Any demos that show default AI?

#1 There's no AI in torque since that's pretty much game specific. There's of course the bases for doing it. You have 2 classes, the aiPlayer and the aiConnection. The first one is just for doing moving NPC's or stuff like that, while the later simulates a client connection like if it was a human player connecting (displays has joined info, scores, etc).
These classes can follow paths, but the actual AI work is up to you to do though.

#2 Ouch. So I would have to write my own "attack,defend,runaway" code for NPCs? Didn't expect to be great scripts, but some sort of canned FPS scripts.

Are there any AI plug in packs for Torgue? Another system I was looking at had a advanced AI package for ~90 USD which had defent, alert runaway, knock over tables and hide behind them. Pretty nice for the price. Anything like that as a add-on to Torque? (I am assuming "no" because I have been unable to find it on this site.)

#3 Nope.

#4 No, but the special part with torque is the multiplayer online, not the single player. although, torque does still support ai. there are some people and resources about it that might give you some info on where to start. as for the other engine, what's the name of it, i'd like to see it. ;D

#5 The other engine I was looking at was GameStudio (http://www.conitec.net/a4info.htm)

Its demo isn't as impressive as Torque and some of the features Torque has GameStudio has as "planned" features but who knows when they will be added. They allow for the download/30 day eval of the engine. With that I was able to create in 1 hour a FPS (no networking) without any scripting at all (just using the default AI) using their "scriptless shooter" doc.

I know that GameStudio's default AI has limitations and would need to be build on, but at least I had a starting script. Or maybe I could have purchased a AI Package such as: Mythic AI which works with GameStudio.
(See demo of the add in at:)
http://www.saknet.com/ai/downloads.html

It allows for "bad guys" to knock over tables andhide behind it,patrol, alert others you are coming, check in (if they are dead and miss their check in their buddy will come and find out what is going on), and get tired and fall asleep so you can sneek up on them, but if you are noisy they will wake up. The demo has many of the features you would have to write from scratch if I went with Torque or even the default GameStudio.

Another GameStudio resource is the user mag which has been working on AI as a step by step process.
See:
http://www.gameresource.de/aum/

For GameStudion you need to plunk down at least 200 bucks to have multplayer (limit of 6 players) From the docs on Multiplayer it seemed a bit more complex to add networking than Torque (I know. Haven't seen much in Torque so I could be wrong). GameStudio costs a bit more, but might be easier to get something running.

To give you an idea of how I am weighing features I am looking at engines to eventually create a Multplayer RPG like shooter, which you would definatly need NPCs and be networked, but a max of 6 players might be acceptable. I am fairly new to 3D Engines, but I have been programming in C/C++ for 10+ years so an engine requiring C/C++ would be better for me than one that used say phython. Back in "the day" I wrote asm code to provide 2D scrollable screen, so I don't mind getting down into the dirty details.

I don't plan on my creations being the next big seller which means I probally will release the source for free to whatever comunity I happen to be in. That way the true talent can show me where I went wrong and people new to the system have another resource to help them.

My concern with GameStudio is hitting "the wall" where I have to either cut back on something I thought would make the game "great" because the tool doesn't support it and I can get my hand dirty and add it like I could with Torque.

If you are interested in feature breakdown of Torque, GameStudio and other engines see
http://www.conitec.net/a4faq.htm
Its at the bottom of the page. Its from a GameStudio perspective, but I have found it pretty accurate on the details they have.

This turned out to be a pretty long post, but I hope that helps.

Thanks for your information. I think I am leaning back towards GameStudio seems like I would have to spend weeks of work getting a simple "patrol see you shoot" script to work.

#6 K

#7 tork.zenkel.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=ToRKTutorials&file=index
Check out the bot tutorials here, they show a bit more of what can be done.

Stay far away from GS. Even if you don't end up using torque (though I'd certainly recommend it), run like hell from GS.

#8 Ben,

Thanks. Thats will help. The basic move and shoot player sort of scripts. (Although it would be nice to have an advance AI package/demo of what is can and can't do ... now that I think about it it would be nice to have everything coded for me... nah where is the fun in that!)

Thanks again,

#9 Actually, in the latest FPS Starter Kit that ships with Torque there is a bot that runs from point A to point B, and shoots at you when you are in range. There are many bot and simple AI contributions in the code snippets and we have AI content packs in development. They will have a small extra charge, but the pricing will be similar to the Bravetree content packs.

Torque is very capable of creating a RPG. For instance, take a look at Tribes RPG which was creted on a earlier version of Torque. Those guys than moved on to Torque, but had problems keeping their team together. Before they broke apart, they created Sons of Valor.

-Jeff Tunnell GG




http://www.garagegames.com/mg/snapshot/view.php?qid=103

#10 Jeff,

Thanks for the info. I am leaning back towards Torque. The bot is a good start.

Any thoughts on when the AI package will be released?

Thanks again,

#11 In the comparison chart they say you need to pay extra cash when publishing for using Torque, and that's not true, you only pay royalties if you publish your game through GarageGames. At least that was my understanding of the matter... Jeff?

#12 You don't have to pay royalties unless your company or the company you publish through makes more than $500,000 per year. There is no link to publishing on GG since we changed our licensing agreement a year ago.

-Jeff Tunnell GG

#13 Thanks. I forgot about the 500k thing... It's kinda in the clouds for me :)

#14 I would *LOVE* to have to pay the $10,000 royalty... :)

#15 Me too! :P

Jeff, Jeff, make me pay the $10k royalty...

*assumes that this means that Jeff will somehow make him earn more than $500k ;)*

#16 @Ben: sure, Jeff can make you pay the 10k... oh.. that later comment.. ok, then not :)

#17 Being royalties are brought up I have the following questions:

1 - Do you have to pay if the company make >500,000 on software which are non-Torque related games when the Torque created game is < 500,000?
2 - Do you have to pay if we have 5 titles all of them making 100,000 each if they are all made with Torque? Do you have to pay 10,000*5 because its 5 titles?
3 - Do you have to pay additional 10,000 a year each year the game continues to make money? For example if I create a Online game which continues to get updates and add one making me one rich camper year after year.

Just wondering. Doesn't really mater right now because I don't even have Torque in my grubby hands. (Plan on getting next month after a bit more research.)

Thanks,

#18 All this can be ascertained by reading the license.

1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. No.

it's a fair agreement..
if your company has 500k annual profit you pay.

for every title you make you pay 10k

it is not an annual fee.

#19 Thats cool and in line with what I read. Figured I would ask to be sure.

Thanks,

#20 Actually I have another question on royalties. I have a friend who has a distributor who has marketed some of his simple game. This distributor is a seperate entity from his company. The company works Basically by stocking walmart with the 10 CD things.

He was saying he thought the company who "gets him in the door" were at least 1/2 million a year in biz, but the sum of all his games sales (which sometime need to be 2 or 3 on a CD to give it "value") were made much, much less than 100,000, but enought to keep him going as a hobby.

He wouldn't go with Torque because of his distributor making a bunch of money on many 10 buck titles and he couldn't be sure that a game at 10 bucks a shot would break 10,000 in profits for him. (Esp after the distributors cut).

Is this true? Seems that it would limit my ability to market my own game (at least through my friends company). I would really like to get my friend to help me on a game down the road.

Thanks,