Blog for Derek Bronson at GarageGames.com

3rd Party Product Update - August 2008

Derek Bronson — 2008-08-12T00:11:45+00:00

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting me, I manage all the 3rd party products you see on the Content Packs and Developer Tools section of the website. Since taking this job I have had the pleasure of meeting awesome people from all over the world (such as Chris Robertson, Phillip O'Shea and Jeff Faust just to name a few) and helping them deliver their content to other game developers in the community. I'm going to try to get one of these .plans out regularly to update everyone on the cool stuff I'm working on and the new products that have hit our stores.

Awesome New Products

AFX update to TGEA - Earlier this month Jeff Faust released AFX for TGEA 1.7.1! Jeff has been working hard on squishing bugs from the beta and now has a super solid release available for free to all AFX for TGEA users. For those of you who haven't played around with AFX, it features awesome spell effects, dynamic lights mounted on weapons, dynamic target selections and complex explosions. The end result are beautiful spellcasting and special effects like those seen in Everquest II and World of Warcraft.

Houdini - Not too long ago we unveiled Houdini for Indies. Houdini is a powerful 3D art tool, with an easy-to-use pathway into Torque, all available at an Indie friendly price of $99. Houdini recently unveiled Mac support that includes the exporter to Torque. Now all you crazy Apple users have a straightforward pipeline to get your art into your game.

Male Advanced Character Kit - BrokeAss Games, the creators of RUIN Online, have decided to release some of their MMO tech for use by other Indies. The Male Advanced Character Kit (M.A.C.K. for short) features a fully animated character that includes mesh hiding and texture swapping all within the editor. This allows people to create characters with hundreds of different options for clothing, armor, weapon, and skin. This is a must have for any MMO developers out there.

Angel Pack - Last month I talked about how these awesome artists have made their catalog of models available on the GG store. Just recently they released their latest model - an angel that comes with general animations as well as flying and sword drawing animations. The 3DGDA guys have also created a normal map and specular map to give it that next gen look in TGEA, all for less than $60.

Sticks and Twigs Environment Pack - Alan James and his son Kyle have released yet another awesome pack to the GG store. The Sticks and Twigs Environment Pack features 60+ trees, 50+ plants, 24+ types of rocks, 25+ skyboxes, 13 ambient audio tracks and 24 sample missions to show them off and help you get started. This is a crazy amount of art for your game and is available for only $30.

And Something for Everyone: Videos Support on GG.com!

We recently had our lead web dev Jacob Fike add video support to Markup Lite. This will allow you to post videos in your blogs and forum posts. I have updated the Markup Lite information link to reflect this. This should allow you to make your blogs look the way you want them to look with very little hassle.

Video Markup Lite Examples

Vimeo - To add a Vimeo video to your blog simply add the following tag [vimeo=##### width=# height=#]. The Vimeo number is the last thing displayed in the URL of a vimeo video. The width and height can be any ratio you like, but it must be entered as width first and height second. None of the video tags have a closing tag.

Viddler - Viddler is the most difficult of the three because they reroute the video and it is not displayed in the URL. The format is the same is Vimeo [viddler=##### width=# height=#] where width must come before height and there is no closing tag. To get the viddler number simply click the "Embed This" link, then toward the end of the code string you will find something like "name="viddler_c7ea3336", copy the portion after the underscore and use it for the Viddler number. Example: [viddler=c7ea3336 width=# height=#].

WeGame - WeGame is just like Vimeo [wegame=### width=# height=#]. The WeGame number can be found at the end of the URL for the video you want to post.

YouTube - YouTube is just like Vimeo and WeGame [youtube=### width=# height=#]. The YouTube number is a the end of the URL for the video you want to post.

edit: Removed bit about YouTube's quality, please see comments below

3rd Party Product Update - June 2008

Derek Bronson — 2008-06-24T21:52:29+00:00

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting me I manage all the 3rd party products you see on the Content Packs and Developer Tools section of the website. Since then I have had the pleasure of meeting awesome people from all over the world (such as Chris Robertson, Phillip O'Shea and Jeff Faust just to name a few) and helping them deliver their content to other game developers in the community. I'm going to try to get one of these .plans out every month to update everyone on the cool stuff I'm working on and what new products have hit our stores.

Awesome New Products
AFX update to TGEA - In December of 2007 Faust Logic released an update to ArcaneFX that allowed TGEA owners to take advantage of his awesome technology. Since then Jeff has been working diligently in keeping up with new TGEA versions. This product is one of the most impressive 3rd party add-ons to Torque that we have available. I recommend this to any developer who will need any sort of FX for their game. Just today Jeff released a new beta that is 1.7.1 compatible and can be found in your download links for all TGEA AFX owners.

