Visual Basic Game Programming Tutorial - Part 1 - Building a Game Loop and Frame Counter

[T3RRABYT3]

19:19

[Aardaerimus]

@T3RRABYT3 *blink blink*

:-O

[T3RRABYT3]

@Aardaerimus lol, i put that there to mark my position in the video for when i return haha. Thanks for your vids man, you have proven to be a foremost teacher on these subjects.

[Aardaerimus]

@T3RRABYT3 Ahhhh lol

I had a feeling that it might be something like that. I know I goofed up in a few videos, and I was wondering if this was a pointer to one of those 'finer moments', but I checked at it seemed normal enough. heheh

I appreciate ya stopping by, and thank you much for the encouraging word! :-D

[eagle7032]

My tick counter is stuck at 0 and doesn't move when i press play. any ideas why this might happen or what I did wrong?

[Aardaerimus]

@eagle7032 Feel free to PM me with your code and I'll check it out and see what's going on. :-)

[fagalor]

does express or pro matter?

[Aardaerimus]

@fagalor I think it only matters when it comes to product distribution. In pro versions there is version control and the ability to create distribution packages (setup.msi, .exe). I don't think that you can do this in express versions, though you still can compile an .exe and distribute a project.

[rockeskolen]

Cant start it cuz tthe MaxTicks is not declaired it says...

[LoopyStudios]

@rockeskolen Did you declare it :P

[rockeskolen]

@LoopyStudios hehe,, found the problem, =) Nvm. Nice guide!

[KaraOP]

OH I LOVE YOU!!! These tutorials are wathever i need now! Thanks a lot!!!!!!

[Aardaerimus]

@KaraOP Hahah! Always a pleasure, Kara!!! I'm glad you're finding it helpful. :-D

[ThomyKz4]

Man you are amazing, I'm really happy because i found this video. Thank you very much. For people like me, who are begginning, is nice.

[Aardaerimus]

@ThomyKz4 Always a pleasure, my friend! I'm glad that you found the videos to be helpful. I appreciate the positive feedback, too! :-D

[DarkShroom]

hey thanks for the tutorials, they are awesome, i just wanted to say, so far at least the examples don't load in visual basic 2010 express, but they do work if you just copy and paste the code :) it seems I may have to obtain the full package to use this xna however

[pheangsri]

how much did you pay for visual studio 2010 pro?

[Aardaerimus]

@pheangsri It was provided by the company I work for, but I'm thinking we paid somewhere around $500 for it w/ the MSDN additions.

The nice thing about it is that you can build deployment projects that take a lot of the work out of version control and creating an exe or msi setup package. Also, I think it has more database connectivity features.

[pheangsri]

@Aardaerimus

hm, yeh... btw, express can only create unmanaged exe right? .NET

[TutsModding]

how did the make Pokemon DoD , i really want to code a game like that

[elmobb224]

I....I just learned how to make progress bar....ahhhh

[jlt012]

I finnished the coding and debugged it but only one square shows up.. any ideas?

[Aardaerimus]

@jlt012 Usually, this means that the For X/Y loop is not propagating outward and downward properly and that all tiles are being drawn to the first square. Make certain that the destination rectangle is X * Tile size, Y * Tile size, the width is the tile size, and the height is the tile size.

For example, in your drawing loop:

(Using a tile size of 32)

For X = 0 to 5

For Y = 0 to 5

dRect = new Rectangle(X * 32, Y * 32, 32, 32)

G.DrawYourStuffHere(imagetodra­w,dRect,sRect,etc...)

Next

Next

[liamheffernan2006]

got as far as drawing the window and changing the size but then you switched to the coding and i could find out how to get to that part :(



[Aardaerimus]

@liamheffernan2006 Hello :-)

Which video did you get stuck in? I'll be happy to help if I can, or at least point you in the right direction.

[GTARockstarGamesVids]

@Aardaerimus 02:20, don't know what you did there, how you switch to that screen?

