Torque's 2D and 3D Future Vol. 2
by Brett Seyler · 11/18/2008 (6:01 am) · 76 comments
Since my last post on this subject in March, our Torque engine developers have been quietly toiling away on some major new stuff. The major focus? TGEA. While we've also spent some serious cycles on Torque X (the impressive results of which you'll be seeing soon) and on TGB (which you'll probably start hearing about toward the end of the year), probably 80% of the energy has gone to TGEA, and it's definitely starting to bear fruit.
There are many of you out there who started with TGE and have yet to make the jump to TGEA. Some of you will be asking "why TGEA and not TGE?" That's going to be the main focus of this post. I'm going to talk about what you'll be seeing from TGEA in the coming weeks and months, and why you're not likely to see an update to TGE soon, or perhaps every again. Don't panic yet. Keep reading...
While there were good reasons OpenGL support did not make it in TGEA 1.0, it's here now with vastly better performance than ever possible before thanks to the new Brian Richardson and Alex Scarborough powered graphic layer (GFX2). You can see the early fruits of Alex's efforts porting Rokkitball and Legions to the Mac for InstantAction below.
Rokkitball and Fallen Empire: Legions running in Safari on OSX
Did we mention that TGEA 1.8 is a FREE update for all TGEA owners? You can grab the beta release by hitting your My Account page right now.
What About TGE?
We've kicked this idea around a lot here in the office and so have you in the forums and in the comments on my previous blog. Why aren't we working on TGE? There are a number of reasons that matter to us, but I really want to approach this from your perspective. I want to take a hard look at the reasons people have, in the past, chosen TGE over TGEA.
Reason #1: TGE has better documentation. While this was true when TGEA 1.0 originally launched back in February 2007, it's certainly not anymore. TGEA documentation has gotten the Mich Perry treatment. It's now probably the most well-documented engine out there with mountains of resouces and a well organized set of reference and learning materials. See the proof for yourselves.
Mich's docs blogs:
* What do you think about Documentation?
* MAJOR Documentation Announcement 1
* New Documentation System
* Documentation Announcements
* September Documentation Wrap Up
* October Documentation Wrap Up
Reason #2: TGE has better resources. More resources? Yes. Better resources? Not anymore. TGEA is where all the latest, coolest stuff is happening, and some Torque developers are defintiely taking it by the horns and doing some really cool stuff. There are also a bunch of great add-ons for TGEA and many many more in the works. Case in point: Konrad Kiss. His Cliff Construction Kit makes gorgeous, detailed environments much easier to do. There's also Lorne McIntosh's SSAO (screen space ambient occlusion), and Apparatus' Beautiful Doors.
Reason #3: TGE has better stability. This is also no longer true. While TGEA pre-1.7 didn't match TGE's stability, the 1.7 and 1.7.1 release did. It may take a while for TGEA to match TGE's stability on the Mac, but it will get there. On the PC, it's no longer an issue.
Reason #4: TGE can run on OSX with OpenGL. Now so can TGEA, only it runs the same projects faster.
So with TGEA we now have...
The first thing I want to say is this: I'm thrilled we got here. With TGEA 1.8, we're out of reasons to look back and we'll be looking to the future from here with continued improvements to TGEA. It was not without great effort. TGEA is now is a much better product for game developers than TGE. If you're part of the Torque community, TGEA is where all the new development will be happening. TGEA is where the majority of new resources and 3rd party products will be born. And the best part of this for TGE owners is, we've taken great care to make sure that TGE projects are very portable to TGEA.
I'm encouraging those that haven't made the move to consider it. Having all hands on the same codebase benefits our development internally, but it also has huge benefits you guys. It means you'll have more compatible resources, and you'll have better, faster, more accurate answers to your technical questions because everyone's looking the same code.
There are real, tangible advantages for your project as well. In addition to all the hallmark strengths of Torque like world class networking and real-time world editing, with TGEA you have...
To us, it's a clear choice. You'll notice that we've taken this new embrace of Torque's future to heart with some recent changes to the website too. If you're a new user looking for an engine and want to make a 3D game, you'll end up on the TGEA landing page in just one click.
Getting to TGE is a tad tougher, but of course it's still there.
