:: Dark Game SDK/DarkGDK ::

Woah, here it is finally, a quality release by, guess who? Me.

This has a been a sought after peice of software for quite some time, and I've finally been able to aquire it.

The ease of DarkBASIC Professional with the power of C++ and .NET
Now you can take full advantage of the game engine that powers DarkBASIC Professional* from within a C++ environment with the Dark GDK.


A whole new world of possibilities can be opened up by combining the features that C++ offers and the power of the Dark GDK. The SDK brings the flexibility of the DarkBASIC Professional* engine to the world of C++ development while still retaining the ease of use that DarkBASIC Professional offers.

The Dark GDK provides virtually* all of the command sets found within DarkBASIC Professional* into an easy to use library format that is compatible with Microsoft Visual Studio C++ .NET 2003 and Microsoft Visual Studio C++ 2005.

Developing games with the Dark GDK offers many benefits:

Royalty Free License available
Faster program execution. Many examples tested saw FPS rates increased dramatically.
Much smaller executables. EXE file sizes start from 1.8 MB (1828 KB) with the 3D engine fully invoked.
Significantly faster compile times and easier debugging (dependant on compiler used)
Use virtually all of the commands and functions found in DarkBASIC Professional
Combine all of this with the features that C++ offers such as the chance to use object oriented code, an industry standard syntax, well developed compilers and IDEs.
All game commands are covered: joystick handling, keyboard input, music, sound and animation as well as the 3D game engine.
All the benefits of a C++ compiler and language structure / syntax, with the functions and features of DarkBASIC Professional
A great way to get into C++ development.

Use industry standard C++ compilers
Once installed it only takes a few simple steps to be able to use the SDK within your compiler and you can then start developing a C++ program that utilises the features of the GDK.

Here's an example to show just how easy the GDK is to use:

#include "DarkGDK.h"

void DarkGDK ( void )
{
// set sync on and sync rate to 60 frames per second
dbSyncOn ( );
dbSyncRate ( 60 );

// make a cube
dbMakeObjectCube ( 1, 10 );

// loop until the escape key is pressed
while ( !dbEscapeKey ( ) )
{
// update screen
dbSync ( );
}
}


This example places a 3D cube on screen and then loops round until the escape key is pressed using a standard C++ while loop. Many of you will recognise the commands as they are named in a very similar manner to those in DarkBASIC Professional. You'll notice they have a db prefix and no spacing. The commands themselves work in exactly the same way.

Examples and Help Files
A selection of example programs are provided with the Dark GDK demonstrating how to take advantage of its many features. Several brand new demos have been created and others converted from the original DarkBASIC Professional to demonstrate the benefits when using the Dark GDK.

Also included with the Dark GDK is a comprehensive help file detailing all of the functions available. A useful index and search facility is also provided.

* Some DarkBASIC Professional commands have been excluded, or have no GDK equivilant