Torque 3D Development - Marching Towards Beta 3
by Brett Seyler · 06/05/2009 (10:16 pm) · 50 comments
Hey GG'ers. Sorry for the radio silence in the past couple weeks since Beta 2. I spent most of this week at E3 and holy crap...E3 is back! I saw Mickey Rourke at the Bethesda booth, and Stan Lee at the Activision booth. Definitely a gamers paradise. I did get *some* work done too, mostly doing private demos of Torque 3D for studios and publishers at the show. Like at GDC, the response has been pretty phenomenal.
There's still a lot happening on Torque 3D, but everyone's been hard at work on Beta 3, and a major part of that work involves making sure everything we've got is also working smoothly on OSX. Here's a glimpse:
In other news of progress, Pat Wilson is making steady progress with Torque 3D on the Xbox 360, so that route will be available to Torque 3D developers in short order.
Also, I believe I've mentioned this before, but one of the under-touted improvements to Torque 3D is a fully unified Undo / Redo stack from the editor. This means that any change, using any of the editors, can be undone and redone in order. Lara put together a short video showing this off. Check it out...
There have also already been tremendous cool new projects from Torque 3D developers. I expect a lot more of this to come, but here are some of the highlights...
From Matt Kronyak:
From OmegaDog:
From Adam Beer:
From Mike J.:
Using EdgeAA to create a cartoon styling PostFX shader
Finally, Tom Spilman threw together this nice montage of lights, materials and physics to show off...
The community is doing awesome stuff with Torque 3D, even while in beta. It's fun to watch and we're definitely on the lookout for more.
If you're ready to move to Torque 3D, you can still get $100 OFF pre-order discount right now. This discount will expire when we've released a final version of Torque 3D. If you're already a Torque 3D owner, congrats! Please remember to post your Beta 2 feedback in Torque 3D Private Forums. We need your help!
More development blogs to come. This is post #22.
Torque 3D development blogs:
- Post #1 - Kickoff
- Post #2 - Apparatus and Warrior Camp
- Post #3 - Luma's racing kit
- Post #4 - Josh Engebretson and Web Publishing
- Post #5 - Pricing and Licensing
- Post #6 - Pricing and Licensing CONTINUED
- Post #7 - Wetness & Precipitation
- Post #8 - Screeen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO)
- Post #9 - Matt Langley and the Torque Launcher
- Post #10 - Chris Robertson and Collada
- Post #11 - Depth of Field
- Post #12 - Advanced Lighting
- Post #13 - Soft Particles
- Post #14 - World Editor
- Post #15 - Pricing and Licensing ANNOUNCED!
- Post #16 - GDC Live Edition
- Post #17 - River & Road Editors
- Post #18 - Beta is UP!
- Post #19 - Light Rays, Undercity, and the Material Editor
- Post #20 - Mass Market Hardware
- Post #21 - Beta: Part Deux
- Post #22 - Marching Towards Beta 3
- Post #23 - pureLIGHT
- Post #24 - Lighting, Terrain, and Cloth
- Post #25 - Beta 3!
- Post #26 - Coming Soon!
About the author
Since 2007, I've done my best to steer Torque's development and brand toward the best opportunities in games middleware.
#42
I like what you have done with the GFX layer and I think you have simplified the shader development process. To be honest I don't think I'd be able to keep up with all the great features in T3D with out help from some of the add on products like the AFX ComboPack
Are these guys able to keep up? I don't know if this is the right place to ask ... but, will they have something for T3D when its ready? I don't know if they are communicating with you on a regular basis, but how are you keeping guys like this in the loop.
Also I know you have had a post on Collada, but I'd like to hear more about the art asset pipeline and how this will feed in with all these new eye popping features. I looked at the awesome artwork on the front of this post, and man it rocks. You think we can hear more in a new blog on how all this will fit together?
06/10/2009 (12:22 am)
Guys, T3D is looking "eye-candylicious" to coin a term. Fantastic Job on all that you are doing! Its obvious that T3D will be the Garage Games flagship product.I like what you have done with the GFX layer and I think you have simplified the shader development process. To be honest I don't think I'd be able to keep up with all the great features in T3D with out help from some of the add on products like the AFX ComboPack
Are these guys able to keep up? I don't know if this is the right place to ask ... but, will they have something for T3D when its ready? I don't know if they are communicating with you on a regular basis, but how are you keeping guys like this in the loop.
