DarkBasic Pro vs TrueVision3D

[Red Ocktober]

nooooo!!!

you must be kiddin'!!!

ya mean you can do this in TV3D toooo!!!!

      

--Mike

[DarkLord]

The problem with DB Pro is that they have had so long to try and improve their software which is one of the reasons I stopped using it and converted to using TrueVision3D, I have been using DarkBASIC since DB Classic, so for about 5 years+ I have been with DB.

Don't get me wrong, it is quite good and you can create some decent software with it, but what annoyed me was the fact that the community basically rewrote aspects of the engine, such as collision detection, network code, sprite management etc... there are so many plugins being sold via the site that if you bought everyone you would have a completely different version - this is what DB PRO 'SHOULD' have been. I still like DB PRO but sometimes you have to cut your losses and try something else.

I havent been using TV3D long but I am impressed with it,although I will have a rant about the documentation - isnt very good or up-to-date for that matter, then again, DB PRO documentation wasnt much better either

[serial]

I used DBPro for a while and even have a licensed copy of it. 

I think DBPro is a very capable engine.

I wouldn't use it for another more than prototype ideas. 

Overall the engine is slow even on a decent machine the engine is considerbly slower
than other engines out there.

DBPro is supposed to be easy for newbs to pick up and learn,  however if you want
to do anything remotely advanced with the engine you'll need to create a plugin
to do the job.  Plugins can be written in a couple of differant languages with hacks
but the primary language is C++.  The plugin system that DBPro has totally defeats
the ease of use concept that DBPro is marketed under. 

The best thing I found to do with DBPro is to prototype ideas.  You don't have to
do any memory managment and worry about creating and destroying objects.  Which
makes it quick to go in and hack out some code and get something on the screen.

Its basically as simple as create box 1,10,10,10 

or something similar.  The equivelant would take about 10 lines in TV just to
get a box on the screen.

That ease of use really hampers you later on though.  Especially when it comes to
detailed projects.  You'll continuously have to come up with interesting solutions
to problems that simply don't occur when using TV3D.  Which in the end any lines of
code you saved in other spots get eaten more your interesting solutions(hacks) to get
certain basic functionality to work well.

Visually quality seemed to be more inline with the skill of the programmer and quality
of media used just like most other engines.

[DarkLord]

James, I've been using DB PRO for a couple of years now, even used DB Classic, so been around DB for a good few years.

DB had so much promise, I personally like DB PRO but they are now concentrating on the DarkGDK and eventually they probably will forgo the development of their main product (DB PRO).

I use DB PRO and Dark Physics and to be honest you can create some good looking environments  but try and add Physics into your environment and it's like playing screenshots.

There are still so many bugs in DB PRO and all of their plugins, they havent updated DB PRO for over a year now as they were concentrating on FPS CREATOR X10 and now DB PRO X10 so I don't see an update for DB PRO in the near future, even Dark Physics hasnt been updated for over a year.

Personally, If I purchased their product I want it working reasonably well and I also want it updated regularly, but No updates for over a YEAR is just too much. I realise you could say the same about TrueVision3D, but atleast they offer their software for FREE and quite honestly I'm experiencing much better frame rates than DB PRO and DarkGDK could ever do.

[Lenn]

eh?
TV3D is being updated sort-of-monthly. Frequently enough anyhow. During closed beta we had pretty good reports almost bi-weekly of what was being done/updated. I have an impression they are doing an OK job at updating, though of course there is always room for improvement. But still by far more updates (in forms of bug fixes) than most of the engines i've tried. For me, comparing to DBPro, once you get deep down into using the engine you the realise how intelligently everything is designed in TV3D. The little coding experience I had in DBPro felt like ... like walking through mud or something.

[RuntimeError101]

I smell a spammer    James23 copied and pasted Zak's exact statement and his signature has links to video converters.  Not to mention that he just bumped a four month old post.  Just pointing that out...

[Lenn]

I smell a spammer    James23 copied and pasted Zak's exact statement and his signature has links to video converters.  Not to mention that he just bumped a four month old post.  Just pointing that out...

Nicely spotted. So I guess this forum will be getting one of those screwed up looking letter codes at registration?

[DarkLord]

very well spotted!

damn him! James, go away you filthy being, go play on a busy road!

[peteym5]

I think this is not a true comparison of both engines. They would need the same components on screen for a true frame rate comparison. Some of us may be looking now to veer away from Microsoft products and start using alternate software instead. I have not read up on everything on Darkbasic, but I am trying to see if the same DLLs can be used by a Darkbasic program just the same way as Visual Basic does.

[bush2]

They are just so basic of screen shots and lighting isn't the only factor that defines a good engine.Pontiac  Parts - Discount  Parts - Free Shipping.Shop for Pontiac Grandville Parts from Car Parts Warehouse at wholesale price online. Visit Car Parts Warehouse to buy Pontiac quality replacement car parts

[sam11182]

OK, IM SORRY.      this thread has been biased from he beginning. the first hint was the two images. that Darkbasic pic could have matched and much improved the other (known by experience), and truevision could have also had a MUCH better screenshot.

im an all-around computer geek, and i have an addiction to getting things to work and making things, so ive become addicted to the extreme expandability of DBPro. it doesnt have OOP natively, but a plugin i found gives you some of that power.

truevision is great because it was finalized before release. that is its strength along with its syntax and language.

as a reply to DBPro's "Shader Mess", its shader support has alwase worked great for me.

This entire comparison is based completely on how you like to code. both prouducts can be infinitely useful fully based on diligence.

[sybixsus]

Have times got so bad for TGC that DarkBasic Pro users have to sign up to forums for other engines just in the hope of tempting someone to try it?

In all honesty, this test was extremely kind on DB Pro, because by the law of averages, the DB Pro version should have crashed leaving you with a screenshot from a BSOD.

[sam11182]

WOA, dont get defensive. have times gotten so hard for TrueVision that their users need to attack other software? i mean, i just complimented DBPro on a thread that is made for discussion on other software, whts wrong? have some screenshots from DBPro, not mine, these pictures belong to their respective owners.

In all honesty, this test was extremely kind on DB Pro, because by the law of averages, the DB Pro version should have crashed leaving you with a screenshot from a BSOD.

dbpro has never crashed during my use unless it was a mistake on my part. im sorry that it is not as bad as you think, but please, try working with a program for longer than ten minutes before deciding its worth. and trust me, that first pic of DBPro was a five minute pic of a person who just recieved dbpro in the mail, and the truevision pic took, if it was me making it, at least twenty.

[RuntimeError101]

*sigh* I don't really know (or care) where you got those screenshots, but all I could find were the ones in the gallery here:

http://darkbasicpro.thegamecreators.com/?m=showcase&i=14

Honestly, they remind me of the older versions of TV, but for all this thread is worth, it should be locked by now.  There has been no proving comparision yet, but everyone here has already decided which engine they want to use, so why waste time with all of this?