Official iT2D Documentation Feedback
by Michael Perry · in iTorque 2D · 09/27/2008 (11:01 am) · 102 replies
======================================================================
This Thread Is The Official Documentation Feedback Area For ALL Versions of iTorque 2D
If you want to quick search for all iTGB Doc Updates, perform a keyword search in your browser for
"Documentation Update:"
======================================================================
Hey everyone. It's about time we have a central thread for iT2D users to post their feedback in regard to documentation.
We have similar threads going on in the other forums forum, and so far the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, constructive, and very helpful to the doc writers...so let's keep that going with iT2D=)
Purpose of the Thread:
- Provide a central thread for iT2D users to post their thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms about documentation.
Targets:
- Official documentation provided by TorquePowered, TDN articles, and user submitted docs/tutorials.
Suggestions for Posts:
- What is the #1 thing you would like added to the official docs?
- What area of the docs do you think needs the most work?
- What do you see in other tech docs, be it for other Torque engines or non-Torque tech, that you think would be beneficial to have in the docs?
- What are your feeling on TDN vs how the current official docs are presented?
- Bring attention to resources, tutorials, articles, or community member submissions you think should be merged into the official docs
...etc, etc
So, the overall concept of this thread is pretty simple. This is your chance to talk until your face turns blue about what you want from the docs.
Be as clear, descriptive, and specific as you can!
This Thread Is The Official Documentation Feedback Area For ALL Versions of iTorque 2D
If you want to quick search for all iTGB Doc Updates, perform a keyword search in your browser for
"Documentation Update:"
======================================================================
Hey everyone. It's about time we have a central thread for iT2D users to post their feedback in regard to documentation.
We have similar threads going on in the other forums forum, and so far the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, constructive, and very helpful to the doc writers...so let's keep that going with iT2D=)
Purpose of the Thread:
- Provide a central thread for iT2D users to post their thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms about documentation.
Targets:
- Official documentation provided by TorquePowered, TDN articles, and user submitted docs/tutorials.
Suggestions for Posts:
- What is the #1 thing you would like added to the official docs?
- What area of the docs do you think needs the most work?
- What do you see in other tech docs, be it for other Torque engines or non-Torque tech, that you think would be beneficial to have in the docs?
- What are your feeling on TDN vs how the current official docs are presented?
- Bring attention to resources, tutorials, articles, or community member submissions you think should be merged into the official docs
...etc, etc
So, the overall concept of this thread is pretty simple. This is your chance to talk until your face turns blue about what you want from the docs.
Be as clear, descriptive, and specific as you can!
About the author
Programmer.
#82
03/11/2011 (5:45 am)
The community button at the top links to torquepowered.com .... I could be wrong, but I think you want that linked to garagegames.com
#83
I thought you HAD to use it for games and not just regular apps? (Im too lazy to go read the EULA) ...
03/11/2011 (5:49 am)
FAQ section, What is iTorque2D states "dedicated to 2D game and app development"I thought you HAD to use it for games and not just regular apps? (Im too lazy to go read the EULA) ...
#84
03/11/2011 (9:40 am)
I think the requirement for the app being a game was changed when it went back to being garagegames... At least it seems like I remember reading that... :D 
#85
03/11/2011 (9:44 am)
This is cleared up the FAQQuote:Non-Game Products
Q: What is the difference between a “Game” and a “Non-Game”?
A: A Game is any software that is primarily intended for entertainment purposes but does not involve gambling. A Non-Game is any other software product.
Q. When do I need to contact GarageGames to develop a Non-Game?
A. If you or your company made less than $500,000 in gross revenue last year, you do not need to contact us for permission to work on a non-game. If you or your company made more than $500,000 last year in gross revenue, you must obtain a license from GarageGames to develop a Non-Game.
Q. How much does a Non-Game license?
A. If the Non-Game does not compete with Torque, a license to develop Non-Games will cost:
Torque 3D: $1,200 per seat
Torque 2D: $300 per seat
iTorque 2D: $900 per seat
TorqueX 3D: $300 per seat
For these licenses, there are no royalties or required maintenance. Additional charges will be added where (1) the Non-Game competes with Torque in some manner (e.g., a training application that provides features that are similar to Torque’s); or (2) the Non-Game incorporates Torque tools (e.g.., a training application that incorporates the Torque editors). Please contact us for further details.
#86
03/11/2011 (10:42 am)
@Chris - Thanks for the detailed grammar pass. I've fixed everything you posted and will upload the new version today. 
#87
03/12/2011 (12:16 am)
Screenshots in the 'Working with iT2D' and 'Quickstart guide' need to be updated to Xcode 4 format. 
