Is this for me?

#1

Quote:I'm interested in creating a series of free FPS games. What one should I get, Indie TGE or TGB? Difference?

TGE is for 3d games.
TGB is for 2d games.

Quote:Is the license only for creating one game? or can I make as many games as I want with that license?

As many games as you can churn out. Only stipulation is, if you make over $250,000, you must purchase the commercial version.

Quote:If I accept donations on my games web site, does that mean I need a commercial license?

See answer above.

Quote:Can anyone show me some screen shots of FPS games you have created?

Look at the Recent Snapshots section on the Community page, there are plenty of examples of what can be done.

Quote:Is there alot of coding involved?

Depends on if you want a cookie cutter game.

Quote:I read about some sample FPS code or whatever, does this come with TGB/TGE or does it need to be purchased separately?

Comes with TGE. There are other packs that you can purchase such as RTS pack.


I would download the demo and play around with it for a bit.

edit for spelling

#2 There is lots of coding involved, yes. But that's precisely what makes Torque so flexible and not a cookie-cutter. I'd say it's exactly what you need...

#3 Thanks for the replies.

I added TGE to my cart and was ready to pay only to find out paypal wasn't accepted. So I guess I'll be sticking with fpsc atleast until paypal is supported over here.

"We have been warming up to using PayPal as a method of payment. However, it will be some time before it happens because we will need to implement a new shopping cart. Once we have this new cart, we will also have much better facilities for wire transfers, American Express, and European credit cards."
http://www.garagegames.com/mg/forums/result.thread.php?qt=27039

^ March 2005... hopefully PP support will be here soon so I can break free of fpsc.

DB

#4 I have been looking at the TGE interactive walkthrough [alot ;)] and I got to say that it's pretty impressive for $150. Question: Are all of these features available by default (animated clouds, weather effects, particle trails etc.) or are they just examples of what can be accomplished and must be created from scratch by the user?

I like the idea of being able to open TGE up for the first time, place some objects in random places and test it out in game.

This is pretty exciting going from cookie cutter, no conrol and lousy features to this, for only $150. It's like I won the lottery...

#5 You could always just use the demo for now, alot can be done with the demo alone.

#6 The features are available by default, but they are not nearly as easy to use as something like fpscreator. You can test a LOT with the demo, including everything you see in the walkthrough...and molre...

#7 Thanks for the info.

I found the demo pretty easy to use, my only issue will be compiling the game, but I won't need to know how to do that for a while anyways.

So, whats in the FPS starter kit? I can't really find any information on it.

#8 The torque scripts compile when you launch the demo exe. ( .dso files are the compiled .cs - torque script files ) If you buy tge you get the engine & tools which are coded in c++ and can be changed & compiled (but you dont have to change or compile them).

A version of the FPS starter kit is in the demo, play around with that and you'll have an idea of what to expect.

#9 Thanks

Another question. I'm also interested in TSE. Will that work with TGE 1.5?

#10 TSE has a new name: TGEA, which might be confusing for visitors to the site. TGEA=Torque Game Engine Advanced.

Anyway, TGEA is a standalone product from Garage Games that does not require TGE code in order to run. Early adopter licensing is only available to TGE owners though, which leads some people to think that TGE code is required for TGEA compiling or distribution. But that's not the case.

Fortunately, much of the interface and scripts can be ported from TGE to TGEA with very little difficulty. And many existing tools and exporters can work with TGEA as well.

Having said all that, TGEA as a product is not finished yet. It's getting closer all the time and is starting to look very, very nice, but it's still in development. As long as you're aware of that, you should be ok.

#11 So basicly it's TGE with dx9 shader capabilities?

So, the FPS starter kit and all other content pack products will work with TGEA? If so, I'll probably just wait and get TGEA rather than getting TGE 1.5 and the EA TSE. Any eta on release?

#12 TSE is TGEA. It changed name.

