iTorque 2D 1.4.1 And Beyond
by Michael Perry · in iTorque 2D · 11/12/2010 (2:50 pm) · 96 replies
Greetings everyone,
No doubt you have seen the news. InstantAction is winding down operations and all the employees have been sent home. Torque's future is uncertain right now. It all comes down to finding an investor or new owner. You are probably wondering what that means for your current technology and license.
I can speak directly for iTorque 2D since I've been managing it for a while. We have been putting in effort into the 1.4.1 build, trying not to rush things. We were setting our own expectations pretty high for polish and stability. We would eradicate five bugs, then find two more. A release could not go out with those two bugs, so the cycle would reset. You all have been invaluable in this process, as your feedback has driven this product for a while now.
They have already confiscated my Apple hardware, which means I cannot do any testing unless I find someone with the hardware locally. I might be able to post fixes blindly, in the hopes I can get quick feedback from everyone.
It's not all bad news, though. Before I was locked out of e-mail and our internal SVN repository, I managed to pull down 1.4.1 on my home machine. I have also talked to Sven at Luma, who has a slew of amazing bug fixes and new features to add to the build. What we are going to do is try and get one more build up into your accounts, giving you a safe download link to obtain the software. 1.4.1 would be under the EULA, so that would also extend your usage.
If it is not possible to get it into your accounts, which there is a chance of happening, then I will formulate a plan B with Sven and Eric. The fat lady has not completely sung for Torque, but I'm thinking short term for my plans.
After 1.4.1? Well, I do not know my friends. We will see what happens to Torque first. I may move completely in a new direction. Without Apple hardware, I do not think I would be of any use to you anymore. I guess we'll see.
On a completely separate subject, our IRC channel is still running:
server: irc.maxgaming.net
channel: garagegames
If you want more info on iTorque, including behind the scenes stuff, I will be there.
No doubt you have seen the news. InstantAction is winding down operations and all the employees have been sent home. Torque's future is uncertain right now. It all comes down to finding an investor or new owner. You are probably wondering what that means for your current technology and license.
I can speak directly for iTorque 2D since I've been managing it for a while. We have been putting in effort into the 1.4.1 build, trying not to rush things. We were setting our own expectations pretty high for polish and stability. We would eradicate five bugs, then find two more. A release could not go out with those two bugs, so the cycle would reset. You all have been invaluable in this process, as your feedback has driven this product for a while now.
They have already confiscated my Apple hardware, which means I cannot do any testing unless I find someone with the hardware locally. I might be able to post fixes blindly, in the hopes I can get quick feedback from everyone.
It's not all bad news, though. Before I was locked out of e-mail and our internal SVN repository, I managed to pull down 1.4.1 on my home machine. I have also talked to Sven at Luma, who has a slew of amazing bug fixes and new features to add to the build. What we are going to do is try and get one more build up into your accounts, giving you a safe download link to obtain the software. 1.4.1 would be under the EULA, so that would also extend your usage.
If it is not possible to get it into your accounts, which there is a chance of happening, then I will formulate a plan B with Sven and Eric. The fat lady has not completely sung for Torque, but I'm thinking short term for my plans.
After 1.4.1? Well, I do not know my friends. We will see what happens to Torque first. I may move completely in a new direction. Without Apple hardware, I do not think I would be of any use to you anymore. I guess we'll see.
On a completely separate subject, our IRC channel is still running:
server: irc.maxgaming.net
channel: garagegames
If you want more info on iTorque, including behind the scenes stuff, I will be there.
About the author
Programmer.
#22
11/15/2010 (4:35 am)
Have great respect for Michael and Sven, always... But I hope this is not a tease like it's been for the last 6 months. 
#23
11/15/2010 (7:04 am)
They may be less shackled now. No QA to wait for. 
#24
What kind of hardware do you need to keep this thing running to make it across the finish line? I'd be willing to make a donation to get us there if only to make your already generous support and release of 1.4.1 that much better.
11/20/2010 (6:49 am)
Mich...What kind of hardware do you need to keep this thing running to make it across the finish line? I'd be willing to make a donation to get us there if only to make your already generous support and release of 1.4.1 that much better.
#25
If an Intel based Mac Mini will get it done, I have one I am not using that I can wipe and ship. Do you need 10.6.4 installed on it? No matter what happens I wish you guys all the best in your transition and thanks for your help.
11/20/2010 (6:58 am)
PS: If an Intel based Mac Mini will get it done, I have one I am not using that I can wipe and ship. Do you need 10.6.4 installed on it? No matter what happens I wish you guys all the best in your transition and thanks for your help.
#26
11/20/2010 (3:56 pm)
@Justin - That is a really kind offer. I (and I'm sure the rest of the iT2D users) appreciate it. I have access to a Mac now, but technically no iDevice. I'm working on obtaining one. 
#27
11/23/2010 (12:31 am)
so when you will be officialy without job (Like many other I guess?), would torque still have a chance to be bought? or the offer will finish?
#28
11/23/2010 (4:39 am)
@witcher - Technically? 12/1/2010 I will be unemployed. Will it still have a chance of being bought? Yes.
#30
11/23/2010 (7:37 pm)
@witcher - May be sad, but it would not be the end of my career. Torque still has a future, but if I need other work I have a lot of leads. Before then, 1.4.1 at the very least.
#31
11/30/2010 (7:57 pm)
Any word on the 1.4.1 release? I recently acquired iT2D and am looking forward to all the fun goodies I've seen mentioned about it.
#32
12/01/2010 (2:43 am)
The coding has progressed well. Things came to a halt just before Thanksgiving since I've had family in town for over a week. Now that the holidays are over we can move into testing on OSX and devices.
#33
12/01/2010 (4:29 am)
That is great to hear! A big Thank You for all the hard work in seeing this through. 
#34
Also, since I understood your last official day was probably yesterday will you still be able to access the forum, post 1.4.1 and communicate with us? Thanks so much for keeping our hopes alive!
12/01/2010 (5:43 pm)
Michael, has a decision been made on integrating Sven's work with yours? Also, since I understood your last official day was probably yesterday will you still be able to access the forum, post 1.4.1 and communicate with us? Thanks so much for keeping our hopes alive!
#35
As far as I know. While I am somewhat limited in an official capacity, I have not heard of any plans to ban me from the site =)
12/01/2010 (5:56 pm)
@Warthog -Quote:has a decision been made on integrating Sven's work with yours?Not quite yet.
Quote:will you still be able to access the forum, post 1.4.1 and communicate with us?
As far as I know. While I am somewhat limited in an official capacity, I have not heard of any plans to ban me from the site =)
#36
Thanks again!
12/01/2010 (10:17 pm)
Hi Michael. I know you were planning to release 1.4.1 to us this week. Are you still planning to do so?Thanks again!
#37
12/02/2010 (4:54 pm)
I'll be e-mailing Eric and Sven this week to find out how to proceed from here.
#38
I will create a thread and a resource that will act as "hot fix central." Bug fixes, improvements and features will be organized into a collection of links and code samples that essentially make up 1.4.1. It's going to take me a little time to put it together, so hold on for a little bit more.
12/05/2010 (5:39 pm)
@All - Due to my current situation (lack of access to certain resources) and how busy Eric is working on getting a new Torque owner, I will be attempting a distribution by creative means. I will create a thread and a resource that will act as "hot fix central." Bug fixes, improvements and features will be organized into a collection of links and code samples that essentially make up 1.4.1. It's going to take me a little time to put it together, so hold on for a little bit more.
#40
12/05/2010 (7:55 pm)
Looking forward to it Michael 
Torque Owner Scott Wilson-Billing
MeYuMe