Only Script or using c++? TGB 1.5B or TGB 1.1.3
by Thomas Svensson · in Torque Game Builder · 05/15/2007 (10:58 am) · 4 replies
Hi,
First i am so sorry if this has been posted elsewhere. I got my interested into TGB when it was an early adopter relase but never got around to use it more then playing around some with it.
Getting into the 1.5 version was. WoW! This has matured. Very impressive.
Two question:
I have a hope on releasing a game by the end of this year (hopefully you will be able to follow the progress of it since it has been given alot of thoughts and some great artists has been drafted). The game synopsis has been written and has been storyboarded. It will be an 1 hour game of classic shootem up with a twist. And will by no means be sold. We will just add this to our portfolio, the artists are a little avant garde and think this is another way of getting attention - don't ask - they are free! :)
But i get a head of myself.
1) When you use TGB how many games is only using the scripts and how many are expanding it into c++ territories? My hope is that i will be able to do everyting in script. But how is it with you. What is the ordinary way of things? Read about a pool game that was trying just to do it by scripting and thats when i really started to think. Focus right know is on other things then on game mechanics. And the scripting language is wonderful simple to use. (Atleast know with this documentation! Whew).
2) Seeing that 1.5 seems to beeing leaps forward the question is if i should stick with 1.1.3 or trying to learn the quirks of 1.5 and try to adapt the help files where the info is misleading (as with the datablocks). Do I gain anything of staying with 1.5 as a newbie to TGB?
I am sorry if i do repeat any thread, i did a quick ocular search since i really didn't know how i would search for the answer to a question i suspect should have been asked many times.
Altough if this project is getting done it will be shared with you dot, by dot and time by time. (Fameous lost word? May be? :) ) I hope to start update my blog with progress report after the 22nd of june, or atleast before july 1st, and after that a weekly update with the quirks we get trying to achieve this little gem of game done. Just to let other people in my position of getting a dream come true happning, but mostly it will be used as a future reference that i progress when i think i am not!
---
Coding experience is mostly of C# and some C++ and ofcourse ... alot of pascal in my youth. Today I am a projectmanager and i lead project alot of projects and i should be damned if i don't succed with the one project that really would matter - a meaningful interesting free time!
// Thomas
First i am so sorry if this has been posted elsewhere. I got my interested into TGB when it was an early adopter relase but never got around to use it more then playing around some with it.
Getting into the 1.5 version was. WoW! This has matured. Very impressive.
Two question:
I have a hope on releasing a game by the end of this year (hopefully you will be able to follow the progress of it since it has been given alot of thoughts and some great artists has been drafted). The game synopsis has been written and has been storyboarded. It will be an 1 hour game of classic shootem up with a twist. And will by no means be sold. We will just add this to our portfolio, the artists are a little avant garde and think this is another way of getting attention - don't ask - they are free! :)
But i get a head of myself.
1) When you use TGB how many games is only using the scripts and how many are expanding it into c++ territories? My hope is that i will be able to do everyting in script. But how is it with you. What is the ordinary way of things? Read about a pool game that was trying just to do it by scripting and thats when i really started to think. Focus right know is on other things then on game mechanics. And the scripting language is wonderful simple to use. (Atleast know with this documentation! Whew).
2) Seeing that 1.5 seems to beeing leaps forward the question is if i should stick with 1.1.3 or trying to learn the quirks of 1.5 and try to adapt the help files where the info is misleading (as with the datablocks). Do I gain anything of staying with 1.5 as a newbie to TGB?
I am sorry if i do repeat any thread, i did a quick ocular search since i really didn't know how i would search for the answer to a question i suspect should have been asked many times.
Altough if this project is getting done it will be shared with you dot, by dot and time by time. (Fameous lost word? May be? :) ) I hope to start update my blog with progress report after the 22nd of june, or atleast before july 1st, and after that a weekly update with the quirks we get trying to achieve this little gem of game done. Just to let other people in my position of getting a dream come true happning, but mostly it will be used as a future reference that i progress when i think i am not!
---
Coding experience is mostly of C# and some C++ and ofcourse ... alot of pascal in my youth. Today I am a projectmanager and i lead project alot of projects and i should be damned if i don't succed with the one project that really would matter - a meaningful interesting free time!
// Thomas
#2
I have done some more testing with the 1.5 and it seems its better stick with whats to be, then not, and learn it from the start. With warts and all.
Thank you!
05/16/2007 (2:38 am)
Appreciate your input. I understand my question is also a little hard to answer regarding the c++ part, since none of you know what i will do. (yet).I have done some more testing with the 1.5 and it seems its better stick with whats to be, then not, and learn it from the start. With warts and all.
Thank you!
#3
05/20/2007 (8:57 pm)
@Thomas--You might have to use both Scripts and C++. But you will only have to use C++ if you need to make change or add things to the engine. Anything else can be done in scripts. 
#4
Having access to the source is pretty much invaluable though since it means if you want to know how a specific feature work (or don't work) all you need to do is to go look at the source. If there's a problem somewhere, (as in something thats done in a way that doesn't make sense for your specific game), you can change it. Plus some things are simply easier, faster, and less of a pain to do in C++.
With TGE I'd say about 99.9% of all games will need source changes, with TGB you CAN make a game without ever looking at the source, but you're most likely going to want to change/add at least something at some point.
As for using 1.5 or not. If you started a game 3 months ago and it is set to be done in a month, by all means keep using 1.1.x, if you're starting a game NOW that is set to be done in a year use 1.5, no question about it. There's still a few issues but it's being sorted out, look through the Beta forums if you run into any problems. There's a number of fixes for various issues in there.
05/22/2007 (12:55 pm)
TGB depends a lot less on source code changes than what TGE/TGEA does. It was designed with you being able to create a game with script only. Having access to the source is pretty much invaluable though since it means if you want to know how a specific feature work (or don't work) all you need to do is to go look at the source. If there's a problem somewhere, (as in something thats done in a way that doesn't make sense for your specific game), you can change it. Plus some things are simply easier, faster, and less of a pain to do in C++.
With TGE I'd say about 99.9% of all games will need source changes, with TGB you CAN make a game without ever looking at the source, but you're most likely going to want to change/add at least something at some point.
As for using 1.5 or not. If you started a game 3 months ago and it is set to be done in a month, by all means keep using 1.1.x, if you're starting a game NOW that is set to be done in a year use 1.5, no question about it. There's still a few issues but it's being sorted out, look through the Beta forums if you run into any problems. There's a number of fixes for various issues in there.
Torque Owner Anthony Abrams
I have messed with 1.5 Beta 3 and find it to be very easy to get started with, but feel I should finish my other projects in 1.3 first.
I have had no reason to touch the c++ side of things and have had a great time doing everything in script.
I would say go with what's good for you. If you think that your better off right now with 1.3 then go with it. Learning how to write the behaviors in 1.5 isn't that hard when you practice it.