Please help, confused by source vs. non-source versions
by Lindsay Baker · in Torque Game Builder · 04/10/2009 (5:36 pm) · 1 replies
I'm trying to understand the pros and cons of the "source" versus "no source" versions of TGB. I've been programming for almost 30 years in about a dozen languages so I'm not afraid of source code, I'm just trying to figure out if I'll ever need it.
I bought the non-source version of TGB because it was my understanding that I didn't need the source code to begin with. The scripting language certainly is great, but as it's interpreted I assume it's slower to execute than working in pure source code. Right so far?
Are there things that the TGB engine can do that the scripting language can't access?
Does the GUI cover all the functions of TGB? For example, I thought TGB did sound but I can't find anything related to sound in the GUI.
I see the Platformer kit has a "script" version and a "source" version which seems to be more powerful (true?). If I bought the Pro Platformer kit; do I have to make the source code modifications to the TGB engine myself, or does it come with a precompiled modified engine? In other words, do I need the "source" version of TGB to use the "Pro" version of the Platformer kit?
I guess the fundamental question is; is the non-source version only good for prototyping but you really need to work at source level to make releasable games? Or are some of those great games made with TGB I've been trying out made with the non-source version?
One last question; if I've designed a game in TGB, will that project open up and build in iTGB? ie; one project will build to both a Mac and iPhone version?
Sorry, I know this is a lot of questions, but I really want to understand the groundwork before I start building on it.
Thanks, Lindsay
I bought the non-source version of TGB because it was my understanding that I didn't need the source code to begin with. The scripting language certainly is great, but as it's interpreted I assume it's slower to execute than working in pure source code. Right so far?
Are there things that the TGB engine can do that the scripting language can't access?
Does the GUI cover all the functions of TGB? For example, I thought TGB did sound but I can't find anything related to sound in the GUI.
I see the Platformer kit has a "script" version and a "source" version which seems to be more powerful (true?). If I bought the Pro Platformer kit; do I have to make the source code modifications to the TGB engine myself, or does it come with a precompiled modified engine? In other words, do I need the "source" version of TGB to use the "Pro" version of the Platformer kit?
I guess the fundamental question is; is the non-source version only good for prototyping but you really need to work at source level to make releasable games? Or are some of those great games made with TGB I've been trying out made with the non-source version?
One last question; if I've designed a game in TGB, will that project open up and build in iTGB? ie; one project will build to both a Mac and iPhone version?
Sorry, I know this is a lot of questions, but I really want to understand the groundwork before I start building on it.
Thanks, Lindsay
Torque 3D Owner D.L.
I'm sure you already knew, but just to reiterate for others reading this... Torque, like most (if not all) game engines, separates the engine code (source) from the gameplay specific code (scripts). As such, whether you have TGB or TGB-Pro, you will be writing all your gameplay code with TorqueScript. With that said, there is no performance difference between TGB and TGB-Pro, unless you edit the source code for a specific need in such a way as to optimize how the engine runs (or to turn scripts into native code for large, processor heavy scripts), since scripts are always used.
You only need the source (Pro version) if you plan on changing the way the engine itself works (i.e.- changing/extending the engine itself, such as the physics code, or network code, etc.).
Sound, and anything else the TGB engine is suppose to be able to do can be accessed via scripting. The GUI cannot do everything as far as I know, so basically it's more of a helper program in building a game, rather than the be-all-end-all of game development software. Audio can be incorporated through scripts. Audio editing is like any other art resource, requiring 3rd party software.
You can absolutely make a complete releasable game with the non-source version of TGB... within reason of course. Basically if you find something that TGB simply cannot do, but you know how it can and want to add that to the TGB engine itself, then you'll need the source version.
I honestly do not know whether or not the games you've tried out have edited source code or not, but it probably does.
Since I have not personally used the kits, I can't tell you for sure. I would send a message to the creator of the kit, or check www.garagegames.com/community/forums/18 for an answer (also this thread: www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/88057)
My suggestion, start with TGB as you've already done, and then when you feel like you need more out of it, upgrade to TGB-Pro. The price to upgrade should only be the difference in cost (currently $150).
I hope this helped answer some of your questions.
edit:
Essentially yes if you have iTGB, in which case you also need TGB-Pro, so if that is what you are looking to do, you will need the source version of TGB (+$150), and iTGB (+$500).