Torque 2D - Resetting our Sights

Many of you have been wondering what has been happening with Torque 2D. You already know the following: We kicked off development for Torque 2D mid 2009, and made our first public announcement at Casual Connect. In the first development blog, we talked about real-time networking, the hiring of Melv May, and set the stage for future development series. As expected, Melv May drove development at high speed as we continued to build the Torque 2D team and post progress.

After the last blog in November, it’s been quiet. The blog series halted. I began my new position, which commenced on January 4th. Between November and the present, our entire company relocated, the holidays hit, and communication slowed, and the strategy team worked hard on new horizons.

This does not mean development halted. Quite contrary, the Torque 2D team grew and development pushed on. They have made a lot of progress. I read every e-mail they write and I’m very impressed with the foundations they’ve developed.

Torque 2D Status

When I first met Lou, he described an illustration that described how we as a technology company must begin development with a vision that exceeds the anticipated level of current technology at release ( blue line below ). If development continues too long, you miss the mark. If you don’t aim high enough, you miss the mark. Five months ago we made a decision to reset the aim. By aiming higher, we could ensure that we didn’t miss the mark. That was the right decision. I take full responsibility for not communicating this shift until now –I wanted to have more information before I started sending out messages about a technology shift.



The downside to this decision is that development release timelines have been pushed back. Our trend has always been to hold onto our big announcements until GDC, but we do not want to set anyone up for disappointment. There will not be a Torque 2D beta at GDC. I am currently working with the team on an estimate of the first beta but we haven’t done enough risk assessment for me to give you an estimate. At GDC, we will be announcing the estimated beta release date range. I’ve done a lot of software estimations –for more info on my methods, check out this blog I posted on the topic of estimations. This will give you some insight into the process we are using.

We realize a lot of people are following Torque 2D, whether you are an existing TGB users or newcomers wanting to get into 2D game development. Some have even purchased TGB to get a head start, which is what I will cover in the next section.

TGB 1.7.5

It has been stated in the forums and IRC that TGB will not be seeing an official release from the Torque Team. We are reversing that decision. Now that the delay in Torque 2D is official, we are going to be pushing out a free, official, TGB 1.7.5 update. The release date for 1.7.5 will be public information by GDC.

This will be an update of new features and fixes ( mostly fixes ). We expect this release to address critical issues TGB developers are encountering: Windows Vista and 7 compatibility, memory leaks, memory reduction, game breaking bugs, and more. A lot of improvements Melv has come up with over the years will be combined with issues resolved via iPhone development, all rolled into 1.7.5. You may see a few bonus features thrown in, but the main goal is extend the life of TGB for those who are waiting on Torque2D.

Core Beliefs

I’ve developed a set of core beliefs over the years. Sometimes I break them, and when I do, I always regret it. These beliefs are what I strive to follow. On my first meeting with the team, I covered these beliefs so that the team could help me hold myself to these beliefs and so that they better understand my decision making process.

“Bad news must be delivered immediately, good news can wait”.

This is one of my core beliefs. I didn’t follow my belief and get the news out sooner. Mea culpa.

We are taking steps to help make it so that you can rely on us more. I will never promise transparency. It’s a promise that I don’t think we could ever truly meet –you would only get an illusion of transparency. What I can offer is a system that makes it so you can better rely and depend on us more for your deliverables. That means reasonable estimates in ranges such as fall, months, or weeks.

So I also believe that you don't tear down a man without buiding him back up. So in the spirit of that belief...enjoy.

Torque 2D R&D Tech Demo from TorquePowered on Vimeo.