How should we promote T3D?
by Lukas Joergensen · in Torque 3D Professional · 04/28/2013 (2:03 pm) · 170 replies
Ron started a discussion here after yet another awesome T3D-initiative went down the drain.
Tbh it's a shame we can't even raise 10.500$ for an Android and Linux port of T2D, thats a really cheap price for something that would benefit us all.
So the discussion is, how do we make more people aware of the T3D engine? It's a great engine, it's open-source and completely free, we just need to get the word out there and tell people how much T3D has evolved!
One of the ways we can do this is share!
Anyways will try to keep the topic-header clean, so... Discuss!
Tbh it's a shame we can't even raise 10.500$ for an Android and Linux port of T2D, thats a really cheap price for something that would benefit us all.
So the discussion is, how do we make more people aware of the T3D engine? It's a great engine, it's open-source and completely free, we just need to get the word out there and tell people how much T3D has evolved!
One of the ways we can do this is share!
Anyways will try to keep the topic-header clean, so... Discuss!
About the author
IPS Bundle available at: https://www.winterleafentertainment.com/Products/IPS.aspx
#2
Indie Games Developer on;
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
and of course our magazine / website when its up and running again.
Maybe a list of sites that agree to posting the updates can also be listed here for everyone to use?
04/28/2013 (4:15 pm)
Happy to promote via my groups and pages as always, but we're just one resource, you need a collective amount, so maybe its worth contacting news/blogs and resources that are willing to post updates on Torque dev and game progress to drum up some support.Indie Games Developer on;
and of course our magazine / website when its up and running again.
Maybe a list of sites that agree to posting the updates can also be listed here for everyone to use?
#3
04/28/2013 (5:37 pm)
Another way to promote that will LOTS of eyes is to get games that are mod-able on the Nexus. The Nexus is showing interest in modding in general. That community is pretty decent and center around modding. I am considering making my games mod-able just to get into that community. 
#4
04/28/2013 (6:42 pm)
We could contact a gaming magazine company or something. 
#5
The Torque 3D one to support Linux wasn't super exciting. But if they said instead to write a super advanced NEW rendering system in OpenGL. It would have a $10-20k milestone for added Linux support. We would I think have at least gotten part of it funded.
Instead it was current graphics etc just running on Linux, it's not a wowing investment to many.
The Torque 2D, android kick starter, should have also included something for iOS too I think, again think new features to get everyone in.
But I was surprised it didn't garner more people, only around 100-150 people use Torque 2D? I personally don't, just Torque 3D and aiming for desktop. In my opinion T3D should be competing for the FPS game dev market. From say C4, Unity etc in that arena. The feature been source code.
I have returned from Unity3D and mobile games etc because T3D became open Source, because I saw the potential of this community, and IT IS really doing great. But Unity3D was eye opening to simplicity.
I forget what it was called but I remember there was a community product out there using TGE or TGEA and they made a pretty good Tribes like game. I wonder what happened to it? Something like that could be merged in with MIT perhaps and then a great demo/example of what can be done with T3D would be out there. People actively playing a T3D game is a great way to go. A kickstarter to make it better could be done well too, and it would feedback in to T3D.
04/28/2013 (7:22 pm)
In my opinion the kickstarters weren't very well focused.The Torque 3D one to support Linux wasn't super exciting. But if they said instead to write a super advanced NEW rendering system in OpenGL. It would have a $10-20k milestone for added Linux support. We would I think have at least gotten part of it funded.
Instead it was current graphics etc just running on Linux, it's not a wowing investment to many.
The Torque 2D, android kick starter, should have also included something for iOS too I think, again think new features to get everyone in.
But I was surprised it didn't garner more people, only around 100-150 people use Torque 2D? I personally don't, just Torque 3D and aiming for desktop. In my opinion T3D should be competing for the FPS game dev market. From say C4, Unity etc in that arena. The feature been source code.
I have returned from Unity3D and mobile games etc because T3D became open Source, because I saw the potential of this community, and IT IS really doing great. But Unity3D was eye opening to simplicity.
I forget what it was called but I remember there was a community product out there using TGE or TGEA and they made a pretty good Tribes like game. I wonder what happened to it? Something like that could be merged in with MIT perhaps and then a great demo/example of what can be done with T3D would be out there. People actively playing a T3D game is a great way to go. A kickstarter to make it better could be done well too, and it would feedback in to T3D.
#6
I still think contests are possible but they would need a lot of thinking and careful preparation.
Contributing to sites like opengameart.org/ might also be something to consider.
04/28/2013 (7:27 pm)
I know contests were attempted a few months back but I don't think they were as successful as GG wanted them to be.I still think contests are possible but they would need a lot of thinking and careful preparation.
Contributing to sites like opengameart.org/ might also be something to consider.
