Spore?
by Jeffrey S. · in General Discussion · 10/10/2008 (7:43 pm) · 12 replies
Can you make a game like Spore using the Torque Game Engine? Is it possible?
About the author
#2
Long Answer: Spore took years and years to develop by arguably the brightest minds in the entire industry. Not to mention more cash dump into a single game than most game developers will ever see in their entire life. The technology behind the game is probably a topic of several books.
Spore is not your average game and creating anything close to it is a feat that not many could accomplish (at least not with the current experience, technology and resources available to anyone but your most successful game developers).
If you want to fault the Torque Game Engine - go ahead and do so, as to do so would so a vast misunderstanding of what creating a video game takes and no engine you choose would help.
Last Words: If you meant something other than creating a carbon copy of Spore myself, or others may be more helpful. Also start small for your first projects - no one completes a masterpiece without finishing something less glorious first. When you can answer such questions as these by yourself - my advice above may no longer apply.
10/10/2008 (7:59 pm)
Short Answer: While its possible - few, if any, game developers without Will Wright's standing - and by association the massive amount of funding he has - could make a game like Spore no matter what game engine they used.Long Answer: Spore took years and years to develop by arguably the brightest minds in the entire industry. Not to mention more cash dump into a single game than most game developers will ever see in their entire life. The technology behind the game is probably a topic of several books.
Spore is not your average game and creating anything close to it is a feat that not many could accomplish (at least not with the current experience, technology and resources available to anyone but your most successful game developers).
If you want to fault the Torque Game Engine - go ahead and do so, as to do so would so a vast misunderstanding of what creating a video game takes and no engine you choose would help.
Last Words: If you meant something other than creating a carbon copy of Spore myself, or others may be more helpful. Also start small for your first projects - no one completes a masterpiece without finishing something less glorious first. When you can answer such questions as these by yourself - my advice above may no longer apply.
#3
10/11/2008 (12:05 am)
Possible, but very very difficult for reasons already stated.
#4
In the case of Spore , ALOT of time and money and a large team is what you need to pull it off.
If you intend on "copying" spore then your production time is greatly reduced because the original creators of the game have already done the hard work for you ( ie gameplay/mechanics , graphical styling and balancing)
If you have never made a game before then i would have to agree with Ben , start small ..
start say with ... PONG (speaking from my exp here) , space invaders , pacman , mario brothers etc till you
feel confindent enough to start your own project. Especially one as large as that.
If you have a background/experience in the game industry already , TGE is capable.
10/11/2008 (6:14 am)
Yes it is possible , ANYTHING you can think of can be done with TGE.In the case of Spore , ALOT of time and money and a large team is what you need to pull it off.
If you intend on "copying" spore then your production time is greatly reduced because the original creators of the game have already done the hard work for you ( ie gameplay/mechanics , graphical styling and balancing)
If you have never made a game before then i would have to agree with Ben , start small ..
start say with ... PONG (speaking from my exp here) , space invaders , pacman , mario brothers etc till you
feel confindent enough to start your own project. Especially one as large as that.
If you have a background/experience in the game industry already , TGE is capable.
#5
But I would ask one question--what do you mean by "a game like Spore"?
Not such a simple question....
10/12/2008 (1:09 am)
Ben Versaw is exactly correct.But I would ask one question--what do you mean by "a game like Spore"?
Not such a simple question....
#6
Everything can be done, with TGE or any other engine. It just depends from your skills, creativity, imagination and the amount of time and resources that you can spend on the project.
10/13/2008 (2:19 pm)
Do you mean specific Spore feature? Like dynamic design of characters by dragging different body and clothing parts on their bodies? Or maybe the transition between the landscapes-planets-universes? Or the dynamic planet generations?Everything can be done, with TGE or any other engine. It just depends from your skills, creativity, imagination and the amount of time and resources that you can spend on the project.
#7
10/25/2008 (10:52 am)
Thank You all very much. I know i should start out small, and that is exactly what i intend to do, i just wanted to know if it was possible. Thank you for your time and consideration.
#8
as each one may or may not have the elements you want to be already built in to the engine.
What makes Torque so great is that you have the source code as a license holder and you can add all those beautiful eye-candy additions on top of the framework.
