Pre-Ordering TorqueX 3.0 3D

#1 Correct me if Im wrong with any of this.
Torque X, while having support for 3d, has mainly been a 2d engine thus far(documentation and builder wise). They only had a 2d builder and more recently a beta of the 3d builder. You can still d/l the torque x 2.0 demo, which is in the 2d section.

Anywho they keep saying soon because they are waiting on licensing from Microsoft. They got to fix it just like microsoft wants before they can legally release it, which the process is long and tedious and most of all not set.

#2 What have Microsoft got to do with it? Torque isn't a microsoft product and as far as I'm hearing from my friends at microsoft, they haven't asked for anything at all. It's a third party product and can only be used for creating community games not actual xna arcade games.

#3 They have to have Microsoft approve the final build as it is going to Creator Club members as well.

#4 Can you guys link to something where somebody from GG is saying this? The last info I saw said that inclusion with CC memberships was up in the air.

#5 I've heard only rumors about the whole Microsoft thing. Here's hoping the guys from GG don't stay so tight-lipped about everything.

#6

Quote:David Montgomery-Blake
Torque Owner
01/23/2009 (10:33 pm)
TX 3.0 is still undergoing certification from Microsoft. Until then, XNA 2.0 and TX 2.0 with Visual Studio 2005 are what need to be used.

Reference: www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/82725

#7 Does anyone know if you get access to the beta if you preorder TX3D?


I'm actually in a similar situation Jordan.

#8 I was also wondering the same. A beta would be better than nothing as this project is not going to market. At least not right now.

Are you doing an Xbox game as well, Greg?

#9 I pre-ordered and there are no downloads available for TX3D, so no beta version.

No disrespect to David Montgomery-Blake, but he's just a random Joe Blow user; it would be nice to hear from GG directly about the status of this product.

#10 http://www.garagegames.com/community/blogs/view/15255
Its pretty unstable in that release though.

#11 David Montgomery-Blake is a GG employee.

There was a beta period few months ago before it was finished and sent to Microsoft.

#12 Middleware that appears on the official MS partners page has to be vetted through their certification process. Anyone who has ever certified for a console knows that it can be a lengthy process, especially for middleware providers. I know that is has to be on our part because of the hand-shake agreements that we have with the Creator's Club side of XNA for 360 publication.

That might be why we are the only code partner on the page. The others content developers/providers: Allegorithmic, TurboSquid, and Autodesk.

EDIT: I do not know the vetting process for content providers.

@Wesc
No, there are currently no downloads available for TX 3D. It will be on your account as soon as we receive our certification.

#13 I assume the pre order price is for full source and if something is provided to Creators Club Members for free, it would only be the run-time? I'd be really upset to think I paid for something I'd get for free as a creators premium member?

Also, I'm a little confisued. TorqueX 2.0 supports 3D, but I assume TorqueX3D is more like TorqueX 3.0? I'm lead to believe its more of a full featured engine whereas the 2.0 version had some 3D support, but wasn't quite a full 3D engine. Is that right?

Thanks.

#14 And still no official word (or indeed an word at all!) from GG on what is happening to Torque X Pro owners. Seriously how does a company justify treating it's loyal customers like this?

#15 @Laurence
The codebase has been split between 2D and 3D functionality. There will not be overlap between the two. I believe that the CC version will still be the runtime and not have the source included.

@Peter
I'm not sure where you're coming from. I've answered a ton of questions, as have Deb, Brett, and Mich. Your account will be updated 3.0 when certification is finished.

#16 @David

I have Torque X Pro. Are you saying that I will now get TX2D and TX3D in my account once certification finishes?

That's the question I asked and I haven't seen anyone answer it. I just looked back through the forum threads and I still can't find where anyone has answered this question.

#17 In addition to what Peter has said, what is the status of the certification? You guys must have been given at least a rough date from Microsoft, or some updates on their progress. The whole "when its finished" date is extremely vague.

EDIT: PS. It says I'm a Torque Owner. Don't recall ever handing you guys any money, so don't let that title mislead you. I am a potential customer looking for answers.

#18 So there are two different TX engines now? Not just one engine/two editors? I thought I understood how this product was packaged, and now I'm confused. XNA is XNA whether you're doing 2d or 3d.

#19 @Peter - Even before the changeover you would have had to buy TX 3D Builder seperate. I think even if you have to buy it packaged, it is still the same price with source code as it was when it was a stand alone level editor.

@Wesc - I could be wrong on this... someone will probably be able to give official light, but I think it is the same as before except now when you buy an editor you get the source code. I doubt they're actually splitting the code up or anything like that especially since TX3.0 has been in certification longer than they changed the package offerings.

Brian

#20 @Brian

Ok in the interests of trying to clear this up before I go mad. This is a list of the Torque products I currently own. I purchased the TX Pro licence on the understanding that it would include the 3D components (go check my post history for proof).

Torque X Builder - Creators Club
Torque X Pro
Torque X 3D Beta
Torque X Platformer Kit
Torque X
Torque X Builder
Torque Constructor
TGB Adventure Kit
Torque Game Builder Pro
Jill Pack
Torque Game Engine Advanced
Torque Game Engine 1.4.2

So I'll simply ask this

What does my TX Pro license become now that the 2D and 3D components have been seperated into two seperate code bases?

Does it become TX2D source and TX3D source?

If not, why not?

It's that simply. This is all I've ever been asking. I can't seem to get a straight answer. The 3D builder, while nice, is irrelevant as anything it does can be hand coded anyway. If I find hand coding too much of a chore, then I'll probably invest in it. So saying that I would have needed to buy TX3D builder seperately regardless of which package I own means nothing to me as I never asked about 3D builder.