"A FreeBASIC, QBasic and QB64 games magazine"
Hello everybody!
The new issue of BASIC Gaming is finally out. Sadly, the tutorial I've been waiting for the past few days didn't get done, and it was sort of the last ingredient necessary to raise the quality of this issue on a higher level. Nevertheless, this wait gave me the opportunity to proofread the issue more detailed, wait out for few news and incorporate some that otherwise might have been left out. In that sense, the news briefs really cover all that needs (or wants) to be covered at the moment. Anyway, at least now I have a definite high quality tutorial for the next issue.
In all honestly, it felt like a slower and less exciting period for game development in the community during these last two months, but while compiling this issue I realized it was only an impression and despite so many started projects disappearing off the map, I see now quite few new emerging and some older reappearing. It is a constant flux of creative energies one should appreciate more and not insist on concrete outputs at all time. Each serious project’s time will come in the end. So in a way compiling this number was a rewarding discovery of community's intrinsic creative energies that constantly keep fluctuating and this movement is not subsiding, despite temporary lack of obvious evidences. It was definitely a reassuring process for me that rebuilt my faith in the game dev future of FreeBASIC and QB64.
Back to the issue itself. We have another Revisiting The Classics article, this time covering Prompt Critical. I think this will be the last review in the series and I might eventually start a QBasic equivalent of it, but it will depend on my energies as QBasic Classics will me a much longer commitment that this was. Beside this article we have two solid tutorials, sadly lacking one more that would put a stamp on all of it, but nevertheless these two cover different and interesting topics, each valuable on their own way.
Anyway, check out the news briefs, gallery and awards section as well, download stuff, explore them, return to working on your projects and pleasantly surprise the community before the next issue. I have faith in you people. We still have a lot to say in FB and QB64. Thank you for being with me at this very place in this right moment of time.
With love,
~ Lachie Dazdarian (lachie13@yahoo.com)
News about the latest FB/QB64/QB games, game engines, game-dev libraries and site updates.
WisdomDude returns from the dead and releases a fully functional FB version of his QBasic Connect 4 game. Connect4FB is a two players only network Connect 4 game with a chat feature.
Download it here (282 KB)
Forum thread with more info from the developer: http://games.freebasic.net/forum/index.php?topic=541.0
VANYA released an interesting puzzle game where you need to combine letters/symbols in order to duplicate a preset word. Give it a try!
Download Windows version here (129 KB)
Download Linux version here (112 KB)
Official forum thread: http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19788
codefoil releases a slick mini Connect 4 game entitled Game207. It features a solid AI and minimalistic, yet effective design.
Download the game here (80 KB)
Forum thread: http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19783
Steven D. McNeill released a cool picture assemble game with nice presentation and high score tables. It allows you to pick between a nice selection of free space-themed images collected from the net, and you can also add your own to play with. Give it a peek.
Download the game here (19747 KB)
Forum thread: http://www.qb64.net/forum/index.php?topic=5962.0
Loxi is neat stacking puzzle game where you switch places of rings placed on a preset number of poles in order to align them by color. Over 20 challenging levels to beat. Recommended!
Download the game here (173 KB)
Alternative download: http://www.freebasic-portal.de/downloads/spiele/loxi-228.html
Antti Ylikoski converted the original Star Trek and Super Star Trek text-based BASIC games (Wikipedia page) to QB64 featuring few bug-fixes.
Download the sources: Star Trek, Super Star Trek
Ben McLean cleaned up the source of his old QB game and placed it on google code. Give this QB maze game another go!
Download the game here (47 KB)
Google code page: http://code.google.com/p/baron-von-evil/
Roland made a small update on the AI of his Eschecs game.
Download version 0.8.0 here (84 KB)
Forum thread: http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19034&start=180
VANYA releases another small, but slick puzzle game. Rotate squares of 4 numbers to align them in order in a 4 by 4 playfield.
Download the game here (338 KB)
Party is an ASCII social interaction program. A group of people on a court party with varying preferences towards each other move around. These preferences define the ideal distance between them and the others, ranging from affectionate closeness, or aloof or even wary distance, to complete indifference. Occasionally, people will get hungry or thirsty and go to the table in the south west, or may suddenly have the urge to go to the restroom in the north east. This will cause shifts in other people`s positions. Preferences can be altered during the game by using the cursor arrows to select the value to be altered and then press + or -. Interesting cell survival simulation style toy. Give it a go!
Download the game here (301 KB)
Guerreros QB is a first person turn-based RPG in development. No demos available at the moment, but you can check out some of the gameplay screenshots. It looks very interesting. Looking forward to the demo (hopefully, an English version will be available).
Official website: http://www.indiedb.com/games/guerreros-qb
mambazo showcased few screenshots of his voxel-based 3D engine, still in experimental stage. Hopefully, something might come out of it. Test it!.
