It it possible to use Torque Engine for e-learning?
by Peter Martin Richter · in General Discussion · 03/04/2005 (4:56 pm) · 7 replies
Hi!
I know that TorqueEngine can create games to use webplayers (ie. game think tanks). I also know that TorqueEngine manages to do connection with database through SQL.
Would I like then to know if it is possible to use TorqueEngine to do an e-learning game? An e-learning course in the format of a game.
This game, as well as it happens with a course online, it should have a permanent connection with his platform (LMS) through SCORM.
Is that possible? Does anybody have some idea of how to do that?
Thank you very much for the help and for the comments!
[]'s
Peter
I know that TorqueEngine can create games to use webplayers (ie. game think tanks). I also know that TorqueEngine manages to do connection with database through SQL.
Would I like then to know if it is possible to use TorqueEngine to do an e-learning game? An e-learning course in the format of a game.
This game, as well as it happens with a course online, it should have a permanent connection with his platform (LMS) through SCORM.
Is that possible? Does anybody have some idea of how to do that?
Thank you very much for the help and for the comments!
[]'s
Peter
About the author
www.gamedesign.com.br
Recent Threads
#2
At our company we were thinking about doing this exact same thing. However, in our case, we found that using SCORM in our torque environment would not be practical.
In very recent talk given at the GDC 2005, the ADL gave a talk on this very topic. They came to the conclusion that games and simulation (the type i'm assuming that you are interested in) lay outside the scope of SCORM and thus the integration of SCORM and a game/simulation would have to be done by a different type of LMS. This LMS would be able, at a certain point of a course, call up a game at a certain position and pass attributes to it so that the game would start up at a certain point. After the game was completed, the game would send back certain metrics that the SCORM LMS would be interested in. In this way the games would be hot-swappable in the event a certain game became obsolete or a better one came along.
Hope this helps,
Ed
03/10/2005 (10:28 am)
Dear Peter,At our company we were thinking about doing this exact same thing. However, in our case, we found that using SCORM in our torque environment would not be practical.
In very recent talk given at the GDC 2005, the ADL gave a talk on this very topic. They came to the conclusion that games and simulation (the type i'm assuming that you are interested in) lay outside the scope of SCORM and thus the integration of SCORM and a game/simulation would have to be done by a different type of LMS. This LMS would be able, at a certain point of a course, call up a game at a certain position and pass attributes to it so that the game would start up at a certain point. After the game was completed, the game would send back certain metrics that the SCORM LMS would be interested in. In this way the games would be hot-swappable in the event a certain game became obsolete or a better one came along.
Hope this helps,
Ed
#3
I already imagined that. The need exists of doing an own LMS to manage games e-learning. I asked on SCORM because I would like to know somebody had gotten to use this pattern near the games using the engine Torque. But I am seeing that the road is really the construction of an own platform.
Thank you for the help. :)
Anybody more can give his comment or to mention his experience on something similar?
03/10/2005 (6:51 pm)
Yes, I already imagined that. The need exists of doing an own LMS to manage games e-learning. I asked on SCORM because I would like to know somebody had gotten to use this pattern near the games using the engine Torque. But I am seeing that the road is really the construction of an own platform.
Thank you for the help. :)
Anybody more can give his comment or to mention his experience on something similar?
#4
03/06/2006 (11:36 am)
I too am interested in the SCORM capability. From what I am reading in this thread it is impossible to use an existing LMS for Torque. We have a client that would like game training with Torque but it has to work with their existing LMS. Is this just not workable ??? 
#5
I'm not saying that it couldn't be done. I'm saying that neither system was designed for this type of integration.
03/06/2006 (2:04 pm)
Well, it would (most likely) take 1) source code access to the LMS, which may or may not break it, 2) a redesign of TGE to factor into the LMS.I'm not saying that it couldn't be done. I'm saying that neither system was designed for this type of integration.
#7
Torque is a game engine and can - in general - interface with anything. SCORM is a standard to structure eLearning content and make it available to be administered in LRMs.
If I were to combine the two, I would implement a server sided web service, that Torque can interface with.
03/08/2006 (10:07 am)
In fact, the quesion doesn't really apply.Torque is a game engine and can - in general - interface with anything. SCORM is a standard to structure eLearning content and make it available to be administered in LRMs.
If I were to combine the two, I would implement a server sided web service, that Torque can interface with.
Torque Owner Eric Lavigne
www.rhassociates.com/scorm.htm
Torque is not designed for SCORM, but I believe that a SCORM compatible interface could be built around Torque. Think Tanks is a good example of that, since Torque wasn't designed for playing through a web browser either.
My simplified impression of SCORM (from learning application development viewpoint) is this:
1) Application is dropped into a package which includes XML instructions regarding the application's purpose and how to install it.
2) When application is run, it must provide output regarding the learner's performance which must be sent back to the LMS. A JavaScript API, which already exists, should make this communications task relatively simple.
So in answer to the first issue, yes you can create a windows installer for Torque applications. From that point, SCORM compatible packaging shouldn't be too tough. In answer to the second issue, modifying Torque to produce ASCII output and then launch some JavaScript shouldn't be too tough. For both of these issues, though, you will definitely need a good understanding of the SCORM standard (which I don't have).