#constructions kits

Let's start with the interface: unlike older kits, which typically have self contained menus and tools, and modern panel-based game development IDEs, DIV's acts more like a self contained OS:

(A clean DIV desktop. It won't stay that way for long!)

As seen above, everything exists upon a "desktop", with all kit features being accessed from floating tool menus and windows. The interface itself is fully customizable, allowing the user to customize elements such as the menu colors, syntax highlighting, font size, and even the desktop background itself. The unusual interface is a bit daunting at first. There's no real way to organize the windows, and most of the program features are hidden under a mess of submenus. Once you get used to the menus and learn where every feature is located, however, it quickly becomes second nature.

As an added bonus, closing out the program saves your current session, which you can return to at any time. This also saves which windows were open, the size and position of your windows, and even which page you were last on in the help system. Handy!

(See what I mean?)

DIV also contains everything you need to make a game within the kit itself. Starting with assets, a full graphic editor is included, with all the niceties you'd expect from a basic, DOS era graphics editor. Also included are a font generator for creating custom fonts, an explosion generator that creates procedural explosions on the fly, and a basic sound editor. If that wasn't enough, later versions of DIV would also add a sprite generator, although this doesn't seem to work in current builds of DIV DX, so I can't say what it does.

The games themselves are programmed within a tool window inside of the kit. While this isn't particularly unusual, it does have a quick compile feature. By hitting F10, you can quickly launch your game from the program menu. Given your games are basically the code you type in yourself, this makes testing much easier than contemporary kits. There's also a fully featured debugger, which I haven't messed around with yet, and syntax highlighting.

But wait, there's more!

(On the left: A game running in Mode7. On the right: Mode8.)

DIV has native support for SNES style "Mode7" scaling effects. Initiating the effect is pretty easy, and setting up a camera controller process to manipulate it is even easier. Ever wanted to make an authentic Mario Kart clone, or a classic JRPG overworld? DIV's likely your best choice! DIV 2 would later add "Mode8", which allowed budding game designers to design their own sector-based 2.5D Doom clones. Sadly, while Mode8 is supported in DIV DX, games utilizing it can sometimes suffer from rendering errors.

These features on their own are nice enough, but what makes DIV really stand out from its peers, and even modern kits and IDEs, is the fully integrated help system.

(Saving you money on your phone & internet bill since 1998.]

Accessed by hitting F1, the help system gives you in-depth information on all the various programming functions available, as well as program shortcuts and a quick reference glossary. Where DIV differs with its help system is what you can do with this information. Nestled within most of the help articles are sample programs. By simply clicking on the sample program, DIV will pop-up a handy program window where you can quickly test the code out yourself, and even make modifications to it if you so desire.

Can't figure out what an obscure function does? Odds are good there's a sample program in the help system that makes use of it! And if there isn't, there's a handful of tutorial programs and even complete games to poke around in. In an age of wikis and instant, mobile internet access, this may not seem impressive, but consider this: DIV launched back when 56k modems were considered bleeding edge. The help system documented every feature and function available, saving legacy users the hassle of logging onto the internet in hopes of getting an answer.

All these features and functionality raise an important question: why isn't DIV more well known? Certainly, I would have killed for similar functionality from other kits around this time, as would many others. Competitive products, such as BlitzBasic and DarkBasic, were also modestly popular. Then you factor in the solid "Mode7" and "Mode8" rendering effects, and further questions are raised.

Of course, maybe the issue is one of perspective. Many of the resources, games, and videos I found while doing research on DIV were in Spanish. It even has its own entry on Spanish Wikipedia. This makes sense when you consider that Hammer Technologies was a Spanish studio. It also enjoyed some success in other European countries, such as Germany. So while it might not be well known today, it certainly found an audience.

DIV is open source and available for download from the DIV Arena website as DIV DX. DIV DX is still in active development as of August 2017, so keep in mind that bugs may exist. DIV DX is mostly backwards compatible, too, meaning legacy programs can be compiled with it. A small, but active community also still exists, and many DIV games can be played in a browser (see links below). If you'd rather try an older version, DIV 2 can be run in your browser via DOSBox!

Final Verdict: DIV DX is a fine choice if you're looking for a retro modern construction kit! Just keep in mind there may be bugs if you use the latest version, and there are some features that may turn off users looking for a modern development environment.