Download the WIP engine here (663 KB)
TileCity3D continues to update, with latest updates including: listening to radio stations, objects spawning, day/night change, new buildings, vehicle choosing (including vehicles based on Aleatorylamp's Sailboat simulation) and shadows testing.
Download version 1.0 here (1776 KB)
Download version 1.0 with shadows add-on (testing phase) here (145 KB)
Official website: http://www.tilecity.de/home/
Ummagumma Games posted new entries in their blog announcing the delay of Codename Desperado release and return to the development of Tuonela RPG. On the top of that, they posted screenshots of a new project, announced to be released this month, a football manager game entitled Mafioso Football Manager.
Official website: http://ummagummagames.wordpress.com/
Jobert14's released a gameplay video of his Touhou clone project in March, but sadly canceled it few weeks ago due to programming and copyright problems. Jobert14 returned to the development of CCSakura-EX platform game.
Touhoutest gameplay Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9orLgEu7lQ
DarthWho continues working on his GO engine.
From the developer on the personality AI engine series:
version 4 (status: under development)
version 5 (status: theoretical construct)
Official forum thread: http://www.qb64.net/forum/index.php?topic=4926.30
agamemnus is looking for manpower to continue working on this, described by the developer, commercial project. He also posted the latest demo. Check it out!
Forum thread: http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16400
Website: http://merchantsofpower.com/index.php?page=downloads
Joel Ostiguy (FXG861) was kind enough to share an early demo of his upcoming ASCII Space shooter exclusively through BASIC Gaming. From the developer:
The game style will be a mix of Missile Command, Seaquest and Defender. Objective: Protect your small planet from an alien invasion. The final version will be as followed:
Game controls are at this time
What still need to be done:
Download alpha version 0.14 here (83 KB)
Westbeam is working on a very cool 3D free space simulation all the way since late 2010, which takes place in the X-Universe. This project slipped under my radar a bit, since it was mostly advertised in the German FB community forums, but it's still in full development with latest news from April including new Planet engine screenshots and some models from a new modeler in the team. First alpha version was announced for the summer of this year. I can't wait!
Website: http://www.indiedb.com/games/x-the-forgotten-battles
Yours truly is working on a remake of a less known QBasic single screen puzzle game, Sokoban-style. It will contain the original gameplay and levels, but completely new code, graphics and presentation. For now I only posted a screenshot with placeholder graphics. Another community member is helping me with graphics. Hopefully, it will be a fruitful colaboration.
Forum thread: http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16749&start=15
TESLACOIL begins working on a game project of his own, a turn based multiplayer strategy game. For now it's still in prototyping stage.
Website: http://homeworlds.wikispaces.com/
Johannes Pihl posts a new and awesome video of Gods and Idols demonstrating the capability of seamless travel, all the way from galactic scale down to individual rocks in asteroid belts, as well as an awesome HTTP billboard feature. Amazing!
Youtube video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF5CUdZRjGo
Official website: http://www.godsandidols.com/home/
This is another excellent project from the German part of the community that I missed. It's a very cool Auditorium-style game, where you repel a stream of energy to designated bars by dragging various tools at your disposal. Seems to be very close to completion. The last update on the game was from February.
Forum thread (in German): http://forum.qbasic.at/viewtopic.php?t=7526&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Local download: Energie Particle.zip (25.6 MB)
dahfi showcases the source of his work in progress MIDI synth sound generator. Interesting stuff.
Forum thread: http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19784
sir_mud returns to updating and maintaining his excellent game-dev oriented development library (but not only restricted to game dev). Check out the new revamped site and changes.
Forum thread: http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19743
Official website: http://ext.freebasic.net/
vdecampo announces a new game-dev library for FreeBASIC and posts and early beta version with an example.
Forum thread: http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19893
Download beta ver.0.1 here: GameX.zip (5463 KB)
After a 6 months hiatus from updating new games, FBGD finally returns with no less than 17 new entries in the directory, providing a nice scoop of FB game production for the last sixish months. Some of the entries include Blackout, Reinkarnoid, YAGAC, Color Eater 3D, DashIt and many more. Check the website and see if some game slipped under your radar.
Website: http://games.freebasic.net/
VonGodric updates FBIDE website with new clean design and simpler navigation. Check it out here.
A new version of QB64 has been released. For downloads and details visit this forum thread: http://www.qb64.net/forum/index.php?topic=6007.0
John K releases a new version (1.13) of his RapidQ/FreeBASIC (or any other command line based compiler) IDE. For downloads follow this link.
MilesAway1980 wins QB64's first official game making competition by taking the community vote (4 out of 7) for his Air Attack remake. For the official forum thread and game download follow this link.