#88
03/12/2011 (5:32 am)
Aye I see Xcode 4 and iOS 4.3 are finally out, as there are major layout changes I agree this should be done and Xcode 4 and 4.3 compatibility confirmed. 
#89
03/12/2011 (1:32 pm)
About Xcode 4: Take a look in Apple's official forums before you rush to it ;)
#90
03/12/2011 (6:22 pm)
I've tested my iT2D landscape iPad game with Xcode 4 and it worked fine.
#91
03/12/2011 (6:32 pm)
But have you used Xcode 4 for any length of time?
#92
www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/124832
03/12/2011 (7:33 pm)
Ronny - sounds ominous! I've created a thread for discussing Xcode 4 with iT2D, perhaps you could elaborate there?www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/124832
#93
- Adding a new XIB file and UIViewController to iTorque 2D
- Editing a view using Xcode's Interface Builder
- Creating event handlers and adding some functionality to them
- Connecting Objective-C to TorqueScript
- Displaying the new interface from a single TorqueScript call and successfully returning to the game
03/18/2011 (6:44 pm)
Just wrapped up another tutorial that covers the following:- Adding a new XIB file and UIViewController to iTorque 2D
- Editing a view using Xcode's Interface Builder
- Creating event handlers and adding some functionality to them
- Connecting Objective-C to TorqueScript
- Displaying the new interface from a single TorqueScript call and successfully returning to the game
#94
- Loading and playing movies
- Streaming an mp3
- Creating and displaying a view created with Interface Builder + UIKit
- Input configuration for touch and accelerometer
- Basic File I/O
- Useful links to community resources for Game Center, Open Feint, Box 2D and other cool things that will eventually be rolled into the stock engine
My inspiration for this series comes by way of your requests and a new book I'm reading titled Beginning iOS 4 Application Development. It is no out of date due to Xcode 4 and iOS 4.3, but it still has a lot of great information. My end goal is to have the tutorials and engine updates become more closely aligned to what other iOS developers would be used to.
03/18/2011 (6:49 pm)
As an additional note to my last post, that tutorial is part of the iOS series of guides I've been writing. The series is dedicated to showing how to use iOS specific features in iTorque 2D. This mainly covers:- Loading and playing movies
- Streaming an mp3
- Creating and displaying a view created with Interface Builder + UIKit
- Input configuration for touch and accelerometer
- Basic File I/O
- Useful links to community resources for Game Center, Open Feint, Box 2D and other cool things that will eventually be rolled into the stock engine
My inspiration for this series comes by way of your requests and a new book I'm reading titled Beginning iOS 4 Application Development. It is no out of date due to Xcode 4 and iOS 4.3, but it still has a lot of great information. My end goal is to have the tutorials and engine updates become more closely aligned to what other iOS developers would be used to.
#95
http://docs.garagegames.com/it2d/official/content/documentation/Scripting/Simple/Vectors.html
Great to see the scripting reference moved into its own section though, out from its previous home at the end of the functions list! This is a big help for students and newbies.
03/24/2011 (7:42 am)
The page labeled "vectors" in Scripting/Simple/Vectors is actually an article about variables.http://docs.garagegames.com/it2d/official/content/documentation/Scripting/Simple/Vectors.html
Great to see the scripting reference moved into its own section though, out from its previous home at the end of the functions list! This is a big help for students and newbies.
#96
I think a simple CSS to help differentiate parts of the reference would also be helpful.
03/24/2011 (10:06 am)
Agreeing with previous posts I would really like to see a return of the left hand navigation style from TGB; the collapsible Methods/Callbacks/Properties and the expandable list of names below that, it allowed for quick overviewing, whereas currently you have no choice but to browse descriptions etc that you don't want to see.I think a simple CSS to help differentiate parts of the reference would also be helpful.
#97
The T3D one has the Modules, Class List and Hierachy for the 3D engine, something like that for T2D would be great, but either Im failing to found it, or there isn't any.
06/25/2011 (8:11 am)
Hey Michael, is there a TorqueScript Reference Manual for iT2D (or T2D), like the one for Torque3D?The T3D one has the Modules, Class List and Hierachy for the 3D engine, something like that for T2D would be great, but either Im failing to found it, or there isn't any.
#98
ConsoleMethod -> DefineEngineMethod
ConsoleFunction -> DefineEngineFunction
Con::executef(...) -> Real macro system
It is no small task and is prone to creating a very unstable environment. There is another option, which is much less elegant, but is very time consuming. Right now, I have to focus on actual engine development. Once I hit feature complete, I will be feverishly working on documentation while the engine goes through the big QA pass.
