GarageGames

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GarageGames
Type	Video game developer
Founded	2000
Headquarters	Eugene, Oregon, USA
Key people	Jeff Tunnell, Rick Overman
Industry	Computer and video game industry
Products	Video games
Website	http://www.garagegames.com/

GarageGames is an Internet game publishing label based in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in 2000 by four former employees of Dynamix, specifically Jeff Tunnell, Rick Overman, Tim Gift, and Mark Frohnmayer.

The name is intentionally similar to the term "garage band", and is meant to evoke a similar concept in game development. When Tunnell started Dynamix with Damon Slye in 1984, many game companies were "garage outfits" brought together through the desire to create entertaining titles rather than seeking fame or profit. The stated goal of GarageGames is to offer licensing of game engines and publishing to virtually anyone, in contrast to leaving would-be game makers at the mercy of corporations who only care about the "bottom line".

[edit] Torque

All four founders were prominent developers on the Starsiege and Tribes series while at Dynamix, and GarageGames' most heralded product is the Torque Game Engine, or TGE. It is a modified version of the engine used in Tribes 2 and is available both to professional game developers and "amateurs" via a flexible licensing plan. The GarageGames web site features news and forums intended to promote sharing of information and encouragement to aspiring developers.

The Torque Game Engine was originally called the V12 Engine until a Canadian software company threatened GarageGames with a trademark infringement lawsuit. Both terms play on the dual meanings of "engine" with respect to the computer industry and mechanical engineering.

More recently, GarageGames' engine offerings have expanded to include Torque Game Engine Advanced, which is focused on next-generation graphics, and Torque Game Builder, which is suite of game development tools targeted towards 2D games. Torque Game Builder sits on top of the TGE code, but Torque Game Engine Advanced is a ground-up rewrite of the engine renderers and includes many improvements unrelated to its added support for shaders. GarageGames released Marble Blast Ultra (developed with a pre-release version of TGEA) on the Xbox 360 on January 26, 2006 to rave reviews and excellent sales.

[edit] See also

• Dynamix
• Torque Game Engine
• Torque Game Engine Advanced
• Torque Game Builder

[edit] External links

• Torque Game Engine
• Torque Game Builder
• Torque Game Engine Advanced
• A 2001 IGN interview with Jeff Tunnell about GarageGames
• A 2001 interview with the founding members by fansite PlanetTribes
• GarageGames profile on MobyGames