[Aardaerimus]

@GTARockstarGamesVids There are a few different ways to toggle between the form and code screens: VIEW CODE: 1st - You can double-click your form to view your code. 2nd - From the menu bar (top), click VIEW --> CODE (F7) 3rd - Press F7 VIEW YOUR FORM: 1st - Double-click Form1.vb on the right, in the Solution Explorer panel. 2nd - From the menu bar (top), click VIEW --> DESIGNER (Shift+F7) 3rd - Shift+F7 Hope that helps. :-)

[ImmaAnime]

@Aardaerimus I made the entire game in VB.NET and thought, i'll try to make this in C#. So I tried to make the game by myself w/o watching your tutorial and it worked however, when i hover over the program with my mouse, the mouse icon changes to loading and i can't seem to move or resize the form. Any ideas? If you want, i can send you a link to the code on pastebin?

[ImmaAnime]

@GTARockstarGamesVids Just doubleclick on the form.

[Susurlauks]

Subscribed,Liked,Favorited and Commented?

[Aardaerimus]

@Susurlauks Thank you, Susurlauks! Happy to have you along. :-)

[jordman001]

hi, thx for the great tutorial. i made a little game, based on your tutorials :)

look for:

Self made game in visual basic.net with code & download - "CatchtheX"

[assassin132132]

@Rokjorlaif

ty 

[assassin132132]

im newble and have some questions about this part:

1st.what mean Dim?

2nd. the green words are commands or something other

im intisted

[Rokjorlaif]

@assassin132132

1st it is like ("this word-> dim" G as ...

2nd yes

[Aardaerimus]

@assassin132132

1.) Dim allocates memory space to a variable. Essentially, it's for creating a variable. Dim X as Integer = 2 creates a variable of an "Integer" type, and gives it a starting value of 2.

2.) Green words are comments. The compiler ignores them completely. They're used for making notes to yourself or others about what a particular section of code is used for - or anything else you want to comment about. To create a comment in you code simply start your line with a single quote '

[Ranjhamovies]

Comments Remove

[zongivila]

I gave u 45 like,even if i don't like your video it's tooooo long

make it shorter

[MrPancakez]

Thank you very much.

[friebender]

@Aardaerimus

i know nearly nothing about how to use this programm i can just imagine a little what you do there, so i wanted to ask you if you got some good sites or friends with good videos for beginners ? cause it kinda fascinating me how a programm(game) looks in the background and how some1 effects it,

[Aardaerimus]

@friebender Hi there, Friebender! :-)

Youtube has a wealth of info for the aspiring programmer. I try my best to explain things as I go. There are numerous programming languages to choose from. Some have a much better reputation for game programming (i.e., C++). Should you decide that you want to program in Visual Basic, I'd be happy to answer any questions that I can. It certainly is fascinating, and really exciting as you learn new things and overcome problems as they present themselves. :-)

[friebender]

@Aardaerimus thanks for the nice answer

my goal for this year/ next year is understanding a few things you did in this video and to understand the basics and maybe change something so i could change it from my own mind and in a way i understand.

just the idea to creat a game which is working and to wich i can add some personal ideas and giving computer orders to make this work is huge for me even if its pong or a simple programm

I could imagine for what you what did but i wouldnt be able to do

[TheOrneryNerd]

I get error "can't accsess disposed object" error at:

BBG = Me.CreateGraphics

everytime I close the form.

used the exact same code as you did

[Aardaerimus]

@TheOrneryNerd I think what's happening is that the form is dumping drawing resources in the middle of its draw cycle, so it tries to draw with resources that no longer exist. The easiest way to overcome this is to put your drawing routine in a Try/Catch statement. That way it'll drop out in a friendly manner when the form is closed.

[DarkDevistation5176]

Can you make a mmorpg in visual basic.

