Very new to TorqueX 2D... looking for the right tutorial
by Kyle Keene · in Torque X 2D · 06/25/2009 (3:28 pm) · 8 replies
I'm trying to make a simple platformer. But I'm not exactly sure where to start. I've done some of the tutorials that was included in the documentation for Torque X 2D, but those aren't really what I'm looking for. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the tutorials don't include a simple way to make a character jump, add proper gravity, and get basic platformer physics. So that's what I need. I just need the very basics of making a player jump among other things that a platformer should do. So if someone could point me in the right direction, it would be most appreciated.
#2
06/25/2009 (5:59 pm)
I had heard about that but I wasn't really looking for a kit. I'd rather have a basic tutorial on platforming. I get a little confused when I have an entire kit to deal with because I'm not sure what to look in first. I know what I'm looking for, but I don't know where to look. But I guess if it's the only way to learn some platforming skills then I'll take a crack at it.
#3
It's amazing to me how a place like GG can get away with completely incorrect/misleading information posted on their site when a place as simple as the local grocery store could face steep fines for advertising a product in a flier incorrectly or even putting an incorrect price on an item on the shelf.
Stay away from the PSK unless you have VS 2005 or feel comfortable downloading and installing this outdated VS version from a third party site.
06/25/2009 (8:54 pm)
Let's not throw around "easily upgraded". In the current state, the PSK cannot even be "installed" on your machine unless you have Visual Studio 2005 Express, which is no longer available for download from the official MS site. Personally, I think that garagegames should pull the item from the site until it is update to work with Visual Studio 2008, or at least put a note on the system requirements about needing the outdated version to install the kit. It seems, however, that garagegames gets away with selling things that do not function and/or misrepresenting products pretty consistently. Case in point, the system requirements for TX2D were published as needing VS 2008 for "months" before they actually released a version that was actually compatible with VS 2008.It's amazing to me how a place like GG can get away with completely incorrect/misleading information posted on their site when a place as simple as the local grocery store could face steep fines for advertising a product in a flier incorrectly or even putting an incorrect price on an item on the shelf.
Stay away from the PSK unless you have VS 2005 or feel comfortable downloading and installing this outdated VS version from a third party site.
#4
Anyway, if anyone has a simple (very simple) platformer sample or a platformer tutorial just to help me get started, it would be very much appreciated. I know I asked this in my first post but I really need somthing like this to help me out.
06/29/2009 (9:53 am)
I was able to download and install this PSK and I have VS 2008. So I'm not sure why everyone says it doesn't even install, but I have had one problem with it so far. When I try to save my project in TX2D with the platformer demo, my system gives me an error saying "ContentNodeGenerator.exe has stopped working". I have no idea what thats about so if anyone could help out, it would be nice. By the way, I was following the tutorial that came with the PSK and I got this error. I do not know if this is something that has to do with PSK not being compatible with VS 2008 like everyone says, or if I just did somthing wrong in the tutorial or what. Anyway, if anyone has a simple (very simple) platformer sample or a platformer tutorial just to help me get started, it would be very much appreciated. I know I asked this in my first post but I really need somthing like this to help me out.
#5
I presume you mean you get the contentnodegenerator error when saving a scene in TXB. If so, when a scene is saved in TXB, it also updates the txproj file and tries to update the Content.contentproj file in the data directory. That's what allows you to drag images into TXB or create a new scene, save it, then see the VS content folder updated when you return to that program. TXB barfs if there are files in data that are set to compile and can't be, or if there are files with no settings that still can't be compiled.
For me, I found this to be the case with audio. If you have an XACT project in data, the WAV files need to be there, too, because XACT looks for them relative to the location of the XAP file. The existance in data of WAV files is what causes the crash. To fix this, add the XAP file and all WAV files to the content folder in the VS solution explorer as existing items. The XAP project should have it properties correct already, but check in the properties pane.
It should have set: Build Action -> Compile, Content Importer and Processor should be XACT Project - XNA Framework, and finally, Copy to Output Directory -> Do Not Copy.
However, for each WAV file, you will probably need to manually set the properties. Select all WAVs in the solution explorer, right-click, and select Properties. Set as follows: Build Action -> None and Copy to Output Directory -> Do Not Copy.
This will tell the system to ignore those files when updating the contentproj file.
The crash will also happen if the properties are not correct for txscene files (levels). This sometimes happens if you import a pre-created txscene into your project. Each txscene's properties should be set as: Build Action -> None and Copy to Output Directory -> Copy if newer. If it was set to Compile, the crash happens because it doesn't know how to compile it (and they are only supposed to be copied to the output directory, anyway).
Hope that helps (and makes sense).
06/29/2009 (10:29 am)
@Kyle:I presume you mean you get the contentnodegenerator error when saving a scene in TXB. If so, when a scene is saved in TXB, it also updates the txproj file and tries to update the Content.contentproj file in the data directory. That's what allows you to drag images into TXB or create a new scene, save it, then see the VS content folder updated when you return to that program. TXB barfs if there are files in data that are set to compile and can't be, or if there are files with no settings that still can't be compiled.
For me, I found this to be the case with audio. If you have an XACT project in data, the WAV files need to be there, too, because XACT looks for them relative to the location of the XAP file. The existance in data of WAV files is what causes the crash. To fix this, add the XAP file and all WAV files to the content folder in the VS solution explorer as existing items. The XAP project should have it properties correct already, but check in the properties pane.
It should have set: Build Action -> Compile, Content Importer and Processor should be XACT Project - XNA Framework, and finally, Copy to Output Directory -> Do Not Copy.
However, for each WAV file, you will probably need to manually set the properties. Select all WAVs in the solution explorer, right-click, and select Properties. Set as follows: Build Action -> None and Copy to Output Directory -> Do Not Copy.
This will tell the system to ignore those files when updating the contentproj file.
The crash will also happen if the properties are not correct for txscene files (levels). This sometimes happens if you import a pre-created txscene into your project. Each txscene's properties should be set as: Build Action -> None and Copy to Output Directory -> Copy if newer. If it was set to Compile, the crash happens because it doesn't know how to compile it (and they are only supposed to be copied to the output directory, anyway).
Hope that helps (and makes sense).
#6
06/29/2009 (11:02 am)
<removed by poster>
#7
Did you also already have VS 2005 installed on your system, or even just legacy registry entries that point to a "previous" install of VS 2005?
OR
@GG
Has the PSK been updated to install for VS 2008?
I purchased it a month or so ago and had to ask for a refund because it would just plain "not install" unless VS 2005 was present on my system. If it's been updated, it might make sense to advertise that fact...
07/07/2009 (3:52 am)
@KyleDid you also already have VS 2005 installed on your system, or even just legacy registry entries that point to a "previous" install of VS 2005?
OR
@GG
Has the PSK been updated to install for VS 2008?
I purchased it a month or so ago and had to ask for a refund because it would just plain "not install" unless VS 2005 was present on my system. If it's been updated, it might make sense to advertise that fact...
#8
The TX Platformer kit is now available as 3.0 which works with VS 2008, but again you need to have the Express version installed or the PSK install rolls back just before finishing.
07/14/2009 (2:35 pm)
@AddisonThe TX Platformer kit is now available as 3.0 which works with VS 2008, but again you need to have the Express version installed or the PSK install rolls back just before finishing.
Torque Owner Jake Davis