GP2X Blitzbasic


plounted

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Jul 3, 2006
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if i were to want to write a game in blitz basic for the gp2x, how would i go about compiling it into a gpe file?
also, are there any special things i need to know about coding for the gp2x in bb?
 
AFAIK you can't write a program in BB for GP2X... There isn't a compiler for it.
If you are familiar with (Blitz) BASIC, now might be the time to look into a more powerful language, such as C/C++.
 
PokeParadox posted on Oct 1 2006 at 07:28 PM said:
AFAIK you can't write a program in BB for GP2X... There isn't a compiler for it.
If you are familiar with (Blitz) BASIC, now might be the time to look into a more powerful language, such as C/C++.
that makes me angry. to a point.
i think id rather try ruby. theres a compiler for that i believe.

im really not that familiar with bb, but it seemed like a good starting language.

:edit: i take that back.
i dont think ruby is right for me.
i have no idea what to learn.
what would be the simplest language for me to learn to make games in?
 
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I belive that BB relies on OpenGL or DirectX for rendering grapics and
neither of those libaries is avalible for the gp2x at the moment.
OpenGL might be possible, but not DirectX, unless Microsoft decides to port it to the gp, and there is a real fat chance of that happening :p

Well I agree with Poke here, I think C/C++ is the way to go, using SDL or Allegro as your grapical libarie.

Edit:
I searched the boards for information about other programming launguages, but i didnt find any.
Anyone know if there is others than ASM, C and C++ ?
 
You can write games in almost anything ... it just depends on what you want the game to look like. You could use ascii drawing character or 3D shaded object it depends on where you want to start and how much you want to learn. If you do not have any (or only limited) programming skills then a scripting language might be better to start with. The concepts are transportable but the way it is done varies with the programming language and the tools. Why not let us know something of your background and we MIGHT be able to suggest a starting point.
 
I believe python and pygame are built in, and there's some good python tutorials on the net.

Here's a pygame tutorial that might be a starting point. It uses the mouse though, so it won't be directly applicable to the gp2x, but it's something to look at to see if it's something you might want to learn:
http://www.pygame.org/docs/tut/chimp/ChimpLineByLine.html

Here's another one that uses a mouse:
http://tech.canterburyschool.org/pycon/

Here's some docs about using the joystick:
http://www.pygame.org/docs/ref/joystick.html
 
Here is a list of languages that are compilable for the gp2x:
WikiList

Ofcourse c++, c and ARM assembly are possible, too and very powerful. Probably the most powerful on the gp2x.

I think hearing that you do not really have any coding skills, fenix would be the best way to go for you. It`s pretty fast, has a very easy learning curve and is quite powerful, though restricted in what you can do. I think blitz basic has more freedom but fenix is still quite cool. There is a bunch of tutorials on here aswell.

BTW: where does all the speculation from you guys come from? I can`t believe noone here could tell which are the supported programming languages... do your homework guys :rolleyes: ;)
 
PokeParadox posted on Oct 1 2006 at 08:28 PM said:
AFAIK you can't write a program in BB for GP2X... There isn't a compiler for it.
If you are familiar with (Blitz) BASIC, now might be the time to look into a more powerful language, such as C/C++.

I agree!

Download CodeBlocks, and the GP2X dev kit, then search the wiki for the instructions on setting up CodeBlocks to compile the GuyFawkes demo. Once you get that compiling you can tinker with the code and work out most of what needs to be done to produce simple games. The more you mess around and look at other peoples code the quicker you will become a C/C++ programmer. Don't be put off! You can do more than you think you can do...
 
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Gadget posted on Oct 2 2006 at 09:41 PM said:
PokeParadox posted on Oct 1 2006 at 08:28 PM said:
AFAIK you can't write a program in BB for GP2X... There isn't a compiler for it.
If you are familiar with (Blitz) BASIC, now might be the time to look into a more powerful language, such as C/C++.

I agree!