Other engines that lure your interests will rarely if at all, offer you access to the source code, and that can be a drawback when your looking to make a game or it can be all you'll ever need. It really depends on your project, time, Team knowledge and cash.
Leadworks comes to mind. They have a great looking setup. Nice demonstrations in those videos. But you won't get the source code for under $200 dollars since the code is likey proprietary or just intentionally hidden from coders view to protect themselves from Game Engines copying their work.
In any case, if you do ever get to make a game like Spore, I am seriously interested in reading about your success novel.
10/25/2008 (12:34 pm)
Jeffrey, Torque is a very capable engine. I think your question is derived from looking into many Game Enginesas each one may or may not have the elements you want to be already built in to the engine.
What makes Torque so great is that you have the source code as a license holder and you can add all those beautiful eye-candy additions on top of the framework.
Other engines that lure your interests will rarely if at all, offer you access to the source code, and that can be a drawback when your looking to make a game or it can be all you'll ever need. It really depends on your project, time, Team knowledge and cash.
Leadworks comes to mind. They have a great looking setup. Nice demonstrations in those videos. But you won't get the source code for under $200 dollars since the code is likey proprietary or just intentionally hidden from coders view to protect themselves from Game Engines copying their work.
In any case, if you do ever get to make a game like Spore, I am seriously interested in reading about your success novel.
#9
10/25/2008 (11:06 pm)
Not only is Torque open source, which is absolutely essential for anyone who's serious about making games, but it has tons of resources, and is platform indedpendant. Well, TGE is, anyway.
#10
10/25/2008 (11:09 pm)
Lee I believe you mean to say that you can have access to the Torque source... not that it is open source (which it isn't). The two are vastly different things, just wanted to state that so that there is no confusion.
#11
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source
Of course, spam only refers to Usenet cross posting, so I may be fighting a losing battle, here :-) But seriously the distinction is useful and important. Torque is not Free software, but because the source is not closed, it is open.
edit: and now that I've cited Wikipedia, no one can argue with me
10/25/2008 (11:30 pm)
No, it's most emphatically open source, since the source is not closed. It is of course proprietary open source.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source
Of course, spam only refers to Usenet cross posting, so I may be fighting a losing battle, here :-) But seriously the distinction is useful and important. Torque is not Free software, but because the source is not closed, it is open.
edit: and now that I've cited Wikipedia, no one can argue with me
#12
opensource.org/docs/osd
"1. Free Redistribution
The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale. "
Em no this is not allowed - sorry.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_source
"Some proprietary software comes with source code or provides offers to the source code. Users are free to use and even study and modify the software in these cases, but are restricted by either licences or non-disclosure agreements from redistributing modifications or sharing the software. "
Which is what Torque does.
Torque is not open-source and referring that it is can lead to major misunderstandings.
Edit: Here is the end of the discussion
"Honestly, this topic has been discussed (and at length) before. TGE is not going to go open source, it wouldn't be cost beneficial to Garage Games. Enough people steal the engine on a regular basis (by piracy) that is lost profit, so what do you think opening up the source would do to GG? These guys have to eat too, ya know.. they aren't rolling in the dough because a few people spent $100 on their engine."
Just read the thread.
10/26/2008 (10:40 am)
Not to keep going off topic on a thread but I'm sorry you are again wrong.opensource.org/docs/osd
"1. Free Redistribution
The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale. "
Em no this is not allowed - sorry.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_source
"Some proprietary software comes with source code or provides offers to the source code. Users are free to use and even study and modify the software in these cases, but are restricted by either licences or non-disclosure agreements from redistributing modifications or sharing the software. "
Which is what Torque does.
Torque is not open-source and referring that it is can lead to major misunderstandings.
Edit: Here is the end of the discussion
"Honestly, this topic has been discussed (and at length) before. TGE is not going to go open source, it wouldn't be cost beneficial to Garage Games. Enough people steal the engine on a regular basis (by piracy) that is lost profit, so what do you think opening up the source would do to GG? These guys have to eat too, ya know.. they aren't rolling in the dough because a few people spent $100 on their engine."
Just read the thread.
Torque Owner Tyler Slabinski