From the developer:
What I have so far:
TODO & WIP:
Allow me to award sir_mud with the developer of the issue title for this number for his past efforts in the community, especially for his work on FreeBASIC Extended Library and its continous support. Thank you for maintaining this valuable project.
The FreeBASIC Extended Library aims to provide a portable, community-driven set of libraries designed exclusively for FreeBASIC development. Features include:
Prompt Critical is another FreeBASIC classic developed by syn9, also known for his The Griffon Legend, featured in issue #4. It is probably the most polished FreeBASIC 3D game so far, if not also the best. I'm not so strong on claiming this about Prompt Critical, because while being very polished and well compiled, it is a game rather limited in content. In one sentence, Prompt Critical is a straightforward, score-driven 3D shooter, with somewhat uncommon design and gameplay. Its greatest strengths lie in the slick 3D graphical design and heart-pumping gameplay.
The game story is a simple one, if not somewhat too vague for my taste. You are a pilot controlling an undefined spacecraft (cockpit POW) that is orbiting a wormhole, through which enemies keep popping up. The nature of enemies and their goal is not explained, but basically they look like energy orbs of some sort and you need to destroy them before they ram into you, as well as repel their projectiles.
The game is mouse controlled and you are restricted to shooting at what is on the screen, with also being able to change your point of view as you aim. The direction of activity in Prompt Critical one could describe as one-directional, with enemies spawning from the right part of the map and moving toward left, which does limit the dynamic of the gameplay quite a bit and is the biggest complaint on the gameplay I have. To fight enemies you have 2 weapons at your disposal, with the second being a sort of nuke rockets that are very devastating and should be used only in emergency or against the end-boss. Your life status is defined with two bars, one being health and one shield. The game ends if your health depletes, while the strength of the shield influences the ratio of health loss when damaged. All the way through-out the game powerups are spawned which randomly give you more nuke rockets, health or shield power. The game is stage-based, but each stage is simply another more frantic wave of enemies.
It is a purely score-driven game, with more points earned by accurate shots and less damage taken, but on the top of that, the game does have an ending featuring a tough and interesting end-boss to beat. This makes Prompt Critical rewarding to play in two distinctive ways, which is a huge plus in my opinion.
The game features very slick and clever 3D design, which doesn't seem to employ any textures, but with creative usage of shapes, colors and lightning effects it delivers vibrant and exciting environment to look and shoot at. This perhaps is not so much obvious from my screenshots, but is evident from the moment you load the game up.
Another strong aspect of Prompt Critical are its soundtrack and sound effects, all designed/composed by syn9, and he really outdid himself here with superb sounds and awesome (very thrilling) music.
The game includes a well compiled main menu and options allowing you to pick between 4 difficulty levels, change sound/music volume, pick between a huge range of resolutions, 16 or 32 bit color depth, and change HUD colors. All in all, very nice work on the options.
What made Prompt Critical so popular back in the day, beside its obvious qualities, were online scores, and combined with such a good score-driven gameplay they were a total hit, with community members beating each other efforts for weeks. Sadly, the URL the last version of the game points to doesn't exist anymore, but syn9 told me that a new version which will point to his new site and allow online scores once more is a possibility.
This game is definitely worth being revisited and let's hope syn9 will release an update allowing us to compare our Prompt Critical skills once more.
Prompt Critical illustrates how you can deliver an excellent looking 3D game on the mere weight of intelligent design and programming, and that small and limited gameplays can be quite rewarding if properly balanced and designed. No need to emulate commercial 3D games or strive to emulate them to be able to deliver quality indie 3D games.
When designing 3D in FreeBASIC, try to have Prompt Critical in the back of your mind. It's a valuable FreeBASIC game dev heritage we mustn't forget.
The example in this tutorial was written in FreeBASIC Extended Library by its author, showcasing the library's features. To compile the code you'll need to download the library in question here. ~ Ed
Also available in Japanese, thanks Makoto WATANABE.
In this tutorial, I will show you how easy it is to make a simple game very quickly using the Extended Library. This tutorial assumes that you have a working knowledge of the FreeBASIC language. This game only requires a very small portion of what the Library provides. The code we'll be using here will make the entire process easier to create, faster to code and will eliminate a lot of hassle down the road. Rather than writing a bunch of boiler plate code for loading and manipulating images, we will be using the Extended Library, which provides us with high quality, tested functions and classes. You can download the full source code and images here [8kb]. Let's dive right in.