Also I know you have had a post on Collada, but I'd like to hear more about the art asset pipeline and how this will feed in with all these new eye popping features. I looked at the awesome artwork on the front of this post, and man it rocks. You think we can hear more in a new blog on how all this will fit together?
#43
06/10/2009 (12:41 am)
Jeff has mentioned on the AFX forum that it will definitely take some time to port to Torque 3D. After all, they are a small and amazingly talented team...but it is also an extremely massive product (and one of my absolute favorites that we offer). 
#44
"I do have a question, which i know you guys will most surely be sick of hearing by now. But given the stage of development of T3D, is it possible that you Could publish a list of features that each of the addon packs will have? (the Genre kits (fps for me) and the Forest kit etc).
Its getting to the point, where im wondering what it is i should be working on and implementing /figuring out. But their is no point in investing lots of effort into something that will be implemented by you lot (and probably better) anyway."
Could we have some elaboration on Confirmed features, and features that are still being debated in the addon packs?
06/10/2009 (7:48 am)
Hey GG guys, thanks for the feedback, but i dare to ask my previous question again."I do have a question, which i know you guys will most surely be sick of hearing by now. But given the stage of development of T3D, is it possible that you Could publish a list of features that each of the addon packs will have? (the Genre kits (fps for me) and the Forest kit etc).
Its getting to the point, where im wondering what it is i should be working on and implementing /figuring out. But their is no point in investing lots of effort into something that will be implemented by you lot (and probably better) anyway."
Could we have some elaboration on Confirmed features, and features that are still being debated in the addon packs?
#45
There are *no* engine features that have been announced which will not be in the core engine with the exception of Forest Kit stuff (tree physics, foliage painting, etc.) This was made clear in every reference to either Forest Kit or Torque 3D. Now, I did list a broad set of things Gerhard had set out to do. It was an ambitious list, and never supposed to be some kind of spec for Torque 3D. Some of these, like AI, were always going to be risky and AI, or at least Gerhard's implementation, may still may be on the chopping block for rolling into the core. This doesn't mean it won't get released as a resource, in kept open for more testing and use before being considered for inclusion in the core.
Even so, I'm pretty sure all the rest of Gerhard's stuff (cloth, dynamic water using the cloth sim, all the PostFX are either in the engine now, or will be very soon.
People seem to be continuing to ask this question about features because they are confusing engine features with content. We can't exactly use a blank room to show some of the new stuff that's being worked on or has been added to Torque 3D, but that doesn't mean that every piece of content in every screenshot will be included with the engine. Very few engines ship with any content, let alone at anywhere near Torque 3D's price. In some cases, we may have decided we didn't like the way a demo was coming together, so we cut it, even if it would have been included as a sample level with the engine.
I think this question would be a lot easier to answer if you posed it "Will FeatureX be included in the core engine, or will it be an addon?" Going through the full list of changes, feature by feature from TGEA to Torque 3D is much tougher.
So, what have you seen that you're asking about?
06/10/2009 (9:22 am)
Quote:Could we have some elaboration on Confirmed features, and features that are still being debated in the addon packs?
There are *no* engine features that have been announced which will not be in the core engine with the exception of Forest Kit stuff (tree physics, foliage painting, etc.) This was made clear in every reference to either Forest Kit or Torque 3D. Now, I did list a broad set of things Gerhard had set out to do. It was an ambitious list, and never supposed to be some kind of spec for Torque 3D. Some of these, like AI, were always going to be risky and AI, or at least Gerhard's implementation, may still may be on the chopping block for rolling into the core. This doesn't mean it won't get released as a resource, in kept open for more testing and use before being considered for inclusion in the core.
Even so, I'm pretty sure all the rest of Gerhard's stuff (cloth, dynamic water using the cloth sim, all the PostFX are either in the engine now, or will be very soon.
People seem to be continuing to ask this question about features because they are confusing engine features with content. We can't exactly use a blank room to show some of the new stuff that's being worked on or has been added to Torque 3D, but that doesn't mean that every piece of content in every screenshot will be included with the engine. Very few engines ship with any content, let alone at anywhere near Torque 3D's price. In some cases, we may have decided we didn't like the way a demo was coming together, so we cut it, even if it would have been included as a sample level with the engine.
