Next Torque 3D Steering Committee and T3D 3.5.1
by Dave Wyand · 03/10/2014 (3:20 pm) · 28 comments
Announcing the Next Torque 3D Steering Committee and T3D 3.5.1
In September 2012 we launched Torque 3D as an open source engine under the MIT license. Since then, the appointed Steering Committee successfully launched three releases. On December 19, 2012, we launched T3D v2.0 as the first new, open source release. Then on May 9, 2013, we launched T3D v3.0, our second MIT release. Finally, on November 13, 2013, we launched T3D 3.5, the most recent version.If you haven't been following the Torque 3D Forums or read Eric Preisz's Latest Blog you may have missed the news that following the T3D 3.5 release the Steering Committee was disbanded. Myself and GarageGames were heavily involved in pushing out each new open source release, and with my time now going towards the business' service work this was not sustainable. All work on the main T3D GitHub repository was put on hold, although of course, anyone was free to fork the repo and continue with their own work.
With one chapter closed, a new one began in January 2014 with a renewed interest from the community in continuing development in T3D's main repo. Over the last few months GarageGames and the community have come together to create the first, completely community driven Steering Committee.
The New Torque 3D Steering Committee
The following community members are now your new, Torque 3D Steering Committee:With this fresh start, the new Steering Committee has come up with their own charter that replaces the previous one. You may read it here on the GitHub wiki. I expect that you will be seeing a number of changes on GitHub and elsewhere as they mold the public view of Torque 3D to their own vision.
Torque 3D 3.5.1
Following the T3D 3.5 release there were a few bugs introduced that impacted people's game creation. Since this release a few Pull Requests were merged into the development branch to fix these issues. In order to provide a clean start for the new Steering Committee I have pushed out these fixes as T3D 3.5.1 and the development branch is now clean.The following changes have been made for T3D 3.5.1:
- Fix for ballistic projectiles not bouncing (link)
- Bullet physics applyImpulse() fix (link)
- Revert trigger polyhedron change (link)
- Update version reporting to 3.5.1 (link)
Where to Find Torque 3D 3.5.1
As always you may find Torque 3D over on GitHub. Here is a list of all repositories:- Main repository: Torque3D
- Documentation: Torque3D-Documentation
- Project Manager: Torque3D-ProjectManager
In addition to GitHub we also have our own ZIP package that combines the Torque3D repository with the updated TorqueScript documentation, the Project Manager, and compiled versions of each of the templates. This package is ideal for those that do not wish to compile Torque 3D on their own, and is available here:
In Closing
Thanks to each of the new Steering Committee members for stepping forward and accepting the responsibility as Torque 3D's new stewards. I look forward to future releases of what I believe to be the best, open source 3D game engine available.- Dave
About the author
Producer at GarageGames LLC
#2
03/10/2014 (4:17 pm)
I was waiting for this announcement...Congrats to the new committee!! 
#3
03/10/2014 (5:06 pm)
Good luck to the members of the new Steering Committee! :) 
#4
03/10/2014 (6:17 pm)
What about all those pull requests, crying to be merged? Not even a comment? If you guys are not interested, at least close the PR's with a reason instead of completely ignoring contributors who dedicate their time to this community.
#5
@Vincent, patience please. It takes a lot of time and effort to put together a team and then focus on what needs to happen. This team is solid and reliable. (I know most of them.) This release is very much a bug fix, (which the FIRST release of T3D MIT was.) Remember, they are starting from square one. This is the nature of a steering committee and an open source project. Just because something is pull requested does not mean it meets the programming standard and focus for the engine. I speak from experience here, a TON of my changes did not make it into scheduled releases because I did not understand the project scope properly. Lastly, the pull requests are there... you can merge them yourself, in your own build... just a thought. Alas,
They will get to things in time, it may not be exactly YOUR timeline but, they are not building your game engine, they are building a game engine that meets the general population's requirements.
03/10/2014 (6:55 pm)
Grats guys. Glad to see I was WRONG about the fate of T3D, thanks for stepping up. @Vincent, patience please. It takes a lot of time and effort to put together a team and then focus on what needs to happen. This team is solid and reliable. (I know most of them.) This release is very much a bug fix, (which the FIRST release of T3D MIT was.) Remember, they are starting from square one. This is the nature of a steering committee and an open source project. Just because something is pull requested does not mean it meets the programming standard and focus for the engine. I speak from experience here, a TON of my changes did not make it into scheduled releases because I did not understand the project scope properly. Lastly, the pull requests are there... you can merge them yourself, in your own build... just a thought. Alas,
They will get to things in time, it may not be exactly YOUR timeline but, they are not building your game engine, they are building a game engine that meets the general population's requirements.
