You can find me at @darkdimensiongd. I usually share progress on upcoming video games, or other things I’m working on.
Some time ago I made my own programming language to make video games with. So far I’ve made 2 video games with it. I recently added android support, and published both games on the Play Store.
Now I’m working on making the language better, while also making games of bigger scale.
Nice to meet you Button Cupcake :)
How did you come up with that?
The long story short is that I wanted to make games in an “abstract” way, and then use the compiler to make them playable. The original idea is that, if in 10 years a new platform emerges, I would only need to do some work on the compiler to support it, and all games made with that language will instantly support it.
I know that popular game engines do something similar, but I prefer having control over this situation. Plus I own 100% of my games.
Is it inspired by an existing one?
Its syntax is inspired by the LISP programming language for mainly two reasons. One is that it makes the language more explicit, which helps a lot with supporting different platforms. The other is that it is very easy to make a compiler that parses LISP-like syntax, which is one less headache.
The language is called avdl and is open-sourced: avdl on NotABug.org, although it is not ready for third party use yet, I intend to keep it open-source for now.
Is there a specific reason why you’ve decided to make it compilable for Linux first?
I use some linux-specific functionality on the project. I’m more familiar with linux, so it was easier to start this way. I plan to make it cross-platform at some point, but I’ll have to admit it’s not a priority.
Also, I think you can definitely expand on this, maybe create a GUI or tools for others who might be interested in it.
There’s lots to be done, who knows, maybe one day..
I modeled the compiler of that language based on the gcc compiler, so it is intended to remain as a command-line program. It’s possible to integrate it to existing IDEs. I’m currently working on documentation and sample programs to make it more accessible, but I’m sure it will be a while before more users start using it.
At the end of the day, it’s free, open-source, and a project I enjoy working on, so I’m not in a rush for anything.
