Conflicts of life-To buy or not to buy?

Whew! A lot of very exciting things have been going on in my life in the past few months. To start off, I am now a highschool graduate!! This excitement was then augmented by the experience of purchasing and building my first computer! I've been needing a good computer to replace my 4 year old one (which wasn't even a high-end machine back when I bought it), and, after hearing how you could get a lot more bang for your buck by buying parts online and assembling them, I chose to go that route.

Though, the experience wasn't completely cold turkey as I had had previous experience replacing or tinkering with just about every part of my older PC, it was still a very exciting experience. I was able to experience the feeling of spending 3 hours assembling a mahcine, and then watch in awe as it powers on for the very first time--very exciting. As a result, I was able to get a complete system (22" monitor, 2.1 speakers, mouse, keyboard, and fully working machine) for just under $1300. An equivalent sytem off the Dell website would have cost me just under $2000. Here are my new specs:

CPU: AMD Phenom IIx4 945 3.01GHz
RAM: 8GB DDR3 1333MHz
GPU: nVidia GeForce GTX 260 216 cores
HD: 640 GB WD 7200rpm
and a really fast CD/DVD burner.

As you can imagine, I am VERY happy with it!

Anyway, shortly after my purchase, I was able to finish and release my realtime material editor for TGEA 1.8.1. Being my first project, I made a few goofs, but the community was kind (as usual) and, in the end, it was a pretty fun experience.

And then came the big moment--and I do mean big. So big, in fact, that it caused me to become excited enough to write about my excitement--I purchased my very own copy of T3D Professional!! After all, a high-end computer deserves a high-end engine to work with, right?? Right.

Like many of you, I was hooked right from the beginning. After watching the first T3D development blog and hearing what was in store, I had my eye[s] on each and every one of the future blogs (and my mouth on the floor). Here, coming forth right before my very eyes, was an engine I have always dreamed to get my hands on, but never had the money to obtain. And then the price was announced: $1,000. Now, don't get me wrong, $1000 is a steal for an engine with this power--like a Ferrari Enzo for $50,000. However, I couldn't quite justify making the perchase--unless I could be convinced that I was getting more than just eye candy.

Though eye candy is great, to me, functionality supercedes it. For example, TGEA is an example of an engine in which eye candy is pretty much all that separates it from TGE. There was little done in the area of easing the workflow. If anything, it added to the burden--new power brings new responsiblity. Basically, it was what it was advertised as: an engine with the capability of producing almost cutting edge (at the time) graphics, but was for the more advanced Torque user as it required a bit more to actually utilize the new features.

It's one thing to pay $145 to upgrade to better graphics, but it's another to pay almost 4 times that. However, as the videos progressed, several things caught my eye:
1) support for COLLADA files and instant asset updates
2) a road and river editor
3) improved terrain editing tools
4) a realtime material editor
and
5) several "success" stories in which different members of the GG community related their experiences with the new world editor.

After watching the videos and hearing more stories, I came to the realization that this was possibly not just an eye candy upgrade--it was an almost completely re-worked engine with functionality and workflow being right up there at the top of the list. And so, I finally gave in, closed my eyes, and clicked the "check out" button. What happened next?? I almost killed myself for waiting this long to buy it.

Seriously, though, this thing is AMAZING!! I am absolutely loving it! As you can imagine, there are a lot of things an 18 year can blow $605 of his hard earned money on--I have no regrets. The ease of the new world editor is nothing short of incredible. Every single editor is only one click away. Every tool is ridiculously easy to use. Terrain editing has been transformed into an amazingly enjoyable experience. Editing materials is a blast. To top it all off, I can now create assets in my favorite program (Blender) and almost instantly import them into a level. In short, this engine has combined power with ease to an almost indescrible extent (for me that is). The sky is now the limit.

Now for the moment you have all been waiting for: screenshots!! What better way to find out exactly how good the software I just purchased was, than to use it to build a level? That's exactly what I did. I created a new level, and, starting from scratch (i.e. no land, no sea, no nothin), went on from there. The result?

The stone walls were quickly created via the new mesh road tool. Granted it's not a road, but, hey, whos says there can't be a mesh wall tool??

NOTE: the towers are far from finished, I just got so excited, I just had to take some pictures now.


The entire level took less than 3 and 1/2 hours! The terrain was hand formed and hand painted--no automatic or procedural generation there. Also, that 3 and 1/2 hours includes the time taken to model and texture the dock and guard towers, and texture the windmill. I modeled the windmill awhile back just for fun, with the purpose of creating a small level with TGEA, but it looks right at home in T3D.

Now, please note that I my main hobby is programming, not creating assets. Also, please note that this was simple a test level I created to try out the new editors. As a result, there is much to be desired. However, for me to be able to create even something that good in that amount of time is...well...better than I have ever done before to say the least. Not only that, but if I can create something like that, placing T3D in the hands of a person who actually knows what they're doing will inevitabally lead to a bunch of people walking around with their mouths permanently stuck to the floor.

And there you have it! Yet another testimony to the great things GG is doing around here! If you haven't purchased a copy yet, and are considering it, I would highly recommend it--it will save you a lot of time, and you'll be having a lot more fun while at it. Now back to work...


Daniel