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Welcome Back GarageGames!

by Eric Preisz · 01/20/2011 (4:27 am) · 553 comments






You've been patiently waiting and the time has come. GarageGames is back! We've changed our name back to GarageGames and we are dropping the prices on all products to $99.00 to celebrate our new direction and return to our indie roots. It's been a storied ten years for the GarageGames name and we are looking forward to ushering in the next decade.

The return of GarageGames is much more than a $99 price point. It's a commitment to the community who grew with us over the years. It's a return to the values that brought people together to make great games without the burden of unbearable pricing or royalties. Our community is a diverse group of people who are willing and able to help each other grow as game developers and we can't wait to take that community to the next level. So before I dive into details, let's put some stakes in the ground:

We are committed to delivering you a full source solution without royalties at a price that indies can afford,

We are committed to a better out of the box experience: more intuitive tools focused on design, better tutorials and documentation, and web-site updates that support our most valuable feature…our community,

We are committed to bringing in more talent that can help us execute reliable processes, provide better quality, and set higher standards that exceed your expectation ( btw…we are hiring ).

You will find real evidence of our commitments scattered through this site that we updated late last night. The most obvious is the $99.00 price tag. We believe that this price makes the Torque product line available to everyone with a serious itch to make a game without opening the flood gates for free users who may not be as committed to the same goals as paid developers who rely on our support in the forums. You will notice that we are sun-setting TorqueX and providing refunds to those who pre-ordered iTorque 3D. We know that what we need more than anything is a more focused roadmap and these choices are a difficult, but necessary, step in that direction. You can find more product updates on this blog.

You may be wondering who the new owners are. First off, they are modest, so they asked that I not make them the focus of this blog. I'm guessing; however, that you do want to know that we are in good hands. Trust me...we are. Over the past couple of weeks I talked with dozens of interested parties but none of their values aligned as closely as they do with Graham Software Development. I can't thank them enough for suggesting and supporting the low price-point and the resurgence of the GarageGames brand. These guys are just like us; they are indie developers with the drive and desire to build something that changes the way people make games.

There's a lot for us to do. Setting and achieving a new, higher standard for game development tools won't happen overnight. On top of that challenge, we are switching over to new services ( web hosting, payment processing, etc. ) and moving into a new building (we are staying in Vegas, just moving to a bigger location ). We are also hiring and will be adding new people to the team ( did I mention that we are hiring? ). So you may see a few fresh company faces in the forums. Because of these moving pieces, you may notice the occasional web-site glitch or other disruption. So thanks, in advance, for your patience as we make these changes.

In closing, I can’t thank you enough for sticking with us during this time. The team stayed together through the transition and I can't help but think that your enthusiasm and kind words played a big role in making that happen. We look forward to meeting our new goals so that we can continue to deliver on the promise of bringing royalty free, full-source, game engines to everyone!

So let’s hear it in the comments. It's time to make some noise for GarageGames!

~Eric Preisz
CEO, GarageGames, LLC.

About the author

Manager, Programmer, Author, Professor, Small Business Owner, and Marketer.

#501
01/27/2011 (11:32 am)
@Andrew There is a company called AUTODESK do a search for free upgrades there.
#502
01/27/2011 (11:43 am)
If anybody wants an upgrade they should contact the people at http://www.iac.com/ these are the people you bought your product from.

I swear people always demand stuff they dont deserve free upgrades from a company who has nothing to do with the product they bought

Other people would only be happy if other people are as miserable as they are, these are the poeple who demand that nobody else should ever get a good deal because they paid more... miserable people...

#503
01/27/2011 (12:05 pm)
@Bloodknight: Autodesk ha. But even Autodesk offered XSI users a special upgrade deal when they took over Softimage. Ha. So your reasoning is that because IAC went bust the new owners don't owe loyalty / responsibilty to the old customer base? I've sold my company in the past, and the customer base was the reason for the sale... same goes for GG... think about it. Your statement makes no sense, I thought the new GG is claiming to be different... putting the users first... being less corporate... and I think they are. But they have made a bit of a mistake, not on purpose because they thought they would please everbody. But not everybody is happy, binary users. I am sure the upgrade issue will get sorted out in time. Binary users need a fair upgrade ( binary to pro ) path... I am sure we will get it. It has nothing to do with being miserable... I am but it has nothing to do with this, ha.
#504
01/27/2011 (12:09 pm)
Best news all year, been anxious of posting, but this news is too big not to and late is better than never.

Epic week with no more redirecting after typing www.garagegames.com

And had been thinking of getting some binary studio licenesses for awhile.
#505
01/27/2011 (12:12 pm)
@GG: Will there be a "last day" announcement for this special pricing? I want to make sure I don't miss out on this incredible opportunity. I need to know my options (stick up a 7/11, sell all my possessions on ebay, etc etc).
#506
01/27/2011 (12:13 pm)
I think I see The one fellers point.

As binary users we are now no longer able to receive any updates at all. So this leaves us in a sort of hostage situation I guess is the best way to put it. Either we fork more cash over or we are stuck with an incomplete product, as stated earlier binary would no longer be offered. So in a sense, us binary owners are being forced to purchase a product that we may not need, nor want.

IE: I really do not need nor do I really want the source. So I am stuck with an incomplete unsupported product.