At some point, TGE will likely either go away, or be licensed in a different way. We could do something like the id does with the older Quake engines offering both GPL and closed source. We could simply leave it on the site as a less expensive option. To be honest, we haven't decided and we won't be doing anything about it right away.
This is a decision that I really would like some community feedback on. I know many of you have been working with TGE for years and really love it. We don't want to do anything that discourages it's continued use, but for new and advanced users alike, TGEA is now a better product, so we want to put it out front where we can focus on making it even better.
If TGE is going away soon, doesn't the name "TGEA" seem a little dumb?
Yes =) We are some gigantic dunces at this whole "naming" and "marketing" thing, but I see no reason to live with our mistakes or repeat them in the future. At some point, we'll look to simplify our products down to basics. It could look something like:
TGEA --> Torque 3D
and
TGB --> Torque 2D (duh...didn't we do that once already?)
So, none of that is happening *right* now, but likely happen in the future.
Okay Cool. So What's Next?
First off, to quickly review the stuff I've covered so far...
* TGEA 1.8 is in beta and adds an OpenGL graphics implementation and runs on OSX.
* At some point TGEA will replace TGE entirely and may be renamed to something more...concise.
Alright, alright! What's next? Good question...
The next version of Torque for 3D games
If you're still looking for another reason to make the leap to TGEA, pay attention. Remember all that stuff mentioned in my last blog under R&D? Well, back in March, there were dozens of things I wasn't ready to mention and quite a few that we'll be able to confirm as part of our next Torque release. The GG Studios team and many 3rd party developers we work with are already hands on with some of the coolest new R&D tech around. While the game studio is proving this new tech out with games you'll see on InstantAction and consoles over the next year, we're merging it with TGEA to be included in our next release.
Finally, Some "Thank Yous"
Maintaining and improving Torque is an incredible amount of work, so I want to recognize some of the people who've been HUGELY helpful in this last round of development, and generally moving the Torque experience in a positive direction, either by generously providing community resources, contributing directly to development, or providing really nice add-ons that help make Torque shine.
1. The entire Sickhead Games crew (Tom Spilman, Russell Fincher, Ross Pawley, and James Ford). These guys are to thank for a ton of what goes on behind the scenes in Torque development and even more of what you're about to see in the future. Their products, Torsion especially, make Torque much easier and much more fun to work with. They are a truly independent studio and they're bound for success.
2. John Kabus. John's continued support for the entire Torque product lineup has been a huge value add. He's been working on a lot of cool stuff that you guys will be psyched to see in the future too, so John definitely deserves a big thanks.
3. John Kanalakis. Remember when I mentioned that you'd be seeing some really new and impressive Torque X stuff? You have John to thank. John spearheaded our last round of development on Torque X both by updating it to XNA Game Studio 3.0 and he added his own suite of 3D editing tools. Now you can use WYSIWG tools to design your scene, assign components, and even write new ones right inside the editor. It's hot stuff and it's not been easy, so thank you, John. You're a superhero.
4. Melv May and Phillip O'Shea. Melv and Phillip are currently hard at work on some super-top-secret 2D engine stuff. When the next version of Torque's 2D engine tech ships, you'll have them to thank for most of its coolness.
5. Jeff Faust. Jeff never stops improving his fabulous AFX technology. He recently updated it to include TGEA support and more awesome effects. Word has it he's planning a big release in the next few months that will impress us all. I have no doubts about that. Keep it up, Jeff!
6. Rene Damm. Rene's another guy who's been absolutely killer behind the scenes helping with TGEA. He's tackled Atlas Terrain issues that frighten the best of us and his current plans include some really cool ways to leverage that core tech. We're all really looking forward to seeing what will happen when the final stuff emerges.
7. Laurentiu Danila a.k.a. "Apparatus". Does this guy ever sleep? Doors, bridges, props, textures, environments...KABOOM!. Talk about making Torque shine! Great job, Apparatus. Can't wait to see what you do next.
AND THAT'S A WRAP!
If you made it this far in the longest blog ever, congrats! I hope it was worth reading. Thanks!
...................................................................................................
