What exactly do you get when purchasing the licence?
by David Martin · in General Discussion · 12/01/2007 (10:59 pm) · 12 replies
Hello. I'm seriously considering buying an Indie licence for Torque Game Engine 1.5 but I firstly want to know what is it that I get with it and have a few questions.
1. Is there a new file that you have to download or do you simply continue using that which comes in the demo version?
2. Is the Torque Developer Network substantial enough to warrant the purchase?
3. Is there a newer version of Torque just beyond the horizon that it may be worth waiting for instead?
4. Does the licence purchase provide any more programs like model editor, lighting packages etc?
5. Is purchasing the licence just a simple credit card payment and the licence is received immediately?
Thank you for your help in advance!
1. Is there a new file that you have to download or do you simply continue using that which comes in the demo version?
2. Is the Torque Developer Network substantial enough to warrant the purchase?
3. Is there a newer version of Torque just beyond the horizon that it may be worth waiting for instead?
4. Does the licence purchase provide any more programs like model editor, lighting packages etc?
5. Is purchasing the licence just a simple credit card payment and the licence is received immediately?
Thank you for your help in advance!
About the author
#2
12/01/2007 (11:21 pm)
I didn't think that you could access the TDN without a licence. If you can though, how exactly? Whenever I've tried I've come up with a login screen.
#3
If you can't, there is a lot of good info there, but less than I thought there would be when I purchased a license. I was very disappointed. The documentation on the engine is somewhat lacking, however there are some good books and people are usually helpful in the forums. Over all, though I think the purchase is easily worth the price.
12/01/2007 (11:30 pm)
I could be wrong about that, but I thought GG said they opened up all the docs and TDN a month or so ago. Did you try logging in with the same info as you login to the regular GG site?If you can't, there is a lot of good info there, but less than I thought there would be when I purchased a license. I was very disappointed. The documentation on the engine is somewhat lacking, however there are some good books and people are usually helpful in the forums. Over all, though I think the purchase is easily worth the price.
#4
Other than that Derry pretty much has answered your questions.
1. Yes - it includes source code
2. No - the TDN is NOT substantial enough to warrant purchase by itself
3. No - There probably won't be anymore versions of TGE that you have to pay (more) for. So get the license now and get the free upgrades later. HOWEVER, TGEA is the more advanced version of the engine (kinda, it is more advanced tech wise, but not for making a game) so if you want a "more advanced engine" you need to decide what exactly that means and if you want to buy TGEA or not.
4. No - The show tool is extra money (or included in a package deal) and there isn't any official torque editor until the Constructor comes out and I think that is mostly for environments.
5. Yes - As soon as you pay you can download the source code from your account page.
Edit: As an addendum to #3, the private forums and source code DO warrant the purchase if they are something you will use.
12/01/2007 (11:35 pm)
You're supposed to be able to access TDN but there seems to be bugs in the site. Try emailing them if you can not access it.Other than that Derry pretty much has answered your questions.
1. Yes - it includes source code
2. No - the TDN is NOT substantial enough to warrant purchase by itself
3. No - There probably won't be anymore versions of TGE that you have to pay (more) for. So get the license now and get the free upgrades later. HOWEVER, TGEA is the more advanced version of the engine (kinda, it is more advanced tech wise, but not for making a game) so if you want a "more advanced engine" you need to decide what exactly that means and if you want to buy TGEA or not.
4. No - The show tool is extra money (or included in a package deal) and there isn't any official torque editor until the Constructor comes out and I think that is mostly for environments.
5. Yes - As soon as you pay you can download the source code from your account page.
Edit: As an addendum to #3, the private forums and source code DO warrant the purchase if they are something you will use.
#5
12/02/2007 (9:39 pm)
Oh so the TDN isn't the private forums? I remember thinking that only with the purchase could you get the TDN and private forums but so far I seem to have been able to go freely around TDN. How sizable are the private forums compared to these public ones?
#6
12/03/2007 (6:25 am)
As an owner of TGE and TGEA, I see 43 total forums possible.
#7
What? Constructor has been out for a while. And its not for environments, its for interiors. The whole Torque editor in general is for environments, so why would Constructor be like that. Just wondering.
