What would you like to see addressed in Torque 2D?
by Phillip O'Shea · in Torque Game Builder · 11/06/2009 (9:22 pm) · 214 replies
Hi!
In the same spirit that Matt F. posted his thread "What would you like to see addressed in Torque 3D?", I've started one for us!
Use this thread to throw out ideas or suggestions, features or improvements that you would like to see happen in Torque 2D. This includes any bugs or issues that you have experienced during your time developing TGB that you feel haven't been addressed.
This is your chance to ensure that Torque 2D really is the product that you want to use, though we cannot promise that all requests will make it into the initial release.
There are a few rules to posting:
Edit: On a side note, Matt F's thread has 280 posts as of writing. Its not a competition, but I'm sure we can smash that!
In the same spirit that Matt F. posted his thread "What would you like to see addressed in Torque 3D?", I've started one for us!
Use this thread to throw out ideas or suggestions, features or improvements that you would like to see happen in Torque 2D. This includes any bugs or issues that you have experienced during your time developing TGB that you feel haven't been addressed.
This is your chance to ensure that Torque 2D really is the product that you want to use, though we cannot promise that all requests will make it into the initial release.
There are a few rules to posting:
- Please don't use this thread to ask questions about Torque 2D (or TGB mind you), start a new one!
- Be specific (if possible), comments like "improve physics" are not all that helpful.
- Point to sources or provide screenshots where appropriate. Chances are you've seen some cool ideas somewhere else on the interwebs, so throw out a link or a screeny so we can check it out too!
- Suggest any feature that you want, but try not to make it too outrageous (3D scenes instead of 2D, for example)
Edit: On a side note, Matt F's thread has 280 posts as of writing. Its not a competition, but I'm sure we can smash that!
About the author
Head of Violent Tulip, a small independent software development company working in Wollongong, Australia. Go to http://www.violent-tulip.com/ to see our latest offerings.
#22
Release, debug, mytarget, yourtarget etc...
The selected target name also becomes a define in the preprocessor.
If, for example, debug is active a DEBUG define is defined so you can switch in and out test code easily.
Support for #if, #else #endif and #define would last a long way.
11/10/2009 (7:10 pm)
Please, do a preprocessor for CS, and the ability to select different "targets" from a ComboBox like:Release, debug, mytarget, yourtarget etc...
The selected target name also becomes a define in the preprocessor.
If, for example, debug is active a DEBUG define is defined so you can switch in and out test code easily.
Support for #if, #else #endif and #define would last a long way.
#23
www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/105093/1#comment-694799
11/10/2009 (7:19 pm)
Can you please fix this bug? (if it is a bug).www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/105093/1#comment-694799
#24
11/10/2009 (7:52 pm)
I would like a Unity/Flash web plug in. One official T2D plug in for all T2D web games. Meaning players just need to install "ONE" plug in. 
#25
I'd also like to have a way to group tile brushes so instead of having a giant list of brushes I can just show the ones I'm using for the current level.
I'd also like to be able to create and edit datablocks from within the editor.
The ability to select multiple items and edit there values would be great.
This on is more related to torsion, but I'd love to be able to debug my project and be able to see all of the properties of an object if it is a variable I am watching, not just the object ID.
A convenient feature would be the ability to import photoshop files so that if I change and art asset all I need to do is save the photoshop file and it would update in the game. And it would be sweet if the engine converted them to png's when it builds the project.
And this last one is a big one, but I'd love to be able to export my game to an Android version, or a whole new Android version of the engine if need be. Probably asking a lot though.
11/11/2009 (12:01 am)
I like Steves idea of grouping art assets. I'd also like to have a way to group tile brushes so instead of having a giant list of brushes I can just show the ones I'm using for the current level.
I'd also like to be able to create and edit datablocks from within the editor.
The ability to select multiple items and edit there values would be great.
This on is more related to torsion, but I'd love to be able to debug my project and be able to see all of the properties of an object if it is a variable I am watching, not just the object ID.
A convenient feature would be the ability to import photoshop files so that if I change and art asset all I need to do is save the photoshop file and it would update in the game. And it would be sweet if the engine converted them to png's when it builds the project.
And this last one is a big one, but I'd love to be able to export my game to an Android version, or a whole new Android version of the engine if need be. Probably asking a lot though.
#26
11/11/2009 (2:09 am)
How about a way to have some type of camera shake. I don't know if this is already possible, just throwing it out there 
#27
11/11/2009 (8:57 am)
Quote:How about a way to have some type of camera shake. I don't know if this is already possible, just throwing it out thereThat's possible already in TGB with sceneWindow2D.startCameraShake().
#28
11/11/2009 (6:27 pm)
Multi Display support in the editor would be nice too 
#29
11/13/2009 (10:15 am)
The ability to set key colors for sprites that can be substituted by a color in script
#30
To create a datablock with this feature, you can create a new object in the level editor and set all its important parameters. Then when you're finished, there's a button somewhere in the edit tab that lets you specify the name of the datablock and save it. Doing this creates a datablock script and writes all the parameters of the object into the script. Think how you save a Brush in a Tile Layer.
This way you can create datablocks quickly and easily within the editor without having to copy/paste values from the editor into a script.