Platformer Starter Kit - Phillip O'Shea converted the popular Platformer Starter Kit from Torque X to TGB. The TGB version of the kit has all the functionality of the original, plus takes advantage of the behavior system in TGB. Phillip is still working extra hard to enhance the performance as well as add new features to the kit.

Combat Starter Kit - Dave Young and Ashley Kelley have produced a huge starter kit for people looking to create a Battlefield inspired game. This pack contains over a years worth of work by a great team aiming to help other game developers get started. I can't even begin to start describing the amount of material in this kit and recommend that you read more about it here.

3DGDA - These guys do amazing character work and have added 5 different character models to the GG store. From Sci-Fi to Fantasy, if you want to populate your world with a good looking character model, then look no further.

Really Really Good Things Studio - Alan James and his son Kyle have released their entire line of products to GG devs through the GG store. Everything they do is top notch and their support and attitude makes them incredibly fun to work with. Both their Downtown District and Warehouse District packs provide over 20 assets each that create a great environment for your game levels. Great guys doing great things.

Digital Shock - The Sci-Fi Soldier pack is the first character pack available that takes advantage of TGEA's shader technology. A great addition to your next gen sci-fi game.

RTS Creature Pack - Ori Cohen has created a creature pack specifically aimed at RTS game development. Each model has been optimized to work within the RTS Starter Kit and help developers prototype their game.

Houdini - Houdini is now available for Torque users and features one of the best exporters we have to offer. This is a professional art tool being offered for indie game developers at an indie friendly price. Check out this other .plan for more info as well as this video showing the export process.

The Process: Getting Your Stuff on the GG Store
Obviously, the GG Store is built largely on the work that the community brings to the table. Without the additions that you guys make, we certainly wouldn't be as successful as we are today. So, in order to keep the good times rolling, I'd like to spend a minute to talk about what GG is looking to sell on the site, as well as answer a few common questions that pop up on the forums.

What kind of content should I create?
I get this question a lot, especially from highly talented artists. My recommendation is to stick to a style that you love or are comfortable with. Highly stylized stuff like Todd Pickens's work or Tim Aste's work tends to sell better than very generic models. Anything that had code additions also does well because it adds extra value to purchasers. From there I suggest theme packs or bundles of content that aim at a particular feel. Really good content will make a person want to make a game around it. Also, the store is severely lacking in content that takes advantage of TGEA's graphical capabilities, so having more content around that is very important to me right now.

I have great content. Now what do I do with it?
If you have something that's ready to be looked at, then by all means email it to me at derekb [at] garagegames [dot] com. I personally evaluate all submissions. We have both exclusive and non-exclusive publishing deals, and we always allow the creators to maintain control of their IP. This can be a great way to fund that dream game that you are making.

A Question for You
The feedback that I would really like to get is what you guys would like to see in our content pack and developer tools store. Keep in mind that I manage third party products, so please don't just list improvements you would like to see in the engine (although there are certainly places where you can do that). But if there are tools you would like to see or work with, starter kits you would like to see or anything else that you feel is missing from our add-on content please let me know.

I look forward to keeping you informed of the awesome 3rd Party Products we receive on a monthly basis. Cheers!

Houdini Apprentice HD Now Available!

Derek Bronson — 2008-06-12T17:40:16+00:00

Houdini is Now Available!
I am proud to announce that Houdini Apprentice HD is now available for purchase through the GG store for only $99. Houdini Apprentice HD has a Torque exporter built into it that makes getting your art assets into Torque a much smoother and easier process. Chris Robertson, the same man behind the Milkshape Exporter, has gone to extreme lengths to help professional and beginner artists alike set their art up properly for use in the Torque Engines. This is the best exporter currently available for Torque.

A Little Bit About Houdini
For those of you who may have never heard of Houdini or Side Effects I wanted to give a little background on this awesome tool. Established in 1987 Side Effects has been an industry leader in 3D animation and digital effects for film. Houdini has been used in more than 5000 shots and in over 200 feature films, including blockbusters like Transformers, Spider-Man 3 and Beowulf. Chances are, if you are seeing awesome digital effects, Houdini is behind it. In version 9 Side Effects has really strived to create an easy-yet-powerful tool that is available for the masses.

Why Houdini?
I touched on this subject in my last .plan but wanted to illustrate it again. One of my jobs as the 3rd Party Product Manager is to find tools and technology that make using Torque a much easier and gratifying process. One of the main issues that people have is getting their art assets into Torque, and even when they find a decent solution, most industry-grade art tools cost thousands of dollars. Houdini provides an industry proven software package, available for indie game development for only $99. One of the main reasons I have enjoyed working with Side Effects and bringing Houdini to the Torque community is that they really understand the concept of putting powerful tools in the hands of indies and beginners. This tool can be used to create commercial games under the same indie licence that the Torque engines use, making it the perfect art tool to use in conjunction with Torque.