#include once "fbgfx.bi" #define FBEXT_NoBuiltinInstanciations() 1 #define FBEXT_NO_EXTERNAL_LIBS () -1 #include once "ext/graphics/sprite.bi" #include once "ext/graphics/manip.bi" #include once "ext/graphics/bmp.bi" #include once "ext/graphics/colors.bi" using ext using fb
Here we include several parts of the Graphics module, the Sprite class, the Manipulation module, the BMP file loader and the included color definitions. We also set a couple of options for ext. The first is used to speed up the compile time, since we are not using any of the provided container classes. The second is used because this is a small example and I wanted to keep the dependancies minimal. See the full documentation for a list of other available options.
screenres 640,480,32 'magic numbers const frog_speed as integer = 32 const car_log_sp as integer = 2 'toggle between east and west directions #define dtoggle(d) ((d) xor 2 ) enum direction explicit north =0 east south west end enum #define FROG_DEAD 4 #define FROG_WIN 5
Now we define some of the magic numbers we're going to use to control things later on.
dim frog as gfx.sprite dim frog_dir as integer dim car(1 to 4) as gfx.sprite ptr dim car_dir(1 to 4) as integer dim logs(1 to 4) as gfx.sprite ptr dim logs_dir(1 to 4) as integer dim pads(1 to 5) as gfx.sprite ptr
These are the variables that hold all of the sprites for our game. Arrays are used for objects that have multiple instances. One of the things the Sprite class does is hold the position of itself, which is used for collision detection as well as drawing.
cls
'create a frog image
var iFrog = gfx.bmp.load("frog.bmp")
frog.init(6)
frog.SetImage(direction.north, iFrog)
frog.RotateFrom(direction.north, direction.east, -90)
frog.RotateFrom(direction.north, direction.south, 180)
frog.RotateFrom(direction.north, direction.west, 90)
frog.SetImage(FROG_DEAD, gfx.grayscale(iFrog))
frog.DuplicateImage(direction.north, FROG_WIN)
gfx.change_color(frog.GetImage(FROG_WIN), &HFF22B14C /'green'/, gfx.colors.gold, true)
Here we load the image we will use for our hero. Notice how we load one image, then rotate and recolor it as needed.
var iCar = gfx.bmp.load("beetle.bmp")
car(1) = new gfx.sprite(4)
car(1)->SetImage(direction.east, iCar)
car(1)->SetImage(direction.west, gfx.flipHorizontal( iCar ))
for l as integer = 2 to 4
car(l) = new gfx.sprite(*(car(1))) 'just a 1 to 1 copy of the car
next
'What rolls down stairs
'alone or in pairs
'rolls over your neighbor's dog?
'what's great for a snack and fits on your back
'it's log, log, log!
var iLogs = gfx.bmp.load("log.bmp")
logs(1) = new gfx.sprite(4)
logs(1)->SetImage(direction.east, iLogs)
logs(1)->SetImage(direction.west, gfx.flipHorizontal( iLogs ))
for l as integer = 2 to 4
logs(l) = new gfx.sprite(*(logs(1))) 'just a 1 to 1 copy of the log
next
var iPads = gfx.bmp.load("pad.bmp")
pads(1) = new gfx.sprite(1)
pads(1)->SetImage(0, iPads)
for l as integer = 2 to 5
pads(l) = new gfx.sprite(*(pads(1))) 'and again a 1 to 1 copy
next
What do ya know, we'll do the same thing with the cars, logs and lily pads.
'draw background line (0,0)-(640,480),gfx.colors.orange,bf 'orange display area line (0,32)-(372,62),gfx.colors.blue,bf 'brown-ish home line (0,63)-(372,191),gfx.colors.blue,bf 'blue river line (0,192)-(372,223),gfx.colors.forest_green,bf 'green safe spot line (0,224)-(372,351),gfx.colors.grey,bf 'grey road line (0,352)-(372,383),gfx.colors.forest_green,bf 'green start line (0,384)-(372,415),gfx.colors.orange,bf 'orange display area 'lines on road line (0,256)-(372,256),gfx.colors.yellow 'yellow lines line (0,288)-(372,288),gfx.colors.yellow line (0,320)-(372,320),gfx.colors.yellow 'display text locate 2,1 color gfx.colors.black, gfx.colors.orange 'black text on orange bg print " FROGGER GAME " var backGround = imagecreate(640,480,0) get (0,0)-(639,479),backGround
Here we setup the playing field graphic and store it for easy placement for when we need to redraw the screen later.
var reply = "" 'will hold the player's response to keep playing or quit
'set lily pad positions, only ever needs to be done once
for i as integer = 1 to 5
pads(i)->position((i-1)*81,35)
next i
For the last part, before we start looping in the game, we're setting the position for the lily pads so they're displayed in the right place and we'll be able to tell when the hero has won. Continue on to the next part, for great justice!
