New perks! IndieGoGo campaign to port Torque 3D to Linux!
by David Montgomery-Blake · 01/10/2013 (4:54 pm) · 29 comments
Hello everyone! Our IndieGoGo campaign to port Torque 3D to Linux is getting a lot of coverage all over the Internet. I’ve seen topics pop up among Linux enthusiasts in at least six different languages (Chinese, Russian, German, Portuguese, French, and Arabic that I can recall) in the last few days as well as a ton in English all over the web. And for the most part, the commentary has been extremely positive! The difficulty, though, is convincing someone to contribute to a project that is already open sourced, even if it means that they will get the Linux port much, much faster.
In most campaigns, the problem is getting the word out. The word’s out and people are quite happy. But they’re not contributing in droves to pay to have the work done. So we’ve had to be creative with our perks and communication with the Linux community at large.
Here's an update video that answers some of the common questions we've seen. Ask any more that you have in the comments section either here or on the IndieGoGo site! You also get some rare glimpses of some of our team members!
We’ve added a few new perks. The first one is a $100 perk for an hour of a GarageGames’ employee’s time. Depending on your needs, it might be me, helping setup a solid contracting plan for your studio, or it may be one of our engineers helping optimize your game, or an artist helping you optimize your workflow.
The next one is a $250 perk which gives you an hour with Eric Preisz, our CEO. You can ask him any business-related questions to help out your studio’s estimates, successfully managing projects, or you can ask him particular questions about videogame optimization.
We also added a $4500 bootcamp perk for up to 20 people. We will fly to your location in the US and help train your staff or friends on working with Torque 3D. It’s less than our current pricing on BootCamps, so it’s a steal!
My favorite perk that we added is the GG Art Pack Perk. Here’s the packs that are included in the $75 Perk:
GarageGames Alien Art Pack Combo
GarageGames Cheetah Art Pack
GarageGames Modern Warehouse Art Pack
GarageGames Soldier Art Pack
GarageGames Soldier Death Animation Art Pack
GarageGames Soldier Weapons Art Pack
GarageGames Urban Art Pack - Building Interior Props
GarageGames Urban Art Pack - Buildings
GarageGames Urban Art Pack - Street Props
GarageGames Urban Art Pack - Vehicle Props
GarageGames Zombie Art Pack Combo
They’re made for Torque, but include the COLLADA models so that they can be used in most of the popular engines out there!
Here’s some pictures from the Art Packs that the $75 perk will net you!
(Alien Combo pack includes the rigged alien model and weapons)
(Cheetah art pack)
(Modern Warehouse Art Pack included modular pieces to create large-scale warehouse environments)
(Urban Art Pack Buildings which includes buildings that have been modified to be added to city blocks)
(Zombie combo pack includes the graveyard and configurable zombies)
We created a version of the Zombie pack for Unity 3.x to put up in their Asset Store, but a number of entanglements kept it out. If I can find it (and there's interest), I could add that to the asset perk as well! It was made for 3.x, but should work in 4.x fine.
In most campaigns, the problem is getting the word out. The word’s out and people are quite happy. But they’re not contributing in droves to pay to have the work done. So we’ve had to be creative with our perks and communication with the Linux community at large.
Here's an update video that answers some of the common questions we've seen. Ask any more that you have in the comments section either here or on the IndieGoGo site! You also get some rare glimpses of some of our team members!
We’ve added a few new perks. The first one is a $100 perk for an hour of a GarageGames’ employee’s time. Depending on your needs, it might be me, helping setup a solid contracting plan for your studio, or it may be one of our engineers helping optimize your game, or an artist helping you optimize your workflow.
The next one is a $250 perk which gives you an hour with Eric Preisz, our CEO. You can ask him any business-related questions to help out your studio’s estimates, successfully managing projects, or you can ask him particular questions about videogame optimization.
We also added a $4500 bootcamp perk for up to 20 people. We will fly to your location in the US and help train your staff or friends on working with Torque 3D. It’s less than our current pricing on BootCamps, so it’s a steal!
My favorite perk that we added is the GG Art Pack Perk. Here’s the packs that are included in the $75 Perk:
GarageGames Alien Art Pack Combo
GarageGames Cheetah Art Pack
GarageGames Modern Warehouse Art Pack
GarageGames Soldier Art Pack
GarageGames Soldier Death Animation Art Pack
GarageGames Soldier Weapons Art Pack
GarageGames Urban Art Pack - Building Interior Props
GarageGames Urban Art Pack - Buildings
GarageGames Urban Art Pack - Street Props
GarageGames Urban Art Pack - Vehicle Props
GarageGames Zombie Art Pack Combo
They’re made for Torque, but include the COLLADA models so that they can be used in most of the popular engines out there!