06/27/2011 (10:57 am)
@Novack - There is not one, but I would love for us to have it. The problem is that we had to modify the doc output system for T3D to generate that reference. I'm talking BIG modifications to the core macros:ConsoleMethod -> DefineEngineMethod
ConsoleFunction -> DefineEngineFunction
Con::executef(...) -> Real macro system
It is no small task and is prone to creating a very unstable environment. There is another option, which is much less elegant, but is very time consuming. Right now, I have to focus on actual engine development. Once I hit feature complete, I will be feverishly working on documentation while the engine goes through the big QA pass.
#99
06/27/2011 (11:03 am)
Roger that. Thanks for the info Michael. Keep up the good work.
#100
It seems there is a lot of tribal or historical knowledge needed that isn't covered in the doc set. For example, it took me two days to figure out I had to have "Use Physics on" to have a collision callback called.
That is not documented... as a matter of fact on the page in the documentation that specifically references collision callbacks, and seem to tell you everything you need to know on how to enable collision callback, it is not mentioned at all.
documentation/content/documentation/Editors/Game%20Builder/Collisions.html
And the one that is kicking me right now...
And I hope I can express this correctly. I understand classes and superclasses in programing terms...
My issue is this, I have now picked up and read several older books on T3D, hoping to benefit from a "related" engine knowledge, and I have been reading the TGB info as well in TDN (as there is no information :read "blank pages": on iT2D.
So in reading through that information I come across (sim object) classes like Player, and vehicle, and AI.
I was blown away, it looks like GG has created even more cool stuff to make it easier for me to do things. I need to find out what is available in iT2D, is there a player class, an enemy class, a shooter class, what can I do with them, what do they offer, and most importantly I need a COMPLETE LIST of what is available on this engine.
Then in the other books I start reading about data blocks, and while there were mentions of data blocks in the docs, There is nothing there really exposing the full power of them.
What I am getting from the T3D books is the power of Torque real comes when you are properly using data blocks, parent class, behaviors, and callbacks.
I can start reading the other engine docs, but it is hard to figure out what is or isn't applicable to iT2d. At least for me.
Look I know it takes time to write docs. But perhaps a a few more Ustream videos...
Everything you water to know about callbacks... This could cover all engines, first talk about them in general, and then where we can get a list of which ones are available per engine.
One about parent class, what is available, what do they bring to the table, which ones are available per engine
Datablocks...
Behaviors
Thee would all help tremendously until it is fully documented.
Or perhaps it already is, and I have just missed it. If so please tell me where to find it.
Reading through the source of the engine is educational, and I'm sure if I was able to read it all and "grok it" I wouldn't need additional docs. But I don't think groking the source code of the engine should be a requirement to starting to work with the product.
11/11/2011 (11:43 am)
There are a few big things for me, being new to any version of Torque, but coming into iT2d as my first product.It seems there is a lot of tribal or historical knowledge needed that isn't covered in the doc set. For example, it took me two days to figure out I had to have "Use Physics on" to have a collision callback called.
That is not documented... as a matter of fact on the page in the documentation that specifically references collision callbacks, and seem to tell you everything you need to know on how to enable collision callback, it is not mentioned at all.
documentation/content/documentation/Editors/Game%20Builder/Collisions.html
And the one that is kicking me right now...
And I hope I can express this correctly. I understand classes and superclasses in programing terms...
My issue is this, I have now picked up and read several older books on T3D, hoping to benefit from a "related" engine knowledge, and I have been reading the TGB info as well in TDN (as there is no information :read "blank pages": on iT2D.
So in reading through that information I come across (sim object) classes like Player, and vehicle, and AI.
I was blown away, it looks like GG has created even more cool stuff to make it easier for me to do things. I need to find out what is available in iT2D, is there a player class, an enemy class, a shooter class, what can I do with them, what do they offer, and most importantly I need a COMPLETE LIST of what is available on this engine.
Then in the other books I start reading about data blocks, and while there were mentions of data blocks in the docs, There is nothing there really exposing the full power of them.
What I am getting from the T3D books is the power of Torque real comes when you are properly using data blocks, parent class, behaviors, and callbacks.
I can start reading the other engine docs, but it is hard to figure out what is or isn't applicable to iT2d. At least for me.
Look I know it takes time to write docs. But perhaps a a few more Ustream videos...
Everything you water to know about callbacks... This could cover all engines, first talk about them in general, and then where we can get a list of which ones are available per engine.
One about parent class, what is available, what do they bring to the table, which ones are available per engine
Datablocks...
Behaviors
Thee would all help tremendously until it is fully documented.
Or perhaps it already is, and I have just missed it. If so please tell me where to find it.
Reading through the source of the engine is educational, and I'm sure if I was able to read it all and "grok it" I wouldn't need additional docs. But I don't think groking the source code of the engine should be a requirement to starting to work with the product.
Torque Owner Chris Labombard
Premium Preferred
In software setup the 6th picutre down, "iphonesdk_finalize" is broken