In the previous part we got the intial portions setup, now we're hitting the meat and potatoes.
do
reply = "" 'signal to keep going while reply <> "y" or "x"
frog.position( 170, 357 )
frog_dir = direction.north
car(1)->position( 0, 230 )
car_dir(1) = direction.east
car(2)->position( 300, 262 )
car_dir(2) = direction.east
car(3)->position( 150, 294 )
car_dir(3) = direction.east
car(4)->position( 30, 326 )
car_dir(4) = direction.east
logs(1)->position( 0, 72 )
logs_dir(1) = direction.east
logs(2)->position( 300, 104 )
logs_dir(2) = direction.east
logs(3)->position( 150, 136 )
logs_dir(3) = direction.east
logs(4)->position( 30, 168 )
logs_dir(4) = direction.east
var chosenLog = 0
var now = 0d
This section is where we reset all of the positions and helper variables for a new game. The Sprite class lets you set the position using the x and y location. You can also use a Vector2 if you maintain one seperately, ie, if you are doing some magic to the Sprite's location.
do
'used for location testing later
var temp_cx = -1f
var temp_cy = -1f
screenlock()
'cls
'draw background
put (0,0),backGround,pset
for i as integer = 1 to 5
pads(i)->DrawImage 0, , gfx.trans_
next
'draw logs under frog
for i as integer = 1 to 4
logs(i)->DrawImage logs_dir(i), , gfx.trans_
next i
'draw dead frog if speed = 0 else draw live frog
if frog_dir = FROG_DEAD then
'put (frog.x,frog.y),iFrog,trans 'change to a dead frog sprite later
frog.DrawImage frog_dir, , gfx.trans_
else'alive
'put (frog.x,frog.y),iFrog, trans
frog.DrawImage frog_dir, , gfx.trans_
end if
'draw cars on top of frog
for i as integer = 1 to 4
car(i)->DrawImage car_dir(i), , gfx.trans_
next i
locate 50,1
if frog_dir = FROG_DEAD then
print " **** FROG DEAD ****"
end if
print " HIT SPACE KEY to start again OR ESC key to END program"
screenunlock()
First we draw all of our objects, paying attention to what should be drawn on top of what. We are using the DrawImage method of the Sprite class to draw our objects. The function takes 3 parameters but here we only need two because we're just drawing to the screen. The parameters that end in _dir are the direction each object is facing. We're using the direction as the index into our Sprite to determine which frame to draw. You could also use this as an index into a frame for an animation.
if frog_dir < FROG_DEAD then
'update car positions
for i as integer = 1 to 4
select case car_dir(i)
case direction.east
car(i)->update( car_log_sp, 0 )
case direction.west
car(i)->update( -(car_log_sp), 0 )
end select
next i
'update log positions and frog position if on a log
for i as integer = 1 to 4
select case logs_dir(i)
case direction.east
logs(i)->update( car_log_sp, 0 )
if chosenLog = i then
frog.update( (car_log_sp), 0 )
end if
case direction.west
logs(i)->update( -(car_log_sp), 0 )
if chosenLog = i then
frog.update( -(car_log_sp), 0 )
end if
end select
next i
'reverse car directions if out of bounds
for i as integer = 1 to 4
car(i)->position(temp_cx, -1)
if temp_cx < 0 or temp_cx > 332 then car_dir(i) = dtoggle(car_dir(i))
temp_cx = -1
next i
'reverse logs directions if out of bounds
for i as integer = 1 to 4
logs(i)->position(temp_cx, -1)
if temp_cx < 0 or temp_cx > 312 then logs_dir(i) = dtoggle(logs_dir(i))
temp_cx = -1
next i
end if
frog.position(temp_cx, temp_cy)
Our logic for object movement is very simple; all moving objects, besides the frog, just bounce back and forth on the screen. We're using the Sprite.update method to change the object's positions. It adds the amount passed to the sprites' position, that's why we pass -(speed) when we want the sprite to move to the left. We are directly setting the frog's position here to make it simpler while the frog is on a log.
'user input accepted only every 0.25 seconds - feels like the real thing
if temp_cy < 64 then
for i as integer = 1 to 5 'check all 5 pads
if frog.isCollided( *(pads(i)) ) then
print " **** FROG HOME ****"
frog_dir = FROG_WIN
end if
next
end if
This section uses the Sprite class' built-in pixel perfect collision detection to see if the frog has landed on one of the lily pads.
if timer > (now + 0.25) then
if multikey(SC_SPACE) then reply = "y"
if multikey(SC_ESCAPE) then reply = "x"
if temp_cy > 63 and frog_dir < FROG_DEAD then'test frog hasn't reached home
if multikey(SC_DOWN) and temp_cy <352 then
frog.update(0, frog_speed)
now = timer
chosenLog=0
frog_dir = direction.south
end if
if multikey(sc_up) then
frog.update(0, -(frog_speed))
frog_dir = direction.north
now = timer
chosenLog=0
end if
if multikey(SC_right) and temp_cx < 302 then
frog.update(frog_speed, 0)
frog_dir = direction.east
now = timer
chosenLog=0
end if
if multikey(sc_left) and temp_cx > 10 then
frog.update(-(frog_speed), 0)
frog_dir = direction.west
now = timer
chosenLog = 0
end if
end if
end if
Check for the arrow keys and update the frog's position accordingly.