Another Pre-emptive Q&A (with myself)
Q. What? No more TGE?
A. TGE is not gone yet and it's not going to disappear tomorrow, next week, or even next month. Next year? Possibly. There are no longer any technical reasons to choose TGE over TGEA, so we're going to focus our development efforts there. If you're concerned about the price, I wouldn't worry. We're going to find a way to make Torque technology as accessible on a budget as it can be. TGE resources and documentation aren't going to disappear either. They'll always be available, they may just become less relevant.
Q. Which of these releases will GG charge for?
A. TGEA 1.8 will be a free update. The next version of our 3D tech after that will be a paid update. The next version of our 2D tech will probably be a paid update. It's been almost 2 years since we charged for any version of TGEA and almost 4 years since we charge for any version of TGB. That's a pretty generous track record. At some point, we're going to have to feed the developers but as always, if we do charge for an update, you'll get more *way* more than your money's worth.
Q. When will we see OpenGL support in TGEA?
A. In TGEA 1.8! It's in open beta now! Pull it down. Put the hammer to it. Let us know what needs fixing.
There are many of you out there who started with TGE and have yet to make the jump to TGEA. Some of you will be asking "why TGEA and not TGE?" That's going to be the main focus of this post. I'm going to talk about what you'll be seeing from TGEA in the coming weeks and months, and why you're not likely to see an update to TGE soon, or perhaps every again. Don't panic yet. Keep reading...
While there were good reasons OpenGL support did not make it in TGEA 1.0, it's here now with vastly better performance than ever possible before thanks to the new Brian Richardson and Alex Scarborough powered graphic layer (GFX2). You can see the early fruits of Alex's efforts porting Rokkitball and Legions to the Mac for InstantAction below.
Rokkitball and Fallen Empire: Legions running in Safari on OSX
Did we mention that TGEA 1.8 is a FREE update for all TGEA owners? You can grab the beta release by hitting your My Account page right now.
What About TGE?
We've kicked this idea around a lot here in the office and so have you in the forums and in the comments on my previous blog. Why aren't we working on TGE? There are a number of reasons that matter to us, but I really want to approach this from your perspective. I want to take a hard look at the reasons people have, in the past, chosen TGE over TGEA.
Reason #1: TGE has better documentation. While this was true when TGEA 1.0 originally launched back in February 2007, it's certainly not anymore. TGEA documentation has gotten the Mich Perry treatment. It's now probably the most well-documented engine out there with mountains of resouces and a well organized set of reference and learning materials. See the proof for yourselves.
Mich's docs blogs:
* What do you think about Documentation?
* MAJOR Documentation Announcement 1
* New Documentation System
* Documentation Announcements
* September Documentation Wrap Up
* October Documentation Wrap Up
Reason #2: TGE has better resources. More resources? Yes. Better resources? Not anymore. TGEA is where all the latest, coolest stuff is happening, and some Torque developers are defintiely taking it by the horns and doing some really cool stuff. There are also a bunch of great add-ons for TGEA and many many more in the works. Case in point: Konrad Kiss. His Cliff Construction Kit makes gorgeous, detailed environments much easier to do. There's also Lorne McIntosh's SSAO (screen space ambient occlusion), and Apparatus' Beautiful Doors.
Reason #3: TGE has better stability. This is also no longer true. While TGEA pre-1.7 didn't match TGE's stability, the 1.7 and 1.7.1 release did. It may take a while for TGEA to match TGE's stability on the Mac, but it will get there. On the PC, it's no longer an issue.
Reason #4: TGE can run on OSX with OpenGL. Now so can TGEA, only it runs the same projects faster.
So with TGEA we now have...
The first thing I want to say is this: I'm thrilled we got here. With TGEA 1.8, we're out of reasons to look back and we'll be looking to the future from here with continued improvements to TGEA. It was not without great effort. TGEA is now is a much better product for game developers than TGE. If you're part of the Torque community, TGEA is where all the new development will be happening. TGEA is where the majority of new resources and 3rd party products will be born. And the best part of this for TGE owners is, we've taken great care to make sure that TGE projects are very portable to TGEA.
I'm encouraging those that haven't made the move to consider it. Having all hands on the same codebase benefits our development internally, but it also has huge benefits you guys. It means you'll have more compatible resources, and you'll have better, faster, more accurate answers to your technical questions because everyone's looking the same code.
