Torque 3D Web Publishing and InstantAction Technology Explained
by Brett Seyler · 01/22/2009 (3:31 pm) · 49 comments
Since we launched the new site, the InstantAction Technology page has gotten a lot of traffic, and that's a good thing. There does seem to be some confusion though, about the distinction between InstantAction Technology and web publishing for Torque 3D. I want to explain that here.
First off, here's what I'm talking about:
On the new GarageGames.com, we have some intra-company navigation that you'll find at the top center. There's GarageGames of course, InstantAction.com, and a new page for InstantAction Technology.
Clicking here...
Takes you here...
So what's this all about and what does IA Tech (my shorthand for now) have to do with Torque 3D Web Publishing? IA Tech is actually very different. It's entirely independent of Torque with a fully API and remote test harness we use with developers creating titles for InstantAction.com. In addition to browser rendering, it also provides a number of features abstracted from Torque (or whatever game technology is chosen). These include:
1. Abstracted networking support for lobbies, matchmaking, NAT traversal, encryption, and lots more.
2. Shareable, one-click URL game session joining.
3. Group lobby system enabling game-to-game switching while preserving the group or "party"
4. Active streaming...we chunk game assets and data and stream them down to the user as they are needed.
5. No download, no install.
6. Web / game hybridization. This means we have three-way communication between front-end web components (in html, ajax, flash, etc.), the game, and back-end web services or "cloud" features. This allows us to render menus and other stuff that has no business being done in a game engine using html. It also lets us record and store stats, enable in-game chat, and produce leaderboards or feeds that can simulcast out to anywhere on the web (player badges, Facebook apps, etc.)
There are literally dozens of these component features that extend the idea of "your game in a browser" well beyond what you can do with Flash, Unity, or any other web publishing technology.
So why the distinction? It doesn't make a lot of sense to offer IA Tech for mass productization / distribution. It's all powered by a super-lightweight plugin (~150kb in FireFox) that uses a signed certificate by InstantAction. That means we're on the hook for whatever happens on a client machine using this plugin tech. The only way we're comfortable doing this is if we know exactly what's going on there. That is, we need to know, for certain, what instructions are being sent to the client's machine and what is being downloaded. If we're operating a managed portfolio of games under our QA and review, we have certain knowledge that everything is above board and operating cleanly on the client machine.
There's no play for plugin ubiquity here. We're not trying to be Flash. With IA Tech, we're enabling partners to build their own "InstantAction-like" games destination with their own game or portfolio of games with their own, branded version of the plugin. This is a perfect solution for casual portals like Big Fish, Real, or Playfish. It also makes a lot of sense for games Like EA's Battlefield Heroes (though they only launch from the browser, rather than play from the browser).
Our goal with this technology was always to take the best of the web and the best of games, and make it a seamless experience. That's not currently possible with Flash or any other technology, so we built our own. The IA Tech options are not priced for mass distribution. They are targeted at developers with a budget specifically for web deployment. The technology is very unique, very expensive, and far past anything else available for web games today.
What about Torque 3D Web Publishing? With Torque 3D, you'll be able to publish your game directly to the web with just one click. This will use a different, but similarly effective web rendering technique that runs your game at native, desktop speeds right inside the browser. The end user for your game will go through a fast, simple install process, very similar to Flash and Unity, only again, we're not going for some kind of plugin ubiquity play. The plugin will reflect whatever brand you choose, whether it be "MyGame" to power a single game, or "MyGames" to operate a full portfolio of games. It will work across all major operating systems and browsers. If you are an indie developer, this is what you are looking for.
Torque 3D's web publishing is very Torque specific and will be very affordable. It may or may not be included in the base price for Torque 3D, that's yet to be determined. However, if you want to publish a rich, sophisticated 3D game to the web at minimal cost, there will be no better solution.
If you have any other questions about how all this stuff works, feel free to post them to this blog.
Thanks for reading!
First off, here's what I'm talking about:
On the new GarageGames.com, we have some intra-company navigation that you'll find at the top center. There's GarageGames of course, InstantAction.com, and a new page for InstantAction Technology.
So what's this all about and what does IA Tech (my shorthand for now) have to do with Torque 3D Web Publishing? IA Tech is actually very different. It's entirely independent of Torque with a fully API and remote test harness we use with developers creating titles for InstantAction.com. In addition to browser rendering, it also provides a number of features abstracted from Torque (or whatever game technology is chosen). These include:
1. Abstracted networking support for lobbies, matchmaking, NAT traversal, encryption, and lots more.
2. Shareable, one-click URL game session joining.
3. Group lobby system enabling game-to-game switching while preserving the group or "party"
4. Active streaming...we chunk game assets and data and stream them down to the user as they are needed.
5. No download, no install.
6. Web / game hybridization. This means we have three-way communication between front-end web components (in html, ajax, flash, etc.), the game, and back-end web services or "cloud" features. This allows us to render menus and other stuff that has no business being done in a game engine using html. It also lets us record and store stats, enable in-game chat, and produce leaderboards or feeds that can simulcast out to anywhere on the web (player badges, Facebook apps, etc.)