if temp_cy < 352 and temp_cy > 224 then
'test for collision with car
for i as integer = 1 to 4
if frog.isCollided( *(car(i)) ) then frog_dir = FROG_DEAD
next i
end if
if temp_cy < 192 and temp_cy > 64 then
'test collision with a log
for i as integer = 1 to 4
if frog.isCollided( *(logs(i)) ) then chosenLog = i
next i
if chosenLog=0 then
locate 1,1
print "MISSED LOG"
frog_dir = FROG_DEAD
sleep
end if
end if
sleep 10, 1
screensync
loop while reply <> "y" and reply <> "x"
loop while reply = "y"
And then we finish up, checking to see if we got ran over by a car, landed on or missed a log. Then sleep a bit, wait for vsync and do it all over again if the player wants to.
for i as integer = 1 to 4
delete car(i)
delete logs(i)
delete pads(i)
next
delete pads(5)
imagedestroy background
Finally, we clean up what we need to. Remember to always practice safe memory allocation. Notice how we don't destroy any of the images we loaded into the sprites? We don't have to! The sprite class took over responsibility for those images when we loaded them into it.
The Extended Library gives you, the game developer, many high quality tools to make your life easier and your development faster. This simple game just scratches the surface of what is available. I also recommend browsing the API Documentation, every function or class is documented there.
The FreeBASIC Extended Library is always looking for new submissions. Submissions do not necessarily need to be code, in fact our primary concern at the moment is improving the documentation. We feel the best way to improve the documentation is with more tutorials and a User's Guide that combines an overview of the api (the what) of the modules with the why, the how and the when. So if you are handy with a text editor and know your way around a certain part of the library, please help us out by writing a tutorial or an in-depth article about a submodule/class/set of functions. After review, your submission may be added to the User's Guide. Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy using the FreeBASIC Extended Library as much as we have enjoyed working on it!
See Also:
Downloads:
Welcome to QB64 Screen Modes tutorial. Here I will attempt to help QB64 newcomers understand the legacy QBasic graphics screen modes compared to the new QB64 graphics screen commands and how to use them. I will use some terms to describe things later in the text so allow me to define them at the start.
TERMS
LEGACY SCREENS
In the old DOS QBasic a user could only create fixed legacy screens in preset size and color depth. In QBasic a user would create this single graphics window by using the statement SCREEN with a number. For example, the main graphics screen modes that QBasic features are:
The resolutions of these old screen modes are:
The coder initiates a screen mode by using the SCREEN statement with the desired screen number. It is immediately created and made visible. On today’s modern computer monitors that have much larger resolutions these screens will appear very small. Nevertheless, they can be switched to full screen by using the keyboard command ALT + ENTER (with QBasic, it depends on your video card, in other words, doesn’t always work ~ Ed).
QB64 SCREENS
The coder can still use the above QBasic syntax for invoking a screen mode or use the QB64's new command _NEWIMAGE.
_NEWIMAGE allows the user to create a graphics surface. This surface has a horizontal and vertical size and a color depth.
The color depth is indicated by using the legacy MODE number (0,1,2,7,8,9,10,11,12,13) or by stating the color depth as 256 (number of colors) or 32 (color bit depth).
QB64 allows you to set the horizontal pixel size, the vertical pixel size and the number of colors with the arguments in the statement declaration.
For legacy screens the programmer indicates the color depth by using the Screen number (Mode) as the color depth variable. To create the same legacy screen with the _NEWIMAGE command the user would do:
Handle& = _NEWIMAGE(320,200,7) 'Legacy QBasic Screen 7 Handle& = _NEWIMAGE(640,350,9) 'Legacy QBasic Screen 9 Handle& = _NEWIMAGE(640,480,12) 'Legacy QBasic Screen 12 Handle& = _NEWIMAGE(320,200,13) 'Legacy QBasic Screen 13
You can also make a 640 by 480 pixels screen in the above legacy modes like above with the following code:
Handle& = _NEWIMAGE(640,480,7) 'Legacy QBasic Screen 7 Handle& = _NEWIMAGE(640,480,9) 'Legacy QBasic Screen 9 Handle& = _NEWIMAGE(640,480,12) 'Legacy QBasic Screen 12 Handle& = _NEWIMAGE(640,480,13) 'Legacy QBasic Screen 13
HANDLE& is either the keyword SCREEN or a variable defined by the coder. Here are two examples:
SCREEN _NEWIMAGE(640,480,12) 'immediately created and made visible GraphicSurface& = _NEWIMAGE(640,480,12) 'immediately created, but is not made visible
What is the difference? When the SCREEN statement is used as in the first line of code QB64 immediately creates 640 by 480 pixels surface in legacy SCREEN 12 mode with 16 colors and makes it immediately visible to the user. When the user creates a surface with a handle name, QB64 allocates a negative number that isn’t in use to flag the identity of that surface. Secondly, QB64 immediately creates a 640 by 480 pixels surface with 16 colors. It does not make this surface visible. It exists located in memory, but is not actually shown.
