Blitz BASIC
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Blitz BASIC is a compiler for the BASIC programming language. Originally developed on the Amiga, Blitz BASIC compilers are now available on several platforms. The Blitz products are mainly designed for programming games. The term Blitz BASIC is often used to refer to the general syntax used in the entire range of Blitz languages, as well as the original product that started them.
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[edit] History
The first compiler, originally designed by Acid Software from New Zealand, was Blitz BASIC for the Amiga. It competed with Europress Software's AMOS. Both AMOS and Blitz were distinguished from other BASIC implementations by their built-in support for writing computer games.
It was shortly after this time that Acid Software became known as Blitz Research Limited and concentrated solely on the development and promoting of Blitz languages and tools.
[edit] Blitz Basic
Blitz Basic was released in October 2000 for Microsoft Windows which allowed only 2D graphics. It was Blitz Research's first product and was published by Idigicon. It is now discontinued from its developers, but is still available from Idigicon.
Recognition of Blitz Basic increased when a limited range of "free" versions were distributed on popular UK computer magazines such as PC Format.
[edit] Blitz3D
Blitz3D was then released later in September 2001 and was also for Microsoft Windows. It was distributed at first by Idigicon. Blitz3D is Blitz Basic with a built in 3D engine and command list allowing the creation of 3D games for the first time in the Blitz range of languages. It kept all of Blitz BASIC's older commands and incorporated an entirely new set for the movement and rendering of three-dimensional objects. It used DirectX7 to create 3D, and competes with other similar PC game-development languages such as Dark Basic.
Blitz Research Limited later signed a deal with Idigicon giving them full rights to distribute Blitz Basic and to clear their stock of copies of Blitz 3D, and allowing Blitz Research Limited to now distribute Blitz3D themselves.
[edit] BlitzPlus
In February 2003 Blitz Research Limited released BlitzPlus, also for Microsoft Windows. It does not have the 3D engine of Blitz3D, but does bring new features to the 2D side of the language by allowing some control over Microsoft Windows forms and widgets, as well as implementing compatibility of the 2D engine as far back as DirectX 1.
[edit] BlitzMAX
The latest release of the Blitz suite of languages is BlitzMAX, which unlike previous Blitz products is designed to run for multiple operating systems. It was released for Mac OS first in December 2004 and then for Microsoft Windows and Linux in May 2005. BlitzMAX brought the largest change of language structure to the modern range of Blitz products by adding object-orientation concepts and switching the graphics layer to favour OpenGL.
BlitzMAX is also the first modular version of the language, allowing plugins to be written for the language itself. This opened up new possibilities for programmers to configure the language, as well as to purchase improved components from Blitz Research Limited. The official BlitzMax cross-platform GUI module was recently released by Blitz Research Limited, allowing developers to write GUI interfaces for their applications on Linux, Mac, and Windows.
[edit] Sample code
The following code creates a windowed application under Windows that shows the current time in binary and decimal format. This code is written in Blitz Basic, but will compile and run in both Blitz 3d and Blitz Plus but not Blitz Max.
AppTitle "Binary Clock"
Graphics 150,80,16,3
;Copy, modify and redistribute this source as much as you like
;#####################################################
; MAIN LOOP
;#####################################################
;create a timer that means the main loop will be executed twice a second
secondtimer=CreateTimer(2)
Repeat
Hour = Left(CurrentTime$(),2)
Minute = Mid(CurrentTime$(),4,2)
Second = Right(CurrentTime$(),2)
If Hour >= 12 Then PM =1
If Hour > 12 Then Hour = Hour - 12
If Hour = 0 Then Hour = 12
;should do this otherwise your PM dot would be left up once the clock rolled past midnight!
Cls
Color(0,255,0) ;make the text green for the PM part
If PM = 1 Then Text 5,5,"PM"
Color(255,255,255) ;set the text colour back to white for the rest
For bit=0 To 5
xpos=20*(6-bit)
binaryMask=2^bit
;do hours
If (bit<4)
If (hour And binaryMask)
Text xpos,5,"1"
Else
Text xpos,5,"0"
EndIf
EndIf
;do the minutes
If (minute And binaryMask)
Text xpos,25,"1"
Else
Text xpos,25,"0"
EndIf
;do the seconds
If (second And binaryMask)
Text xpos,45,"1"
Else
Text xpos,45,"0"
EndIf
Next
Color(255,0,0) ;make the text red for the decimal time
Text 5,65,"Decimal: " + CurrentTime$()
Color(255,255,255) ;set the text back to white for the rest
;will wait half a second
WaitTimer(secondTimer)
Forever
[edit] Games written using Blitz Basic
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Blitz Research official site of the Blitz Basic distributor
- Idigicon
- BlitzBasic on dmoz
- BlitzBasic on WikiWikiWeb
[edit] Books on Blitz Basic
- Game Programming for Teens by Maneesh Sethi, (2003), ISBN 1592000681
- Games Programming for the Absolute Beginner with Blitzmax by Sloan Kelly, ISBN 0955377102
