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.
#62
12/23/2010 (6:04 am)
Hang on till January. Also check the blog section, as there's a mysterious new message from Eric. 
#63
Thanks for the heads up on the blog from Eric.
Well, again, hope (regarding 1.4.1) was given then shot down. I'll wait till January. In the meantime make those games, everyone, anyway you can!
12/23/2010 (8:15 am)
@Ronny,Thanks for the heads up on the blog from Eric.
Well, again, hope (regarding 1.4.1) was given then shot down. I'll wait till January. In the meantime make those games, everyone, anyway you can!
#64
He has the pile of code, he has a development system (and an awesome wife), so there's a tiny chance of him and Sven pulling together a community release at the very least.
12/23/2010 (6:22 pm)
You will be able to get it eventually, one way or another, if I understood Mich right :)He has the pile of code, he has a development system (and an awesome wife), so there's a tiny chance of him and Sven pulling together a community release at the very least.
#66
We're putting together a lot of information right now to release to the community. If you have read Eric's latest blog, you'll see that there is good news coming. We have quite a bit going on behind the scenes right now to get everything dropped in an official timeline.
01/04/2011 (9:36 pm)
@JohnnyWe're putting together a lot of information right now to release to the community. If you have read Eric's latest blog, you'll see that there is good news coming. We have quite a bit going on behind the scenes right now to get everything dropped in an official timeline.
#67
Now that sounds really good. I wasn't convinced before but now I am. Thanks!!!
01/04/2011 (11:17 pm)
@DavidNow that sounds really good. I wasn't convinced before but now I am. Thanks!!!
#68
Hey everyone. I wanted to pop in real quick to let you know I'm still around and still working. I really have a special place in my heart and mind for the iTorque 2D community. You all have stuck with the tech through thick and thin. Celebrated the gains and called it on the shortcomings. A lot of games have shipped and advice provided for newcomers.
I was there when 1.0 shipped without working editors, when the demos couldn't go higher than 10 fps and when Apple's TOS changes rocked the dev world. Things are looking up and you all have shown what a product can become with dedication and contribution. 1.4.1 will still see a release.
01/07/2011 (5:52 pm)
(in case you haven't seen the blog)UPDATE
Hey everyone. I wanted to pop in real quick to let you know I'm still around and still working. I really have a special place in my heart and mind for the iTorque 2D community. You all have stuck with the tech through thick and thin. Celebrated the gains and called it on the shortcomings. A lot of games have shipped and advice provided for newcomers.
I was there when 1.0 shipped without working editors, when the demos couldn't go higher than 10 fps and when Apple's TOS changes rocked the dev world. Things are looking up and you all have shown what a product can become with dedication and contribution. 1.4.1 will still see a release.
#70
What I'd really like to know is how many fulltime staff are going to be on iT2D. If it's just you and Sven again then improvements aren't going to be any faster than they were last year.
01/08/2011 (1:37 am)
Am I missing something? That update was from over 2 weeks ago and isn't really an update at all - it's a preview of a forthcoming update.What I'd really like to know is how many fulltime staff are going to be on iT2D. If it's just you and Sven again then improvements aren't going to be any faster than they were last year.
#71
01/08/2011 (4:06 am)
@Conor - I went around to some of the threads and blogs I have not been responding to to post for others who might just be skipping to the last page of posts. It's not really news to dedicated community members, but I wanted to make a sanity check just in case.
#72
01/08/2011 (5:14 am)
Thanks Mich - looking forward to the 'good news' soon :-)
#73
During the break between November and January, I had reduced assets and sometimes no access to what I needed to continue development. The biggest concern was developing without SVN access. We just transferred all our services over and I'm merging the work that was done during the break into the current repository. I managed to find some new errors and crashes related to the latest iPhone SDK. I'm working through the old bugs, adding the new demos, and working closely with QA to polish this release.