#13 Firstly, it's not just TGE with dx9, it's had all the render code gutted, and rewritten using a graphics API abstraction layer, which means that you make one call, and it interprets for either render mode. Makes coding and development easier, etc.

Second, the best deal you'll get on TGEA is right now if you get 1.5 and then TGEA, because once TGEA leaves early adopter mode, the price will be raised some.

#14 Is there a way to change the terrain texture quality/size? The terrain close to the camera looks very blurry [oversized & distorted].

#15 Anyone?

#16 @Erik

Some useful options are to use detail and bump textures on your terrains. I've been able to get good results with those on my terrains.

#17 When I paint my texture, no matter the size of the image itself, it seems very stretched and blurry when painted onto the terrain.

Looking at this screenshot (http://www.garagegames.com/images/ul/1692.tankpack02.jpg) the terrain's texture doesn't look stretched, that is what I'm trying to achieve... I'd just like the terrain texture to be sharper and not stretched out. The ability do this effects weather or not I will purchase the engine.

Ideally I would like to have my terrain texture in the same class [quality wise] as a game like Battlefield 1942.

#18 @Erik

Torque's terrain can be confusing when you first start to use it. There are some things to keep in mind. Primarily that TGE uses multiple files, textures and strategies for terrains.

* First is the terrain file itself, which is a .TER file. This provides the actual shape of the terrain and can be set to repeat infinitely if needed. Usually, it is built from a tileable 256x256 heightmap image.

* Second is the terrain texture, which can be either .JPG or .PNG. This provides the broad-stroke color scheme for the terrain. These files are 256x256 images, which is why they look blocky and stretched. Again, they are only intended to provide a rough 'color sketch'.

* Third is the detail texture, which can be either .JPG or .PNG. Detail textures are often greyscale images where the 'texture information' is blended with the 'color information' of the terrain images. Detail texture maps can be higher resolution images (512x512 produces a nice effect). The only problem is that there can only be one detail texture for an entire mission's terrain. This means that if you have a map painted with grass, sand and snow colored terrain textures, they will all share the same detail texture.

* Fourth is the bump map texture, which can be .JPG or .PNG. Bump maps are designed to blend another layer of 'image information' onto the previously described layers using a light and dark offset stencils of the image to simulate hieght, depth and shadows. Bump maps can be higher resolution images (512x512 for example) and are usually built in stark black and white, which brings out the sense of depth in a surface. Like detail textures, bump maps are repeated over the entire terrain, so not all bump maps will work well for all the variations in every landscape.

Yes, there are some limitations with TGE terrain. But if you experiement with these options, you can achieve good results. Also, here are some other tricks you can try . . .

* Decrease the terrain's squaresize from the default 8 (to 6 or 7). This shrinks the size of each terrain square, making lower resolution images look a bit better on the terrain. I personally don't like this approach since it can affect terrain painting and cause problems with waterblocks.

* Increase the scale of the player within the world. This increases the distance from the player's eye to the ground, making it appear to have more detail. Just like in Photoshop, zoom into any image and it looks ugly. Zoom out and it looks better (to a point). The player scaling technique is usually discouraged, since it affects player collision boxes. However, I use it all the time with my worlds and it works great for my needs.

Sorry this response is so long, but it sounded like you were kind of lost in the way TGE handles terrains. Remember all of these features and tips apply to the demo version of TGE. Your best bet is to download the demo, enter world edit mode (F11) and start exploring.

Here are some links to screenshots of TGE terrain using these techniques . . .

www.solforge.com/gg/ss01.jpg
www.solforge.com/gg/ss02.jpg
www.solforge.com/gg/ss03.jpg
www.solforge.com/gg/ss04.jpg
www.solforge.com/gg/ss05.jpg
www.solforge.com/gg/ss06.jpg
www.solforge.com/gg/ss07.jpg

#19 Lovely colors Aaron. That is very impressive!

#20 Thanks Stefan. I've had a lot of fun with the terrains for my project. I'm currently using stock TGE lighting -- no TLK -- so I've had to tweak things a bit.