Re: Programming a PBM game: What language is best?

From: hack@arabia.uucp (Edmund Hack)

Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1992 12:27:37 +0000

In article <18558@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> itlm013@judy.ucdavis.edu (Captain Caveman) writes:
>In article <1992Sep29.171845.9287@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) writes:
>>Actually, quite a few of the early commercial PBM games were written
>>in Basic. Can we please have language flamewars elsewhere?

I concur, but .....
>
>The original version of Duelmasters was written in BASIC, but then the
>programmers got smart and changed it to...Pascal.  This happened about a
>year ago.  *Sigh*  Whatever happened to intelligence?  Why chooe
>Pascal when C or C++ is such a better option?

Better in what sense?  Pascal, C, or any of a number of other languages
are reasonable choices for a PBM game to use.  In fact, I'd recommend
Pascal over C for most PBM games as it is a more bullet-proof/idiot
proof language and would  be better for use by a programming novice,
which most GMs are.  Pascal (esp. Turbo Pascal) is a mature compiler
(unlike C++ for PCs) with extensive support in the form of books, add on
packages, etc.  Face it - C is nothing more than structured assembly
language for stack based machines.

If I was designing a game similar to Duelmasters, I'd use either C or
Visual Basic as a front end to a database such as dBase or Paradox, or a
b-tree package such as Btrieve.  However, I'm a professional programmer
and have programmed in a large number of languages.  Pascal would also
be a good choice.  What is important is choosing a tool that fits the
task (most HOL would work) and that has the support facilities
appropriate to the coder.

>Then again, we are talking about RSI.

Don't throw stones until you have had to make such choices in a
professional setting.  What is taucht in CS classes has little
correspondence to the real world.
--
    Edmund Hack - Lockheed Engineering & Sciences Co. - Houston, TX
  hack@aio.jsc.nasa.gov - I speak only for myself, unless blah, blah..
   Papoon for President - You Know He's Not Insane! - Endorsed by the
  American Friends of the Martian Space Party, League of Winged Voters

References

Re: Programming a PBM game: What language is best?
dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig)
Tue, 29 Sep 1992 16:32:16 +0000
Re: Programming a PBM game: What language is best?
gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Tue, 29 Sep 1992 17:18:45 +0000
Re: Programming a PBM game: What language is best?
itlm013@judy.ucdavis.edu (Captain Caveman)
Tue, 27 Oct 1992 20:18:38 +0000

Referenced By

Re: Programming a PBM game: What language is best?
dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig)
Tue, 29 Sep 1992 16:32:16 +0000
Re: Programming a PBM game: What language is best?
gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Tue, 29 Sep 1992 17:18:45 +0000
Re: Programming a PBM game: What language is best?
itlm013@judy.ucdavis.edu (Captain Caveman)
Tue, 27 Oct 1992 20:18:38 +0000