[Dark Basic Professional 7.6 Download [UPD]
Kody Coste
we have to put d3drm.dll in all projects folder. the same on Windos systems.my install is very old, it is just a copy to the folder of dark basic classic (3D games creator) come from WindosXP. DB.exe needs regedit entry.
DarkBASIC is a fantastic programming tool for creating games of all types. Anyone who has at least minimal experience with a computer can use DarkBASIC to create quality presentations, demonstrations, simulations, and even games. This chapter provides an overview of DarkBASIC, with a tour of the development environment and a demonstration of some sample programs that come with DarkBASIC. It also explores the DarkMATTER add-on and update for DarkBASIC and contains an introduction to DarkBASIC Professional, the new and improved version of DarkBASIC that features a completely rewritten graphics engine based on DirectX 8.1. There are so many things to talk about that I want to jump in and explain all of them right away, but this chapter should give you a solid introduction that will prepare you for the chapters to come. At the end of this chapter is a tutorial on installing DarkBASIC.
It is a professional-grade compiler with an integrated development environment that lets you write, load, and save the source code that makes up programs, and then compile it into standalone executable programs that run in Windows and use DirectX.
This book focuses on teaching you how to be a programmer, first and foremost. I make no assumptions about whether you know how a command works. The subjects in this book are organized so that basic topics are covered first, with each chapter covering a more challenging aspect of programming with the DarkBASIC language. If you have never written a computer program before, you will have no trouble working your way through this chapter and those that follow.
Let me show you a few examples of what you can do with DarkBASIC. By the time you have finished this book, you will be able to write games and demos just like these. Figure 1.1 shows a first-person shooter (FPS) demo called FPSEngine, which is on the CD-ROM if you want to load and run the program.
DarkBASIC is essentially a scripting language sitting on top of a powerful 3D game engine. You might think of the language as a "wrapper" for the game engine. The low-level functions in DarkBASIC interface with DirectX 8.1 below the scripting language. You use this language to tell the game engine what to do, and the result is a running game.
Because DarkBASIC was designed for writing games, it contains none of the complexity of languages such as Microsoft Visual C++ (the language most commonly used for commercial games). DarkBASIC is a scripted game engine somewhat at the level of commercial game engines. Think of DarkBASIC as one step above DirectX, which is the case with the Quake III Arena, Unreal Warfare, and Half-Life engines, and so on. DarkBASIC is not optimized like these other engines for a specific purpose (such as first-person shooters); rather, it provides a general-purpose game engine for multiple genres. As you will find later in this chapter, DarkBASIC Professional takes DarkBASIC to a whole new level (see Figure 1.3).
Indeed, you can write any game that you can imagine using DarkBASIC. But just as DarkBASIC is not as fast as the Quake III Arena engine, you would be hard pressed to write a 2D platform scroller or a planetarium simulation as a Quake III mod!
There are comparisons that go both ways. For example, take a look at Figure 1.4, which shows a solar system simulation written by Roger Yarrow. As you see, you can use DarkBASIC for just about anything imaginable, and it is a terrific tool for simulations, scientific visualizations, and even business presentations.
DarkBASIC was created by Dark Basic Software Ltd and distributed by FastTrak Software Publishing Ltd. The main Web site for DarkBASIC is at , where you can purchase DarkBASIC, keep up to date on the latest news, view screenshots of featured demos and games, and chat on the message boards (see Figure 1.5).
Dark Basic Software also maintains a separate Web site for DarkBASIC Professional, as shown in Figure 1.6. You can visit the Web site at for the latest information about programming and product updates.
What makes DarkBASIC so popular is that it provides users with the ability to quickly and easily write graphically intense programs that utilize the latest 3D graphics cards. It only takes a few simple commands to load a 3D model with full texturing and lighting enabled, and to move that model around on the screen.
Figure 1.7: Iced Demo is a simple first-person shooter created with DarkBASIC.
- Jet Ski Demo. Jet Ski Demo is another nice example of the capabilities of Dark-BASIC (see Figure 1.8). This program, also written by Lee Bamber, reminds me of WaveRace on the Nintendo 64, featuring some awesome wave effects.
Figure 1.8: Jet Ski Demo simulates riding on waves with realistic water movement.
