DarkBASIC facts for kids

DarkBASIC is a special kind of programming language that helps people create computer games. It was designed to be easy to use, especially for beginners who want to make their own games without needing to learn very complicated things like DirectX. Think of DirectX as a set of tools that helps games talk to your computer's graphics card. DarkBASIC made it simpler, so you didn't have to worry about those complex details.

Even though DarkBASIC was popular, a more advanced version called DarkBASIC Professional came out later. Many game creators now use DarkBASIC Professional because it offers more features and power for making even better games.

What is a Programming Language?

A programming language is like a special set of instructions you give to a computer. Computers don't understand regular human languages. They need very specific commands to know what to do. Programming languages let you write these commands in a way that both you and the computer can understand.

When you write code, you are telling the computer step-by-step how to perform a task. For example, you might tell it to draw a character on the screen, move it, or play a sound.

Making Games with DarkBASIC

DarkBASIC was created specifically for making games. Its main goal was to make game development easier for everyone. Instead of dealing with complex graphics programming directly, DarkBASIC handled many of those tricky parts for you.

This meant that aspiring game developers could focus more on the fun parts. They could spend their time designing game levels, characters, and how the game plays. It was a great tool for learning the basics of game creation.

Your First Program: "Hello World"

In the world of programming, the very first program many people learn to write is called "Hello World." It's a simple program that just shows the words "Hello, World!" on the screen. It's a way to make sure your programming setup is working correctly. It also helps you understand the basic idea of giving a command to the computer.

Here's how you would write the "Hello World" program in DarkBASIC:

print "Hello, World!"

How the "Hello World" Code Works

The word `print` in DarkBASIC is a command. It tells the computer to display something on the screen. The text inside the quotation marks, `"Hello, World!"`, is what the computer will show. So, when you run this simple program, your computer screen will just display:

Hello, World!

It's a small step, but it's the beginning of telling a computer exactly what you want it to do!