Interestingly, the user can use the print statement on this surface to display the negative number assigned to that surface. Please note that -1 (negative one) is reserved to indicate that an error has occurred. So if your graphics surface variable is -1 then it isn’t created and can’t be used. Observe this piece of code that illustrates this:
REM GraphicSurface& = _NEWIMAGE(640,480,16) 'create the equivalent Legacy Screen 12 SCREEN GraphicSurface& 'make this Surface visable PRINT GraphicSurface& 'print the surfaces handle number SLEEP SYSTEM
So the user can replicate the old DOS graphics screens, but what about custom screen sizes? Well, with _NEWIMAGE the users can create any screen size they desire with 32 bit colors. This screen can be an 8 by 8 pixels square, up to 1000 by 1000 pixels square! Now, even though you can make a 2500 pixel screen the average computer monitor cannot show the entire surface on the screen. What you will see is part of the screen. If you use your mouse cursor to click on the title bar of this screen and hold the button down you can slide it sideways to see its complete size. The user is better off using standard screen resolutions that most monitors support.
Ok, so _NEWIMAGE would be used to create blank graphics surfaces of varying sizes and color depths. This surface can replicate the old legacy screen modes or be of larger sizes and greater color depths. What if the programmer wanted to load an unknown sized image of unknown color depth? We would use new QB64 command _LOADIMAGE. Here's an example:
REM Example of loading an unknown size and color depth image and make it immediately visable on the screen
DEFLNG A-Z
SCREEN _LOADIMAGE("Lilies.bmp", 32) ' note the 32
SLEEP
SYSTEM
The reader should note 32. This indicates the color depth we will try to display this picture at. As we don’t know the image color depth we need to attempt to load it at the maximum allowable color depth and it should display correctly.
Download all the image files used in the previous example and which are used in the following ones here.
How can we find out the size of the picture? Observe the following code:
REM Example of loading an unknown size and color depth image and make it immediately visable on the
REM screen and determine its sizes
DEFLNG A-Z
SCREEN _LOADIMAGE("Lilies.bmp", 32)
Wide& = _WIDTH(0) 'Note the ZERO in brackets
High& = _HEIGHT(0) 'Note the ZERO in brackets
PRINT "Width="; Wide&, "Height="; High&
SLEEP
SYSTEM
The zero is used to indicate the currently visible surface. As we have made this surface to be the immediate screen, this works as long as this surface exists and is currently shown. What if we know the color depth, but not the size of the image? We can load it as shown in this example:
REM Example of loading an image of unknown size, but known color depth,
REM and make it immediately visible on the screen and determine its sizes
DEFLNG A-Z
SCREEN _LOADIMAGE("Lilies16.bmp", 256) 'a 16 colour image
Wide& = _WIDTH(0)
High& = _HEIGHT(0)
PRINT "Width="; Wide&, "Height="; High&
SLEEP
SYSTEM
The above example loads a 16 color (Legacy SCREEN 12). Note that the mode used is 256!
REM Example of loading an image of unknown size, but known colour depth
REM and make it immediately visible on the screen and determine its size
DEFLNG A-Z
SCREEN _LOADIMAGE("Lilies256.bmp", 256) '256 colour image
Wide& = _WIDTH(0)
High& = _HEIGHT(0)
PRINT "Width="; Wide&, "Height="; High&
SLEEP
SYSTEM
The above example loads a 256 colour (Legacy SCREEN 13). Note that the mode used is 256!
REM Example of loading an unknown size but known colour depth and make it immediately visable
REM on the screen and determine its sizes
DEFLNG A-Z
SCREEN _LOADIMAGE("Lilies32.bmp", 32) '32 bit image
Wide& = _WIDTH(0)
High& = _HEIGHT(0)
PRINT "Width="; Wide&, "Height="; High&
SLEEP
SYSTEM
The above example loads a 32 bit image. Note that we use the 32 bit MODE to load a 32 bit colour image.
To summarize: we use parameter 256 to load a known 16 color and a known 256 color images, but we use parameter 32 to load 32 bit color images.
