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My program runs in full-screen. I am experimenting with an external player for modular music files in Windows. When I use SHELLCMD, it runs the player and properly hides the command window, but it makes my game forced into a gigantic window instead of fullscreen! How can I remedy this problem?? 

I noticed (at least on my computer, have yet to try this on others,) with NO controller plugged in, GETDIGIY(0) returns -1. The moment I plug in a controller hub or any other controller, it returns 0.

Test it with this:
WHILE TRUE
PRINT GETDIGIX(0),5,5
PRINT GETDIGIY(0),5,25
SHOWSCREEN
WEND

with a controller plugged in, the proper value of Y should be 0. Unplugged for me it's showing up as -1. 

**see latest post for beta download**

Kodai no Chikara (Hidden Power) - an RPG game, and possibly the only Final Fantasy inspired RPG for GLBasic!
I know I was on hiatus for a while, but I returned because I found some free time. In that time, I played some
Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls, and decided to make a game of similar simplicity. The project is unique because
it is rendered in SNES standard resolution (256x224) so when it is played on a CRT television it's like a true
classic. (The game has zoom options, you won't be stuck with a tiny window!) So far I have finished the mapping
system, the inventory and item database, complete with item database editor written in C#. Equipping / unequipping
armors and weapons, and using items with effects is complete. Next step is NPC system and battle system, then I'm
all set to make the game playable! Another important note: The game will be playable 2-player, like FF5/6, where the
second controller can be set up to command the third and fourth party members for more co-op fun. Here's some screenshots.

Windows 8 works fine with GLBasic. HOWEVER (and I know this is no fault of Gernot's, but it should still be looked at,) WindowBlinds is one of the most popular customization programs for Windows. Windowblinds 8 was released shortly ago; and it renders all GLBasic windowed apps useless. They just freeze and show a white rectangle. Tried lots of glbasic apps, including a simple while-showscreen-wend. It immediately worked again once relaunching with windowblinds disabled. I don't seem to remember having this problem using windowblinds in win7. Maybe it's a simple fix, I don't know - but I am willing to bet many 8 users are going to at least get the windowblinds trial so it doesn't look like a kindergartener made their OS.

Well all, it has been fun - GLBasic has been great, and I've done a lot of interesting things with it. I'm glad I could contribute what I could - but alas, I am nearing graduation and have to focus on "real world" programming (Not to offend anyone, but all of my career options require C/C#/Java/other languages.) I have found great success with C#.NET, and have a good chance at getting a programming analyst position at a local medical center - which makes use of C# frequently. I find C# to be extremely programmer-friendly, especially on the .NET platform - I've had no trouble at all switching over, since I already had a lot of classes covering C and C++. I wish you all the best of luck. I will be checking in from time to time to see what's new, but I won't likely post any new code. See ya around!

I need to take a bit of a break, I worked a lot on this one. Attached is the full source code and media files required to make the thing run (Along with an executable if you don't wish to compile.) Included are two useless levels for editing or deleting. A good selection of SID tunes with proper composer credits are included. 90% of the SID tunes in the HVSC will work with the SID player my game uses. Feel free to mess with the code if you want - it needs some optimization.

Remember, here's how to use the editor:

* Left click to place a tile
* Right click to copy a tile
* Middle mouse to scroll through tiles
* Arrow keys to float Blobo around the level (Holding C speeds things up and makes him go through walls)
* X allows you to jump like you would when actually playing the level, making jump testing easy!
* Press Control (left control on the keyboard) to open the type chooser. Blocks can be solid or air. The third option is unimplemented.
* Press O or click the middle mouse button in to open the object chooser.
* K key holds blobo onto the nearest 32x32 tile
* S key sets the level's starting position. Put this up a ways so the view isn't below the bottom of the level!
* SPACE key saves the level.
* ESCAPE key goes back to the main menu, and saves first.
* M key opens a file dialog to select a tune for the level. It plays automatically.
* T key opens a file dialog to select a level the tile you're mousing over will teleport Blobo to. Use this as the end-of-level tile to take you to the next level.
* Press TAB to switch between object-editing and monster-editing.

Monster editing mode:
* Left click to place a monster
* Right click and drag to move a monster that has been placed
* Use the scroll wheel to select the next monster to place




In game: just use the arrow keys and X to jump. Simple as that!
Oh and hold F1 for an FPS display - gotta be sure you're getting that solid 60!

