I've now had both Torque Game Engine and Game Builder for a little over a month with almost nothing to show for it. If I had just shoved these off to the side, I wouldn't be too worried about it. But since Day 1, I have spent EVERY day on the GarageGames website reading the forums, reading over resources, how-to's, but only once in awhile actually fiddling around with the tools and building towards something.

The last few nights I told myself, "I need to really try to figure out some of this stuff I keep putting off." So I've fiddled with making a 3D arch (never did 3D art before this) and added it to a TGE scene. I've made a particle effect in TGB. I finally figured out some issue I had with shooting and collisions in TGB. I worked through several things but last night I finally just concluded I want to challenge myself to learn ONE new thing in Torque Game Builder (TGB) each day in October.

One new thing. How simple is that? I really have no set goal of what I plan to learn. I'm not setting out to have a game or anything completed at the end. I simply want to learn techniques and become more familiar with the tools. I plan to document my work each day and, in the end, create a beginner's tutorial so others can benefit. Some concepts may be one idea (eg: Hmmm, let me first get this avatar to show on the screen.). Other concepts may be multiple ideas (eg: OK, I have my avatar, but today I will figure out how to move it left/right and jump.).

Some days may take an hour or more to figure something out, others may be as simple as 5-10 minutes. Last night, for example, I wanted to see if I could make a second tile layer in TGB for simply laying down trees on top of my already designed map layer. Sure enough, within a minute or so I was able to lay down my trees on top of the map tiles and I felt like I had accomplished something. It had been in the back of my head for days to try it out, but I just never did. A minute, MAYBE two, was all it took.

Well, you should get the point by now. So I challenge myself, similar to the weekly update, to not just read about things or fiddle around here and there, but to actually work towards something on a daily basis. Whether you want to learn a new language, learn a new tool, develop your graphic skills, whatever it is you choose, I challenge you to learn one thing each day in October. No matter how simple it may be. Document what you have done and use it as a tool from which others can learn.

As a sidenote: My first three or four days will actually be a rehash of stuff I have already learned, but I want to start a tutorial from scratch and relearn this stuff myself. I don't want my first day to cover everything I already know all at once.

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|steveth45|
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yeah, im a little crazy
Check out my crazy sig that I made:

No, I'm not heading to IGC. I'd like to go, but it doesn't really apply directly to my job. Plus, I think my manager is scared that I may be planning to leave to work for a game company. I did the CCN game contest. I talk about games. I talk about GarageGames. I talk about you working at Pipeworks. He always jokes about me working at a game company, but I try to always reassure him I have absolutely no desire for that. Plus, man, I so enjoy my job.

You're too funny RM.

Since I'm 1/3rd of the way done, I thought I'd give a rundown of what I've done. Some days I spend a few hours, and others (like last night) I spend just a few minutes. Overall, I am feeling much more confident. I was even looking over HeardTheWord's CCN game code and I was completely understanding things.

I started out detailing every little step I did but grew weary of that after a few days. I still try to document my code changes and generally what it is I am doing.

October 1, 2007 (creating new Project, adding resources, camera overview)
October 2, 2007 (creating a tilemap, defining collision blocks, adding a player sprite, adding a behavior)
October 3, 2007 (world limits, mounting the camera to player)
October 4, 2007 (activating tilemap and player collisions, limiting camera view, creating a new behavior)
October 5, 2007 (adding enemy turret, enemy AI shooting a projectile, naming objects, damage related behaviors, using layers)
October 6, 2007 (behavior callback research, bunch of behavior research/study, pushing an object in the game)
October 7, 2007 (adding health item, starting to use TorqueScript: onLevelLoaded and onCollision)
October 8, 2007 (GUI Text Control, onLevelLoaded for t2dTileMapLayer, more TorqueScript)
October 9, 2007 (GUI work: button, text, MessagePopup, GUI Profile, updating a text control, more TorqueScript)
October 10, 2007 (Triggers, triggering loading of a new level, more TorqueScript)
October 11, 2007 (Link points, Mount object, give mounted object its own rotation, simple particle effect, read about Datablocks)

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^^^^^^

I spend about 3 months on TGB and learned how to copy one of their tutorials, changing the graphics. Kind of pitiful, but Torque made it look really good. Sometime, I'll probably come up with a game idea that caters to the engine. I spent a lot of time on particle effects, too. The interface is similar to digital music effects, so tweaking it was second nature to me. From what I've seen, the potential of TGB's particle effects mostly lays dormant. I think it still needs a better interface, if anybody from GG is reading...

