Torque X Interview (con't)

FiringSquad: Of course the big innovation is for people to create games for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade as well. What does GarageGames think this means for the game industry as a whole?

Mark Frohnmayer: Well at the very least it will mean that more people coming in to the games industry will arrive with actual console game development experience under their belts. I am hoping it also means that there will be a much larger number of successful indie titles in the console space. I think with the advent of low cost downloadable console games via the 360's Live Arcade, as well as the ability for people to dev on their own devices, we'll see a continued growth in the number of developers willing to strike out on their own and be successful at it.

FiringSquad: Are there plans to release versions of the Torque Game Engine and Torque Shader Engine that will also work on XNA Game Studio and if so will those tools be as easy to use as the XNA version of Torque Game Builder?

Mark Frohnmayer: To be clear, Torque X is essentially the XNA analogue of the Torque Shader Engine, with 2D game engine functionality included. On the tools side as we go forward, we're bringing many of the ease of use lessons we learn from the development of the 2D game builder into our next generation 3D tools.

FiringSquad: While these new tools clearly are a help to artists with little to no programming experience, what about others who do not draw but want to make cool looking games as well?

Mark Frohnmayer: The tools we're developing for both 2D and 3D are applicable to artists as well as level and gameplay designers. For the programmers the Torque X framework itself will provide a big leg up in getting both 2D and 3D games coded quickly and efficiently.

FiringSquad: Will GarageGames use XNA as its sole way to make upcoming games or will it still use code like C++ to make games as well?

Mark Frohnmayer: While we will certainly use Torque X for building games, as we like to prove our technology with actual shipped games, but we won't necessarily use it for all future games. It will depend mostly on what engine and target platform best fit the particular game we are trying to make.

FiringSquad: Can you give us an update on upcoming GarageGames titles? We heard you are making a multiplayer map pack for the Xbox 360 title Marble Blast Ultra but what other projects are in the works?

Mark Frohnmayer: We've just put the finishing touches on an update for Marble Blast Ultra that includes 11 new multiplayer maps and some bug fixes as well. We're also about to ship our first internally produced casual game. On the game development side we're about to ship the Torque Shader Engine, version 1.5 of the Torque Game Engine, a new level building tool called Constructor and of course Torque X.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about GarageGames and its plans for the future?

Mark Frohnmayer: Going forward we will continue to make our game development tools both easier to use and more technically capable. We look forward to the time when anyone with the idea for a revolutionary game can bring it to life. We're also going to make some really fun games :)