I'll try to post an update tomorrow with a list of fixes that will be in the release so you all know what is being worked on. Thanks for all the support and patience everyone. The GG team appreciates every ounce of it =)
01/20/2011 (9:13 am)
The cat's out of the bag. GarageGames is back.During the break between November and January, I had reduced assets and sometimes no access to what I needed to continue development. The biggest concern was developing without SVN access. We just transferred all our services over and I'm merging the work that was done during the break into the current repository. I managed to find some new errors and crashes related to the latest iPhone SDK. I'm working through the old bugs, adding the new demos, and working closely with QA to polish this release.
I'll try to post an update tomorrow with a list of fixes that will be in the release so you all know what is being worked on. Thanks for all the support and patience everyone. The GG team appreciates every ounce of it =)
#75
01/21/2011 (3:57 pm)
Nice job it seems, looking forward to it :) 
#76
Cheers
01/22/2011 (3:48 pm)
Can't wait for 1.4.1 and especially the revamped documentation. If there's a beta or even a wip of the new documentation I'd love a copy.Cheers
#77
New Bugs Reported:
ITGB-99 iPad Portrait orientation bugged
ITGB-102 Movie Player Uses Wrong Orientation and Resolution
ITGB-103 Windows installer points to the incorrect product page
ITGB-104 Windows build has the wrong example projects included
ITGB-105 Editor restarts after loading an updated project for the first time
ITGB-107 MP3\'s do not play on iDevices
ITGB-108 EULAs included in the install need to be updated to the current Master EULA
Of those bug reports, we resolved 103, 104, 105, 107 and 108 today. That leaves two major bugs related to iPad and Movie Player.
Remaining Tasks (not bugs):
ITGB-91 Cleanup full screen variables
ITGB-94 Finish Aquarium project import
ITGB-96 Shooter demo
ITGB-97 Shooter demo tutorial
ITGB-100 Rainy Day tutorial
ITGB-101 General iTorque 2D doc cleanup
The original plan was to let the build go through QA for 48 hours before we put a download up for preview. That\'s still the plan. I have another 24 hours to fix the iPad and movie player bugs, which are actually related (go figure). With those fixed, I will put up the build minus the new demos and finished docs. You will get to preview some of the demos and docs, depending on how fast I can finish the bug fixes.
All in all, we are feeling pretty good about the build. Still more work to be done though. Part of that work will be to gather your feedback during QA based on what you get in your hands.
02/09/2011 (5:52 pm)
First full day of of QA just went by. Yesterday was borked by installers not working at all. I was up until the wee hours of the night working on installers and bugs, so today was much more productive. Here is where we stand.New Bugs Reported:
ITGB-99 iPad Portrait orientation bugged
ITGB-102 Movie Player Uses Wrong Orientation and Resolution
ITGB-103 Windows installer points to the incorrect product page
ITGB-104 Windows build has the wrong example projects included
ITGB-105 Editor restarts after loading an updated project for the first time
ITGB-107 MP3\'s do not play on iDevices
ITGB-108 EULAs included in the install need to be updated to the current Master EULA
Of those bug reports, we resolved 103, 104, 105, 107 and 108 today. That leaves two major bugs related to iPad and Movie Player.
Remaining Tasks (not bugs):
ITGB-91 Cleanup full screen variables
ITGB-94 Finish Aquarium project import
ITGB-96 Shooter demo
ITGB-97 Shooter demo tutorial
ITGB-100 Rainy Day tutorial
ITGB-101 General iTorque 2D doc cleanup
The original plan was to let the build go through QA for 48 hours before we put a download up for preview. That\'s still the plan. I have another 24 hours to fix the iPad and movie player bugs, which are actually related (go figure). With those fixed, I will put up the build minus the new demos and finished docs. You will get to preview some of the demos and docs, depending on how fast I can finish the bug fixes.
All in all, we are feeling pretty good about the build. Still more work to be done though. Part of that work will be to gather your feedback during QA based on what you get in your hands.
#78
02/11/2011 (12:51 am)
How much this update will cost for a iT2D 1.4 owner?
#80
02/11/2011 (9:26 am)
looking forward to this update and to learn the ropes with the new demos :-) 
Torque Owner Johnny Vo
Any chance we'll get 1.4.1 this year? What about a list of bug fixes and new features that will be in 1.4.1? Thanks!