Beginner's Guide to Torque

This guide simply mentions the steps you should follow to get to know and eventually modify Torque for your own games, it also contains references to the tutorials you should read and the tools you should have to get started on torque developing.

I hope you find it useful/interesting and helps you get around Torque a bit faster, enjoy!

Part 1: In the beginning...

1.- Download the TGE SDK Installer 1.4.0 . If you do not have the latest version (1.4 at the time of this Resource update (12/8/05)), then go to your MyAccount page and click on the download link to get it.

2.-From your Windows Start Menu, run tutorial.base. Click on the button to open the tutorial.pdf document and follow the instructions contained in it.

Part 2: Time to mess around!

1.- Copy your example directory to somewhere else and rename this dir to "testing" or something with that effect.

2.- Check the data files, you will realize that you can open most data files with a text editor (with the exception of models and textures), dont mess with the text files, (not yet) unless you see something tempting and inoffensive like changing a "text" tag, run torquedemo.exe again to see what you have done.

3.- Check the textures, now open up the textures in Photoshop or an appropriate art tool and hack them to your heart content, change their colors, shapes, etc. Just be careful to save them with the same name in the same location in the same format, also remember some PNG and TGA files, will have a alpha channel, (a mask) this will show up in Photoshop. Try not to mess with it.. Also try to keep their same dimensions.

As an exercise, try to identify where each texture is used by reading their name, directory name and by modifying it and seing the changes in the game.

As a final and cool exercise for this part, modify the background image of the GUI for something you like =) (anything you want)

4.- Now it is time to mess with something more interesting: Remember the changes you made on
the Torque engine to the terrain and GUI? well those are "MIS" and "GUI" files. They can be edited in a text editor, so why don't you do just that? Change the sizes, fonts, colors, positions, etc.

You can even create a new MIS file by simply copying it and changing its name (in addition you can also modify its description) and if you save it in the missions directory it will show up in the game, Cool!

Change in the mission file (MIS) the water texture, the intensity and position of the sun, how far can you see, etc.

NOTE: When modifying MIS files try to keep the same format the script uses, dont change 4.0000000 with 4 even though this may seem harmless the engine is probably expecting the zeroes, so just keep the same format.

4.- If you mess something REALLY bad, just make another clean copy of the example dir again and you are ready to start over. =)

Part 3: Now let's get the tools ready.

Note: this part is essentially for coders, if you are not a coder and you work in a team (as an artist per example) you probably wont need this, skip to the next section.

1.- Get Tribal IDE.

2.-Get winCVS

3.-Download the CVS code from the cvs server [www.garagegames.com/docs/torque.sdk/gstarted/cvs.html#tags] click here to find out how [/url]

4.-Compile it (not as easy as it sounds, go to the no escape site to check the correct options. NOTE: the newer version does not need the ASM compiler modifications, it will still run with them but they are not needed.)

5.-Backup your engine, example directory and compiler directory. (in case something goes bad).

6.-Go to the Code Snippets and try to fit the modifications you like into torque. Start with script changes. And then when you feel up to the challenge, modify and recompile the source.

7.-Read the scripts very carefully (I know there are hundreds of them, but with Tribal IDE you should be able to cut through them like a knife in butter!) and when the time comes read the C++ code very careful (some background will probably be needed, you will need basic C++, templates, stl and opengl, directx knowledge to START understanding the code, but eventually you will)

8.-You dont need to understand scripts fully at this time, you simply need to have an idea of how the script works.

Part 4, lets get Ready to work!

1.-Now is time to actually add content, you will need some tutorials, for this. Also make a backup of your data files, before going any further.

2.-Read (and follow if possible) the torque max tutorials, (the four of them, including the latest one) even if you dont use max this will give you strong knowledge of how torque models (and vehicles) work.

Make a simple shape and put it in the game. once you feel confident, try to change the main player by saving a new player.dts on top of the current player file.(this is quite a bit tricky but worth the effort)

3.-Read the Worldcraft tutorial and start cooking up a simple WALL (Stephen king once wrote: "I made my books just like they made the chinese wall, brick by brick" and thats exactly what you will do) put your wall in the game. Then when you feel more confident build a more complex and interesting structure and put it in the game too (you can keep lots of dif files in the directory and choose if you use them or not in the mission file) build away!
note: remember that each building makes your lighting/loading slower, but also more worth it.

4.- Let your imagination go, Make giant apples, walking noodles, giant kiwi tossing bats =) whatever you like it doesnt have to make sense, just put it in the game.

5.- For extra fun, change the terrain/sky textures, for what ever like your picture a garagegames logo, etc.

6.- Now.. go the opposite way, picture an image of what you like to see (a star wars set, a city, an ancient temple, an underwater scene etc) and use all the knowledge you have gathered to put this in the game. (including modifying the terrain and terrain/sky textures, dont use those garagegames gave you!) dont stop until it looks exactly like you imagined it.

Part 5 is showtime!

1.-Now is time to realize, what you have, you can change the code, put up new buildings, models, players, the kind of terrain, etc. NOW is time to put in paper, what exactly would you like to do with all of this, a FPS game, a RPG? a tribes like game with caveman? think on a game you have always like to play and pretend you are reviewing it, write it down. Scribble a few pictures of it as well.

2.- "Use the forums Luke!"
Probably you currently dont know how to get some specific feature to work in your game, thats why the forums are there, use the search option in garagegames look Resources or Forums threads about that subject and if is not there, just Ask! with a bit of luck and patience you will get the answer you need, (hey, this guide was orginally posted in the forums! ;) )

3.- "It helps to talk about it"
Of course, you may feel more comfortable with realtime human conversation, that is why the IRC Chat is also here, right now the best time to chat is from 11am pst to 3pm pst, but this is prompt to change as more garagegames members get to know about this channel. You can meet some torque friends, chat about games , and with some luck and patience you can also get the answers you need. (edited by popular demmand! ;) )

However remember what Aristoteles (I believe) once said "The answer always layed within you, I just helped you finding it" meaning: (with your knowledge) you probably already have an idea of what to do, you just need a push in the right direction to be confident about it. So just go ahead and ask.

4.- And finally , try to give back a little of what has been given to you, a community doesn't work if everybody keeps their discoveries for themselves, share what you feel like sharing (Jhon carmack and Michael Abrash had been releasing their techniques and even their source codes to the public since doom, and although this has contributed to lots of clones, their business model hasnt been really damaged by this at all, and it has improved the industry a lot), you dont have to, but you will feel better with yourself if you do.

I hope this short guide helps you making the torque learning curve a bit less steep.

Have fun!