Very inspiring, Ssquared.

[This message has been edited by JeTSpice (edited October 12, 2007).]

[This message has been edited by JeTSpice (edited October 12, 2007).]

[This message has been edited by JeTSpice (edited October 12, 2007).]

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yeah, im a little crazy
Check out my crazy sig that I made:

[This message has been edited by JeTSpice (edited October 12, 2007).]

...and I sent you a PM.

The screenshot you saw uses MetaL BASIC. It uses dirty rectangles so the game can have a hundred guys on it and not slow down. If this one goes well, I'll go back and finish Exegesis in BASIC. Lot's of the art is already done.

TwoBrothersSoftware, I wasn't quite sure if you are responding to JeTSpice or me. If me, this challenge isn't really open or closed. It's my own personal challenge and I just wanted to mention it and maybe it would motivate others. It's not a contest or anything along those lines. I just want to learn TGB and stating it on CCN is sort of to get you all to keep me accountable to my personal challenge.

Machine Name: Mac mini
Machine Model: PowerMac10,1
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.2)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.42 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.8.9f1

All in all, it was a terrific success. By the end of the month I was able to work on Bible David Lancaster which allowed me to use what I've learned this month on a 'real' game. It showed me that I am really learning this stuff.

Yesterday and today I have started to convert my last CCN Speedgame entry to TGB and it is quite fun.

Here is my month:

October 1, 2007 (creating new Project, adding resources, camera overview)
October 2, 2007 (creating a tilemap, defining collision blocks, adding a player sprite, adding a behavior)
October 3, 2007 (world limits, mounting the camera to player)
October 4, 2007 (activating tilemap and player collisions, limiting camera view, creating a new behavior)
October 5, 2007 (adding enemy turret, enemy AI shooting a projectile, naming objects, damage related behaviors, using layers)
October 6, 2007 (behavior callback research, bunch of behavior research/study, pushing an object in the game)
October 7, 2007 (adding health item, starting to use TorqueScript: onLevelLoaded and onCollision)
October 8, 2007 (GUI Text Control, onLevelLoaded for t2dTileMapLayer, more TorqueScript)
October 9, 2007 (GUI work: button, text, MessagePopup, GUI Profile, updating a text control, more TorqueScript)
October 10, 2007 (Triggers, triggering loading of a new level, more TorqueScript)
October 11, 2007 (Link points, Mount object, give mounted object its own rotation, simple particle effect, read about Datablocks)
October 12, 2007 (Basic Pysics)
October 13, 2007 (Datablocks)
October 14, 2007 (Dynamic Fields)
October 15, 2007 (Transparency, fonts, and colors in GUI Controls and Profiles)
October 16, 2007 (Audio)
October 17, 2007 (Camera Zooming with mouse)
October 18, 2007 (adding a 2nd map layer, hiding the cursor)
October 19, 2007 (Resolving issues with ‘Takes Damage’ & ’Deals Damage’ & Collision Layers, Creating a Portal Trigger Behavior)
October 20, 2007 (Fading In & Out)
October 21, 2007 (creating a Main Menu Screen with Start & Quit)
October 22, 2007 (HUD-like text output, rotate object by mouse)
October 23, 2007 (Paths)
October 24, 2007 (Custom Cursor)
October 25, 2007 (Setting the Window Title)
October 26, 2007 (Keeping track of health, helped CCN team build a TGB game)
October 27, 2007 (Finished TGB game with team, did something else but can’t remember what it was)
October 28, 2007 (GuiControlListPopUp)
October 29, 2007 (Explosion effect when enemy destroyed)
October 30, 2007 (Learning CodeWeaver, Converting my CCN Speedgame entry)
October 31, 2007 (Continuing to convert game)