Method to the product madness?
by Todd Barron · in Torque Game Engine · 04/25/2006 (1:45 pm) · 3 replies
I'm very interested in the RTS-SK project, TGE, and TSE. One thing keeps nagging me about the posts and responses though is it seems that GG is all over the board direction-wise....jack of all trades so to speak but masters of none.
How do you prioritize what gets actually completed? I've read several posts with "it's coming soon (and still not out a year later.)" Is there a product management strategy? Or do you just pick up things to work on randomly and put out stuff whenever? For instance, why create a new TGS instead of putting it into TGE (eg, abstract the rendering code so you can work on enhancements without trashing the whole system)? Why not roll RTS-SK into the base TGE? Why not include 2D functionality into TGE instead of making T2D? The overlap between projects is quite substantial. It seems that you would benefit by focusing on one polished and functional engine instead of working on many variations.
Not trying to be harsh here, just observations from an experienced developer but new buyer (of TGE/TSE/RTS-SK). I understand I haven't been around here for a while so may have missed the message somewhere about how things are run at GG. Curious mainly.
How do you prioritize what gets actually completed? I've read several posts with "it's coming soon (and still not out a year later.)" Is there a product management strategy? Or do you just pick up things to work on randomly and put out stuff whenever? For instance, why create a new TGS instead of putting it into TGE (eg, abstract the rendering code so you can work on enhancements without trashing the whole system)? Why not roll RTS-SK into the base TGE? Why not include 2D functionality into TGE instead of making T2D? The overlap between projects is quite substantial. It seems that you would benefit by focusing on one polished and functional engine instead of working on many variations.
Not trying to be harsh here, just observations from an experienced developer but new buyer (of TGE/TSE/RTS-SK). I understand I haven't been around here for a while so may have missed the message somewhere about how things are run at GG. Curious mainly.
About the author
#2
ADD: TGB is a full on GG project with an internal TGB team etc :) Melv still hacks away and amazingly adds in loads of stuff overseas... and it still is his baby.
04/25/2006 (2:05 pm)
Well I personally like having everything seperate in some way. That way the price of a single engine doesn't have to be jacked up to be valued with the rest of the engines and products. So instead of asking like $1,000 or so, you can pick and choose what you want and throw them together. Not everyone wants TSE, not everyone wants TGB, and not everyone wants the RTS Kit.ADD: TGB is a full on GG project with an internal TGB team etc :) Melv still hacks away and amazingly adds in loads of stuff overseas... and it still is his baby.
#3
For one thing, GG doesn't develop randomly, they do in fact have a structure of how they work on things. All improvements and fixes are prioritized and then worked on in that fashion.
They choose not to work on one MEGA-ENGINE with everything in it because frankly, they would have to AT LEAST triple the cost for the engine, and if someone wasn't going to use all of the functionality of TGE,TSE,TGB, and RTS-SK...they pretty much wasted their money on what they didn't need. So, compartmentalizing their engines into sections like they do allow people to choose what functionality they are going to want and then pay for it only, without having to pay for advancements they may not want or use.
Also, like Harold pointed out, some products aren't directly the cause of GG. the RTS-SK was started by Ben Garney, and then adapted by GG. TGB was similarly started by Melv, and then brought in-house by GG.
So, though their actions seem random and nebulous to you, they are in fact for very good reasons...hope this clears some things up for you!!
04/25/2006 (2:15 pm)
Well, the answer to this I suppose is complicated. For one thing, GG doesn't develop randomly, they do in fact have a structure of how they work on things. All improvements and fixes are prioritized and then worked on in that fashion.
They choose not to work on one MEGA-ENGINE with everything in it because frankly, they would have to AT LEAST triple the cost for the engine, and if someone wasn't going to use all of the functionality of TGE,TSE,TGB, and RTS-SK...they pretty much wasted their money on what they didn't need. So, compartmentalizing their engines into sections like they do allow people to choose what functionality they are going to want and then pay for it only, without having to pay for advancements they may not want or use.
Also, like Harold pointed out, some products aren't directly the cause of GG. the RTS-SK was started by Ben Garney, and then adapted by GG. TGB was similarly started by Melv, and then brought in-house by GG.
So, though their actions seem random and nebulous to you, they are in fact for very good reasons...hope this clears some things up for you!!
Torque Owner Harold "LabRat" Brown
The Torque 2D aka TGB was a project by One person Melv May (not a GG's employee BTW)
TGB has gotten official GG's backing, but you must remember it is still the product of someone who is not a GG's employee.