[Aardaerimus]

@DarkDevistation5176 You certain could, though you're definitely going to need a more efficient way to handle your graphics. The method I'm using in these videos is simple but very inefficient. GDI+ paint is a real performance killer. Ultimately, you're going to want to control your video card and adapt the screen resolution for best graphics performance, so you'll probably want to use something like DirectX. XNA would be even better, but it doesn't fully support VB yet.

[BigtallWhiteGuy]

Hi When I run the Program it doesn't Show The Ticks or TPS

[Aardaerimus]

@BigtallWhiteGuy Hey there! Feel free to send me a message with your source code and I'll be happy to try and help out. :-)

Sounds to me like your backbuffer may not be drawing properly or is not looping.

[LandMuffin]

when i ran it it only showed 1 square please HELP! (love the vid too)

[Aardaerimus]

@LandMuffin Usually this means that your drawing loop is not drawing out the proper distance. In the dRect you should be drawing something like X * TileSize and Y * TileSize for the width and height of the tile.

The tile loop is is X = 0 to 19 and Y = 0 to 14 in this video (19:44). Follow this closely and you'll see that the rectangle is drawn at (X * 32) (Y * 32) so every time the loop steps through, the next number will move over 32 pixels and begin drawing the next square. :-D

[PcPlayer992]

Wow, i really like the sounds when you're typing cause my keyboard keep silent when i typed. What's the name of your keyboard?

[Aardaerimus]

@PcPlayer992 Hahah!! It's an ancient Dell keyboard that I salvaged because I really love the old clicky keyboards. When I'm at work I'll have to see what the model is. I have a few of them at work that I've saved for myself over the years. :-)

[Aardaerimus]

@PcPlayer992 I found an old one in my house! It's an old Dell keyboard. Model: AT101W

I hope this helps! :-D

[PcPlayer992]

@Aardaerimus "old Dell keyboard", meaning that it's not available at the stores now? and does it use USB Port?

[Aardaerimus]

@PcPlayer992 Sadly, most manufacturers make "quiet" keyboards now. Nothing compares to the tactile response of the old spring-tap keyboards. They just feel good to type on.

There are still websites - like clickykeyboards (dot) com - dedicated to sales of these old keyboards, and you can probably find them on ebay.

The old connectors are PS/2, so you'll probably want a PS/2 to USB adapter. :-)

[PcPlayer992]

@Aardaerimus how much does it cost if i buy the old keyboard and the ps/2 to usb adapter?

[Designartseller]

Hey I liked your tutorial and where it was going. I had problems with getting DrawGraphics to work. I have no idea what the problem might be. I made a video response with a little bit more detail.

[abdoulila13]

nice men , !!!!

[the1000th1]

k ill give it a try

[the1000th1]

when i view the source code, it shows the .f (form1.h) code and it's very confusing how do u get urs to (.vb) ? pllease help!

[Aardaerimus]

@the1000th1 Sounds to me like you may be opening the solution in C# instead of the VB environment.

I don't believe you'll see any C include files if you open MyGame.sln from the folder. Of course it may be that you have the C# set as your default editor for .SLN (solution) files, in which case, you'll need to open Visual Basic first then load the project from there.

[ThaAfricanGamer]

Best Tutorial I've seen so far :) thanks a lot!!! subscribed!!!

[burningac64]

im watching this and copying it hope i can learn to make my own games!!

[Aardaerimus]

@burningac64 Hey there. Glad you stopped by. :-) I hope you find it helpful, too.

[jackson39ful]

wow that's great!!

[jackson39ful]

How have you done to your video q has more than 10 minutes?

[Aardaerimus]

@jackson39ful I'm really not sure what changed, but YouTube just decided to let me post longer videos, one day. :-D

[waldtbc]

Really helpful with creating a View your FPS, for performance issues. plus if you don't a bug during testing it isn't a "Kewl" tutorial because most of us have one during a 1st Trial anyways.. Thanks for Sharing the wisdom.. :)

[atk326]

thanks. this was a great intro to programming a vb game.

[Aardaerimus]

@atk326 Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate the comments. :-)