[Updated 4/21/2013!]


Hey there! My upcoming game is called Blobo's Unusual Adventure. It's a 2D sidescroller with retro graphics. SO RETRO in fact... that it's in a unique monochromatic style! (Don't ask why.... I was bored, ok?)

This test is mainly for you to tell me if it works... I just implemented a command-line SID player the game uses to play chiptunes, and it's working great for me (SidplayFP library.) There are 4 demo maps to play, they're just cheesy test maps with little depth to them - I was mainly testing ladders and dynamite. The editor is fully functional, but I have no time to explain how the editor works before work, I'll update this later. The final level was me testing the limits of dynamite and chain reactions... have fun, let me know if you find a glitch!

(Executables only atm, source when it's complete.) I expect it to be done within a week!


Instructions:

Press NEW to play. X is jump, use the arrow keys to move about.


EDIT lets you make a new map or load an existing one. I modeled the editor after Little Big Planet - as in you move about the level as the character while editing. In edit mode, use O to open the objects list or middle click. Ctrl opens the solid-or-air picker, and the scroll wheel is a quicker way of going through tiles. Press tab to switch to and from monster-placing mode.

SPACEBAR saves the map. M selects a SID tune to play for the map, which will play immediately. T lets you pick where the currently moused-over tile will teleport the player to (it lets you pick another map, as in the end of a level.) Most tiles have their own special attributes, like spikes, so many things just work by placing them. Solid or air is important though. Have fun! (Game loads start.uam as the first level.)

p.s: use C in the editor to float through solid walls for convenience.

(I'll attach the latest version to this first post as well as the latest post so you don't have to go to the last page to get it.)

In a windows-only game I want to support Commodore .sid audio - has someone already made a wrapper for a library to do so in GLB? 

Well for a certain MP3 for some weird reason takes ages to loop. It gets to the end, then after like a whole 3 minutes of silence it loops. In any audio player it loops fine and there's no silence at the end, I checked in Audacity. I even tried re-exporting it at different bitrates. Attached is the audio in question along with the code I'm using to play it. I love this song too - it's a gem from the HVSC Commodore SID compilation (chiptune.) 

oh also, i'm using GLBasic IDE 11.322

Thought I'd share my interesting Mario game engine with the GLBasic community, source code and all!

With it you will find the beginning of a really lame Mario knockoff called Ultra Marioid! (I intended for it to be an Android game, it works nicely on Kindle Fire HD 7")
What it does:

* full worldmap system with entirely customizable layouts in the same fashion as Super Mario Bros. 3. Levels are automatically linked by level number.
* infinite level size, not bound by a grid. Place objects freely on the screen!
* supports per-level music customization via ini file
* infintiely expandable object arsenal. make a bitmap named obj_(number).bmp and it's usable in-game if it's in the media folder.

Test the demo level by pressing new game. On the world map, you can either click a position to move to or use the arrow keys. Stepping on a level indicator will initiate the level.

Controls:

Arrow keys to move
X to jump

Being optimized for touch screen mechanics, some blocks are "tappable" to break them, so you can simply use the mouse on a PC. When compiling for android, remember that your screen MUST support 1280x800, such as the Kindle Fire HD, unless you rewrite some of the code to alter it. Compiling for Android automatically switches on the NES-style on-screen controls.

Editing a level: Press "EDIT" at the start screen. Use arrow keys <--- and ---> to select a level, enter to pick what one. A yellow "?" will appear if the level has not been made yet - so just press enter to make it!

The arrow keys fly you around the map. Shift + arrow key = fast move. SPACE bar saves the level.

In the editor: press "O" to open the objects list. You can select an object from here, or simply press the + key or the - key on the numpad to "scroll" through objects available. Click to place an object. Snap objects to the left, right, top, or bottom of other objects by selecting them with the mouse and using W,A,S, or D on the keyboard.

Scroll with the scrollwheel on the mouse to change the properties of the next object to place. Mousing over any object and using the / or * keys on the numpad changes the SELECTED object's properties. By default, objects act as solid blocks. They can become moving platforms, breakable by jumping under them, or act as coins. In game, you can break ANY block on PC by holding shift and clicking it. In the editor, delete a block by mousing over it and pressing delete. The shift-click thing is more of a beta-testing feature, it's obviously not for the final product.

