TGEA for prototyping...
by Mitovo · in Torque Game Engine Advanced · 01/08/2012 (12:05 pm) · 3 replies
Hello everyone,
Wanted to post a quick message here to see if I could get some opinions/feedback/suggestions on something.
I'm in the process of creating a prototype for a game project I'm working on. The purpose of the prototype is to create a single area/zone from the game, in order to present the look/feel of the game, give an idea of how it will play, etc.
I have a full license for TGEA, as well as a few other purchases I've made in the past but have never really put any of it to good use. I think using it to prototype could be a good use for it. Whether or not it would be the engine of choice for a full project, however is another story.
I know T3D is the new and actively supported product here and that TGEA is (as far as I know) no longer sold nor supported much, if at all. Unfortunately, as much as I love a number of the features in T3D, there are a number of issues I consistently encounter with it when I try using it. Issues with textures not looking right, terrain blinking in and out depending on camera angle, random crashing, and various other things. It's been troublesome enough that I've opted not to go that route.
So, I've decided that for prototyping purposes, perhaps TGEA could very well fit the bill. Despite its age, I find that TGEA, with good artwork and wise use of its features can really look great even by today's standards.
This leads to my question...
Which version of TGEA would you all recommend as being the best one to work with? Which would be considered the most stable, etc?
Any other recommendations beside that are also appreciated.
Thanks a bunch!
Wanted to post a quick message here to see if I could get some opinions/feedback/suggestions on something.
I'm in the process of creating a prototype for a game project I'm working on. The purpose of the prototype is to create a single area/zone from the game, in order to present the look/feel of the game, give an idea of how it will play, etc.
I have a full license for TGEA, as well as a few other purchases I've made in the past but have never really put any of it to good use. I think using it to prototype could be a good use for it. Whether or not it would be the engine of choice for a full project, however is another story.
I know T3D is the new and actively supported product here and that TGEA is (as far as I know) no longer sold nor supported much, if at all. Unfortunately, as much as I love a number of the features in T3D, there are a number of issues I consistently encounter with it when I try using it. Issues with textures not looking right, terrain blinking in and out depending on camera angle, random crashing, and various other things. It's been troublesome enough that I've opted not to go that route.
So, I've decided that for prototyping purposes, perhaps TGEA could very well fit the bill. Despite its age, I find that TGEA, with good artwork and wise use of its features can really look great even by today's standards.
This leads to my question...
Which version of TGEA would you all recommend as being the best one to work with? Which would be considered the most stable, etc?
Any other recommendations beside that are also appreciated.
Thanks a bunch!
About the author
#2
You are right. With great assets it is possible to make a great looking game with TGEA. And you will get a better performance. Yesterday i campared TGEA182 and T3D with a very simple scene (a terrain, a skycube, a animated cloud layer and the player) at 1680x1050x32x60Hz (fullscreen).
T3D with Basic Lighting: 56 FPS
TGEA: 208 FPS
01/09/2012 (10:32 pm)
I am working with TGEA 1.8.2. You are right. With great assets it is possible to make a great looking game with TGEA. And you will get a better performance. Yesterday i campared TGEA182 and T3D with a very simple scene (a terrain, a skycube, a animated cloud layer and the player) at 1680x1050x32x60Hz (fullscreen).
T3D with Basic Lighting: 56 FPS
TGEA: 208 FPS
#3
Thanks for the responses! Very helpful info.
I did re-download 1.81 because in past experiences with 1.82, the lighting would always "break" on Megaterrains. Upon relighting, one quadrant of the terrain would inevitably go completely black. Even if I load the default demo level and relight, same thing. No idea what's going on there and I haven't been able to find a solution or cause for it. For all I know it's not a common issue.
This last go around, I decided to give it another try and it's still happening.
Anyway, 1.81 has proven to be more stable on that front, and in general. So, unless there's a fix for the lighting issue with 1.82, 1.81 will be it.
It sounds almost counter-intuitive, I know, to say "No! I don't want to use the latest and greatest tech! I want to use an older and likely obsolete engine!", but I dunno... TGEA just "feels" better to me. Even though I do *love* some of the functionality of T3D, and find the terrain itself to be far superior to TGEA's, among othe things, the issues I've run into with it, as I listed in my first post, have just been too troublesome, too prohibitive and too aggravating for me to seriously consider it.
I think I will continue with 1.81 for now. If I can find a solution for the lighting issue with 1.82 (and if it's a substantial enough improvement over 1.81 otherwise), I can move over to that.
In any case, thanks again for the feedback and opinions.
01/12/2012 (6:22 pm)
Hi folks.Thanks for the responses! Very helpful info.
I did re-download 1.81 because in past experiences with 1.82, the lighting would always "break" on Megaterrains. Upon relighting, one quadrant of the terrain would inevitably go completely black. Even if I load the default demo level and relight, same thing. No idea what's going on there and I haven't been able to find a solution or cause for it. For all I know it's not a common issue.
This last go around, I decided to give it another try and it's still happening.
Anyway, 1.81 has proven to be more stable on that front, and in general. So, unless there's a fix for the lighting issue with 1.82, 1.81 will be it.
It sounds almost counter-intuitive, I know, to say "No! I don't want to use the latest and greatest tech! I want to use an older and likely obsolete engine!", but I dunno... TGEA just "feels" better to me. Even though I do *love* some of the functionality of T3D, and find the terrain itself to be far superior to TGEA's, among othe things, the issues I've run into with it, as I listed in my first post, have just been too troublesome, too prohibitive and too aggravating for me to seriously consider it.
I think I will continue with 1.81 for now. If I can find a solution for the lighting issue with 1.82 (and if it's a substantial enough improvement over 1.81 otherwise), I can move over to that.
In any case, thanks again for the feedback and opinions.
Torque Owner Mike Rowley
Mike Rowley