There are real, tangible advantages for your project as well. In addition to all the hallmark strengths of Torque like world class networking and real-time world editing, with TGEA you have...
To us, it's a clear choice. You'll notice that we've taken this new embrace of Torque's future to heart with some recent changes to the website too. If you're a new user looking for an engine and want to make a 3D game, you'll end up on the TGEA landing page in just one click.
Getting to TGE is a tad tougher, but of course it's still there.
At some point, TGE will likely either go away, or be licensed in a different way. We could do something like the id does with the older Quake engines offering both GPL and closed source. We could simply leave it on the site as a less expensive option. To be honest, we haven't decided and we won't be doing anything about it right away.
This is a decision that I really would like some community feedback on. I know many of you have been working with TGE for years and really love it. We don't want to do anything that discourages it's continued use, but for new and advanced users alike, TGEA is now a better product, so we want to put it out front where we can focus on making it even better.
If TGE is going away soon, doesn't the name "TGEA" seem a little dumb?
Yes =) We are some gigantic dunces at this whole "naming" and "marketing" thing, but I see no reason to live with our mistakes or repeat them in the future. At some point, we'll look to simplify our products down to basics. It could look something like:
TGEA --> Torque 3D
and
TGB --> Torque 2D (duh...didn't we do that once already?)
So, none of that is happening *right* now, but likely happen in the future.
Okay Cool. So What's Next?
First off, to quickly review the stuff I've covered so far...
* TGEA 1.8 is in beta and adds an OpenGL graphics implementation and runs on OSX.
* At some point TGEA will replace TGE entirely and may be renamed to something more...concise.
Alright, alright! What's next? Good question...
The next version of Torque for 3D games
If you're still looking for another reason to make the leap to TGEA, pay attention. Remember all that stuff mentioned in my last blog under R&D? Well, back in March, there were dozens of things I wasn't ready to mention and quite a few that we'll be able to confirm as part of our next Torque release. The GG Studios team and many 3rd party developers we work with are already hands on with some of the coolest new R&D tech around. While the game studio is proving this new tech out with games you'll see on InstantAction and consoles over the next year, we're merging it with TGEA to be included in our next release.
Finally, Some "Thank Yous"
Maintaining and improving Torque is an incredible amount of work, so I want to recognize some of the people who've been HUGELY helpful in this last round of development, and generally moving the Torque experience in a positive direction, either by generously providing community resources, contributing directly to development, or providing really nice add-ons that help make Torque shine.
1. The entire Sickhead Games crew (Tom Spilman, Russell Fincher, Ross Pawley, and James Ford). These guys are to thank for a ton of what goes on behind the scenes in Torque development and even more of what you're about to see in the future. Their products, Torsion especially, make Torque much easier and much more fun to work with. They are a truly independent studio and they're bound for success.
2. John Kabus. John's continued support for the entire Torque product lineup has been a huge value add. He's been working on a lot of cool stuff that you guys will be psyched to see in the future too, so John definitely deserves a big thanks.
3. John Kanalakis. Remember when I mentioned that you'd be seeing some really new and impressive Torque X stuff? You have John to thank. John spearheaded our last round of development on Torque X both by updating it to XNA Game Studio 3.0 and he added his own suite of 3D editing tools. Now you can use WYSIWG tools to design your scene, assign components, and even write new ones right inside the editor. It's hot stuff and it's not been easy, so thank you, John. You're a superhero.
4. Melv May and Phillip O'Shea. Melv and Phillip are currently hard at work on some super-top-secret 2D engine stuff. When the next version of Torque's 2D engine tech ships, you'll have them to thank for most of its coolness.
5. Jeff Faust. Jeff never stops improving his fabulous AFX technology. He recently updated it to include TGEA support and more awesome effects. Word has it he's planning a big release in the next few months that will impress us all. I have no doubts about that. Keep it up, Jeff!
6. Rene Damm. Rene's another guy who's been absolutely killer behind the scenes helping with TGEA. He's tackled Atlas Terrain issues that frighten the best of us and his current plans include some really cool ways to leverage that core tech. We're all really looking forward to seeing what will happen when the final stuff emerges.
