Of value and faith

Recent events have made us all question the game engine we've been working with. A huge number of projects are in limbo and people are worried about the future.

I'm not looking to cheer you up with this post. I want you to see things as they are from my point of view, and decide for yourself if that is good news for you. Hoping to present a more objective view - without crying wolf.

Let me get right to my point. The way I see things I feel like leaning back into my chair and feeling good about Torque. I would perhaps even buy a few shares if I could. So why is that?

I've been thinking (I do that sometimes) and I wanted to share my conclusion with you. But first a disclaimer:

I am not affiliated with TorquePowered or GarageGames and the things I write down represent my own opinion about the matter at hand.

So why am I feeling so good about Torque just now? It is just the way my logic works. It is what my gut tells me. It's been serving me well all these years, so I learned to rely on it. I'm not expecting you to do the same, but I hope to give you an opinion from another angle.

One reason to be less worried about the future: I would pick Torque up if I had the money.

Most of us would. We know there are fields where it can be improved upon, and we know what those fields are, which is a key aspect in having a future. There are many other fields where it exceeds the competition, which is good value. However, the greatest value lies in its existing customers and its unparalleled community.

Some of us know what running a business means as an investment. Perhaps not at this level, but we all have our experiences about standing on our own two feet. I've been owning and co-owning businesses for about 10 years now - going through good times and bad times. I would pick Torque up if I had the money as it has much more potential that anything I have ever started.

Going with the assumption that - contrary to what my mom believes - I am not special, I am led to believe that there must already be several interested parties - even if they have not yet given voice to their interest - who see the value in owning one of the market leaders in this segment of the industry. Especially without a free-riding giant on Torque's shoulders to bear.

For a very long time, Torque has been where its closest competitors got to just now. With free downloads, and, truth be told, nice features too. But none of those can ever be an alternative to Torque.

If they could be, Phil Shenk would have not chosen Torque 3D as the basis for his first game made under his new studio - Gravity Bear - for Facebook. I assume you know his name, but in case you don't - among other games, he was the lead artist for Diablo 2. No wonder this Torque 3D based game, Battle Punks now has over 110k likes on Facebook. No wonder it is also the best looking game on Facebook. It was made with Torque.

There are many examples like this. There are even more games that are being made to become examples like this. There's propaganda all around, but this is far from a burial. This is a Phoenix rising. Its not its own ashes its rising from, either.

Make no mistake about it, Torque is living rough times. But I strongly believe that this is only temporary. Right now, waiting for an announcement is the most important and useful thing we can do. What I ask you to do is to stick with Torque until we know more, and show us all what you're working on. I've not posted blogs about our game for a very long time. Inspired by Guimo's 80th blog post, I am going to prepare a lengthy blog about where our game, Xenocell is today - expect it soon.

Allow me a few more words, and then I won't bore you further.

Torque was Game Developer's game engine of the year in 2009, and I think we have a very good chance to be the game engine of 2011. What makes me think that?

As an associate I have a way to peek behind curtains. (Now comes the NDA excuse) I can not say anything specific, but the things going on there would make competitors crouch and weep in a dark corner hugging their knees, rocking back and forth. I really hope you get a chance to see these things just so I can say - I told you so! Why is this important? Because given a future, Torque's future is as bright as it gets. For now, you just have to take my word for it.

You can do your part to make sure that future is, indeed, given to Torque - and us all. Post anything about your projects - be it small or large, just post it with pictures, explanations, resources, anything. Tell us about what you've been working on with Torque and tell us how it went. Have faith, people! And keep on posting!

Oh, and one more thing.

Bitgap Games (that's us) would like to value all in-depth project blog posts made since Eric's November update.

Tell us what your game is about, where you are in development, what your plans are, and add pictures and videos. Tell us about your game as if it would be the first time you told us. Tell it so that new visitors will understand what you aim to create.

Now comes the cool part. For a post like that, we at Bitgap offer a product of your choice with an indie license from our store. That includes the DTSViewer, our Cliff Construction Kit and Sahara. Just register and tell us what you pick. But be sure to work for it - prepare a post that you're gonna be proud of!

I wish you all good luck. I hope to see some great blog posts in the coming weeks.
Have faith - things will change for the better.

--Konrad

@konradkiss
KonradKiss @ GitHub
konradkiss.com