I think this question would be a lot easier to answer if you posed it "Will FeatureX be included in the core engine, or will it be an addon?" Going through the full list of changes, feature by feature from TGEA to Torque 3D is much tougher.
So, what have you seen that you're asking about?
#46
I'm After a clear cut list like this:
T3d:
-Dynamic Weather
-Asset updating
-Wetness precipitation shader
-IK Foot placement (or some other solution)
-No more putting your gun through terrain!
-etc etc
Forest Kit (confirmed):
-Tree Physics
-Foliage Painting
-Weather effects on foliage
FPS Kit:
-Iron Sights
-Recoil
-Prone
-Crouch
-Grenades
-Teams implementation
RPK Kit:
-Spell system
-RPG style spell/weapon aiming
Car Kit:
-Car Hitboxes
Thats the sort of thing im after, you must have a list full of features for each of the products somewhere. As i said, if we knew what was in each packs, or atleast had a rough idea of confirmed things, then we could save ourselves alot of time and effort and not re-invent the wheel on stuff like weapon recoil and iron sighting. =]
06/10/2009 (9:33 am)
I'm sorry if im being unclear. I know you have been hounded at on this topic for a while now. What im asking, is for a summary of the major features in each of the addons that you are developing and the core.I'm After a clear cut list like this:
T3d:
-Dynamic Weather
-Asset updating
-Wetness precipitation shader
-IK Foot placement (or some other solution)
-No more putting your gun through terrain!
-etc etc
Forest Kit (confirmed):
-Tree Physics
-Foliage Painting
-Weather effects on foliage
FPS Kit:
-Iron Sights
-Recoil
-Prone
-Crouch
-Grenades
-Teams implementation
RPK Kit:
-Spell system
-RPG style spell/weapon aiming
Car Kit:
-Car Hitboxes
Thats the sort of thing im after, you must have a list full of features for each of the products somewhere. As i said, if we knew what was in each packs, or atleast had a rough idea of confirmed things, then we could save ourselves alot of time and effort and not re-invent the wheel on stuff like weapon recoil and iron sighting. =]
#47
Forest Kit:
FPS Kit:
RPK Kit:
Car Kit:
06/10/2009 (5:36 pm)
Torque 3D:Quote:-Dynamic WeatherNo.
Quote:-Asset updatingYes...been in since Beta 1.
Quote:-Wetness precipitation shaderProbably...but still not done so still under the risk of getting cut.
Quote:-IK Foot placement (or some other solution)No...not unless someone sends me bulletproof code =)
Quote:-No more putting your gun through terrain!No.
Quote:-etc etcYes.
Forest Kit:
Quote:-Tree PhysicsTrees sway in the wind and can be swayed by explosions. They are not destructible.
Quote:-Foliage PaintingYes.
Quote:-Weather effects on foliageWind effects foliage...it has since TGEA 1.7.0.
FPS Kit:
Quote:-Iron SightsNo.
Quote:-RecoilYes...been supported in Torque since Tribes 2.
Quote:-ProneYes.
Quote:-CrouchYes.
Quote:-GrenadesTorque has supported them since Tribes 2 but we probably won't include an example.
Quote:-Teams implementationYes.
RPK Kit:
Quote:-Spell systemYes.
Quote:-RPG style spell/weapon aimingYes.
Car Kit:
Quote:-Car HitboxesNo.
#49
06/10/2009 (6:27 pm)
Quote:T3d:Aldavidson, seems like you might want to better articulate what you mean by "weather". "Wind" (as shown in the videos with the Forest Kit) is one thing, but "weather" tends to imply a lot more. Differentiating between the two might help to keep things clear.
-Dynamic Weather
-Weather effects on foliage
#50
@ Matt - Thanks for answering my list, although that list was an example. i was rather hoping you would populate that list with the features from each of the kits etc, because we are still all in the dark about what exactly each of these addon packs will have inside them.
06/10/2009 (6:33 pm)
@ Russel - By Weather i meant, the wind effects as well as what i presume are particle effects and such like the leaves being blown around in, the Precipitation and wetness video. @ Matt - Thanks for answering my list, although that list was an example. i was rather hoping you would populate that list with the features from each of the kits etc, because we are still all in the dark about what exactly each of these addon packs will have inside them.
Employee Matt Fairfax