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Geek Culture / Why I / We Love TGC

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MrValentine
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Joined: 5th Dec 2010
Playing: FFVII
Posted: 5th Oct 2011 08:31
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Ok, earlier I started AppGameKit the new update and noticed something funny



This prompted me to write this thread.

{I know there might already have been a thread like this but my guess is its ancient by now...}

Reason... because it brought to mind the many reasons why TGC means to much to me personally on a multitude of levels.

For starters I am sure there are more than just the one of me on here that remembers from over a decade ago the thoughts of making their own immersive video game, and having no idea where to begin.

I have long sought after some way to feel comfortable with creating my very first 'Hello World' step and moving forward to interactive environments and moving an object / character around on screen in an environment that I have created somewhat...

TGC, I only wish I paid more attention to the ads that were featured in the NVidia PHYSX demos otherwise I would have been here ages ago... [we all know we ignore bundled adverts...]

Eitherway I know someone is going to say 'well there are a million other options available to start a hello world app and learn as you go... but for me TGC really hit home, theyre not like an evil corporation that hides their true identity [hyperthetically speaking of course], Lee and Rick are as down to earth as you can get... and I love that element about TGC.. someone let me know of another 'Make it Yourself' application environment that has the same 'home' feeling, I could imagine Lee having a 'Mi Casa, Su Casa' [dunno how to spell it but you know what I mean] poster somewhere in his house... or maybe Rick... [or the rest] I dunno...

But anyway without sounding too off the plank, I just wanted to share my view on TGC and want to say I regret not having heard of TGC or known of sooner than I had... and to be quite honest I no longer know how I came across onto TGC's Website but something about it made me say... yeah I will risk £40 and eventually spend a multitude more later... I believe it is because TGC represents a missing piece in my world and I am so relieved to have found it finally, Please continue to make our hearts feel warm... hmm sounds like an inspiration for my new Forum Banner entries...

Anyway I hope there are some others on here willing to share their view on TGC for them on here as well as also share a screenie similar to mine of various elements of TGC products that make using them more 'home feeling-ish'

Thanks for your time guys, and I hope this gets noticed by you know who

Quote: " TGC Makes My Life Feel Complete
And I am Proud To Say It!"


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Da_Rhyno
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Posted: 5th Oct 2011 09:16
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Well... It all started around 2002... someone told me about DBC, I tried it... I loved it. Even the editor had a taste of surrealness to it. At that point, I mainly liked playing around with selecting different models to choose from, and changing things here-and-there in the examples, since I had no idea of algorithmic/logical thinking then. Then I ended up losing track of dark basic, then a few years ago saw this site, contemplated buying it again... didn't have the money. Waited until I saw the DarkStudio Bonanza, saw the price, and was like "Cool!", so I bought it, and haven't regretted it yet.
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Quel
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Posted: 5th Oct 2011 10:33
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Well i needed some time to fall in love with all this, since technology just wasn't enough for DBC back then to make anything playable.

Oh the days when i wanted a couple sprites on screen and the fps dropped under 10, and creating a couple empty arrays heavily influenced the speed as well... awwww...

-In.Dev.X: A unique heavy story based shoot'em ~35%
-CoreFleet: An underground commander unit based RTS ~15%
-TailsVSEggman: An Sonic themed RTS under development for idea presentation to Sega ~15%
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Travis Gatlin
17
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Location: Oxford, Alabama
Posted: 6th Oct 2011 00:43
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I love TGC too They make good, high quality, and decently priced game dev tools, plus, i love the forum mainly, there's some nice folks here.

http://awolthehunted.blogspot.com/
For the latest news on my FPS in development, check out my blog!
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Poloflece
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Joined: 14th May 2010
Location: Australia
Posted: 6th Oct 2011 06:45
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I couldn't have found a better place to develop my hobby. Thanks to the software available (at borderline ridiculous prices) and the members of the community here I'm now a lot closer to that dream job in the CG industry.

Thanks TGC

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Pincho Paxton
23
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Joined: 8th Dec 2002
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Posted: 6th Oct 2011 14:45
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Quote: "Well i needed some time to fall in love with all this, since technology just wasn't enough for DBC back then to make anything playable.

Oh the days when i wanted a couple sprites on screen and the fps dropped under 10, and creating a couple empty arrays heavily influenced the speed as well... awwww..."


DBC was fast enough to make really good games since I first got it about 2002. My oldest games have timers to slow them down.

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DevilLiger
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Location: Fresno,CA,USA
Posted: 6th Oct 2011 23:30 Edited at: 6th Oct 2011 23:34
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Back in 2000-2002, out of all the dev tools i've used. I only love the TGC ones because it reminds me of the good old qbasic. I've learned "Hello World" and the rest of it in it like the print,text,variable, etc. I only understood variable command that day was because luckily i learned it in math class and it was the same meaning. To me it was. lol... I just wanted to teach myself to make some games. lol like everyone else, life is in the way so we make time for it here and there.