Here’s some pictures from the Art Packs that the $75 perk will net you!
(Alien Combo pack includes the rigged alien model and weapons)
(Cheetah art pack)
(Modern Warehouse Art Pack included modular pieces to create large-scale warehouse environments)(Urban Art Pack Buildings which includes buildings that have been modified to be added to city blocks)(Zombie combo pack includes the graveyard and configurable zombies)We created a version of the Zombie pack for Unity 3.x to put up in their Asset Store, but a number of entanglements kept it out. If I can find it (and there's interest), I could add that to the asset perk as well! It was made for 3.x, but should work in 4.x fine.
About the author
Community management and development, Educational computing systems and lab management, Flex, ActionScript, JavaScript, PHP, C++, C#, Perl, Python, Ruby, LUA, etc.
#2
01/10/2013 (9:10 pm)
I may never use the Linux port nor the GG art pack, but it looks like a steal to me. So consider $75 added to the campaign. 
#3
Just thought I would Chime in.
Even if Garage games does not get the funding is there still a chance that we could contribute to the linux port, Money wise?
01/10/2013 (9:53 pm)
Hey,Just thought I would Chime in.
Even if Garage games does not get the funding is there still a chance that we could contribute to the linux port, Money wise?
#4
01/10/2013 (11:25 pm)
@Benjamin - Come hell or high water...we'll find a way to fund it and do it right. 
#6
01/12/2013 (3:54 am)
Crossed $6000 and with more than 20 days to go, need another $25k. Keep spreading the word. 
#7
01/12/2013 (1:48 pm)
I'd love if this had positive benefits on the Mac side of things as well. A functioning and well tested OpenGL layer can only be good for everyone.
#8
01/12/2013 (7:11 pm)
I'll be pledging some money in the next week or so, this is a must have :)
#10
Unity took a great first step when they introduced an exporter for Linux, but we really want a full development suite natively on Linux. It makes the development and testing loop so much shorter to be able to work natively. If the zombie pack can help some of the developers who straddle both communities, then I'm all for adding it to the $75 art pack tier!
01/14/2013 (1:49 pm)
Well, I found the Unity package for the zombies, so if anyone pledges to the $75 tier, we can throw it in as well. I just barely tested it in Unity 4 and it imported correctly. It was initially designed for Unity 3.4.Unity took a great first step when they introduced an exporter for Linux, but we really want a full development suite natively on Linux. It makes the development and testing loop so much shorter to be able to work natively. If the zombie pack can help some of the developers who straddle both communities, then I'm all for adding it to the $75 art pack tier!
#12
01/17/2013 (12:22 pm)
Very smart garagegames. Very smart.
#13
01/17/2013 (3:35 pm)
I would love to help pay for this, but after already spending a lot of money on Torque products I'm going to have to pass. I have zero faith that it will even get done. Torque3D was pretty much the final straw with me. Spent good money on it, then the price got dropped 90% and now is free. Would have loved to spend the money on something more useful. Hopefully I'm wrong.
#14
01/17/2013 (3:42 pm)
I can understand your reservations. There are more hands in the codebase than there ever have been in the past. And we wouldn't have embarked on this IndieGoGo project if we didn't have experienced port teams willing to bid for the contract. There are a couple of forks currently working on a Linux port as well. I do not doubt that it will get to Linux. However, this campaign is about accelerating that development and testing crowd-sourcing as a sustainable model for engine development.
#15
There has to be something else that you guys need to do to ensure that this is a success, coz getting on the front-page just added about 1k.
01/17/2013 (10:29 pm)
Seems like still someway to go with the funding... There has to be something else that you guys need to do to ensure that this is a success, coz getting on the front-page just added about 1k.
#16
This option has always seemed to me to be the one primary advantage of IndieGogo over Kickstarter, given the massively larger audience of kickstarter.
I can see that you wouldn't want people to contribute at all if you couldn't make the project happen, but maybe you could have broken the goal into discrete chunks and then thrown whatever money you made at them one at a time, so you could still push forward even without making the full goal.