7. Laurentiu Danila a.k.a. "Apparatus". Does this guy ever sleep? Doors, bridges, props, textures, environments...KABOOM!. Talk about making Torque shine! Great job, Apparatus. Can't wait to see what you do next.
AND THAT'S A WRAP!
If you made it this far in the longest blog ever, congrats! I hope it was worth reading. Thanks!
...................................................................................................
Another Pre-emptive Q&A (with myself)
Q. What? No more TGE?
A. TGE is not gone yet and it's not going to disappear tomorrow, next week, or even next month. Next year? Possibly. There are no longer any technical reasons to choose TGE over TGEA, so we're going to focus our development efforts there. If you're concerned about the price, I wouldn't worry. We're going to find a way to make Torque technology as accessible on a budget as it can be. TGE resources and documentation aren't going to disappear either. They'll always be available, they may just become less relevant.
Q. Which of these releases will GG charge for?
A. TGEA 1.8 will be a free update. The next version of our 3D tech after that will be a paid update. The next version of our 2D tech will probably be a paid update. It's been almost 2 years since we charged for any version of TGEA and almost 4 years since we charge for any version of TGB. That's a pretty generous track record. At some point, we're going to have to feed the developers but as always, if we do charge for an update, you'll get more *way* more than your money's worth.
Q. When will we see OpenGL support in TGEA?
A. In TGEA 1.8! It's in open beta now! Pull it down. Put the hammer to it. Let us know what needs fixing.
About the author
Since 2007, I've done my best to steer Torque's development and brand toward the best opportunities in games middleware.
#2
11/18/2008 (6:45 am)
Oooooh, it all sounds very exciting! Roll on the future! 
#3
Based solely off the 1.8 Beta stuff I've seen I'm rather excited about TGEA's future, especially these new editors and tools.
Also, rabble rabble.
11/18/2008 (6:53 am)
One of these days I'm going to write a coffee table book of Torque Tech names. ;)Based solely off the 1.8 Beta stuff I've seen I'm rather excited about TGEA's future, especially these new editors and tools.
Also, rabble rabble.
#4
11/18/2008 (7:40 am)
Now this is exciting news!!! I work with Unity and Torque here at work, and while Unity is great for most things, not having the source code and a decent way to debug anything really frustrates me a lot. The web publishing 1.8+ for TGEA really has to have the guys at Unity raising their eyebrows. Improved physics is a must and has been a real hole in Torque for a long time. I am glad to see this is getting some attention at last. Do you have any ideas on what price for the 1.8+ upgrade will be at this point? Will it be a cheaper upgrade for existing TGEA license holders like the last paid TGE update? 
#5
Well, in all seriousness, TGEA is looking great - I'm finally considering seriously the move across. Way to get me excited! :)
11/18/2008 (8:07 am)
TGE is dead! Long live TGE!Well, in all seriousness, TGEA is looking great - I'm finally considering seriously the move across. Way to get me excited! :)
#6
*shakes his fist angrily*
Great news, great product! Keep up the good work guys.
11/18/2008 (8:15 am)
TGEA is really good fun to work with, and when OSX support was announced with 1.8 I thought my wishlist was complete. But damn it! You always have to tempt us with what's coming soon! I never feel satisfied with what I have in my account!*shakes his fist angrily*
Great news, great product! Keep up the good work guys.
#7
11/18/2008 (8:50 am)
BTW
This will be one of the topics discussed further at this week's IRC Hour. If you want to chat real time with Brett and the other GG employees, stop by this Thursday at 5:00pm (PST) in the GarageGames IRC channel.
#8
I may just take that leap off the fence.
You are a great salesman.
11/18/2008 (8:51 am)
Very cool. I'm excited to this.I may just take that leap off the fence.
You are a great salesman.
#10
On more than one occasion while I was at Garage Games I detailed out why as a professional developer or inexperienced hobbyist, I would have recommended or picked TGE hands down every time over TGEA.
That has changed.
And from recent conversations with Matt Fairfax it looks to be on the path to great things.