Keep in mind Mario will start in the middle of the screen on a newly loaded map, so build accordingly. Pressing T opens a slider to select how many "taps" the next object placed requires in order to explode it in-game. Set this back to zero to disable it.

Remember: this is not a finished product. With some additions it can be made into a fully finishable game, but as it is, it's just a sort of fun little experiment.

Download full project: http://www2.zshare.ma/yrudnqo1weiq

It seems by default, GLBasic apps run upside-down on the Kindle Fire HD 7". I have to use SETORIENTATION 3 in order to see it right... but this makes the initial loading dots go backwards until it changes orientation, and exiting the app shows the homescreen switch back to rightside-up. Is there a way to force it to be the other way around before the app initializes, and does this happen on other devices? 

[How-To:]

I wanted to make a simple platformer like Super Mario Bros. 1 style, so I threw something together. Borrowed some mario sprites/tiles until I make my own or decide to make it some kind of mario 1 fan game

How-To:

Open the .gbap file, press F5 to compile/run
Use the mouse, and select "New"
Use the arrow keys to move, X to jump.

Fun things to try that are enabled for testing:
Press and hold F1 to watch tile collision
Press F2 to fly
Right click any tile to smash it to bits

(I'm particularly happy with my brick-breaking effect )





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Well it's really a UI disaster, isn't it? I got Windows 8 from MSDN finally. GLBasic works fine, but... well this happened. I wanted to make snow, which is easy and I've done it many times before. But for some reason it's doing some weird discoloration! I've tried alphamode, smoothshading true/false, and different color variations. White snow draws as yellow snow... ick! Look.



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I have a decent-size ini file for a map database. (366 kb, about 20,000 lines in it.) Just reading ONE value seems to lag my program for a good 5 seconds flat. Is there a better alternative to iniget$() ?

Is there a simple function for a server to send a client a file I can basically plug-and-play using NET commands?

GLBasic always was able to be run in WINE as long as you built for windows (via F5 key or just compiler->build.) But I noticed, even Windows build gives the same error as any other platform if done within the "build-multiplatform" dialog. Maybe changing the default target for the F5 key would fix it? (Likely it's a much deeper problem having to do with compilers that don't work under WINE, but it would just save so much trouble to have GLB compile multiplatform in WINE... or even a native IDE. for OSX/Linux) 

I really do hate java. I have a 6-week course on it currently, so I have to dedicate my time to that mess of a programming language. I may not post much about GLB - so just a heads up! I'm not disappearing!

I'm using a different PC for a while, and I popped an AMD HD7700 in it. Works great, but I noticed GLBasic games were acting choppy, but "reporting" full FPS. I looked at Catalyst Control Center, and noticed "Open GL Triple Buffering" was disabled. Checking the box and rebooting completely fixed the problem. Is there a way to make GLBasic tell the graphics driver we want that on? Seems odd to me it'd be off by default I guess. I tried unchecking it and the choppy display came back, so it's definitely triple buffering...

I'm working on an 8-bit smash brothers-esque game to play with some friends. I call it X Bit Tournament. It's pretty easy to work on, and I just finished a stage editor. It supports up to 4 players via game controller.

Characters possible in the roster:
Megaman
Mario + friends
Bionic Commando
Contra-guys
Ninja Gaiden protagonist
Kirby!
Various enemies from games (for fun!)

I'm going to use scaling so that the camera zooms in to where the action currently is, rather than showing the whole map zoomed out. This is just something I'm doing for fun, nothing commercial or high profile.

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Worked a bit with my map engine I posted previously. I decided to go with the "zelda" style, thanks to a suggestion from a forum member
This is just a basic 4-map demo. Use the arrow keys + z to attack enemies. I've implemented stats, HP / EXP bars that work with percentages, and fighting enemies can level you up!

For testing purposes:
hold F5 to see the enemy tile-occupy system at work
Press * to gain exp, / to lose exp (numpad)
+ to gain HP, - to lose HP (numpad)
"Clear" to scroll to the previous weapon, = to scroll to the next weapon (also on the numpad.)

Let me know what you think!

Note: Binary only! Has over 2250 lines of code, I'll keep it proprietary for now



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