Compatibility with non-Torque game engines

I recently received a few inquiries into using Synapse Gaming's Lighting System (featured in the Torque Lighting Kit) in game engines other than Torque. Though the Torque Lighting Kit is not compatible with other engines, its core (the Synapse Gaming Lighting System) is.

As you can imagine we keep internal builds of all Synapse Gaming technology in several engines and on several platforms. And though the inquiries were about our Lighting System, the same goes for all of our technology from the latest shader tech, to in-game tools, to light-weight networking.

Generally the technology is available through our consulting services, however we're always looking for new areas to expand into using our existing engine tech.

-John Kabus

How do you spell efficiency?

As Synapse Gaming grows, its business tools need to grow with it. The most recent incarnation of our tools include a home-brewed Customer Relation Management, Project Management, Issue Tracking, and Sale and Accounting system.

Dissatisfied with the business software currently available, either by lack of features, workflow, or price, I decided to invest a little R&D into researching the ideal workflow for our business. Surprisingly our workflow and needs, though seemingly complex, boiled down to a very compact and efficient system. In the time I set aside for research, I managed to design and develop the system - not bad. :)

Now don't get me wrong; I hate wasting time and money reinventing the wheel, but when faced with either counter-intuitive workflow that actually reduces efficiency or ridiculous prices (most worthwhile business software costs $20K+), the situation was all too clear.

In my approach I broke away from the rather annoying trend in business software of developing tools that are overly modularized into units that should, but rarely do, represent entities or departments in the company. These add unnecessary layers, screens, and functionality to the system in an effort to compensate for the fact the system was designed around the software modules and not the actual workflow of the people using it.

Instead our software is 100% workflow driven, and system navigation was kept to an absolute minimum. Understanding our workflow and needs going into the project meant that the back-end of the system was just as simple and efficient as the front-end, making future upgrades, backups, and replication (if the need arises) a snap.

Anyway there's something to be said about having business tools designed specifically for your company's structure and workflow, and considering the project took less time than most people would spend deciding on a 3rd party vendor, it was well worth it.

-John Kabus
Synapse Gaming

Growth and Adaptation

It's not surprising that growth, especially in a company, requires a little adaptation, and it's always interesting to see how people, processes, and the company itself matures and adapts to fill out the business' roles. In my experience, with the right planning, growth is also relatively painless.

Synapse Gaming's growth over the past year has been amazing to say the least. In that time Synapse Gaming expanded from only offering prepackaged consumer technology into consulting, game design and development, and on into a full-service technology provider.

The result is extremely positive for, what is widely regarded as, already extremely satisfied customers and clients. Synapse Gaming's technological growth across the board means amazing new tools and technology, tighter integration, and even faster implementation time.

So what were my favorite projects over the past year? Honestly it's hard to pick a favorite. The projects were amazing, from revamping Torque's rendering and lighting (based on the already kick ass Torque Lighting Kit!), to being a complete technology service provider working on anything from game play to networking.

Synapse Gaming has also developed awesome new in-house technology thats destined for future projects, including unbelievably fast and tight DTS and interior rendering, a thin and streamlined networking layer, and jaw dropping shader technology thats still under tight wraps. :)

In fact Synapse Gaming's internal Torque builds bear very little resemblance, graphics and performance wise, to the Torque Game Engine or Shader Engine, while still operating the same under the hood, making the whole system 100% familiar and compatible when enhancing existing games and products.

All-in-all it was an exciting year, and next year should prove even more amazing. :)

-John Kabus
Synapse Gaming

Torque Lighting Kit 1.4 is out!

Technically TLK 1.4 has been out for a week, but we decided to go with a quiet soft-launch, only drawing in existing TLK users.

The response was overwhelming; TLK once again took Torque to a whole new level. For those who didn't make it to IGC their first glimpse of the latest TLK was while running it on their PC. Now thats a great feeling, no waiting, just instant gratification. I enjoy releases like these the most. :)

So whats in the latest TLK? More than even I could imagine. Among the usual tweaks and enhancements TLK received a massive upgrade, including:

• Interior detail mapping
• Multiple dynamic DTS shadows
• Mountable lights
• Even faster lighting
• All new documentation and modeling guides
  

Almost immediately we received a ton of positive feedback on the new documentation. Documentation takes a tremendous amount of time, and seeing that effort make such a positive impact, quite frankly, couldn't have made me any happier. :)

To quote a happy customer:

"I would like to give you a virtual pat on the back for TLK1.4. Very good work. The documentation/merge info/release notes are brilliant. I went over all documents and must say, that they are very easy to read and to understand. Even for a non-native speaker.”

Soon after the TLK 1.4 release one particularly talented TLK user was already digging into detail mapping, which, as you can see from his screen shots, makes the texture detail very consistent at any distance:



(For more info on his work check out this GarageGames development shot)

Well another successful product launch. Hopefully in a few weeks I can mention some of the other kick ass projects we're working on... :)

-John Kabus

The Red Green Show's Last Season

Well it looks like the Red Green show finished filming its fifteenth and final season. Fifteen seasons is impressive for any show, let alone a show as quirky and unusual as the Red Green show. Looking back I'm amazed at how fresh and funny the show has remained over the years. I'm also continually amazed at the number of well-know actors that popped-up in the show - some frequently enough to be considered regulars.

As I sit here writing (and watching the Red Green show on DVD) I feel that I really should have seen the show live. Though the show's energy and humor makes you feel right in the audience, I can imagine that being there is even better.

With that I'd like to say thank you and good luck to Steve Smith. I hope that creating and working on the Red Green show was as bright and enjoyable a part of your life as watching it was for me. Good luck "and keep your stick on the ice".

-John Kabus