Diving Into Torque
by Ian Tornay · 09/28/2010 (11:38 pm) · 31 comments
I have a confession.
I've played many Torque games, met Torque developers, spent countless hours with the Torque team and always held the engine in the highest respects. So, when I was asked to help the Torque team out as a new community manager I jumped at the chance. Why wouldn't I? The thing that has always differentiated Torque from different engines for me has always been the community. Constantly astonished by the quality and sheer volume of the information that Torque developers share with each other on a daily basis I knew that I would never want for interesting interactions.
But as soon as I gave my very enthusiastic yes something started nagging at me (and this is my confession): I've never made anything with Torque. Be it a lack of time or understanding I guess I've just never gotten around to it.
At any rate - that all changes today!
I've got my copy of Torque Game Builder fired up and my documentation handy. Most certainly, I'll be asking around for help and advice - I'm looking forward to it! What will I make? Will I be able to cut it and become a developer? What will I learn? Will I look at games differently?
I'll be keeping this blog as a way to catalog all my experiences, successes and mistakes along the way. With any luck I'll help to improve Torque while learning more about a great community.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained - I'm jumping in!
I've played many Torque games, met Torque developers, spent countless hours with the Torque team and always held the engine in the highest respects. So, when I was asked to help the Torque team out as a new community manager I jumped at the chance. Why wouldn't I? The thing that has always differentiated Torque from different engines for me has always been the community. Constantly astonished by the quality and sheer volume of the information that Torque developers share with each other on a daily basis I knew that I would never want for interesting interactions.
But as soon as I gave my very enthusiastic yes something started nagging at me (and this is my confession): I've never made anything with Torque. Be it a lack of time or understanding I guess I've just never gotten around to it.
At any rate - that all changes today!
I've got my copy of Torque Game Builder fired up and my documentation handy. Most certainly, I'll be asking around for help and advice - I'm looking forward to it! What will I make? Will I be able to cut it and become a developer? What will I learn? Will I look at games differently?
I'll be keeping this blog as a way to catalog all my experiences, successes and mistakes along the way. With any luck I'll help to improve Torque while learning more about a great community.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained - I'm jumping in!
About the author
InstantAction Community Manager Life-Long Gamer
#2
09/28/2010 (11:55 pm)
The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if an Ian, a crash7800, can learn the value of Torque, maybe we can too. 
#3
<edit because of auto spell check>
09/29/2010 (1:10 am)
Ian take my advice my friend your first project should be an MMO. Let no one talk you out of this.<edit because of auto spell check>
#4
Have fun with Torque, it's a great engine.
09/29/2010 (2:28 am)
I'll have to second Donald's suggestion. Definitely an MMO. Have fun with Torque, it's a great engine.
#5
09/29/2010 (3:02 am)
A successful MMO, requires a few things, highly skilled programmers, highly skilled artists and a dedicated team. Suggesting one person to aim for an MMO is something I just can't recommend, that is if your intentions are making a playable game that reaches an audience. If doing it for fun, thats a different story, always good to learn. Enjoy T3d it is a gorgeous engine! 
#6
New User> Hey Everyone, I'm new!
Group> Welcome new user!
New User> Hey, what's a datablock?
Group> Good question. What are you trying to do?
New User> My friend and I are starting an MMO.
Group> Good luck!
Anyways, as an ex-professor, I was asked questions by students who wanted to do the statistically improbable like make an MMO with three friends.
I told them that I don't recommend it and that I hope me telling them that pisses them off enough to try. Going after something lofty will teach you more than if you didn't try.
09/29/2010 (3:32 am)
The MMO suggestion is a joke. It's always been sort of an inside joke for anyone who spends time on our IRC. I usually goes like this:New User> Hey Everyone, I'm new!
Group> Welcome new user!
New User> Hey, what's a datablock?
Group> Good question. What are you trying to do?
New User> My friend and I are starting an MMO.
Group> Good luck!
Anyways, as an ex-professor, I was asked questions by students who wanted to do the statistically improbable like make an MMO with three friends.