11/18/2008 (9:11 am)
As a content developer, I have been very resistant to making the jump to TGEA for a long time. It was plagued with many issues and there were plenty of reasonable arguments against the development direction it seemed to be taking. Things added, things not added. Everyone had their own take on it.On more than one occasion while I was at Garage Games I detailed out why as a professional developer or inexperienced hobbyist, I would have recommended or picked TGE hands down every time over TGEA.
That has changed.
And from recent conversations with Matt Fairfax it looks to be on the path to great things.
#11
Dropping TGE isn't as bad as it may initially sound either. Existing licensee's can still work with TGE and due to having source access, feature can always be implemented ourselves. Also with OpenGL and Legacy terrain support + terrain editors now in place with TGEA, it's finally a viable alternative to TGE.
Keep up the good work :)
11/18/2008 (9:14 am)
The only real reason I've held back from using TGEA has been down to the lack of OpenGL support. Now that's no longer an issue, I'll have to check out TGEA once more.Dropping TGE isn't as bad as it may initially sound either. Existing licensee's can still work with TGE and due to having source access, feature can always be implemented ourselves. Also with OpenGL and Legacy terrain support + terrain editors now in place with TGEA, it's finally a viable alternative to TGE.
Keep up the good work :)
#12
As for Atlas, in case anyone had taken a look at the 1.8 beta, found that Atlas was basically 1.7.1-Atlas-ported-to-GFX2 (that's what it is), and was disappointed: I didn't make the deadline for 1.8 with the end-to-end Atlas overhaul, but trust me, delayed or not it *will* end up in your hands. And nonetheless there's no shortage of great new stuff in 1.8, anyway :)
11/18/2008 (9:43 am)
Great post! Exciting times and lots of good stuff coming up.As for Atlas, in case anyone had taken a look at the 1.8 beta, found that Atlas was basically 1.7.1-Atlas-ported-to-GFX2 (that's what it is), and was disappointed: I didn't make the deadline for 1.8 with the end-to-end Atlas overhaul, but trust me, delayed or not it *will* end up in your hands. And nonetheless there's no shortage of great new stuff in 1.8, anyway :)
#13
@Rene: Your work on Atlas, and what that might become is definitely one of those things I'm excited about for future versions of Torque. There's a ton of potential there and I'm definitely looking forward to it.
@Everyone: There are probably a dozen people who've done a lot of work on TGEA here in recent months that I didn't yet mention. There's Matt Fairfax and Josh Engebretson of course, but I wanted to also recognize a guy you all probably don't know that well. Brian Richardson. Brian actually wrote GFX2 and is responsible for majority of performance gains you see on the PC side of TGEA 1.8. He's a superstar that doesn't have that much visibility to the community right now because he's usually heads down doing manly shit like that. Together, he and Pat Wilson (who needs no introduction) are building out some really neat stuff I'll be introducing in the coming weeks. It's *seriously* cutting edge rendering stuff. Stuff that almost no other engine technology is doing. More on that to come =)
11/18/2008 (10:39 am)
Thanks everyone. I'm glad this new direction is being received well. If you have questions, I'll be on IRC hour to discuss this Thursday.@Rene: Your work on Atlas, and what that might become is definitely one of those things I'm excited about for future versions of Torque. There's a ton of potential there and I'm definitely looking forward to it.
@Everyone: There are probably a dozen people who've done a lot of work on TGEA here in recent months that I didn't yet mention. There's Matt Fairfax and Josh Engebretson of course, but I wanted to also recognize a guy you all probably don't know that well. Brian Richardson. Brian actually wrote GFX2 and is responsible for majority of performance gains you see on the PC side of TGEA 1.8. He's a superstar that doesn't have that much visibility to the community right now because he's usually heads down doing manly shit like that. Together, he and Pat Wilson (who needs no introduction) are building out some really neat stuff I'll be introducing in the coming weeks. It's *seriously* cutting edge rendering stuff. Stuff that almost no other engine technology is doing. More on that to come =)
#14
11/18/2008 (11:20 am)
Our company actually moved away from TGE to TGEA for developing a casual game aimed for kids two years ago because in our tests TGEA actually performed much better than TGE for the kind of stuff we were aiming for, even on integrated video cards. It was also more compatible with strange IGPs which historically had issues with TGE due to bad OpenGL implementation, like S3 and SiS. 