Too late now, of course, and hopefully you will get a big surge and make the full amount, but curious what your thoughts are anyway.
01/18/2013 (12:13 pm)
Hey David, just out of curiosity, was there a compelling reason you guys went with a fixed goal instead of the flexible funding plan that lets you keep whatever money you do make with a higher percentage going to Indiegogo? This option has always seemed to me to be the one primary advantage of IndieGogo over Kickstarter, given the massively larger audience of kickstarter.
I can see that you wouldn't want people to contribute at all if you couldn't make the project happen, but maybe you could have broken the goal into discrete chunks and then thrown whatever money you made at them one at a time, so you could still push forward even without making the full goal.
Too late now, of course, and hopefully you will get a big surge and make the full amount, but curious what your thoughts are anyway.
#17
Essentially they want to do it right and not have to do a lesser effort if they don't get enough money (David put it more elegantly than that).
01/18/2013 (1:25 pm)
David actually answers that question in the new video update =)Essentially they want to do it right and not have to do a lesser effort if they don't get enough money (David put it more elegantly than that).
#18
You nailed the key reason: we wanted the whole port to happen. A 10k campaign to write the OpenGL platform layer Isn't nearly as compelling as porting the entire engine to Linux. We wanted to ensure that we could deliver completely on the goal of the campaign.
There have been too many campaigns in the last few months that have failed their backers and we wanted to make sure that this wasn't added to that list.
Of course, piecemealing the port would have gotten something done, but We're currently under a third of what was estimated by different teams to make it happen. Telling a team that their contracting expectations are cut by a third, and trying to find the right third to make contributors happy is messy for a project this size.
We've talked about this internally quite a lot, especially with some of the work we've done after the campaign started. But it has to stay the way it is.
One of the best things about choosing IndieGoGo was that it is much more globally open than Kickstarter, and many of the contributions that we have gotten have come from international Linux enthusiasts who fall outside the Kickstarter funding possibilities.
01/18/2013 (1:25 pm)
We've gotten asked that quite a lot.You nailed the key reason: we wanted the whole port to happen. A 10k campaign to write the OpenGL platform layer Isn't nearly as compelling as porting the entire engine to Linux. We wanted to ensure that we could deliver completely on the goal of the campaign.
There have been too many campaigns in the last few months that have failed their backers and we wanted to make sure that this wasn't added to that list.
Of course, piecemealing the port would have gotten something done, but We're currently under a third of what was estimated by different teams to make it happen. Telling a team that their contracting expectations are cut by a third, and trying to find the right third to make contributors happy is messy for a project this size.
We've talked about this internally quite a lot, especially with some of the work we've done after the campaign started. But it has to stay the way it is.
One of the best things about choosing IndieGoGo was that it is much more globally open than Kickstarter, and many of the contributions that we have gotten have come from international Linux enthusiasts who fall outside the Kickstarter funding possibilities.
#19
I would imagine with the Kickstarter campaign failing and this one look equally unlikely, you certainly have a long way to go to succeed with the crowd-funding approach.
All the best guys!
01/22/2013 (10:36 am)
Less than 2 weeks to go. How optimistic is the GG team? I would imagine with the Kickstarter campaign failing and this one look equally unlikely, you certainly have a long way to go to succeed with the crowd-funding approach.
All the best guys!
#20
There a dozens of resources that could use some Porting/ or new ideas attempts @ common problems that could be resolved.
Even if T3D is now mainly Community Driven, am glad that GG is still around and i hope you guys stay that way.
Am persoanlly eagger to get my hands @ the 3.0 MiT version
and evry day that passes i learn more about the engine.
01/23/2013 (10:12 am)
Even if it fails, there are still a couple of people working on linux ports, sooner or later it will be reality. I don`t mean that people should just lean back.There a dozens of resources that could use some Porting/ or new ideas attempts @ common problems that could be resolved.
Even if T3D is now mainly Community Driven, am glad that GG is still around and i hope you guys stay that way.
Am persoanlly eagger to get my hands @ the 3.0 MiT version
and evry day that passes i learn more about the engine.
Torque Owner TheGasMan
G.A.S. [+others]
I just bought the zombie-pack 2 or 3 weeks ago..if I had known, I would have waited & paid the $75. :/
@DMB: I think that if you can find that Unity-Zombie pack, that it would be a big drive of $ from Unity Users if they know about it.
'And $ is $, right ? ..I hope to see T3D on Linux!