I told them that I don't recommend it and that I hope me telling them that pisses them off enough to try. Going after something lofty will teach you more than if you didn't try.
#7
Welcome to the community, Ian, and good luck with your first Torque game!
09/29/2010 (7:48 am)
Ha. I'm on the other side of that joke, so here's to hoping that more and more of us will manage even an mmo as a first Torque game. :) Whatever you create, just pour your heart into it, and things will work out great. Welcome to the community, Ian, and good luck with your first Torque game!
#8
Get those forums ringing!
09/29/2010 (12:40 pm)
A new community manager and a TGB user?!?! Bliss...Get those forums ringing!
#9
With that said, as a newcomer I would recommend that you start with something simple to learn the overall mechanics of TGB. Maybe a PONG clone. Then maybe go grab some sprite artwork from a old NES/SNES/GENESIS/NEO GEO game and try to make a clone of one of those games, I made a Mario clone with some enhancements to hone/polish my TGB skills. It was a great learning experience.
Best of luck!
09/29/2010 (12:40 pm)
MMO doesn't always equate to Massive Content or RPG. You could make a Asteroids/Space shooter hybrid that supports a few hundred players. Or a turn-based strategy game that can support lets say 256 users taking turns making their moves, even being allowed to queue up 5-10 moves. A good example and mix between these two ideas is Alien Assault Traders online (aatraders.com). It's done in freakin' PHP/MySQL running on Apache. It supports thousands of players. Something like this is totally possible, and can be done by one person. You can make the client/GUI in TGB and have it update a MySQL DB online that everyone's clients syncs off of.With that said, as a newcomer I would recommend that you start with something simple to learn the overall mechanics of TGB. Maybe a PONG clone. Then maybe go grab some sprite artwork from a old NES/SNES/GENESIS/NEO GEO game and try to make a clone of one of those games, I made a Mario clone with some enhancements to hone/polish my TGB skills. It was a great learning experience.
Best of luck!
#10
Don't community managers relax by playing single-player games?
09/29/2010 (1:32 pm)
The problem with MMOs is that they are full of other people ;)Don't community managers relax by playing single-player games?
#11
09/29/2010 (2:15 pm)
Oh man look what I have started.... well Ian welcome to your new community :)
#12
09/29/2010 (2:29 pm)
lol, thought you were serious Donald :). Thanks for clearing it up guys, now I know. 
#13
Rock on...
09/29/2010 (2:35 pm)
Hey dude welcome to the community. Hope you have a great experience using Torque... Rock on...
#14
09/29/2010 (3:57 pm)
Glad to see you on the Torque side now Ian (since you were on the IA portal team for so long). Based on what you did there I must say that I am excited to see what you can do here with this community. 
#15
@Mich: wow...I don't see myself cursing your name in the future...maybe Torque, maybe my own code...who knows. I might let you know in the future ;)
09/29/2010 (4:19 pm)
@Eric: that's a joke on more game engines than one, at least that's my experience with Gamestudio. That and the always "this game is going to be the best game ever" talk.@Mich: wow...I don't see myself cursing your name in the future...maybe Torque, maybe my own code...who knows. I might let you know in the future ;)
#16
09/29/2010 (5:30 pm)
Welcome to the beginning of a long strange trip, I hope you fond everything you are looking for! :O) 
#17
09/29/2010 (10:04 pm)
Hey Ian, welcome to the den :) So it'll be a MMORPG... right? ;-) 
#18
09/29/2010 (11:14 pm)
Good luck, the hardest part is starting.. I purchased 4 torque programs already.. and i havent started for ______ reason. :P i know what your going through. 
#19
...and I think it should be an MMORPGRTSFPS. I mean, you want a challenge, right?
09/30/2010 (3:02 am)
Welcome...and I think it should be an MMORPGRTSFPS. I mean, you want a challenge, right?
#20
09/30/2010 (5:05 am)
As funny as that sounds, it would make for a great game probably... 
Community Manager Michael Perry
ZombieShortbus
Game development is both maddening and ultra-rewarding. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll certainly take my name in vain a few times. Looking forward to hearing about your progress.