Is T3d Capable of..
by Bhargav P · in Torque Game Engine Advanced · 04/29/2009 (5:45 am) · 13 replies
Is Torque 3d, the new version which is available for pre-sale, capable of making Sandbox type games like GTA IV? I know it doesn't have cool physics and particle effects, aswell as audio engine like GTA IV. But is it capable of smartly render building blocks that are seen by player (View distance) and delete them after the player is out of the area? Or, do the people who purchase it need to worry about the load on GPUs?
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#2
Actually, you don't even need sourcecode to do most of the sandbox gameplay, since 95% of gameplay mechanics can be implemented in script (source code coming in when you need to expose ticks or certain functions to script, or if you need to do specific things with networking or interface elements that you can't get out of scripting).
But generally, yes, most engines you get the source code to, or a thorough scripting language, are capable of just about any kind of gameplay. The question then revolves around whether or not the team working on the game is able to implement that gameplay.
05/02/2009 (2:15 pm)
Quote:Yes you can make sandbox games, or any kind of game using torque since you get the source code
Actually, you don't even need sourcecode to do most of the sandbox gameplay, since 95% of gameplay mechanics can be implemented in script (source code coming in when you need to expose ticks or certain functions to script, or if you need to do specific things with networking or interface elements that you can't get out of scripting).
But generally, yes, most engines you get the source code to, or a thorough scripting language, are capable of just about any kind of gameplay. The question then revolves around whether or not the team working on the game is able to implement that gameplay.
#3
Still what you really want is hierarchical occlusion queries at the scene graph level. This would not only save rendering objects, but it would also keep you from having to test every object for visibility.
That would take some knowledge and work to code, but it would be possible to modify Torque 3D to get it.
05/02/2009 (2:46 pm)
The good news is that Torque 3D now does have some initial support for hardware occlusion query. So it would be possible to hook those up to larger blockers like buildings and skip rendering alot of objects.Still what you really want is hierarchical occlusion queries at the scene graph level. This would not only save rendering objects, but it would also keep you from having to test every object for visibility.
That would take some knowledge and work to code, but it would be possible to modify Torque 3D to get it.
#7
05/09/2009 (3:28 pm)
@Bhargav: The same way you'd master any other skill: Practice, practice, practice. :-) 
#8
05/09/2009 (3:29 pm)
Quote:I know it doesn't have cool physics and particle effects, aswell as audio engine like GTA IV.Where do you get this from? T3D has openAl and is setup for an (almost) drop in fmod. T3D also has partles.
Quote:How can I master it?Study. plain and simple. Play with the default scripts, play with resources, read the books from the GG store that teach torque script.
#9
05/09/2009 (6:57 pm)
Thanks. I know that, I meant where can I learn it? Through documentations?
#10
Answer:
05/09/2009 (8:22 pm)
Quote:Thanks. I know that, I meant where can I learn it?
Answer:
Quote:Play with the default scripts, play with resources, read the books from the GG store that teach torque script.
#11
05/09/2009 (9:12 pm)
I think that just about everybody who has ever learned how Torque Script works has done so by following the example of the scripts before them, adding resources, etc. as already indicated. There are a few scripting basics explained in the Documentation, and if you know C++ then that is beneficial because TS syntax is similar -- if easier to use.
#12
05/10/2009 (9:53 am)
To add to what Michael just said, Reading the comments in the c++ code helps a lot as well. There are some really informative comments in that code.
#13
Any seamless-world game needs to be able to load and unload resources dynamically, based on camera position and available memory, while taking measures to prevent memory from becoming too fragmented in the process.
Also, there's the issue of managing the simulation updating for far away objects (or even their existence). I believe not even GTA IV keeps a list of every single person, car and movable/destructible object in the entire city in memory. It's necessary to manage how long an object is allowed to persist, spawn new objects when approaching a new zone, decide which objects get to update their simulations in a given frame/tick.
In short: a seamless world game has fairly complex technical requirements, which are far too game-specific to be bullet-point features for any multi-purpose engine. T3D offers you full source code, so you can code seamless world features into it, but such features will never be stock.
Now, you can make a "mini" sandbox, if you manage to keep make an environment that fits entirely into memory, with only an enhanced culling scheme (split world into zones, apply a lod level for entire zone based on camera position, instead of doing per-object checks, etc).
05/15/2009 (5:51 am)
They key thing to any GTA isn't the occlusion, but the resource management. Computers and (specially) consoles don't have infinite memory, so you cannot have the assets (models, textures, sounds) for every building and every object loaded in memory at once. Any seamless-world game needs to be able to load and unload resources dynamically, based on camera position and available memory, while taking measures to prevent memory from becoming too fragmented in the process.
Also, there's the issue of managing the simulation updating for far away objects (or even their existence). I believe not even GTA IV keeps a list of every single person, car and movable/destructible object in the entire city in memory. It's necessary to manage how long an object is allowed to persist, spawn new objects when approaching a new zone, decide which objects get to update their simulations in a given frame/tick.
In short: a seamless world game has fairly complex technical requirements, which are far too game-specific to be bullet-point features for any multi-purpose engine. T3D offers you full source code, so you can code seamless world features into it, but such features will never be stock.
Now, you can make a "mini" sandbox, if you manage to keep make an environment that fits entirely into memory, with only an enhanced culling scheme (split world into zones, apply a lod level for entire zone based on camera position, instead of doing per-object checks, etc).
Torque 3D Owner Sean H.