- Room Demo. Room Demo, also included with DarkBASIC and written by Lee Bamber, demonstrates special water effects, 3D character animation, ball-bouncing physics, rain effects, translucent water, and triggers that open and close doors (see Figure 1.9).
Figure 1.9: Room Demo demonstrates 3D character animation and special effects.
- DarkSWARM Demo. DarkSWARM demonstrates 2D graphics. It is also included with DarkBASIC and was written by Lee Bamber. DarkSWARM resembles a classic vertically oriented arcade game, but it is actually a full 3D game (see Figure 1.10). The player's ship, aliens, projectiles, and even the score are rendered in 3D, while the camera angle represents the game in a 2D setting. This is a great way to enhance a game that would otherwise be limited to 2D.
Figure 1.10: DarkSWARM resembles a classic 2D arcade game.
- Tank Demo. Tank Demo is an extraordinary demonstration of the capabilities of DarkBASIC! This program, also provided with DarkBASIC and written by Lee Bamber, includes multi-level terrain over which you can drive in a tank, as shown in Figure 1.11. The tank moves realistically over the terrain, angling up, down, left, and right depending on the angle of the ground. Tank Demo also employs recoil physics, smoke, fog on the horizon, moving clouds, fire, transparent surfaces, and realistic terrain damage when a projectile explodes on the ground. By changing the camera angle to an overhead view, this game could be turned into a real-time strategy (RTS) game. It could also be a fantastic tank battle game for multiple players by adding multiplayer connectivity, destructible buildings, base camps, and power-ups!
Microsoft's DirectX game development library is comprised of components that abstract the computer system, providing a common set of interfaces regardless of the underlying hardware (such as the video card and sound card). Hardware manufacturers, such as Nvidia (makers of the GeForce4 Graphics Processing Unit) and Creative Labs (makers of the Sound Blaster Audigy sound card) include DirectX drivers with their products so that all games developed in current or earlier versions of DirectX will run without incident.
What you need is a way to quickly, easily, and spontaneously crank out the prototype version of your game idea before you lose interest and before the complexities of game programming overwhelm you and stifle the creative enthusiasm that you felt upon coming up with the new game idea. That's where DarkBASIC comes in. Not only is DarkBASIC a fantastic prototyping language that lets you get a minimal demonstration of your game up and running very quickly, it is also full-featured and loaded with awesome tools that will let you follow through and take the game to completion. Although you can (and will) write awesome games with DarkBASIC, you could also use it to quickly prototype a game that you plan to eventually write in a more difficult language.
Okay now, what does it take to actually run DarkBASIC? I'll assume that you have a computer already because that's sort of a given, right? If you don't have a computer, I'll at least assume that you are using one at school, work, or a friend's house. You will need a Windows PC with DirectX 7.0a installed to run DarkBASIC or any program compiled with it. Here are the minimum recommended specifications for any PC running DarkBASIC:
From my own personal experience, you will want a much more powerful system than the minimum specs listed above; otherwise, your games will not be able to run very fast. When it comes to writing games and graphics programs, you want a more powerful computer than the norm. I recommend at least a 2 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, and a GeForce4 or later video card. Most PCs today exceed even these specs; I am being conservative with the numbers.
DarkBASIC Professional supports the advanced features of DirectX 8.0+, so you will want a high-end video card to write programs that use those features. For example, I have a GeForce4 Ti4200 card with 64 MB of DDR video memory, and it is fully capable of handling the new features in DarkBASIC Pro.
If you are not familiar with terms such as T&L, pixel shading, and vertex shading, you might want to pick up one of the excellent books by Premier Press that deals with Direct3D. You can find detailed information about these books at and in Appendix B, "Recommended Books and Web Sites."
Now, this is an important point. When you are running DarkBASIC and working on a game, the rest of your computer is irrelevant; you are fully engaged in what you are doing, with no distractions. This is a very important aspect that I believe makes DarkBASIC a great tool for beginners. Too often, the Windows user interface is a distraction! Although DarkBASIC helps you to focus on the game, you can still freely switch between DarkBASIC and other programs because it's Windows friendly.
Despite the immersion of DarkBASIC, which is great for beginners, experienced programmers often prefer a windowed interface, such as that provided by DarkEDIT. DarkBASIC Professional features a windowed IDE (Integrated Development Environment).
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