Why oh why - book version 1
by Rasmus Boserup · in Torque Game Engine · 07/20/2007 (1:08 pm) · 7 replies
So i just bought this book on amazon by following the link here on garagegames.com. The book arrived and i installed the cd-rom and started reading. The book is really amazing...except that NOTHING works.
Apparently i've recieved version 1 of the book - meaning that not a single one of the examples will run on my Vista PC. The TGE version used in the book i have is version 1.2, but i really didnt notice that until it was too late. I've been fiddling around with TGE version 1.5 and was kindda guessing the book was atleast at version 1.4 or something like that. But now i have a book where i cant use a single one of the examples. I wouldnt mind having to type in all the code in version 1.5 files - but i can't seem to find the console command "tge" (used for eg. "tge -ch2 helloworld.cs" in the book). When i run the version 1.2 examples i not only get an error message from Windows saying the program has crashed - but i also get graphical errors saying that i dont have an OpenGL, D3D or Vodoo 2 display device (im running on a Nvidia Geforce7800 with latest drivers).
So besides just being annoyed that i just wasted money on a book that used to be good....
I would like to know if anyone here knows if its possible to somehow emulate one of the above graphical drivers and/or perhaps an Windows XP environment? (I can't get the cmd.exe command to run emulated via Vistas inherent emulator), or tell me if there is some other way to possibly get Vista to work with TGE 1.2?
Man i hate Vista...sigh.
Thanks for the help,
PS: MAKE SURE YOU DONT BUY VERSION 1 OF THE BOOK FROM AMAZON!!! - find some other place to buy the new version....as far as i can see amazon dont even have the newest book?
Apparently i've recieved version 1 of the book - meaning that not a single one of the examples will run on my Vista PC. The TGE version used in the book i have is version 1.2, but i really didnt notice that until it was too late. I've been fiddling around with TGE version 1.5 and was kindda guessing the book was atleast at version 1.4 or something like that. But now i have a book where i cant use a single one of the examples. I wouldnt mind having to type in all the code in version 1.5 files - but i can't seem to find the console command "tge" (used for eg. "tge -ch2 helloworld.cs" in the book). When i run the version 1.2 examples i not only get an error message from Windows saying the program has crashed - but i also get graphical errors saying that i dont have an OpenGL, D3D or Vodoo 2 display device (im running on a Nvidia Geforce7800 with latest drivers).
So besides just being annoyed that i just wasted money on a book that used to be good....
I would like to know if anyone here knows if its possible to somehow emulate one of the above graphical drivers and/or perhaps an Windows XP environment? (I can't get the cmd.exe command to run emulated via Vistas inherent emulator), or tell me if there is some other way to possibly get Vista to work with TGE 1.2?
Man i hate Vista...sigh.
Thanks for the help,
PS: MAKE SURE YOU DONT BUY VERSION 1 OF THE BOOK FROM AMAZON!!! - find some other place to buy the new version....as far as i can see amazon dont even have the newest book?
#2
Im a complete noob at Torque and somewhat programming (which is why im still working with the demo version) - so could you please specify which .exe file i should rip over into the other directory? - at the moment im not really seeing any viable .exe files to use for compiling - again, i apologize for being a complete rookie here :-/
07/20/2007 (1:27 pm)
Thats what i have been trying to do - but im pretty sure im doing it wrong :-/Im a complete noob at Torque and somewhat programming (which is why im still working with the demo version) - so could you please specify which .exe file i should rip over into the other directory? - at the moment im not really seeing any viable .exe files to use for compiling - again, i apologize for being a complete rookie here :-/
#4
If you want a book that has solid (working) example scripts, get Game Programmer's Guide to Torque. That author keeps his errata up to date, and that book's scripts are better in the first place. Plus, it was written with TGE version 1.4.
07/20/2007 (2:28 pm)
I'm fairly sure I bought version 1 of this book as well. I encountered exactly the same stuff: the example scripts were filled with errors. Here's a tip: skip all the example scripts in the book, don't even bother trying to run them. Read the text and information, as that's generally quite good.If you want a book that has solid (working) example scripts, get Game Programmer's Guide to Torque. That author keeps his errata up to date, and that book's scripts are better in the first place. Plus, it was written with TGE version 1.4.
#5
First:
I've tried creating a helloworld file (as written in the books tutorial) and put it in the Torque Game Engine 1.5.2 Demo directory.
Then i went to the windows command console and browsed to the directory. Here i typed the following command: "demo helloworld.cs" - this leads to nothing happening.
If i type "demo -console helloworld.cs" it seems to run and a windows opens which has some graphics in it and some buttons to take a virtual tour or buy TGE....but i dont get the Hello World output anywhere. When i look in the log i can see that everything runs smoothly without errors (compared to the version 1.2) except i get a bunch of texture errors that wont load:
"Could not locate texture: demo/client/ui/buttons/features"
I've checked those directories and the textures seem to be there...so i dont know why the errors are there.
I might simply be using the wrong commands or something to use the TGE engine? - the book says i need to write tge and ive tried switching the "tge" with "demo"...but as mentioned im not getting the proper output.
