Is Dark GDK really free?
Miscellaneous Forums/General Discussion/Is Dark GDK really free?
Hi all,
http://gdk.thegamecreators.com/If we use it to produce commercial game, what is the license fee? I could not find this information.
Thanks in advance
:)
Why can't Mark get in on some action like this! DarkBASIC is such a horrible language and seeing it being used in C++ like that is even worse.
Why can't Mark get in on some action like this!
For as long as I've used Blitz, BRL have always given me the impression that they believe marketing is a dirty word. Say what you like about TGC's products ( indeed, I may join you ) but they're out there making things happen, and that's why they get the action and Blitz doesn't.
DarkGDK is an engine, not a language.
It all comes down to Marketing and Networking in the end. Same reason Torque does so well.
Thank you for your info.
Very expensive!
:(
Days ago I checked DarkGDK since I switched to VC++2008 Express, tried example and grabbed some projects from TGC forum, I just wasn't impressed, and the functions I need was mostly available in selene(you know it, a nice DX9 engine....)
http://selene-lue.halfmoon.jp/BTW I had DarkPhysics/DarkAI/EZRotateEnh, bought long ago, and recently TGC bump them out for DGDK, but after tried the examples, I think I can just not to use it actually.
Personally I think you can save $499 and get sme or better grade DX9 engines like Selene/Irrlicht/OGRE, just a few cents tho, and oh, Selene has very good performance results under VC++2008, try it and you'll know.
Maybe it's a case of Mark being content with Blitz sales. Why try harder? I wouldn't.
I think a lot of the DB stuff is very narrow in it's targetting and compatibility:
Look at the system requirements for FPS Creator X10:
"FPS Creator X10 only works on Windows Vista with the NVIDIA GeForce 8 series of DirectX10 video cards.
We strongly recommend the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 range. We do not recommend any video card with less than 320MB RAM.
Click here for supported video card details
CPU: 2GHz minimum. 2.66GHz Dual Core recommended.
Memory: 1GB minimum. 2GB recommended.
Misc: 2GB Hard Drive Space. DVD Drive. Printer to output user guide."
The test regieme also seems a little lack lustre Darkheart
GSDK is extremely easy to use, and removed from the shacks of DBPro, is very fast - and easy to use. There are still a few problems with it, though, unfortunately - function headers having to be slightly modified by handle, shadows aren't always correctly displayed, but aside from that its good.
thats ugly ... the GDK commercial once cost 200 USD
now the same shit costs more than Unity, TGEA or a full site license with unlimited amount of games of TV3D????
Even thought the engine is barely capable to run consistently and stable accross different systems?
*rofl*
Can someone explain why 140USD are equal to 94.99€ according to TGC:
http://gdk.thegamecreators.com/?f=orderToday's balance is:
140USD = 88.7528€
Take a look here:
http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi I've had no problems getting the GSDK to run 'consistently and stable accross different systems'
Can someone explain why 140USD are equal to 94.99€ according to TGC:
Because exchange rate changes every day - and usually every hour. At the moment $140=88.67 Euros
Its not a dynamically changing page.
still, we are talking about 500 USD at which you get TGEA or a site number unlimited license for TV3D.
TGEA is higher tech than GDSK and TV3D is worlds faster and scales seriously better onto the different hardware than GDSK which does not scale at all and has no fallback / upstep for their effects unless you do very much of the stuff yourself. So it definitely does not qualify a 500 USD license, as the 200 USD was already above its actualy quality level.
DGDK is very easy to use, I can admit it from my experience, and Selene is also very easy to use, plus completely free, open sourced, no DX SDK required etc.
I have no negative comments to DGDK, it's a save of $499 tho if you had some better solution.
It's a "product"... you buy it if you want/need it, I saw some game made with DGDK and they're reasonably stable/good.
People would be better spending their $499 + 1 on a multi commercial License for TV3D 6.5.
TV3d 6.5 simply owns DarkGDK.
Because you have to add taxes on top of the 88 Euro...
Because you have to add taxes on top of the 88 Euro...
Nope, it's not tax. Tax would be 2-3 times as much as that. I think it's just - as said earlier - that the dollar has been in freefall against the Euro and rates have changed since the price was set. Besides, those prices are clearly rounded off, not a direct exchange rate.
or they could say
$x amount
£y amount
€z amount
and not worry if the excange rate makes one more or less than the other
so unless it checks for country of posting against currency selected you could get it for a song by lying about what currency you use
books for example are printed with a fixed price per continent and ive seen some normal £5 priced books go for $10 or $15 and more for canadian dollars
would you guys suggest i code using an engine like GDK, or just plain directX?
so unless it checks for country of posting against currency selected you could get it for a song by lying about what currency you use
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.
They quote dollars because, apparently, they get most of the sales from America - their userbase is also bigger there too.
would you guys suggest i code using an engine like GDK, or just plain directX?
GSDK
The Selene webpage looks impossible to navigate through. Isn't there an english version of it?
If not, may someone post a direct link to the download (and documentation if its not included in the sdk)?
And I would suggest doing your work with a more professional engine than GSDK like TrueVision3D, PowerRender and a few others.
They all offer the worlds better deal for indie / small teams than 500 USD per user fee (not per site like PR and TV3D)
Beside that GSDK has one of the worst designs ever.
Its a straight 1:1 port of DBPs crappy structure which means: Not even "entities" are known each type of object has its own command set. (the sample code on the front page shows that with the rotate cam commands)
GSDK isn't any better in that sector, just that it only works within an OO language without even offering any OO capability.
So like a bad christmas joke.
what about using the DXUT framework?? It seems like a good balance between coding games and wasting time on typing elaborately named functions and classes perpetually...
Im gonna look at OGRE see how easy that is to learn :) I also have downloaded VC++ 2008 Express edition :D
Have fun trying to use OGRE...
GSDK is main for C users and not just C++ people.
Not even "entities" are known each type of object has its own command set. (the sample code on the front page shows that with the rotate cam commands)
Can you explain what you are talking about ? By standard GSDK uses ID numbers. If you can direct access to the objects and not use ID numbers, you can do that too.
Dark GDK IS ok but not brilliant. It depend on what you want make with it.
Back to topic..
Is Dark GDK really free?
Yes for personal
No for commercial
And this is your freedom to use or not, just to say you have many choices.
MrTAToad: what I am talking about is that there are positioning and rotation commands for each "object type" on its own -> light, camera, terrain, mesh, limb etc
Entity would mean that all that, which internally must extend a base class would be controllable on their base attributes through uniform commands (-> Blitz3Ds entity commands). base attributes: position, scale, rotation, object hierarchy
the latest is another thing where DBP just is pre stone age. You can not just set parents on something especially not to bones as they do not exist. So making dynamical stuff is considerably harder in DBP / GSDK than in B3D or professionally oriented 3D engines (about any but GSDK)
Entities are the base of anything, I still don't understand how TGC was that incapable back in 2003 to just drop their old trash in favor of something that is acceptable by the time they will have it stable and compatible (2006-2007)
The idea is to keep things simple, whilst keeping the power. You can always access the base of all limbs if you need to.
Most people find having commands for each type easier to use than having some entity thing to deal with.