CompuServe Thread

#Info request

7 messages in this thread
#28881From: Kristin HaywoodOct 26, 1991 11:44 AM
I am getting ready to begin creating the biggest, bestest, greatest, etc.. game of space conquest the world has ever seen (or at least something that I will enjoy a lot). 🙂 What I need is a language to create it with. I am trying to decide between Benchmark M2 and some sort of C Compiler. I have a background in Pascal programming, so there will be some sort of learning curve regardless of which way I go (presumably a bigger learning curve with C). I need information to help me make this decision. More -is- better (at least in this case). Does Benchmark work with and support the 3000? Are there any limits to the size of program that can be created? Why should I use Benchmark over any other language available? Thank you for your time.
#28893From: dan barberOct 26, 1991 6:19 PM
Hi, just thought I would put a word in…I have a 3000 with 2.0 and I'm using Benchmark Modula2. It only supports the 1.3 features so you dont get all of the neat stuff! I am not using for a game so I don't know how well it would do, but I is a great programming environment! Good luck, Dan Barber
#28909From: Kristin HaywoodOct 26, 1991 10:46 PM
Thanks Dan, My problem is that I am ready to start learning and programming now, but don't know enough yet to make a decision (*sigh*). Can you (or anyone else) point me to a good review of BM2? Is there a version of BM2 that does take advantage of 2.0 features? (questions, questions, questions… 🙂 Thanks again
#28905From: Betty Clay/SYSOPOct 26, 1991 9:20 PM
Kristin, A great many people seem to think AMOS is the neatest language for writing games. It is based on BASIC, but is greatly enhanced in the graphics and sound areas, and can be compiled. You might want to investigate it. I have not used it, myself. There used to be a demo version of it in AmigaTech, Other Languages library. I'm not sure if it is still there. Betty
#28910From: Kristin HaywoodOct 26, 1991 10:47 PM
Thanks, I will see if I can track down the demo of AMOS.
#28961From: Gary DunlapOct 27, 1991 1:58 PM
Modula2 is extended Pascal, so all your experience with Pascal would cary over. The big differences are the I/O and the concept of a module (seperate compilation, specification and body). The compilers will check for more errors than C or Pascal ever could. As a result you will probably have a faster learning curve with BMM2 than any C compiler. As for 2.0 support, I think the lattest word is not yet, but in progress. Program limmits are 64k bytes for global variables and data per module, code per module, and strings per module. Each of these limits can be avioded by dividing the problem into smaller modules. There are no limits on totals (except that it must fit in memory). This fits with modern software engineering methods. Gary Dunlap : Wyrd Software : It just works like magic!
#29075From: Art SteinmetzOct 29, 1991 12:40 PM
A background in Pascal will make learning M2 almost trivial. That being said a far bigger hurdle will be learning the Amiga OS. The current C packages hug the system much more tightly and are better supported than any M2. If you're serious about this your total development time will be likely reduced by using C. I use M2 exclusively for my programming but I am a hobbyist. — Art