Before Puchasing
by Martin · in Torque Game Engine · 07/07/2006 (7:37 am) · 8 replies
Hello!
I am considering to buy Torque Game Engine, but I have some questions about it.
I've been doing some research on Torque Game Engine, and it seems like a very nice engine. But many questions has been raised inside my head. First off, I've heard that TorqueScript is rather poor, is this going to change? I wasn't planning to write an entire game in TorqueScript anyway, so it doesn't have much importance. But since the documentation was poor, and you fixed it, I thought that the scripting could use a change as well.
What are the big diffrences between the Indie license and the Commerical license? From what I've gathered it is that you cannot make more than 250 000$ annually to use the Indie license, and that you don't have to display the engine logo at the startup screen, which I greatly dislike. Are there any other big diffrences?
I also heard that no source code can be posted outside the private forums of Garage Games, this sounds like a suicidal weapon actually. It means that no external communities can exist, and that the Torque Developer Network must be very comprehensive and cover every aspect of the engine, is that what it is? Because of this, I can't preview any code, and I can't know what the syntax is like.
It probably sounds very negative, but apart from the topics I've taken up above, I really think that TGE is exactly what I want.
Regards,
Martin
I am considering to buy Torque Game Engine, but I have some questions about it.
I've been doing some research on Torque Game Engine, and it seems like a very nice engine. But many questions has been raised inside my head. First off, I've heard that TorqueScript is rather poor, is this going to change? I wasn't planning to write an entire game in TorqueScript anyway, so it doesn't have much importance. But since the documentation was poor, and you fixed it, I thought that the scripting could use a change as well.
What are the big diffrences between the Indie license and the Commerical license? From what I've gathered it is that you cannot make more than 250 000$ annually to use the Indie license, and that you don't have to display the engine logo at the startup screen, which I greatly dislike. Are there any other big diffrences?
I also heard that no source code can be posted outside the private forums of Garage Games, this sounds like a suicidal weapon actually. It means that no external communities can exist, and that the Torque Developer Network must be very comprehensive and cover every aspect of the engine, is that what it is? Because of this, I can't preview any code, and I can't know what the syntax is like.
It probably sounds very negative, but apart from the topics I've taken up above, I really think that TGE is exactly what I want.
Regards,
Martin
#2
Is what I've heard. Anyway, thanks for replying, I've read the indie EULA. But what about speed, have there been any comparisons between Torque and other engines?
07/07/2006 (8:55 am)
Quote:I tried the demo, and I really did not like it. Torquescript was just a pain in the ass.
Quote:However, TorqueScript is a really bad language... just... messy.
Is what I've heard. Anyway, thanks for replying, I've read the indie EULA. But what about speed, have there been any comparisons between Torque and other engines?
#3
EDIT: Everyone I've ever known who's attempted to learn TS has done so rather quickly, including artists with NO programming background at all. First time I'm really hearing complaints about it.
07/07/2006 (9:12 am)
Post a few that you'd like to compare to it in it's price range (sub $500) and I'll see what I can dig up.EDIT: Everyone I've ever known who's attempted to learn TS has done so rather quickly, including artists with NO programming background at all. First time I'm really hearing complaints about it.
#4
07/07/2006 (9:45 am)
I'm not complaining, I haven't even used it. I'm just quoting what other people has said, I don't know if it's true or not. I've already looked up the speed question now, and it seems like Torque is fast.
#5
The difference between the Indie and commercial lisence is that and indie is restricted to people making <$250,000 a year and you have to display a splash screen.
The reason none of the engines source-code is allowed to be posted outside the private forums/TDN is the same reason as the Doom 3 engine and Unreal engine - they wouldn't want people getiing lots of their sourcecode for free. Posting script is okay though, and the scripting language can be used to manipulate nearly anything in the engine.
07/07/2006 (6:11 pm)
Alot of people complaining about torquescript don't have much understanding of C syntax, anyone with any basic programming experience (even BASIC, UnreaScript, ZZT-OOP) will pick it up in a sinche, I know I did!The difference between the Indie and commercial lisence is that and indie is restricted to people making <$250,000 a year and you have to display a splash screen.
The reason none of the engines source-code is allowed to be posted outside the private forums/TDN is the same reason as the Doom 3 engine and Unreal engine - they wouldn't want people getiing lots of their sourcecode for free. Posting script is okay though, and the scripting language can be used to manipulate nearly anything in the engine.
#6
07/07/2006 (7:59 pm)
You could download the Essential Guide to Torque to get a better idea of how TGE and TorqueScript work. 
#7
The C++ source cannot be posted elsewhere, like most commercial engines (as Mincetro noted). The TorqueScript, however can be. This way you can have an active modding community for your title (should it become popular enough to get an active modding community).
07/08/2006 (9:16 am)
TorqueScript is a typeless C-styled language which anyone who has used other c-styled languages (JavaScript, Perl, C-Script, etc) should have little trouble learning. Working with the caveats of the language is a little different, just as every language has its own was of doing things. Often the people who complain about TorqueScript already have their pet language and do not like the way it deviates from their favorite. I see this on the A6 forums all the time in terms of C-Script as well. It is the "why isn't lanuage x like my favorite, language y?" syndrome. This happened when RPG Maker XP was released with Ruby as its scripting language. Many from the RPGM communities were unhappy with the complexity of the scripting engine or unhappy that Ruby had been chosen, and others were ecstatic that they could manipulate the engine in ways they had never been able to before. TorqueScript is definitely not my favorite scripting language out there, but it is an easy-to-learn functional language that lets you work and test your game logic without a recompile.The C++ source cannot be posted elsewhere, like most commercial engines (as Mincetro noted). The TorqueScript, however can be. This way you can have an active modding community for your title (should it become popular enough to get an active modding community).
Torque 3D Owner Jonathon Stevens
Heard this from where? TS is one of the best scripting languages I've seen. VERY easy to learn and use. And with tools like Torsion you can easily step through and debug the script, which ISN'T a common ability.
You've picked the main differences between the two licenses, but the EULAs are available on the produc spec pages for complete differences. Mostly, like you said, you can't make over $250k, you can't use it for ANYTHING other than game development (with indie license), you can't build any add-ons that you SELL with the indie license and you don't have to display the GG splash screen with the commercial license.
Source code is C++ code for the engine itself, not script. The syntax then, obviously, would be C++ syntax since that's the language used. This isn't open-source game engines, but engines that give YOU the PURCHASER access to source code.