 3d engine for fun, go ahead, but if you want a game, i'd pick an engine.

Why should we have to use what's out there? What if it isn't good enough for us? What if the envrionment does not suit us? What if the syntax doesn't suit us. What about that little payment call royalties or "License Fee" ? These are all things you must take into consideration. There are many advantages, as well as disadvantages to creating your own engine, rather then licensing, but as you might have guessed, creating your own engine outweighs licensing an engine in the long run.