Game Development Community

DTS: v1.4: Backwards/Forwards compatibility

by Rex · in Torque Game Engine · 05/20/2005 (2:53 pm) · 6 replies

After viewing the "Warzone"-demo with the vehicle-ai[??], I tried to examine the DTS content with my licensed copy of TSTpro. I found that I was unable to open files and received error reports indicating the I was attempting to open the wrong format.

With a release of the next engine build[perhaps within the next few months or so??], I'm left wondering now, especially since I couldn't open files; how will I, as an artist, be left to deal with the DTS format spread across multiple engine specs???!

It would be convenient to know this information[as timely as possible] and what steps are needed to produce or workaround content intended for multiple versioned projects.[say I had a generic shape{a tree!, a crate!, ;)} that could be utilized across v1.3 and the futureRelease v1.4]. Did Tim A. build his own custom DTS exporter for the demo, did he use a SDK default??

Will new exporters need to be built/found to accomodate this new generation of TGE?

Will 'vaulted' content pass error checks, etc..., or will an entire new pipeline be exposed to the artist?

...more questions will probably spring to mind after this posting, knowing how the content generation process is spread across many modelling packages at present; I'm left wondering how many of these paths will exist in the future and the most expedient way to deal with a loss of flow.

Thanks,
Rex

About the author

Rex does all his 3D graphics through BrokeAssGames and is currently working on DSQTweaker, Ecstasy Motion, and other interesting projects yet to be revealed. Just ask him about anything DTS/DSQ related, he's happy to help.


#1
05/20/2005 (3:39 pm)
The warzone demo art assets were encrypted with a prototype of a new asset protection system. That's why you couldn't load them in TST-Pro.
#2
05/20/2005 (3:45 pm)
AKA: They are 1337er than j00.

Heheh. :P
#3
05/20/2005 (3:50 pm)
Grease Monkey Blog

The clever Tom Bampton cracked the initial encryption under under five hours =0 (check out the gossip in the blog linked)
#4
05/20/2005 (3:54 pm)
Thanks, Stephen.

I understand that position of GG towards encryption. I'm trying to advance what will be needed in the way of workflow to function with this new system. I keep hearing about it, but not much in the way of details how to begin working with it. Is this something the engine natively does to the format, or a new bit of setting up??

If I advance to v1.4, what becomes of my TSTPro??? Will it handle both formats???

...clever C2, very clever.
#5
05/20/2005 (3:59 pm)
@Rex: Trust GG man, they aren't going to cause total and complete destruction of the community in a minor release :)

Seriously, .dts isn't going to be broken in 1.4, or anything else, everything will be ok!
#6
05/20/2005 (4:05 pm)
- Pat Wilson
"The content protection in this demo is a very beefed up and modified version of this resource"