Secondly:
I've tried copying the demo.exe file to the 3DGPAi1 directory created by the books CD installer.
When running the demo command on any of the scripts here the compiler seems to run but then the program crashes and windows shuts it down.
I can see in the log that it now - compared to the "tge" command - activates D3D. Some of the files seem to compile fine but i get around 10 errors along the line of:
"exec: Found an old DSO (common/ui/defaultProfiles.cs.dso, ver 33 < 36), ignoring.
Compiling common/ui/defaultProfiles.cs...
Loading compiled script common/ui/defaultProfiles.cs.
exec: Found an old DSO (common/ui/GuiEditorGui.gui.dso, ver 33 < 36), ignoring.
Compiling common/ui/GuiEditorGui.gui...".
Again i am not getting the "Hello World" output anywhere....
Im completely baffled now...dont know where to go from here.
But thanks for all the help guys, its very much appreciated.
07/20/2007 (3:04 pm)
Okay so i've tried the following things - and i might not be using the engine right since im just following the processes mentioned in the (old) book..First:
I've tried creating a helloworld file (as written in the books tutorial) and put it in the Torque Game Engine 1.5.2 Demo directory.
Then i went to the windows command console and browsed to the directory. Here i typed the following command: "demo helloworld.cs" - this leads to nothing happening.
If i type "demo -console helloworld.cs" it seems to run and a windows opens which has some graphics in it and some buttons to take a virtual tour or buy TGE....but i dont get the Hello World output anywhere. When i look in the log i can see that everything runs smoothly without errors (compared to the version 1.2) except i get a bunch of texture errors that wont load:
"Could not locate texture: demo/client/ui/buttons/features"
I've checked those directories and the textures seem to be there...so i dont know why the errors are there.
I might simply be using the wrong commands or something to use the TGE engine? - the book says i need to write tge
Secondly:
I've tried copying the demo.exe file to the 3DGPAi1 directory created by the books CD installer.
When running the demo command on any of the scripts here the compiler seems to run but then the program crashes and windows shuts it down.
I can see in the log that it now - compared to the "tge" command - activates D3D. Some of the files seem to compile fine but i get around 10 errors along the line of:
"exec: Found an old DSO (common/ui/defaultProfiles.cs.dso, ver 33 < 36), ignoring.
Compiling common/ui/defaultProfiles.cs...
Loading compiled script common/ui/defaultProfiles.cs.
exec: Found an old DSO (common/ui/GuiEditorGui.gui.dso, ver 33 < 36), ignoring.
Compiling common/ui/GuiEditorGui.gui...".
Again i am not getting the "Hello World" output anywhere....
Im completely baffled now...dont know where to go from here.
But thanks for all the help guys, its very much appreciated.
#6
the second thing you tried really shouldve worked. some of the functions may not work exactly as expected, but it shouldnt be crashing. torque is funny like that though. try restarting or something. there was a time where every time i ran the 1.5 exe it crashed and then it just all of a sudden stopped happening. so all I can say is keep trying. whatever you do, you definitely dont need to use the 1.2 version of the engine.
also I think it would be more helpful if you could identify the line or error message you think the engine printing when it crashes. but again, I've had the same problem, random crashes in 1.5 with no perceivable reason, and it just stopped happening eventually.
07/20/2007 (4:48 pm)
Well the first thing you tried isnt going to work properly because the demo folder and the gpai1 folder have different main.cs files. so unless you swap the main.cs files thats not going to work.the second thing you tried really shouldve worked. some of the functions may not work exactly as expected, but it shouldnt be crashing. torque is funny like that though. try restarting or something. there was a time where every time i ran the 1.5 exe it crashed and then it just all of a sudden stopped happening. so all I can say is keep trying. whatever you do, you definitely dont need to use the 1.2 version of the engine.
also I think it would be more helpful if you could identify the line or error message you think the engine printing when it crashes. but again, I've had the same problem, random crashes in 1.5 with no perceivable reason, and it just stopped happening eventually.
#7
I've tried pretty much everything i could think of now. Copying files around to fix errors etc. However everytime i get the system to run/compile it either crashs with a windows error or simply shows the demo screen and doesnt give me an output consistent with the run file.
So i've given up now - and it has really made me seriously consider if i want to invest money in the TGE. For if the errors aren't just something happening because of the books examples and code - then its a vista problem, and then i see no reason for spending money on the program.
But thanks for all the help.
Or and btw - as for the log files error messages. It doesnt produce any error messages. It just compiles everything and then i get the windows error message which doesnt show in the log....
07/21/2007 (12:38 pm)
Well thanks for all the help.I've tried pretty much everything i could think of now. Copying files around to fix errors etc. However everytime i get the system to run/compile it either crashs with a windows error or simply shows the demo screen and doesnt give me an output consistent with the run file.
So i've given up now - and it has really made me seriously consider if i want to invest money in the TGE. For if the errors aren't just something happening because of the books examples and code - then its a vista problem, and then i see no reason for spending money on the program.
But thanks for all the help.
Or and btw - as for the log files error messages. It doesnt produce any error messages. It just compiles everything and then i get the windows error message which doesnt show in the log....
Torque 3D Owner Sean H.