#7
So why should someone learn TorqueScript? That's another question that comes to the mind and the community should have an answer for that.
The need for good in-game editors. The MIT version, AFAIK, lacks the same.
The community had to face 3 failed crowd-funding attempts. So, it might not be the best time to actually setup another for a few more months.
Orcs and Aliens is an RTS game made by a single developer using the older version of the Torque Game Engine. That speaks a lot about the capability of the engine, itself. Market the hell out of it.
04/28/2013 (9:00 pm)
I think you need a lot more tutorials to make the engine accessible to all. Currently the FPS tutorial is still a WIP for the MIT, as far as I know. Remember, Torque3D needs developers to use TorqueScript. This might be a *new* language that needs some learning, make it easier for them to get used to it.So why should someone learn TorqueScript? That's another question that comes to the mind and the community should have an answer for that.
The need for good in-game editors. The MIT version, AFAIK, lacks the same.
The community had to face 3 failed crowd-funding attempts. So, it might not be the best time to actually setup another for a few more months.
Orcs and Aliens is an RTS game made by a single developer using the older version of the Torque Game Engine. That speaks a lot about the capability of the engine, itself. Market the hell out of it.
#8
Most of the Unity 3D read Trashy comments (and/or share their old experiences) about Torque Game Engine dating back to 2005-2009 and claim that Torque 3D is limited only to FPS and this is a very bad thing for a potent Engine like T3D.
They did not even hesitate in slandering T3D in their forum when the subject was meant to be "ShiVa 3D Liquidation".
People only get to read Trash and nonsense when it comes to GG and Torque 3D.
Now with all this, i'm not being Anti-Unity, i'm a Unity user and i like the simplicity but i just don't like what the Unity extremists write about Torque 3D.
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I read somewhere in GG Forum that there are plans for a sort of "open-source game" to be made with Torque 3D with step by step documentation of how everything was done - after Torque 3D 3.0 is released.
If such a Game is made, that will be a big help to noobs (myself inlcuded) to understand T3D Game dev workflow.
04/28/2013 (10:13 pm)
Quote:The community had to face 3 failed crowd-funding attempts.I guess that's because users of other Game Engines (mainly Unity users) spread trash about T3D. Whenever the word "Torque 3D" appears in their forum threads, they never hesitate to write "GG has failed business model, that's why Torque is open-source", "buggy engine" and "Go for Torque 3D if you want to build FPS".
Most of the Unity 3D read Trashy comments (and/or share their old experiences) about Torque Game Engine dating back to 2005-2009 and claim that Torque 3D is limited only to FPS and this is a very bad thing for a potent Engine like T3D.
They did not even hesitate in slandering T3D in their forum when the subject was meant to be "ShiVa 3D Liquidation".
People only get to read Trash and nonsense when it comes to GG and Torque 3D.
Now with all this, i'm not being Anti-Unity, i'm a Unity user and i like the simplicity but i just don't like what the Unity extremists write about Torque 3D.
____________________________________________________________________
I read somewhere in GG Forum that there are plans for a sort of "open-source game" to be made with Torque 3D with step by step documentation of how everything was done - after Torque 3D 3.0 is released.
If such a Game is made, that will be a big help to noobs (myself inlcuded) to understand T3D Game dev workflow.
#9
@Andy There is plenty of tutorials out there actually, they are just really hard to find.
Also Tower Wars is a great game made in T3D aswell.
@Demolishun I'd be happy to throw some time off to creating a T3D-Tech newsletter once a month but would need help gathering information and the key is that people need to submit their own projects to the editor. We need to get people out of their caves and make them yell: "Hey! I'm making this!"
04/29/2013 (2:58 am)
@Akash true, T3D does have a bad reputation which is one of the reasons we need to promote the engine.@Andy There is plenty of tutorials out there actually, they are just really hard to find.
Also Tower Wars is a great game made in T3D aswell.
@Demolishun I'd be happy to throw some time off to creating a T3D-Tech newsletter once a month but would need help gathering information and the key is that people need to submit their own projects to the editor. We need to get people out of their caves and make them yell: "Hey! I'm making this!"
#10
I know there have been several games released on this platform, they should be publicized more, so that people know it was built on T2D or T3D. Shame they stopped the developer interviews and such, was a great way to promote the engine.
04/29/2013 (4:05 am)
In my humble opinion, the only way you are going to get this engine some real attention is to get a real game to release.I know there have been several games released on this platform, they should be publicized more, so that people know it was built on T2D or T3D. Shame they stopped the developer interviews and such, was a great way to promote the engine.