#15
This is really exciting! I'm very curious about the future of TorqueScript, especially because I already thought it was good and fast, and I keep getting surprised about what cool features I find in it day by day. If only %object and %datablock would work without having to define them in the function header (without all the %this confusion). That is the only nominee for the upcoming change in my eyes.
And your last line in your last comment.. that's just plain cruel. :) Can you please say just a bit more? Just so we can get some sleep.
Thanks for mentioning me and the Kit. I'm still working on the port to 1.8, hopefully to be out soon.
11/18/2008 (11:31 am)
What I'm the most excited about is seeing all the people here slowly move to a common source base, and be able to speak one language finally. The gap between TGE and TGEA has been huge both feature wise and considering updates. I am expecting this gap to disappear once TGE licensees come over to the dark side, and that's gonna rock. The huge power of Torque is its community - this is a great initiative to supercharge it.This is really exciting! I'm very curious about the future of TorqueScript, especially because I already thought it was good and fast, and I keep getting surprised about what cool features I find in it day by day. If only %object and %datablock would work without having to define them in the function header (without all the %this confusion). That is the only nominee for the upcoming change in my eyes.
And your last line in your last comment.. that's just plain cruel. :) Can you please say just a bit more? Just so we can get some sleep.
Thanks for mentioning me and the Kit. I'm still working on the port to 1.8, hopefully to be out soon.
#16
11/18/2008 (11:35 am)
Here's a good place as any. I'm sure it's been answered elsewhere, but since we are talking the future of Torque here, is Linux on the roadmap? Or will support be abandoned in 3D as it was in earlier versions of T2D? 
#17
If someone sends us a Linux port that doesn't interfere with the Windows and Mac stability and features, then we would be happy to roll it in.
We've done the hard part: porting GFX to OpenGL. The rest is up to you!
11/18/2008 (11:40 am)
Linux will continue to remain community supported for the foreseeable future.If someone sends us a Linux port that doesn't interfere with the Windows and Mac stability and features, then we would be happy to roll it in.
We've done the hard part: porting GFX to OpenGL. The rest is up to you!
#18
1) Is TGEA Torque 2?
2) Will TGEA be modularized like what was supposed to happen to Torque 2?
My concern is, I am close to starting a project for AI and I don't want to port my code at some point. I am currently considering TGEA (Torque 2), C4, and Leadwerks.
11/18/2008 (12:00 pm)
@Brett - Thanks so much for the update. It sounds like things are moving along nicely at GG. I am still a little confused and have a few questions:1) Is TGEA Torque 2?
2) Will TGEA be modularized like what was supposed to happen to Torque 2?
My concern is, I am close to starting a project for AI and I don't want to port my code at some point. I am currently considering TGEA (Torque 2), C4, and Leadwerks.
#19
We have been keeping our lips tight about things because over-promising and under-delivering isn't the way we want to roll. I will say, though, that if one were to scour Flickr, the GG forums, and some graphics dev forums than one could piece together what is in the works.
Any screenshots you'd find wouldn't be jaw-dropping because I prefer to use bad art for under-the-radar tech so it is easily mistaken for "nothing new".
11/18/2008 (12:10 pm)
Konrad,We have been keeping our lips tight about things because over-promising and under-delivering isn't the way we want to roll. I will say, though, that if one were to scour Flickr, the GG forums, and some graphics dev forums than one could piece together what is in the works.
Any screenshots you'd find wouldn't be jaw-dropping because I prefer to use bad art for under-the-radar tech so it is easily mistaken for "nothing new".
#20
I couldn't agree more with you. I understand what you mean, and I wasn't really expecting an answer - knowing that you guys are at least as much excited to tell as we are to hear what's cooking.
Now, I'm off to search for those clues! :)
11/18/2008 (12:22 pm)
Pat, thanks for the reply. The kid in me took over (more than 30 years ago).I couldn't agree more with you. I understand what you mean, and I wasn't really expecting an answer - knowing that you guys are at least as much excited to tell as we are to hear what's cooking.
Now, I'm off to search for those clues! :)
Torque 3D Owner Brett Seyler
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