This post is in no way being done out of anger or anything.
#507
01/27/2011 (12:23 pm)
@Aaron
Yes whenever the end of this sale happens we will be giving plenty of notice that it will be ending. Unless you go for a month or two at a time without visiting the site then you won't need to worry about logging in one day to find the sale over without knowing ahead of time.

@LJC
We never said binary users aren't getting updates. That may be were some of the unhappy feelings for some are coming from since we didn't specifically state it. Binary users are absolutely getting 1.1 Final when we get it out the door.
#508
01/27/2011 (12:35 pm)
@Scott, i do feel for the binary users to some degree, but i think that the statement you made just now hasnt been made clear enough, especially in light of the original announcement that mentions the products no longer being... produced, perhaps a bulk mailing to all owners of all products stating whats going on to each product
#509
01/27/2011 (12:37 pm)
@LJC

Hmm. Sorta. Maybe. You have to "upgrade" when previous pro users get a "free" upgrade to 1.1. (If we do.) I take issue with the description of "incomplete, unsupported" though. Still supported far's I know. Was complete as of day it was sold. Still as complete now, 1.1's expected but no date yet. [[Edit: and the man with the avatar equiped for office warfare has clarified... I was even under that misimpression. I like life...]]

Aannd at the other end of the spectrum there are some few pro users saying they're stung by the price drop and wish they could get more, too. Want more preferential treatment for long term loyalty.


From where I sit...
I see a pattern where everybody who's unhappy about the new prices, regardless of what they did or did not own before, wants something more for free. It's almost as if there's some hidden common economic principle to be discovered...
#510
01/27/2011 (12:49 pm)
@Steve

Quote:I also feel that studio licensing is irrelevant at $99. If you can't afford to "gamble" $99 on buying a license for someone who might quit your team, then in my opinion something is wrong with your business plan. Why would you want to pay $500 or $1000 for one studio license when you can buy a non-transferable one for $99?

I think the appeal is there for a small indie studio or startup maybe 1-2 people looking to expand on their own without a cash injection from an investor. First year is always the most difficult with the most money being spent within the first 6 months. Or a group of game students fresh out of Uni with a grand plan of forming a team, 6-10 licences at $99 will be very appealing, but how many of those will not see the project to the end and new team members required (maybe a quarter if not half will leave due to comitments or having to take on a job).

When I first started back in the days of TGE then TGEA, I was lucky - I used contractors who already had TGE/TGEA licences, or did the conversion work myself on those who did not have a licence. If I had to shell out 20 licences for each contractor who worked on a mini-project lasting a few weeks to a couple of months at a time I'd probably would have used up all my funds.
#511
01/27/2011 (1:48 pm)
Ok, I am SO going to be taking advantage of this. I already have Torque3D Pro and Torque2D Pro. Now is my chance to get the platform and iPhone/iPad stuff! Muahahahahahaha! Any word if Purelight is goinig to be knocked down in price?

boojum the brown bunny
#512
01/27/2011 (2:24 pm)
@Jeff

pL? Sweet looking add-on I'd love to get my hands on. My _guess_ is pureLIGHT tech isn't changing price, though. They haven't budged as other engines' prices varied.
#513
01/27/2011 (3:10 pm)
pL is a generic solution with support for more engines than T3D. You'll have to convince them why a discount would be better ;)
#514
01/27/2011 (3:28 pm)
Maybe if I make bambi eyes at them? and say PLEEEEEAAAASSSEEE? *giggle* Ok, maybe not. Still, it's perfect timing to get the things that I've been wanting.. tomorrow is payday!

Boojum the brown bunny
#515
01/28/2011 (8:35 am)
I recently bought a notebook, only to see it off the shelves a month later (replaced with next-gen hardware) Was I pissed? Sure. Does it matter? Absolutely not. These things happen in life, sometimes you buy things at the wrong time. Plain and simple. When I saw the $99 tag for T3D, I jumped at it. Not because I might touch the source (if ever) but because it sure is nice to have it. Now (at least) I do have the option to go in "there" should there be need to. Sorry that you (Andrew) feel this way, but I hope you realize (someday) that the $99 tag is/was a good move. One thing though, PhysX seems to be a real (insert word of choice) to get hold of.. Is there a way to add that SDK to the licensed customers of T3D (question for the GG folks) ? I know it could be hard getting approval from NVidia for this, but since they claim it is 100% free, I can't see why not?
#516
01/28/2011 (8:42 am)
@Michael
Only if we include the entire redistributable package. We cannot just pick and choose the DLL's. At least that was the last communication with them.
#517
01/28/2011 (2:30 pm)
@Michael - We are working with NVIDIA on redistributing PhysX. We need to get some legal work done to legally redistribute it.
#518
01/28/2011 (9:29 pm)
Awesome, Eric. They've got an OS X version now too, lurking somewhere. Hope you can get that looked at sometime too.
#519
01/30/2011 (1:58 pm)
Removed by moderator. If you are going to provide criticism, at least make it constructive. Vitriol is not appreciated. If you take exception from this moderation, send us an e-mail to moderators@garagegames.com
#520
01/30/2011 (2:47 pm)
@Eric or anyone from GG.

With this "re-invention" of Torque and Garagegames, are we likely to ever see some of the really cool stuff shown in the Torque 3D Dev blogs, like Wetness & Precipitation shaders, but mainly the Luma Racing Kit or all the worlds mde by Apparatus for the FPS Kit, which was also never released?