Moving Forward
I want to emphasize that this is just the beginning of where we want to take our art pipeline and our relationship with Houdini. We are trying to do what we can for the artist community so any feedback you guys can provide would be great. You can post on the Houdini Forums or email me directly at DerekB at GarageGames.com. Enjoy Houdini!

Houdini Exporter Beta

Derek Bronson — 2008-03-18T18:35:06+00:00

Time for Some Art Pipeline Love
We just recently created an exporter (by we I mean Chris Robertson) for Side Effects' Houdini 3D art app and are looking for some beta testers to put it through the gauntlet. Information on Houdini and why you should be a Houdini tester are in the paragraphs below. For more information on Houdini click here. Email me if you're interested.

A Little Bit of History
One of my jobs as the 3rd Party Manager is to track down resources that make using Torque a better experience. One of the most frustrating and confusing parts of making a game with Torque was getting art into your game world. On top of this, industry-grade art tools cost thousands of dollars to use. So I set out to find a professional quality tool, make it work with Torque and provide a non-stripped down version on an Indie budget. That journey led me to Houdini.

Why Houdini?
From the very first conversation I had with Side Effects it was very clear they held the same Indie philosophy that GarageGames has: providing professional level tools to the masses. Houdini Apprentice HD is a non-commercial use license of their full Houdini package, priced at $99. There are no features stripped out. This means that an Indie, hobbyist or beginner can begin using a professional level tool without having to pay expensive commercial fees upfront. Houdini has proven itself in the film space with such films as Beowulf, Transformers, Resident Evil: Extinction and Spider-Man 3, just to name a few. They have been looking to get into the game space for a while and were just waiting for the perfect opportunity, i.e. GarageGames.

Why Should I Be a Tester?
I know what you're asking yourself: "Why should I use Houdini when I'm already comfortable with [insert another art tool here]?" I have two responses to that: A) Houdini is an awesome tool that is intuitive and fun to use, has good documentation and could be a better experience than what you are currently using, and B) This exporter is much more than just another art exporter. I am very serious about making our art pipeline a smooth experience because I think there are few things as rewarding as seeing your game come to life visually. We are using the Houdini Exporter as a test bed for how we want to create our future exporters. The feedback that comes out of this beta will go a long way to improving the art pipeline for not only Houdini, but for our engines as a whole.

Qualifications
I'm looking for people that are either a TGE or TGEA license holder, since Houdini is a 3D art app. I'm also looking for people of all experience levels. Ideally I would like to see both beginners and experienced artists using this tool to help us identify how we can make your life easier. If this sounds like something you're interested in, send your GG account name, artist experience and Torque experience to derekb AT garagegames DOT com. This testing period will get you free access to Houdini Apprentice HD and let you play a key role in determining how this product is developed. We'll be accepting only 20 people for this testing, so the sooner you get your info in, the better.

Cheers,
Derek

Rainy Day Tutorial

Derek Bronson — 2008-01-24T03:07:43+00:00

Howdy Everyone.

I popped into the forums here and there but haven't formally introduced myself. I manage all the 3rd party content you see in the content packs/developer tools section of GG.com. I recently had the pleasure of working with Jeff Faust in releasing his awesome new AFX tech for TGEA, which if you haven't checked it out yet is simply amazing. I have some other cool projects coming down the pipe so keep your eyes open. Also, if you're sitting on some amazing stuff that you'd love to sell to the GG community, feel free to shoot me an email.

In order to do my job a little better I figured it was about time to get some scripting skillz (like many of you I would love to create my own games). I tore through the existing TGB tutorials and then plowed through all the Torque X tutorials. Once that was finished, I wanted to see if there was any way I could give back to the community and help other beginners Torque users out. So without further ado I present to you the Rainy Day tutorial from Torque X converted to TGB using behaviors. I had to change a few things here and there due to the difference between TXB and TGB, but the spirit of the tutorial remains. This tutorial will be included with the next release of TGB but I wanted to get it out to everyone early. Please check it out and if you could fill out the survey at the end it will help me and our documentation guys write better material for everyone.

If you come across any errors, stumbling blocks or just have some suggestions when it comes to tutorials and stuff you would like to see you can email me at derekb at garagegames.com.

This is just the first of many small beginner tutorials so keep your eyes posted and if you know of any awesome content or programs you would love to see up on GG.com let me know.

If you missed the link above the tutorial can be found Here. Enjoy!