Download CodeBlocks, and the GP2X dev kit, then search the wiki for the instructions on setting up CodeBlocks to compile the GuyFawkes demo. Once you get that compiling you can tinker with the code and work out most of what needs to be done to produce simple games. The more you mess around and look at other peoples code the quicker you will become a C/C++ programmer. Don't be put off! You can do more than you think you can do...
i appreciate you guys faith in me.
as soon as i switch back to windows (ubuntu is a bitch) im gonna try my hand at programming.
can i get a link to the demo?
 
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Why do you want to go back to windows? learning c++ under linux makes way more sense, because you learn how to code properly for cross-compiling and you learn the operating system you will programming for at the same time (gp2x runs linux). It might seem hard at the beginning, but you will be glad later on that you didn`t learn all that windows crap that you won`t need right now. Also, if you have gathered some skills, the windows APIs will not be a difficulty for you anymore. I would stick with linux and do it the uncomfortable way. There are some pretty productive IDEs under linux, too that you can use.
 
xnopasaranx posted on Oct 3 2006 at 01:40 PM said:
Why do you want to go back to windows? learning c++ under linux makes way more sense, because you learn how to code properly for cross-compiling and you learn the operating system you will programming for at the same time (gp2x runs linux). It might seem hard at the beginning, but you will be glad later on that you didn`t learn all that windows crap that you won`t need right now. Also, if you have gathered some skills, the windows APIs will not be a difficulty for you anymore. I would stick with linux and do it the uncomfortable way. There are some pretty productive IDEs under linux, too that you can use.

No offence, but it would be more effective to learn how to code for "cross compiling" in a windows environment. Because you have to account for more changes not just between rendering code etc... but also OS differences.

You will need less code to account for cross-compiling if developping in linux... less code means it's easier, but also means you don't have to be as thoughful about different platforms the code can be compiled on.

In any case, I can't really comment either way since I dev on windows. I am intending to switch to linux sometime though but that's nothing to do with devving... I'd say stick to the OS you feel more comfortable using. There are good IDEs for both. And learning to code will be much the same process regardless of OS.
 
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im sick of linux and its complicatedivity.
plus there are not enough games for linux and the emulators are awful.

im gonna stick with windows.

but im gonna try c++.

andy link to the guyfawkes demo? or is it in the archive?
 
Gary Miller posted on Oct 3 2006 at 01:13 PM said:
Well all of the emulators running on the GP2X are on linux so they can't be that awful .... :rolleyes:
psx is so freaking complicated, and i need the n64. and chankast.
we need a gp2x chankast

just kidding.
 
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All the usage complications of linux aside, programming in it can be easier, especially when your target device uses the same OS. This will vary depending what language you decide to use though.

If you're interested in learning C/C++, I would recommend running linux in a VM or dual booting, etc, just so you have the option, but it can still be done on windows.
 
plounted posted on Oct 1 2006 at 08:26 PM said:
if i were to want to write a game in blitz basic for the gp2x, how would i go about compiling it into a gpe file?
also, are there any special things i need to know about coding for the gp2x in bb?
Hi plounted, if you want something easy to get into and is compatible with the GP2X. Please try Fenix.... It is a VERY easy language to learn and I (amongst others) are very keen to help. Please give it a thought, it's a kewl language, and if you know basic, it won't take you long to adapt...

Edit:
It's also a good step between the "Basic" language and the Java/C Variants. If you get into this, it will really give you good stead in a lot of languages, such as C, Game Maker scripting and web scripting languages like PHP and Javascript. Believe me, it is easy, and I will help you get it all going if you like, When I get over my horrible cold that is.
 
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I've looked briefly at Pascal - I am guessing that FPC-Pascal can probably be made to work (there is currently an ARM port geared towards the NDS). It seems that the only "missing" parts right now would be Pascal Unit Wrappers around the libraries currently used (libz, libSDL, libpng, libttf etc)
 
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