GarageGames Releases Torque Game Builder 1.7

Developer GarageGames has announced the release of the latest version update of its Torque Game Builder, adding improved link point and collision polygon editors and a number of other usability improvements. The company says other new improvements in the 1.7 release of the Game Builder include new methods for dealing with scene objects and a new editor for creating vector objects. Built upon the the company's 3D Torque Game Engine, Torque Game Builder features animated sprites, flexible tiles, special effects system, state-of-the-art collision, real world physics, and hardware-accelerated 2D rendering. These features, together with easy-to-use editors for interface creation, effects, tiles, level building, and packaging, says GarageGames make Torque Game Builder user friendly. Though Torque Game Builder is a 2D engine, incorporation of 3D objects and features such as parallax scrolling allow users to create pseudo-3D games and environments, emulating anything from Super Mario Bros. to Civilization. GarageGames also notes that "for developers looking to create 2D console games, the engines available to those who license Torque 360 (for use on Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Live Arcade) and Torque for Wii (for use on the Nintendo Wii and WiiWare) now include the 2D functionality of Torque Game Builder." Said lead developer Dan Maruschak, "The link point and collision polygon editor improvements are a great example of how a small change can improve the usability of a product and provide a more consistent user experience."