#6
every single one of them!
Congratulations!
The future looks bright!
03/10/2014 (8:27 pm)
Excellent choice of team members,every single one of them!
Congratulations!
The future looks bright!
#7
I'm sorry that I wasn't clear in my blog. Following the 3.5 release there was no Steering Committee that could dedicate their time to go through each of the Pull Requests, merge them into a separate branch, test them out, understand what they do, and determine if they should be merged into the main T3D repository or not. The reason for this was because the old Steering Committee members no longer had the time to act as custodians following over a year of volunteer service, and there was no one from the community that stepped forward to take over.
Starting today, there is now a new group of people from the community that have stepped forward and organised themselves that can once again do all that.
- Dave
03/10/2014 (8:54 pm)
@Vincent Ellis:I'm sorry that I wasn't clear in my blog. Following the 3.5 release there was no Steering Committee that could dedicate their time to go through each of the Pull Requests, merge them into a separate branch, test them out, understand what they do, and determine if they should be merged into the main T3D repository or not. The reason for this was because the old Steering Committee members no longer had the time to act as custodians following over a year of volunteer service, and there was no one from the community that stepped forward to take over.
Starting today, there is now a new group of people from the community that have stepped forward and organised themselves that can once again do all that.
- Dave
#8
Kudos to Dave and all the committee members ... you have my support ... ummm ... yeah ... okay then. 8-}
03/10/2014 (11:09 pm)
Good on you all ... wish I had the skills to help with the steering committee but alas I don't.Kudos to Dave and all the committee members ... you have my support ... ummm ... yeah ... okay then. 8-}
#9
03/10/2014 (11:42 pm)
Thanks to all who sacrifice their free time and sanity to commit to open source development. Developers, Steering Committee members (past and now present), forum goers, your work and dedication is very much appreciated. 
#10
Thanks for the intro, Dave, and for setting this all up!
03/11/2014 (3:28 am)
Vincent: processing the current backlog of pull-requests is a big priority for the incoming committee. We'll be pursuing a more complex branching model that will allow us to be aggressive at pulling in changes that may be unstable if we like their concept, and we intend to put in place measures like automated testing that will increase our confidence that a given PR doesn't break everything, without needing to solicit extensive community testing (or burn up our own time doing it).Thanks for the intro, Dave, and for setting this all up!
#12
03/11/2014 (2:56 pm)
Congrats to everyone on the committee and to GG as well you're doing a fantastic service to this community :) 
#13
03/11/2014 (3:05 pm)
Good luck to you all.
#14
I am happy to see Torque 3D alive and kicking. Thanks a lot for the brand-new release with bug fix and besides I wish good luck to new members of the Steering Committee.
Best regards,
03/11/2014 (11:17 pm)
@Dave and new members of the Steering Committee,I am happy to see Torque 3D alive and kicking. Thanks a lot for the brand-new release with bug fix and besides I wish good luck to new members of the Steering Committee.
Best regards,
#15
03/12/2014 (4:18 am)
One question that interests me, is T3D going to continue down the FPS path or will it slowly move to a more general purpose game engine? I understand now it actually can be if you don't mind getting your hands dirty and getting stuck into the engine code but currently you can make an FPS game without really digging into the source code.
#16
Great question. I just want to say that T3D has never really been a 'FPS' engine. It achieved this rep because most of the demos over the years showed off that feature. However, you can do most any genre with the engine and there are a number of tutorials to get you started:
RTS: docs.garagegames.com/torque-3d/official/index.html?content/documentation/Scripti...
Collection game: github.com/lukaspj/Torque3D-Tutorials
Zombie shooter with Store functions: www.garagegames.com/community/resources/view/21702
Tactical Action Game: www.garagegames.com/community/blogs/view/22447
As well as many many other game genres. A GREAT place to start would be at Lukas' link library; www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/134078.
If you need decent artwork to get started, I can provide that here: 3tdstudios.com/. It's all FORMER commercial projects that I decided would better serve as public domain license stuff. ) Yes, this is my site... shameless self promotion... but it's ALL free and ALL risk free. I made it all public domain so that programmers, scripters etc can use good (not perfect) assets to show off T3D. On top of that, I am gearing up for a new release (public domain of course).... Because, I am TOTALLY refreshed and reinvigorated by this new steering committee release and announcement. I was totally wrong in my initial assessment and I am PROUD to say I was WRONG. Long live T3D! It's not dead and in fact it's still getting better!