12/03/2007 (11:47 am)
4. No - The show tool is extra money (or included in a package deal) and there isn't any official torque editor until the Constructor comes out and I think that is mostly for environments.What? Constructor has been out for a while. And its not for environments, its for interiors. The whole Torque editor in general is for environments, so why would Constructor be like that. Just wondering.
#8
12/03/2007 (11:59 am)
Constructor is for creating BSP environments. At the time of development, there were no free editors for the Mac for creating levels for Torque.
#9
12/03/2007 (12:36 pm)
There was the Torque level editor.. You know, that F11 button over there, yeah.
#10
12/03/2007 (12:44 pm)
That's the world editor. It allows you to place interiors and models as well as change environmental features. It does not function as a creation toolkit for interiors or models. Constructor and programs like Max, Maya, Lightwave, and Blender fulfill those functions.
#11
12/03/2007 (1:26 pm)
He said, "there isn't any official torque editor," and I answered him, saying yes there is. Then you tell me there wasn't, but then you say there is. Contradicting...
#12
You are calling missions created in the World Editor "levels" while I was calling areas created in Constructor "levels". You were thinking in terms of terrain and world elements and I was thinking about interiors. It's a common terminology mix that happens in a number of engines when people start drilling down information and make assumptions that others are drilling to the same level as them. We were both assuming the other was talking about the same "level" format and structure.
I said that when Constructor was in development, there was not a Mac solution for creating interiors (CSG or BSP environments) that was free. Radiant was released under the GPL before Constructor was released. Constructor (or other BSP app) is what you would use to create large interior levels. Say the levels in Quake/2/Half-Life/Doom 3/Unreal/etc.
The World editor is not a csg or modeling interface for Torque. You create DIF models using Constructor, 3D World Studio, Quark, Radiant, etc. You create DTS models using polysoup applications such as Max, Maya, Blender, Milkshape, Lightwave, Shaper, DeleD, Lightray3D, etc. You would use these to create detailed and animated models that need a more free-form structure.
You place these created objects in Torque using the World Editor (F11) which is documented in the getting started tutorial as well as elsewhere on the site. The world editor allows you to control mission elements such as placing triggers, paths, interiors (DIF) and models(DTS). You can use the terrain editor in this mode to load in terrain maps or rise/lower and paint your terrain.
12/03/2007 (2:00 pm)
Not contradictory at all. The misunderstanding comes in what you and I are calling "levels".You are calling missions created in the World Editor "levels" while I was calling areas created in Constructor "levels". You were thinking in terms of terrain and world elements and I was thinking about interiors. It's a common terminology mix that happens in a number of engines when people start drilling down information and make assumptions that others are drilling to the same level as them. We were both assuming the other was talking about the same "level" format and structure.
I said that when Constructor was in development, there was not a Mac solution for creating interiors (CSG or BSP environments) that was free. Radiant was released under the GPL before Constructor was released. Constructor (or other BSP app) is what you would use to create large interior levels. Say the levels in Quake/2/Half-Life/Doom 3/Unreal/etc.
The World editor is not a csg or modeling interface for Torque. You create DIF models using Constructor, 3D World Studio, Quark, Radiant, etc. You create DTS models using polysoup applications such as Max, Maya, Blender, Milkshape, Lightwave, Shaper, DeleD, Lightray3D, etc. You would use these to create detailed and animated models that need a more free-form structure.
You place these created objects in Torque using the World Editor (F11) which is documented in the getting started tutorial as well as elsewhere on the site. The world editor allows you to control mission elements such as placing triggers, paths, interiors (DIF) and models(DTS). You can use the terrain editor in this mode to load in terrain maps or rise/lower and paint your terrain.
Torque Owner Derry Bryson
Default Studio Name
2) I think you can access it now without buying a license. What is worth the money is the source code and the license.
3) There is, of course, TGEA that is out now that is more advanced than TGE (I would recommend buying TGE and then upgrading, it's the same price but you have access to both). Otherwise, it depends on your definition of horizon. There is a new engine in the works that will be available sometime next year.
4) no
5) yes
Good luck!