Quote:Original post by AlbertoT
However I do not really understand why Torque is so popular.
There are much better game engines, at the same price level, on the market.
For example Truevision3D or even DarkBasic SDK.

One of the main appeals of Torque is that it's a proven solution--it has powered at least one AAA game (Tribes 2). It also has several subsystems that the above two examples lack. Truevision (I've had just a bit of experience with TV, so correct me if I'm wrong) lacks any kind of scripting system, DarkBasic (I am completely deficient in experience with this solution) is far less robust than either solution, so I've gathered. Torque's netowrking subsystem is far superior than either DarkBasic or Truevision.

Aside from these above points shine a few paramount highlights for Torque:
1) Torque is cross-platform (OSX, Linux, Win32--I believe both TV and DB are Win32 only). In an industry where the Win32 market is dominated by the big boys having Mac and Linux (Linux less so?) support to make some ground in these niche markets is important.

2) The 100 USD license includes the full source code to the engine. While trudging through this code is at times trying, it's an invaluable resource in both using Torque for a project and for education (one of the valuable things I learned while examing Torque is that game engines are certainly not perfect examples of software engineering).

Don't get me wrong, both TV and DB are decent solutions--especially if you want to whip something up quickly. However, I think you aren't giving Torque the credit it deserves.

I hear a lot of people complaining about parts of the Torque code base - what is the status of code revision and who is responsible for it? Do people who have the source code make changes and contribute it back to the source tree, or does some other group maintain and upgrade the engine over time? Does the $100USD give you and unlimited license including revisions, or no?

Just my questions, not an opinion.

- S

Quote:Original post by Sphet
I hear a lot of people complaining about parts of the Torque code base - what is the status of code revision and who is responsible for it? Do people who have the source code make changes and contribute it back to the source tree, or does some other group maintain and upgrade the engine over time? Does the $100USD give you and unlimited license including revisions, or no?

Just my questions, not an opinion.

I haven't investigated how source code submission works with GarageGames, but I'll try to answer your questions. Improvements from license holders do find their way into the source tree. Many programmers also submit source modifications on the GarageGames site, which are freely available. GarageGames does actively improve the engine, though nowadays I believe they are primarily focusing on the Torque Shader Engine (Torque with a render pipeline--a pretty robust one, as I understand it--and other improvements). The 100 USD gives you access to the Torque source tree as long as you don't violate the license (which is pretty easy to do--just don't distribute the source to non license holders, etc...).

mhamlin

One of the main appeals of Torque is that it's a proven solution

OK,I agree this is a point in favour of Torque.
Stability is definitly the main issue for an engine

Truevision ... lacks any kind of scripting system

yes, this is a matter of taste, personally I prefer a pure C++ engine

DarkBasic ...is far less robust than either solution,

In the past yes, I have been playing with DarkBasic SDK 1.1 for about 3 months
no bugs , till now

point1

I agree

point 2

same as above, but again ,in my opinion,nowadays a game programmer, at least at amateur level, should consider the 3d engine as a black box

However I dont' like Torque because it is not user friendly

If you go through Truevision ,DarkBasic SDK ,Chipher Irricht etc documentation \examples you grasp immediatly the engine structure
After reading "3D Game programming all in one "
(this is the book mentioned by Charles Thomas)
I was still asking myself , What...bloody...
But maybe I am not smart enough for it