Editorial Review:

Product Description:
DarkBASIC 3D Games Creator is a complete set of tutorials that will show you how you can create your own games!

Amazon.com Review:
Easier to comprehend than some other game-programming packages out there, DarkBASIC offers both a fun tutorial and a powerful code editor. You can start programming right away in this offshoot of the BASIC language. First you will learn about the principles of programming, then advance onto media and 3-D topics with further study. The program makes it easy, and with a handful of impressive examples you can learn by doing on several short, fast programs.

The main editor area of the program is attractive, although it does remind us a bit of the role-playing games of the late 1980s. Our favorite perk was the Command Line Interface (CLI) button in the page header: this feature allows you to test single or small groups of commands without constructing an entire program. The online help system is multifaceted: it offers a 'fast track' option for those with programming experience (or who are just impatient) as well as a more structured lesson plan.

The user manual is particularly friendly and witty in tone, and we appreciated the Further Tutorials pamphlet that accompanied the package. The initial tutorials cover basic program form, creating line objects, using color, and terraforming. The advanced tutorials examine everything from determining camera perspective to the use of fogs and backdrops, from explosions to bullets and monsters.

We first took DarkBASIC out for a spin with a simple text program, and then moved on to creating a simple 3-D game (unfortunately without conclusion). The package comes with a number of textures for floor, wall, and ceiling, as well as other objects like monsters, weapons, and the like. You're not limited to using only these: DarkBASIC covers how to import your own images and assets for use in your program. This package handles five types of media files: images (as bitmap files), sound (as WAV files), music (as MIDI files), animation (as AVI files), and object models. For each of these, you may specify the correct editor, ensuring a strong connection and compatibility between DarkBASIC and your selected applications.

We were very impressed with the media browser and accompanying contents: in this gallery-style view, you can check out the goblins, samurais, game sounds, streaming music, textures, and game screens (like the 'game over' screen). Our only issue with DarkBASIC was that there wasn't a minimize option readily available, making it difficult to multitask with other projects we're working on (yet easy to get engrossed in our dreams of 3-D game generation).

Overall, DarkBASIC ran very smoothly after install and left plenty of resources free for other applications to continue running. In the end, we recommend DarkBASIC to future (and present) game-programming gurus for ease of use, quality, and the overall fun factor. --Emilie Herbst

Amazon.com Product Description:
DarkBASIC is a programming language that allows users to write games with the speed and power of DirectX and Direct3D. It provides beginners with an easy opportunity to learn how to program. The interface is designed to get you going immediately. Imagine your very first program running in less than five minutes.

The DarkBASIC interface is engineered to provide a simple and uncluttered workspace. All the options available to you are visible and are accessed with a single click. The help system uses familiar HTML layout for easy navigation and contains extensive examples and tutorials. Through DarkBASIC command sets, you tap into the DirectX architecture as though you where coding it yourself. DarkBASIC programs are compiled into optimized scripts.

Other features include: full-screen display modes, automated double buffering, AVI animation and MIDI music control, 3-D sound effects, and MP3 and MP2 support. Extensive examples and tutorials are provided to help get you programming quickly.









Availability: Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks

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Rating: - what???
This was not at all what i expected. The game does not allow you to "jump right into it", you have to either know code, or go thourgh hours of tutorials and learning to get it right, and then you even get syntex errors because the booklet that came with it was wrong! It somehow reminds me of dos with a black screen and you sitting there putting in characters, which is probably what real game programing is. But if you just want something to play around with and have fun with, either look somewhere else or just get game maker from [...]

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Rating: - Disambiguity
* The four stars are for what the product is. The one missing is for what the product isn't.

DarkBASIC is a BASIC dialect designed to facilitate video game making. The language is very English-like, which makes it easy to understand. From my experience, DarkBASIC is fast, powerful, and easy.

However, it is VERY important to note that, in this product, you are paying for an editor, not a compiler. This means that the programs you will write will be saved in .DBA format and will be useless outside the editor. You cannot save to executable files.

Also, current buyers might want to note that this program uses DirectX 8.1, a thoroughly outdated version of Microsoft's DirectX line. Thus, the graphics and sound quality you produce will not be as pristine as those from, say, DirectX 9.0 or 10.0.

One particular that nearly tricked me was the name that Amazon has given this product. For those of you who don't know, The Game Makers (the company which makes DarkBASIC) manufacture another software product called The 3D Gamemaker. This is a drag-and-drop game creation environment that requires little to no programming. However, this product is not The 3D Gamemaker and will make you write code.

Fundamentally, this is an educational tool. If you want a simple and fun way to learn to program, this product is an excellent choice. However, if you are interested in creating standalone games, you need to either pay a bit more for a compiler or find a different language. ...

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Rating: - May never know...
We may never know if we like this product as the Amazon box was empty when it arrived. We have had no help from amazon, compusa, nor the maker of this software after numerous emails and phone calls. This was my son's Christmas present and he's still waiting... at this rate we'll end up with the opinion that we shouldn't order software online...

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Rating: - Just clearing something up.
* First of all, this is great! I would reccomend it for anyone who wants to learn who to make 'real' games(not using generators). If you are wanting to go pro though, save your money for DarkBasic Pro version.

Anyways, I wanted to clear up about the thing someboby said that you have to mold levels in DarkBasic 'Classic'(not Professional) tile by tile. That is true if you do it strictly through programming, but if you download one of the matrix editors made with DarkBasic you can make levels much easier. Just go to the DarkBasic site(http://www.thegamecreators.com/), find the DarkBasic area, click on Showcase, on the left hand side of the screen, then click on Applications. Now, mixed with a few other things, you will see 5 or 6 level editors for you too download and use free of charge.

I will again say, DarkBasic is great! This is by far the easiest and cheapest(even DarkBasic Professional) 'real' game making language. Even if you have no idea how to program, the useful tutorials and online forum/codebase will explain everything to you, and in a few days you will have a good, but basic, game too enjoy!

Oh, and one more thing. If you are new to programming get the regular, or classic, version of DarkBasic before you get the Pro version, it has alot better tutorials and such for the beginner. See for yourself and download the 30 day trial versions at http://www.thegamecreators.com/

Enjoy! ...

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Rating: - Sweet software. Easy to use.
With this software you can create a 2-D or 3-D game.
Follow the tutorial you can download from www.thegamecreators.com (producers of the software) and you will create a real game in about 2 weeks of nights.
[...]
This box is the FULL package [...] The software is not as fully supported as the professional version, but for a hobbiest, it is perfect.