TGB vs TGBX advice
by Matthew Shapiro · in Torque X 2D · 09/04/2007 (5:14 am) · 8 replies
I'm real sorry for this but I really could not find a good comparison anywheres. This forum also seems more active then the TGB forum so I am posting here.
I spent the last few days playing with TGB, and so far I like it. However, before I purchase it I am looking for some advice about if I should get TGB or TGBX. Both are the same price if I want source code. Here's the deal:
1) I'm not so much looking to make games for profit as much as I am interesting in making some fun small games in my free time.
2) I don't care much about cross-compatability. This includes XBox 360 as I don't currently own one (though I have been considering getting one)
3) I've never used XNA, however learning C# is not a big deal as I use the vb.net somewhat regularly (yes I know it's vb but my understanding is vb.net and c# are pretty similiar). I'd have to learn Torquescript for TGB anyway so I"m looking at learning a language either way (I do consider myself skillful at learning new languages). C# would probably be more useful for future things anyways.
#2 and #3 are the only real differences I can find. The only other different factors I have been able to find are that TGBX has a platform framework (something I would definitely buy but don't see an equivalent for TGB). Also torqueX having 3d in the future is also something that is intriguing (though I definitely want to start with 2d).
Are there any other real differences that I should be aware of?
Thanks a lot for any information you guys can give me.
I spent the last few days playing with TGB, and so far I like it. However, before I purchase it I am looking for some advice about if I should get TGB or TGBX. Both are the same price if I want source code. Here's the deal:
1) I'm not so much looking to make games for profit as much as I am interesting in making some fun small games in my free time.
2) I don't care much about cross-compatability. This includes XBox 360 as I don't currently own one (though I have been considering getting one)
3) I've never used XNA, however learning C# is not a big deal as I use the vb.net somewhat regularly (yes I know it's vb but my understanding is vb.net and c# are pretty similiar). I'd have to learn Torquescript for TGB anyway so I"m looking at learning a language either way (I do consider myself skillful at learning new languages). C# would probably be more useful for future things anyways.
#2 and #3 are the only real differences I can find. The only other different factors I have been able to find are that TGBX has a platform framework (something I would definitely buy but don't see an equivalent for TGB). Also torqueX having 3d in the future is also something that is intriguing (though I definitely want to start with 2d).
Are there any other real differences that I should be aware of?
Thanks a lot for any information you guys can give me.
#2
09/04/2007 (7:42 pm)
Excellent, thanks for the reply :) I'll go the Torque X route then.
#3
09/05/2007 (9:16 pm)
I should probably clarify that Torque X blows TGB out of the water *for now*. We have people working on the next round of our native tech and I have to say, it's pretty sweet.
#4
Tease :P
09/06/2007 (3:12 am)
Quote:
I should probably clarify that Torque X blows TGB out of the water *for now*. We have people working on the next round of our native tech and I have to say, it's pretty sweet.
Tease :P
#5
Something else regarding XNA...one thing I didn't like about using XNA was there were no redistributibles. This meant anyone who wanted to play your game also needed the XNA environment (installing C# Express and XNA environment) to run the game. Not sure if this has been resolved in the latest version, but if you want to have your family/friends play the games, you may find this a limiting factor. It was a factor for me, so I stopped using XNA and am waiting things out until the next version when it will also contain built-in integration in Visual Studio (right now you need to use C# Express).
I think this may be something coming for the next release. But again, I may be out of touch and it has already been resolved.
Having said that, I have not used Torque X, so I don't know to what extent anything I said is incorrect. I don't want to put false statements out there.
09/06/2007 (7:38 am)
Woah! Looking forward to hearing more! :-)Something else regarding XNA...one thing I didn't like about using XNA was there were no redistributibles. This meant anyone who wanted to play your game also needed the XNA environment (installing C# Express and XNA environment) to run the game. Not sure if this has been resolved in the latest version, but if you want to have your family/friends play the games, you may find this a limiting factor. It was a factor for me, so I stopped using XNA and am waiting things out until the next version when it will also contain built-in integration in Visual Studio (right now you need to use C# Express).
I think this may be something coming for the next release. But again, I may be out of touch and it has already been resolved.
Having said that, I have not used Torque X, so I don't know to what extent anything I said is incorrect. I don't want to put false statements out there.
#6
The XNA guys are pretty sharp, though, so I expect to see a working redist no later than XNA GS 2.0.
09/06/2007 (3:36 pm)
The last time I tried to use the redist, which was about two weeks ago, it didn't work. It seems like it's missing a dll or something. Either way, currently the only way to even run an XNA game is to install what the Microsoft guys at GameFest morbidly referred to as "the holy trinity" -> 'visual C# express', 'visual C# express SP1', and 'XNA GSE 1.0 refresh'.The XNA guys are pretty sharp, though, so I expect to see a working redist no later than XNA GS 2.0.
#7
Yes. I think I read the other day that 2.0 was supposed to contain redistributables, in addition to regular Visual Studio integration. I can't wait. Then I will definitely take another look at XNA.
I only bring this up for the original poster, in case any of these issues are a problem. Sounds like he just wants to try things out for personal use, so these issues may not be a factor.
....oh...to the original poster: C# is a blast! Since you already know VB.NET, you should already be familiar with many of the .NET Framework classes. The main issue for you will be learning the C# syntax, but that should be farly easy. Personally, C# is now my language of choice!
09/06/2007 (4:09 pm)
Yowza! I forgot about SP1 too. It's just too much to ask friends to install, so I shelved it until my concerns are addressed. Unfortunately, I lose out on learning all of the cool new tools and functionality which have come out over the last several months.Yes. I think I read the other day that 2.0 was supposed to contain redistributables, in addition to regular Visual Studio integration. I can't wait. Then I will definitely take another look at XNA.
I only bring this up for the original poster, in case any of these issues are a problem. Sounds like he just wants to try things out for personal use, so these issues may not be a factor.
....oh...to the original poster: C# is a blast! Since you already know VB.NET, you should already be familiar with many of the .NET Framework classes. The main issue for you will be learning the C# syntax, but that should be farly easy. Personally, C# is now my language of choice!
#8
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Guess it's good that TXB comes with TGB then :D
09/06/2007 (11:24 pm)
I should probably clarify that Torque X blows TGB out of the water *for now*. We have people working on the next round of our native tech and I have to say, it's pretty sweet.------------------------------------------
Guess it's good that TXB comes with TGB then :D
Torque Owner Thomas Buscaglia
The cons of Torque X are that it's limited to Win XP/Vista and XBox360 and it can be tricky to optimize managed code. Neither of those seem to be concerns of yours, so I would strongly suggest Torque X.
The one real downside of getting Torque X is that you won't have the source for the game builder, so if you ever need to make custom modifications to the editor for a game it could potentially be a little more difficult and you'd have to learn TorqueScript. The good news is if you buy Torque X Builder you'll get TGB binary also, so you'll have all the tutorials and stuff to help you learn Torque Script if you ever decide to.