Programming with ObjC or Basic?

Mobile iPhone Gaming Article 4

As you read the previous article, you have to do a lot of studying in many areas in order to write and make apps, plus then you need to learn the specifics of what it takes to do game programming. Now don't get me wrong, Apple has a great compute, a great op-system and a very good development package. Now if you already have an Apple computer, then I suggest this is the way to go. Plus having a great knowledge of C language is a very good way to jump into Objective C.

But if you were brought up with a Windows system and know the basics of Basic, then you have one advantage. For one thing, any type of C language is sort of cryptic and until you get that learned, it takes getting use to.

Basic on the other hand is more easier to read and understand. The code is sort of like reading a book. The commands are easier to remember and writing code is a lot simpler . Plus the code tells you what it is trying to do at a glance. The one drawback is it is a slower programming language than C because of the way it makes a program. C is more compact than Basic and has faster execution times. This is important in game software because you want faster execution speeds. One thing about Basic it is easier to understand, which means it's great for a beginner. So since I'm a beginner in game programming, and I don't have the funds for an Apple computer, and I've played with Basic programming for a long time, I've felt I needed to find some sort of game programing development software that uses Basic to write code.

So now you know what language I plan to use for a fast track into the game programming world. This is especially good for a beginner starting out and it works with Windows. Now in order to get the game to run on an iPhone there is another program that you need to get that runs it from your computer to the iPhone. We'll discuss this at a later time. So for now I welcome you to my tutorial on Basic programming for use in game development and hope you continue your visits. Also leave a comment and see you in the next article!

By the way for anybody that doesn't know the Basic programming language, there is a small Basic programming app that runs on the iPhone that is very low cost that is great to experiment with. The beginning of my tutorial you will be able to use this app to practice with Basic! Later you will need to get another program when I discuss game programming.

Barry