Is there a future for iT2D?

#1 I have the sane question because since 1.5 has been released iT2D seems dead.

#2 @Johnny - Well, I've talked about 1.5.1. While it is focused on fixing bugs, the bugs are critical and can cause app rejections. That takes the highest priority for iT2D, much more so than new features. However, I think we can still get the turn-based networking in 1.5.1.

1. There is no roadmap.
True, no public one. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to post one

2. No one in GG seems to know anything about iTorque besides you and a couple of others (Scott, William, ...).
We actually had everyone using it recently for a game jam and internal project. Every programmer has been messing with it lately to either identify shortcomings or fix bugs.

3. Everytime Eric promises a news update, it never happens.
Not sure about this one. 1.4.1 and 1.5 were both planned and presented. Both were delivered on. I haven't seen Eric break an iT2D promise

4. All other engines are moving ahead with their engines.
Yes and so are we. I've gotten a lot more resources, but we are not rushing anything.

Quote:Can we get a real update regarding T2D and iT2D?

The most I can do is send this thread directly to Eric. All I can say on my end is that I'm actively working on it.

Quote:Can we start a wishlist? And will it be taken seriously?

You can start a wish list thread, but I seriously doubt there is anything you could post that I already do not know. You know I've been embedded in the iT2D forums since 1.0. I'm aware of every shortcoming, feature request, and minor gripe.

#3 @Andrea - Please see this thread. It shows it is not dead.

#4 Darn it! I can never move you.

I'm trying to make plans with where I want to go with iTorque. I guess I'm just hoping for too much, cross platform, real physics, etc. Also hard to do that without a roadmap.

Thanks for the sincere answers. GG is lucky to have you leading the iT2D project, and I agree that you do already know what we want. I will be back again to take another jab. :)

#5 There are many commercial projects without any public roadmap whatsoever. Try getting information out of Ableton with regards to a v9 release, for instance :)

My force power senses we'll have evidence of iT2D's continued existence and improvement soon.

#6 thx for your hard work on iT2D mich. Yes it's a genuine thx. ;)

I am using iT2D for porting a few projects..it would be great if we could get a taste of what's cooking for newer versions, but I understand if not. :P

..Sorry if I missed this but when should we expect 1.5.1 ?

#7 I'm actually pretty satisfied with 1.5 so far. It seems to do everything I need for 2D iOS games. I expect it'll need an update soon if the iPad 3 has a retina display, but there aren't any showstopper bugs that are preventing me from getting on with making stuff.

Sure you have to design around the limitations of the engine, but you have to do that with any engine you didn't write yourself.

#8 Thanks for understanding everyone. I am working with Eric on an official statement about 1.5.1 and the future of iT2D. Hope to get this posted in this thread today.

#9 Official statement on iTorque 2D
While 1.5.1 will be somewhat minor, it addresses some critical bugs we are afraid might cause app rejections in the near future. It also addresses issues that cause immediate development problems, such as rotation not working on iPhone 4 portrait mode. Subtle improvements include the ability to lock a scene object to a touch position and adding the "onTouchLeave" callback for when your finger moves off an object.

The only new feature could be the inclusion of turn-based networking, which we've already posted as a free resource. We have not received any reports of it not working, so it is a low hanging fruit.

After the bug fixes are verified, we will most likely release a Preview. This is the same approach we took with 1.5. A preview will not be fully tested, but it is a way for you to get fixes and new features without a huge delay.

Regarding the longer term (2012) future for iT2D, it is safe to say major changes are in the works. As I mentioned in a previous post, we have allocated a lot more resources for iT2D and T2D. There is an internal project consisting of 10 programmers, all of which are feeding fixes and improvements back into iT2D/T2D.

For example, the lack of a root UIViewController has been resolved and is being ported to iTorque 2D 1.5.1. That may not seem that exciting, but it has positive cascading effects.

If that is not exciting for you, then how about physics? Box 2D is a major requirement for the internal project. We have none other than Melv May driving the implementation. He is working on the core engine changes and I will help with the integration into the editor. As we wrap that up, we will likely port that to iTorque 2D and Torque 2D.

That is all I am at liberty to say for now.

#10 @Michael - Wow. Sounds great. Thanks for the update.

#11 Sounds very exiting Michael! One more question: Are there plans to unify iT2D and T2D? So that it would be only one product, allowing different target platforms, similar to Unity.
Can you say anything about this?

#12 @Andy S. - Afraid I have said all that I can at this point.

#13 @Michael Perry - Very interesting, as someone has has been looking into using iT2D and maybe even Torque3D I had a few questions that I hope you are allowed to respond to.

Is the internal project something new that has not been announced or is it a based on a old game like marble blast ultra?
With iT2D being used more will their be additional documentation added to the product?
What is being done on the engine side to stay competitive with Unity3D, Unreal3 or many of the open source communities besides providing source code access?

#14 @Alan - First, welcome to the community =)

Quote:Is the internal project something new that has not been announced or is it a based on a old game like marble blast ultra?

I can confirm it is unannounced, but it is not based off an old game. More so, it is pure 2D so it will not have anything in common with Marble Blast Ultra

Quote:With iT2D being used more will their be additional documentation added to the product?

Absolutely. Our new documentation lead, Geoff, is all about newer and better docs. Even though I'm now driving the core engine development for iT2D, I used to have his job. He and I are completely on the same page.

Quote:What is being done on the engine side to stay competitive with Unity3D, Unreal3 or many of the open source communities besides providing source code access?

Sorry, that's where the answers end. I'm 100% confident that what we are doing right now will be competitive. I can't tip our hand by talking about it.

#15 I'm glad to read this new info! Marble Blast Ultra is actually what brought me to Torque in the first place.

Quote:For example, the lack of a root UIViewController has been resolved and is being ported to iTorque 2D 1.5.1. That may not seem that exciting, but it has positive cascading effects.

This is an understatement. There's many features such as oAuth and adWhirl that are a pain to implement, and even when you implement them in 1.5 they feel like they'd crash at any moment (and some do!).

When we have the root UIViewController in an official build, adding standardized versions of new features should be a piece of cake.

#16

Quote:When we have the root UIViewController in an official build, adding standardized versions of new features should be a piece of cake.

Yup. That's one of the cascading effects I was referring to.

#17

Quote:There is an internal project consisting of 10 programmers, all of which are feeding fixes and improvements back into iT2D/T2D.

As part of that team, I can say that Mich now has 10 people within walking distance of his desk forcing him to fix bugs. ;)

2012 will be a good year to be a iTorque2D developer...

#18 I prefer quality, not quantity!

Currrently "short load time" for the games on IOS when you make it right.

Stable on the Devices.

I can only speak for me.

BUT i will also an update! Particles! :)