Before I used Darkbasic and Darkbasic Pro I couldn't even 3d model anything. I don't even know what a primitive was. lol now these days i've learned so much just on my free time. I only hated trying to do games on c++ was because so much work and the time and effort that went to it. I wanted something powerful but still simple and easy to use that can cut time and effort. The TGC products was it.

Thank you TGC for all you've done so far. I"ve learned so much, but still not enough. I've learned alot about 3d modeling only, but hoping to get into physics,collisions, and things related in the future.

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Inspire
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Location: Rochester, NY
Posted: 7th Oct 2011 00:03
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Back when I was 13 or so, I was really interested in making games, but I had no experience at all. I stumbled upon FPSC when I was looking through game engines, and it seemed reasonable enough. That led to me learning all sorts of things, from 3D modeling and texturing, to DarkBasic and all sorts of web design languages.

The community isn't too bad either. I have seen a game dev community this large and friendly anywhere else on the internet really.

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MrValentine
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Playing: FFVII
Posted: 8th Oct 2011 06:30
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this is coming on well, thanks guys for not letting me feel alone on this topic

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zapakitul
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Location: In my world
Posted: 12th Oct 2011 11:31
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I owe my job to TGC! ! If it wasn't for THIS community and DarkGDK, I would have never finished a good game prototype and I would have never been hired as a Game Designer @ Gameloft! So thanks TGC, I owe you alot!
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Scraggle
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23
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Joined: 10th Jul 2003
Location: Yorkshire
Posted: 12th Oct 2011 11:41
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Quote: "I owe my job to TGC!"

Me too.

I have been hired as a games programmer purely due to the games on my website. Of which, all but one were written in DBP.

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Cormorant5
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Location: Gotham City
Posted: 19th Oct 2011 13:39 Edited at: 19th Oct 2011 13:41
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I guess I'll help with this. My brother is still programming today, but more importantly, he is a big computer nerd. He will probably not pursue a career in programming but he has made plenty of friends online that he will keep forever, all kinds of hobbies and interests sparked from the internet, which he took an interest in thanks to TGC.

I personally love the community... it's not easy being a 9 or so year old kid on the internet, which I was when I joined. Everywhere else would begin cussing me out, playing with my stupidity, and you guys just... didn't. This site feels like home now because I spend a lot of my time here, and I have been meaning to start programming for a while now. Who knows, maybe I'll be the programmer out of my brother and me. And also, a very revolutionary event in my life that has changed my life for the better in every way happened here. I discovered and was told to try My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I don't want to get into a debate but that has definitely effected my life, got me some new friends, and through pain and strife I feel it was great and it was all through TGC.

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Thraxas
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20
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Joined: 8th Feb 2006
Location: The Avenging Axe, Turai
Posted: 19th Oct 2011 14:07
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Quote: " it's not easy being a 9 or so year old kid on the internet, which I was when I joined. "


Quote: "Joined: Mon Jan 25th 2010"



I'm confused, because you wouldn't be posting your age if you are under 18* but your join date makes it look like you are 10? At least that is what I read from your comment. Did you have an older account you couldn't access anymore?

*AUP - 3.18 - If you are under the age of 18, you may not post your age, post a self image, or self video. Doing so may result in a temporary or full ban.

Quote: "I like Thraxas as a person, but I don't like him as poster"
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Seppuku Arts
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Joined: 18th Aug 2004
Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Posted: 19th Oct 2011 14:45
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I'm completely with you on this Dr Steve Valentine, the TGC team feels pretty much like a bunch of guys you'd go down the pub with...in the case of Jeku, actually have a few pints with. Yes, it's the 'at home' feeling rather that 'professional business' feeling that makes TGC so great.

It also has a strong community with decent moderators, who to some might seem strict and others fair, when actually they do their best to keep this place comfortable and respectful, I like how discussions here usually are dealt with maturely and are shut down if they start straying with that and given they're not 100% black and white on ruling means they are taking an active interest in how they moderate the forum instead of box ticking and all the while they've volunteers. Normally I find on a discussion, particularly between geeks, there's a lot of one-upping and sarcasm and general disrespect for another person and I HATE that.

Of course people here are human and are bound by the same flaws any human can have, but as a community it is dealt with effectively, especially as we see people coming back making threads like, "Oh God I was such an idiot, please forgive me!" And happily merging with the community/

So TGCers I salute you for being an excellent source of procrastination over the years!

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tiresius
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Location: MA USA
Posted: 19th Oct 2011 21:04
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I like TGC because it helped me out a long time ago as an ex QuickBasic 4.5 programmer who wanted to use DirectX without learning C++ !


A 3D marble platformer using Newton physics.
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Cormorant5
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Location: Gotham City
Posted: 19th Oct 2011 22:21
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No I read the posts years back before I joined.