Edit(November 18th, 2009):
11/16/2009 (4:34 pm)
Ability within the editor to save an object's specifications as a datablock.To create a datablock with this feature, you can create a new object in the level editor and set all its important parameters. Then when you're finished, there's a button somewhere in the edit tab that lets you specify the name of the datablock and save it. Doing this creates a datablock script and writes all the parameters of the object into the script. Think how you save a Brush in a Tile Layer.
This way you can create datablocks quickly and easily within the editor without having to copy/paste values from the editor into a script.
Quote:The ability to set key colors for sprites that can be substituted by a color in scriptI would be most interested in this feature.
Edit(November 18th, 2009):
Quote:Take a look at the "Prefabs" paragraph of the latest dev blog. I guess this feature will provide what you ask for, but in a much more powerful way.I don't think that's what I mean. I was under the impression that 2D Models were like the "body" of an object rather than the object itself. I want to quickly and conveniently store objects so I can use them in multiple levels and placements. DataBlocks are used for this, but the only way to create them is to code them outside the editor. I would like to see a feature that lets you create a datablock using an object within the editor. I've seen people work around this by creating an object outside the camera view and then copy/paste it rather than use a datablock because they can't make a datablock using their "template object."
#31
Yes, I was annoyer over the lack of this function too. Good point from Cyrad!
11/16/2009 (5:40 pm)
Quote:Ability within the editor to save an object's specifications as a datablock.
Yes, I was annoyer over the lack of this function too. Good point from Cyrad!
#33
- Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 compatibility
- Full Box2D integration with joints and stuff (already there AFAIK)
- Shader support (better support and handling than what we've got in TGEA)
- Dynamic lighting
- Easier particle creation/editing
- Multiplayer support (never checked that in TGB, might be there already)
- Some kind of Web publication (plugin or whatever)
- Acess to files (scripts) outside the working directory
.
.
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- Linux support (at least a dedicated server) (/me starts running)
11/17/2009 (8:11 am)
I think all these things were mentioned before but that's what comes to my mind at the moment:- Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 compatibility
- Full Box2D integration with joints and stuff (already there AFAIK)
- Shader support (better support and handling than what we've got in TGEA)
- Dynamic lighting
- Easier particle creation/editing
- Multiplayer support (never checked that in TGB, might be there already)
- Some kind of Web publication (plugin or whatever)
- Acess to files (scripts) outside the working directory
.
.
.
- Linux support (at least a dedicated server) (/me starts running)
#34
11/17/2009 (1:50 pm)
Yeah, dedicated server for Linux would be nice. I'll be looking into it once I get my filthy paws on T2D. Would be nice if they had somebody doing it, though ;)
#38
1) Ability to clip a sprite with a *separate* mask, which can be positioned independently of the sprite. This is in addition to the sprite's own mask.
2) Ability to deform 2D objects. So instead of a simple "box" being the bounds for the object, and this box can be scaled/rotated, you can also specify additional coordinates, so the object is drawn using a polygon, and then you can adjust the offsets for any of the point in the polygon independently, and the texture is stretched accordingly.
For instance, what if I wanted to move *only* the top-left bounds of my object, while keeping the others in place, for a distortion effect.
11/18/2009 (5:14 pm)
A couple of the biggest for me would be:1) Ability to clip a sprite with a *separate* mask, which can be positioned independently of the sprite. This is in addition to the sprite's own mask.
2) Ability to deform 2D objects. So instead of a simple "box" being the bounds for the object, and this box can be scaled/rotated, you can also specify additional coordinates, so the object is drawn using a polygon, and then you can adjust the offsets for any of the point in the polygon independently, and the texture is stretched accordingly.
For instance, what if I wanted to move *only* the top-left bounds of my object, while keeping the others in place, for a distortion effect.
#39
11/18/2009 (5:15 pm)
Oh, and Mac / Windows parity and SUPPORT! The total lack of support for TGB in the past has really turned me off to GG. I and many other developer have had to fix engine-level bugs ourselves if we want problems fixed, which gets frustrating.
#40
Better support for splash screens would be nice. Currently my TGB game takes a few seconds after you double-click the icon before anything happens at all. Having an instant fade-out to some static user-specific picture, while TGB starts up, would be nice.
Additionally, proper support for music! In the current TGB, looping music gets STOPPED if you simply have all 16 sound channels full, and play a new sfx. The support for music is really terrible (i.e. non-existant). I've had to make engine mods to make it even start to begin to work correctly.
11/18/2009 (5:19 pm)
Oh, also: ability to FREE the memory used by objects. So the developer has control of *when* art assets are loaded, and can RELEASE those objects -- so they are no longer consuming RAM! Not just graphics, but music too. Things like splash screen graphics should be able to be released -- if I know they'll never be used again, I should have that option.Better support for splash screens would be nice. Currently my TGB game takes a few seconds after you double-click the icon before anything happens at all. Having an instant fade-out to some static user-specific picture, while TGB starts up, would be nice.
Additionally, proper support for music! In the current TGB, looping music gets STOPPED if you simply have all 16 sound channels full, and play a new sfx. The support for music is really terrible (i.e. non-existant). I've had to make engine mods to make it even start to begin to work correctly.
Torque Owner Leroy Frederick
Concave collision polys possible perhaps?