On top of ALL of that. do a search of the forums and blogs. You will find everything from sticky bomb scripts to 3rd person over the shoulder cover shooters.
T3D is a general purpose engine, the main issue is figuring out HOW to do other genre games in it. The REALLY cool thing, Torque has been around in one form or another for over a decade and chances are, you can find a path to make your idea happen because someone else was gracious enough to publish it here.
The DRAWBACK, well... it's not easy to search 10+ years of data and since I or really anyone else here, are not out to make YOUR game, the leg work (searching, scripting, coding, art etc.)... it's all down to you and your level of commitment to make your dream game a reality. I wish you luck and I hope this helps explain a bit.
03/12/2014 (3:52 pm)
Timmy, Great question. I just want to say that T3D has never really been a 'FPS' engine. It achieved this rep because most of the demos over the years showed off that feature. However, you can do most any genre with the engine and there are a number of tutorials to get you started:
RTS: docs.garagegames.com/torque-3d/official/index.html?content/documentation/Scripti...
Collection game: github.com/lukaspj/Torque3D-Tutorials
Zombie shooter with Store functions: www.garagegames.com/community/resources/view/21702
Tactical Action Game: www.garagegames.com/community/blogs/view/22447
As well as many many other game genres. A GREAT place to start would be at Lukas' link library; www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/134078.
If you need decent artwork to get started, I can provide that here: 3tdstudios.com/. It's all FORMER commercial projects that I decided would better serve as public domain license stuff. ) Yes, this is my site... shameless self promotion... but it's ALL free and ALL risk free. I made it all public domain so that programmers, scripters etc can use good (not perfect) assets to show off T3D. On top of that, I am gearing up for a new release (public domain of course).... Because, I am TOTALLY refreshed and reinvigorated by this new steering committee release and announcement. I was totally wrong in my initial assessment and I am PROUD to say I was WRONG. Long live T3D! It's not dead and in fact it's still getting better!
On top of ALL of that. do a search of the forums and blogs. You will find everything from sticky bomb scripts to 3rd person over the shoulder cover shooters.
T3D is a general purpose engine, the main issue is figuring out HOW to do other genre games in it. The REALLY cool thing, Torque has been around in one form or another for over a decade and chances are, you can find a path to make your idea happen because someone else was gracious enough to publish it here.
The DRAWBACK, well... it's not easy to search 10+ years of data and since I or really anyone else here, are not out to make YOUR game, the leg work (searching, scripting, coding, art etc.)... it's all down to you and your level of commitment to make your dream game a reality. I wish you luck and I hope this helps explain a bit.
#17
Seems like a prime candidate for a template, once it's been determined how those should function. Particularly given some of the community work on the physics plugins.
03/12/2014 (4:14 pm)
Does bring up a point. Anyone ever done up a newer port for www.garagegames.com/community/blogs/view/16051 ? Nothing there in particular that's changed massively source-side that I've run across thusfar (Though given the present project isn't even remotely applicable, it's mostly been an in-passing notice type of thing...). Seems like a prime candidate for a template, once it's been determined how those should function. Particularly given some of the community work on the physics plugins.
#18
Oh.. hehe and "Huzzah!" to the new steering Committee (sheesh is that really how you spell it?) too :-)
03/13/2014 (3:04 am)
@Ron, to quote Steve Acaster "HUZZAH!" I'm so glad your back :-DOh.. hehe and "Huzzah!" to the new steering Committee (sheesh is that really how you spell it?) too :-)
#20
Az: that's definitely a good idea for when we figure out what's going to happen to the script templates. We also have Steve Acaster's tactics template to throw in there somewhere.
03/15/2014 (4:56 am)
Timmy: basically what Ron said. Though I would add that while T3D can do non-FPS stuff, it is optimised towards FPSes, simple due to its heritage. Going forwards we will consciously try to ensure T3D is as applicable to as many gametypes as possible. I myself have worked on non-FPS projects in the engine and run up against small obstacles - we know it's a problem and we'll be keeping it in mind.Az: that's definitely a good idea for when we figure out what's going to happen to the script templates. We also have Steve Acaster's tactics template to throw in there somewhere.
Benjamin Stanley