#11
We should have FrozenSynapse and Tower Wars on that list or even this asian MMO Mark Online
04/29/2013 (4:23 am)
@Vince, true the Made with Torque list is hopelessly outdated.We should have FrozenSynapse and Tower Wars on that list or even this asian MMO Mark Online
#12
One way of gaining more users is to make those tutorials accessible to all. Some of the tutorials may need to be "dumbed down", so that they are accessible to the newbies.. If Torque is gonna be the first engine they pick up, let it be the last. Especially now with no price barrier for the full source, there should be a lot more Torque users.
04/29/2013 (5:14 am)
@Lukas - Totally agree that there should be a lot more publicity for the games made with the engine. One way of gaining more users is to make those tutorials accessible to all. Some of the tutorials may need to be "dumbed down", so that they are accessible to the newbies.. If Torque is gonna be the first engine they pick up, let it be the last. Especially now with no price barrier for the full source, there should be a lot more Torque users.
#13
These demos/games can also contain a step by step tutorial of how the game was put together, and also the source used to do it.
Maybe a demo of each genre of game, so that way no one could say that T3D is just for FPS.
04/29/2013 (5:58 am)
I agree tutorials would be a big help. There could also be community made games or demos similar to what unity has done. These demos/games can also contain a step by step tutorial of how the game was put together, and also the source used to do it.
Maybe a demo of each genre of game, so that way no one could say that T3D is just for FPS.
#14
Here is a list of the tutorials I know off:
My tutorial series on creating a multiplayer coincollection game
FPS tutorial
The guides here on GG.com
The video guides on Vimeo
The plastic gems
There is actually alot, and enough to get you started with T3D imo, but perhaps they aren't as visible as they could be.
Edit:
But I agree even tho they are there alot of them could benefit from a quality, check and probably a polish.
04/29/2013 (7:38 am)
Well we can agree that more tutorials would be great.Here is a list of the tutorials I know off:
My tutorial series on creating a multiplayer coincollection game
FPS tutorial
The guides here on GG.com
The video guides on Vimeo
The plastic gems
There is actually alot, and enough to get you started with T3D imo, but perhaps they aren't as visible as they could be.
Edit:
But I agree even tho they are there alot of them could benefit from a quality, check and probably a polish.
#15
unity3d.com/gallery/demos/live-demos
They were on a good path with the south pacific and sector demos. Maybe a few community members could put together a few different genre demos similar to the link and include the source and HowTo. I'm sure that would bring attention to the engine.
As far as have people stay with the engine we are going to have to get Linux, MAC, and mobile devices..etc support. As long as those are options for other engines and lacks with T3D. People would view that as a one up over T3D no matter how much of a better engine T3D is.
04/29/2013 (7:59 am)
Here is an example of the demo/ or live demo (as unity puts it)unity3d.com/gallery/demos/live-demos
They were on a good path with the south pacific and sector demos. Maybe a few community members could put together a few different genre demos similar to the link and include the source and HowTo. I'm sure that would bring attention to the engine.
As far as have people stay with the engine we are going to have to get Linux, MAC, and mobile devices..etc support. As long as those are options for other engines and lacks with T3D. People would view that as a one up over T3D no matter how much of a better engine T3D is.
#16
04/29/2013 (7:59 am)
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#17
Being able to click 'Tutorials' at the top there, and just get a listing of user submitted tutorials(or search them specifically) would go a long way to help users get up to speed, instead of trying to wade through the 200 pages of resources that contain everything from tutorials to code additions.
Better visibility on the tutorials helps organize the resource section as well as get new users to places they can learn faster. And make it more likely that people will even write tutorials if they know they'll be seen and used.
04/29/2013 (8:30 am)
Speaking on tutorials, one consideration we could make for the website is having a tag on resources submitted to have it be a 'tutorial' resource, and get it's own section distinct from the others. You've got stuff like what Steve's done with the chinatown ai-recast tutorial, or the Tactics-Action Hybrid Game tutorial.Being able to click 'Tutorials' at the top there, and just get a listing of user submitted tutorials(or search them specifically) would go a long way to help users get up to speed, instead of trying to wade through the 200 pages of resources that contain everything from tutorials to code additions.
Better visibility on the tutorials helps organize the resource section as well as get new users to places they can learn faster. And make it more likely that people will even write tutorials if they know they'll be seen and used.
#18
Ron
04/29/2013 (3:02 pm)
This is a great discussion everyone. Keep it goin..... I am taking notes ;-). Wonder if this would be more effective as a blog....hmmm.Ron
#19
I think you're talking about this thread. It's just a discussion, and perhaps a call to action in the community. The discussion mentions that herding cats to provide work for free is a dicey proposition at best....
04/29/2013 (4:10 pm)
Quote:
I read somewhere in GG Forum that there are plans for a sort of "open-source game" to be made with Torque 3D with step by step documentation of how everything was done - after Torque 3D 3.0 is released.
I think you're talking about this thread. It's just a discussion, and perhaps a call to action in the community. The discussion mentions that herding cats to provide work for free is a dicey proposition at best....
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