There are literally dozens of these component features that extend the idea of "your game in a browser" well beyond what you can do with Flash, Unity, or any other web publishing technology.
So why the distinction? It doesn't make a lot of sense to offer IA Tech for mass productization / distribution. It's all powered by a super-lightweight plugin (~150kb in FireFox) that uses a signed certificate by InstantAction. That means we're on the hook for whatever happens on a client machine using this plugin tech. The only way we're comfortable doing this is if we know exactly what's going on there. That is, we need to know, for certain, what instructions are being sent to the client's machine and what is being downloaded. If we're operating a managed portfolio of games under our QA and review, we have certain knowledge that everything is above board and operating cleanly on the client machine.
There's no play for plugin ubiquity here. We're not trying to be Flash. With IA Tech, we're enabling partners to build their own "InstantAction-like" games destination with their own game or portfolio of games with their own, branded version of the plugin. This is a perfect solution for casual portals like Big Fish, Real, or Playfish. It also makes a lot of sense for games Like EA's Battlefield Heroes (though they only launch from the browser, rather than play from the browser).
Our goal with this technology was always to take the best of the web and the best of games, and make it a seamless experience. That's not currently possible with Flash or any other technology, so we built our own. The IA Tech options are not priced for mass distribution. They are targeted at developers with a budget specifically for web deployment. The technology is very unique, very expensive, and far past anything else available for web games today.
What about Torque 3D Web Publishing? With Torque 3D, you'll be able to publish your game directly to the web with just one click. This will use a different, but similarly effective web rendering technique that runs your game at native, desktop speeds right inside the browser. The end user for your game will go through a fast, simple install process, very similar to Flash and Unity, only again, we're not going for some kind of plugin ubiquity play. The plugin will reflect whatever brand you choose, whether it be "MyGame" to power a single game, or "MyGames" to operate a full portfolio of games. It will work across all major operating systems and browsers. If you are an indie developer, this is what you are looking for.
Torque 3D's web publishing is very Torque specific and will be very affordable. It may or may not be included in the base price for Torque 3D, that's yet to be determined. However, if you want to publish a rich, sophisticated 3D game to the web at minimal cost, there will be no better solution.
If you have any other questions about how all this stuff works, feel free to post them to this blog.
Thanks for reading!
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
2) Is there a way to import our 2D games into the new Torque 3D and export it from there to get the web plugin to work?
02/09/2009 (1:24 pm)
1) Is there any chance it will be available as a plugin or included in the next version of TGB 2D? 2D games need web plugins too (and some of them actually make money like "World of Goo").2) Is there a way to import our 2D games into the new Torque 3D and export it from there to get the web plugin to work?
#43
02/09/2009 (3:42 pm)
@Path: The next version of TGB (Torque 2D) is likely to include web publishing. There is currently no way to load a TGB project into Torque 3D though.
#44
02/09/2009 (4:43 pm)
Any idea when this next version of TGB (Torque 2D) will be coming out?
#45
02/09/2009 (4:50 pm)
@Path: Not for a while. Torque 3D first, then we'll probably start talking more about Torque 2D and a potential release date.
#46
I'm already planning to bump up to Torque 3D once I've gotten the basics of coding and game construction figured out in TGB (Torque 2D).
02/10/2009 (9:38 am)
When's Torque 3D estimated for release?I'm already planning to bump up to Torque 3D once I've gotten the basics of coding and game construction figured out in TGB (Torque 2D).
#47
I do not understand your references to Crytek, Unreal and ID in your presentation (under "what engines?" )
03/02/2009 (5:50 am)
I'm very interested by your engines and web plugin, but I do not understand your references to Crytek, Unreal and ID in your presentation (under "what engines?" )
#48
03/02/2009 (6:10 am)
Not sure where the piece you are commenting on is located, but IA is technology neutral. If you licensed ID Tech 5, Unreal 3, or Crytek and have the source or could interact with the IA API, it could work in a browser. IA is not tied to any specific technology. However, your game requirements may be tied to extremely specific tech.
#49
For information, i'm commenting the part of this page : http://technology.instantaction.com/ and reproduced in this news, at the left-bottom of this div "Bring it to the Browser".
03/03/2009 (6:01 am)
Ok so the plugin isn't linked only with TGEA engine by ex. I have my answer Thanks.For information, i'm commenting the part of this page : http://technology.instantaction.com/ and reproduced in this news, at the left-bottom of this div "Bring it to the Browser".
Torque 3D Owner Brett Seyler
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