The reader might be wondering and thinking "Is there a way to load a 32 bit image into a legacy screen?" The answer is yes! The following example illustrates this:
REM Example of loading a 32 bit image into a QBasic screen
DEFLNG A-Z
Video1& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 12) 'a screen for user to select on
SCREEN Video1&
_DELAY 1
DO
GOSUB Message
LOOP UNTIL _KEYDOWN(27)
SLEEP
SYSTEM
Message:
PRINT "press ESCAPE key to exit"
PRINT "Press (A) for SCREEN 1"
PRINT "Press (B) for SCREEN 2"
PRINT "Press (C) for SCREEN 7"
PRINT "Press (D) for SCREEN 9"
PRINT "Press (E) for SCREEN 10"
PRINT "Press (F) for SCREEN 11"
PRINT "Press (G) for SCREEN 12"
PRINT "Press (H) for SCREEN 13"
Dummy$ = UCASE$(INPUT$(1))
LetsLook% = 1
SELECT CASE Dummy$
CASE IS = "A"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 1)
Mode% = 1
CASE IS = "B"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 2)
Mode% = 2
CASE IS = "C"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 7)
Mode% = 7
CASE IS = "D"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 9)
Mode% = 9
CASE IS = "E"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 10)
Mode% = 10
CASE IS = "F"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 11)
Mode% = 11
CASE IS = "G"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 12)
Mode% = 12
CASE IS = "H"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 13)
Mode% = 13
CASE ELSE
LetsLook% = 0
END SELECT
IF LetsLook% = 1 THEN
Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Earth1.jpg")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
SCREEN Video2&
PRINT "Press any key to try new MODE"
PRINT "this is SCREEN "; Mode%
Junk$ = INPUT$(1)
END IF
SCREEN Video1&
CLS
RETURN
The above example correctly loads the picture, but only displays the amount of colors that are available in that legacy screen mode. So what would happen if the user wanted to load the following:
REM Example of select loading a ?? bit picture onto an ?? bit screen and made visible
DEFLNG A-Z
What = -1
_DELAY 1
DO
GOSUB Message
LOOP UNTIL _KEYDOWN(27)
SLEEP
SYSTEM
Message:
SCREEN 0
IF What = -1 THEN
PRINT
PRINT "press (1) to Select Lillies picture or (2) to select Colours picture"
What$ = UCASE$(INPUT$(1))
What = VAL(What$)
PRINT
END IF
PRINT
PRINT "press ESCAPE key to exit"
PRINT
PRINT "Press (A) for 16 bit picture in 16 bit Screen"
PRINT "Press (B) for 16 bit picture in 256 bit Screen"
PRINT "Press (C) for 16 bit picture in 32 bit Screen"
PRINT "Press (D) for 256 colors picture in 16 bit Screen"
PRINT "Press (E) for 256 colors picture in 256 bit Screen"
PRINT "Press (F) for 256 colors picture in 32 bit Screen"
PRINT "Press (G) for 32 bit picture in 16 bit Screen"
PRINT "Press (H) for 32 bit picture in 256 bit Screen"
PRINT "Press (I) for 32 bit picture in 32 bit Screen"
Dummy$ = UCASE$(INPUT$(1))
LetsLook% = 1
SELECT CASE Dummy$
CASE IS = "A"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 12)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 16
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies16.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("16BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE IS = "B"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 256)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 256
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies16.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("16BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE IS = "C"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 32)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 32
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies16.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("16BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE IS = "D"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 12)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 16
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies256.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("256BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE IS = "E"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 256)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 256
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies256.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("256BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE IS = "F"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 32)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 32
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies256.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("256BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE IS = "G"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 12)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 16
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies32.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("32BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE IS = "H"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 256)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 256
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies32.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("32BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE IS = "I"
Video2& = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 32)
SCREEN Video2&
Mode% = 32
IF What$ = "1" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("Lilies32.bmp")
IF What$ = "2" THEN Picture& = _LOADIMAGE("32BitColors.bmp")
_PUTIMAGE , Picture&, Video2&
CASE ELSE
LetsLook% = 0
END SELECT
IF LetsLook% = 1 THEN
PRINT "Press any key to try new MODE"
PRINT "this is SCREEN "; Mode%
Junk$ = INPUT$(1)
SCREEN 0
_FREEIMAGE Video2&
_FREEIMAGE Picture&
END IF
CLS
RETURN
The above program will illustrate all of these differences clearer than any of the examples so far. You have the choice of loading 2 varying different colored pictures to see the changes clearer!
Thanks to all contributors and developers once more. Looking forward to your outputs in the months that follow. Until then, another MOTIVATIONAL poster from me.
Cheers!
~ Lachie (lachie13@yahoo.com)