Torque Book: 3D Game Programming All In One

#21 Ken,
What OS is the book aimed at?
I saw Grep in the expanded contents on the other thread, so I was assuming linux.
Unless it is windows based and using mingw/mysys ...

Anyway, I am planning on loading my laptop up with linux for a full on dev box, and if the book was aimed at linux then I will go ahead with the install.. if not I guess I will keep windows around for a while.

Should have my copy of the book in the next few days, but it would be nice to get a headstart installing linux so I can go through the book the minute I get it :D

Thanks,
Shay

#22 @Shay: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP

#23 Ok.... guess I will have to find another reason to install Linux on this PC then.

Mark? since your here :D What programs are used in the book? I will go ahead and get them atleast.

Shay

(Edit)
I assume Quark, Milkshape, UltraEdit, and an Image Editor, from the contents... is there anything else that I might be missing?

#24 They have demos in the book. Everything you need to use comes on the disk. Try the demos out while using the book. That way you can test them out and see if you want to buy them or use different ones. I like to use Gamespace instead of Milkshape.

#25 Cool, thanks for the info...

I prefer Wings/Blender above Milkshape so thats not a prob.

I know I can compile Torque, so the compiler won't be a problem either...
Guess I'll just have to wait and see on the others.

Thanks again,
Shay

#26 What's on the CD:
UV Mapper 0.25
30 day trial ver. of Milkshape 3D 1.7.0 + plug-ins
45 day ver UltraEdit32
Koob tutorial software
30 day trial Paint Shop Pro 8
Audacity 1.0 + plug-ins
Quark 6.3

#27 Just got this book today and made it through the first few chapters. I am impressed with the quality of the book so far and have already learned a lot, just based on the description of the Torque Game Engine itself!

The only problem is that my CD-ROM does not work, which has never happenned to me with this publisher before. But that shouldn't be a problem I hope. I think I can make due with my own textures and sound effects, although I was curious to try out the examples.

#28 Joe, d/l the CD contents here. The link will only be available for a limited time - until I get a proper home for it set up.

#29 Well, first there was the thrill of getting the anxiously awaited book...

even though i had ordered it express, next day, i had to keep myself busy with other waiting for it to arrive...

... just so as not to dwell on it missing the flight, or getting misplaced on the plane to Samoa... or something like that.

anyway, it arrived, and i immediately took a break in order to get acquainted with the first couple of chapters...

could you imagine my jaw dropping down to floor as i turned to page 6 and saw a picture of the sub sim i've been working on staring back at me from the lower left corner of the page...

wow...

but it doesn't end there...

Ken was gracious enough to also mention my name in the caption...

and if that wasn't enough, he got the spelling right...

nobody ever spells my last name correctly, except maybe if it has a payment due notice attached to it...

well, that just made my day...

Ken, THANK YOU VERRRRY MUCH...

not only for what looks like a great guide to help in developing my gamemaking skills, but also for giving me my lil bit of immortality... :)

only one thing...

now i have to spend some real money so i can buy a couple of giveaway copies to my friends and relatives... :)

--Mike

#30 Thank you Ken! I am downloading now.

#31 No no no! Thank YOU for buying my book, guys!!!

#32 I invite anyone so inclined to take 5 minutes and head over to amazon.com and write
up a review. Give your honest opinion. here is the page

#33 Will do once my copy arrives - and thanks for writing the book Ken. I hope you get rich enough to write a book #2 with engine internals ;-)

#34 I have had my copy for about a week and am reading through it carefully, working at understanding the points you make, Ken. in the FWIW department, my trial version of Paint Shop Pro 8 says it's good for 60 days, instead of 30 days or 20 uses. I'm not complaining, mind you!

At this point I can say that the book is the best resource on 3D game creation that I've found (in one location) in nearly two years of looking on the internet. Together with the Torque engine, the recommendations, resources, tutorials, the community here ... everything in and around GG in short, has me confident that my game designs will be able to see the light of day, at least in demo form, sometime before the 22nd Century. You guys have succeeded in pulling together information on what programs work together, where to find them, how well they work, plug-ins, tutorials ... and it's almost all in English. Do I now believe I can compete with the big online multiplayer RPG's? No, of course not. But I do believe I will be able to create smaller games, in the niche(s) they have a chance to sell in, and this site and you folks are the reason I now have that confidence. Thanks to Ken for the book and also to all of you for this site and what it does for "wanna-be" game designers.

#35 Ken,

On Chapter 4, if I decide that I don't want to type out all the modules for whatever reason, do you provide these modules already typed in? I looked on the CD, but RESOURCES/CH4/ has all the files except server.cs and a couple extras... Do you have a website with these typed in that I can download from if they're not included on the CD? I've ran into a couple of problems running emaga 4. I assume I mistyped something so I would like move on instead of tracking down these mistypes...

Thanks.



UPDATED:

I did copy over your main.cs from RESOURCES/CH4/main.cs it seem to be identical to the main.cs in chapter 4 of the book but in the log prints:
---------- Loading Add-ons ----------
Engine initialization complete.
common/main.cs (149): Unknown command OnStart.

I've looked in common/main.cs, which I didn't write and there is a function called OnStart() is this an error in the book, your main.cs from the CD, other?

Thanks.

#36 Thanks for that Jordan - there is a naming error in the on CD code, an early prototype name was left in. To fix:

1. Copy the root main.cs plus the control folder with its contents over to your emaga4 folder on your hard drive, then make the changes:

2. Rename control/game.cs to control/server.cs.

3. You then have to locate the Exec("./game.cs"); line in control/initialization.cs and change it to Exec("./server.cs");


Everything then works correctly. If you type it in from the book, it will work as written without making any changes.

#37 Ken,

Thanks for responding so quickly, I did what you suggested and everything is now working.

Thanks again,

Jordan

P.S.

I'm just curious, but although everything works, in the log it still says:
--------- Loading Add-ons ---------
Engine initialization complete.
common/main.cs (149): Unknown command OnStart.

Should I be concerned with this error?

#38 No, no need for concern. If you look in common/main.cs, you'll see that it makes a call to Parent::OnStart(). In CH4, there is no OnStart() function in the parent (root main.cs). The book explains why the common code files are untouched in the Emaga sample games. I neglected to put an OnStart() stub in the root main module.

#39 Ken,

Ah, I see now, thanks. I guess I'm just having trouble telling the difference between warnings and errors in the log.

Jordan

#40 Anyone else having problems trying to access the alt. chapter 6 html on the link below? I keep getting an error that this page doesn't exist... Is it just me or are the links mis-named?

24.43.28.82:800/book/index.html

- Jordan