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Thraxas
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Location: The Avenging Axe, Turai
Posted: 20th Oct 2011 00:23
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Quote: "No I read the posts years back before I joined."


I thought so, just had to check

Quote: "I like Thraxas as a person, but I don't like him as poster"
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Ocho Geek
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Location: Manchester, UK
Posted: 20th Oct 2011 00:43
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meh

I'm joking; I've loved using TGC tools


Not Spanish, Not Eight, Just Ocho

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Wolf
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Location: Luxemburg
Posted: 20th Oct 2011 06:33 Edited at: 20th Oct 2011 06:33
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Well, there are a lot of reasons...lets just list 11

Number 11:
Quote: "Yes, it's the 'at home' feeling rather that 'professional business' feeling that makes TGC so great. "


Number 10: While we are having some pretty experienced users around here that could/ are actually working in the game industry, the forums never lost its aura of amateur gamedevelopers. Even if your work isn't top notch, it gets attention, players and reviewers.

Number 9 : A lot of other forums have their little gang of old users and pros, a few noobs hanging around from time to time asking questions that get usually replied to with sarcasm...here however, there is a constant flow of users. And users are actually helping other users and teaching them / giving advice.

Number 8: Most active users are rather mature and intelligent....which results in pretty interesting conversations.

Number 7: It focusses on my favorite hobby and software

Bamber 6: Moderators haven't kicked me and my borderline AUP violating jokes out yet.

Number 5: You have artistic freedom and people are interested in your project anyway. In a lot of other communitys, nobody cares about your game if it doesnt A) Copy a classic game (in case you are doing something classy / 2Dimensional or visually basic) B) Doesn't look like typical current gen UDK games / doesn't follow the same visual style (in case you have advanced graphics) C) isnt a copy of counter strike.

Number 4: I know a lot of folks here and grew rather attached to the community

Number 3: In case you have a problem/error...people dont just link you to some other website/google but go out of their way to acutally help you.

Number 2: Its the roots of my digital art carriere

Number 1: It has this smilie.



-Wolf

Matter is energy condensed to a slow vibration, we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively Theres no such thing as death,life is only a dream,and were the imagination of ourselves.
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MrValentine
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Playing: FFVII
Posted: 20th Oct 2011 07:10
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Wolf you missed out crucial number 12,

12 - often you might get referred to something to do with one of the following...:

-Ponies
-Some guy named Rick Roll

when this happens, it often puts a sweet warm sensation called a smile on your face like this

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FLAME123
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Posted: 20th Oct 2011 14:31
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I first heard about them back in 2008 at my first Dare to be Digital event I was given a web adress for fpscx10 and I then turned my attention to fpsc as it had a demo version and I still had windows xp and an intel chipset for graphics and a puny 512Mb RAM. Then for my birthday I received the full version and I loved it and then in Christmas 2010 I got a new pc with an ATI Radeon HD4350 graphics card. Then I fished out 35pounds for fpsc x10and then in 2010 I purchased the fpsc bonanza with model pack 5 as I wanted a larger library of models for fpsc and eventually I moved back to normal fpsc due to version 1.18.

Through this long period of time I have gained a far greater understanding of computers and game development and I plan in the future to take a games development course in Abertay University and then either move to the US to work for Bioware or Sweden for Dice.

Thank you tgc.

[CENTER][/CENTER]
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Jeku
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Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posted: 21st Oct 2011 01:27 Edited at: 21st Oct 2011 01:27
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Quote: "in the case of Jeku, actually have a few pints with"


Yes! And TGC is great because the two founders are extremely personable and cool in person. It feels very much like a family company!


Software Engineer - Metamoki
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MrValentine
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Playing: FFVII
Posted: 21st Oct 2011 01:32
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Quote: "Yes! And TGC is great because the two founders are extremely personable and cool in person. It feels very much like a family company!"


and we are the KIDS!!!

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Red Eye
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Posted: 21st Oct 2011 03:07
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Quote: "And TGC is great because the two founders are extremely personable and cool in person."


Totally! Amazing people! The whole team is.

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Seppuku Arts
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Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Posted: 21st Oct 2011 11:26
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Quote: "and we are the KIDS!!!"


Of course, I mean we do act like a bunch of children 75% of the time. I guess this makes the mods our babysitters.

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Neuro Fuzzy
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Posted: 21st Oct 2011 11:49
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Quote: "Moderators haven't kicked me and my borderline AUP violating jokes out yet. "

They're the best kind !

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MrValentine
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Posted: 16th Dec 2011 17:11
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BUMP

Wanted to see if any of the new members have anything to say on this topic

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Kohaku
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Posted: 16th Dec 2011 17:24
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DBC was one of the first languages I used.

I remember sitting in my room changing bits in the examples that came with it; mostly breaking them.

Anyway; long story short I'm now a full-time software developer!



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MrValentine
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Posted: 16th Dec 2011 17:30
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congrats Kohaku.... wooo another fan of Spirited Away yay!!!

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