I programmed without tiring myself
by Wanda in Joystick 101
Translated from French.

Before Virtools™, to make 3D games, you needed to be an expert in assembler, in C, in C++, in Photoshop, in 3DS Max, and I simply pass. Or you could content yourself with a Level editor - in the Quake genre - and confront a predetermined interactivity and gameplay. With Virtools, 10,000 FF is all that's needed to play Peter Molyneux or Frederick Raynal (I resume). Classy! (Ndlr: Virtools Creation costs 6900 FF or $990)

Last September, while I was quietly traipsing along the stands at ECTS - actually, I was vegetating between two hardware appointments playing a game of Gremlin - would you believe it I get collared by a guy from Virtools who absolutely wants to show me his software: Virtools. Rev-o-lu-tionary, he says. Pffff. Ordeal, whispers my weary inner voice. Really, five minute won't make much difference. And hell, what if he says is true. I let myself be lead to the Microsoft stand where Virtools is squatting an AMD machine, and I try to concentrate on a software destined to create 3D games.

And there, miracle! I understand everything. The guy opens a window, puts elements of his scenery, finds his character, drags him onstage, returns to find behavior building blocks, applies them to the character, creates and organize everything in the time and space of three mouse clicks, add lights and cameras... and Hop! You only need to press play to view the results. It's so simple that I want to grab the mouse away from him. But as if that wasn't enough, he plunges into Virtools's data resource, like a magician pulling rabbits nonstop from his hat. Go on, add monsters and artificial intelligence, loop a sequence, and save them in a corner to reuse later, add lighting effects, and physical properties, and define my mode of control and... I am no longer tired, but giddy.

Virtools is French. It was created more than five years ago to put in place Virtools, that is a really incredible piece of software : with an ultra simple interface, it allows you to create in little time, real games, all in 3D. While quite simple, Virtools still requires a certain amount of time to learn, and if we want to make real games, if we limit ourselves to the elements that come with the software, it rather suggests making game templates. But if we want to personalize them, by adding graphics or our own 3D objects and characters, the results can be quite bluffing. To simplify, let's say that Virtools is a type of Macromedia Director in 3D, but it goes much further. While Director limits us to 2D and sequential images, Virtools Creation's behavior engine permits the assignment of behaviors to objects that result in intelligence and interactivity. And since everything is done with a mouse, making a 3D game becomes child's play.

Of course, for game development companies who will use it professionally (to test new concepts for example), there exists a higher end version of Virtools. Virtools Dev costs more than Virtools Creation because it offers programming tools in C++ that permit the adaptation of the software to any specific need, no matter how specific. What's more, Virtools Dev allows pros to replace its Direct 3D engine with their own, and to integrate their own technologies to Virtools's behavior engine. That said, the possibilities offered by Virtools Creation are already quite vast. That's not counting the fact that Virtools plans on regularly releasing new packs of components. Hence, everyone who has ever wanted to develop a game but had to renounce, lack of funds, should see in Virtools a welcoming opportunity. Yes, the good times are over when publishers let go of their money with the simple presentation of a game concept. More and more, they want to "see".

Frederick Raynal, Expert Appraisal

What do you think of Virtools?
Well, the first time I saw Virtools, I was struck by its general logic on 3D, that is exactly the logic with which I've always made my games. The only difference is that we have never had time to develop tools as advanced as this one. Onscreen, in three clicks, I create my scene exactly as if I was working on LBA or Alone in the Dark. I regret not having Virtools when we started programming for the Dreamcast, when the graphic designers were obligated to pass to real time 3D. At first, when we didn't have the engine yet, they could not realize if the polygon count was good or not. With Virtools they could have seen immediately if their scenes slowed down the framerate. We would have saved a lot of time.

Personally, what does Virtools do for you?
I regret the time when I could make a game in a weekend, a complete game, that we could play. Now even if we have the engine and the libraries, it takes a long time. I have alot of project that stayed on paper, due to a lack of time. In Virtools all that is already in place. In one evening, I can create a game, even if I use cubes if I don't have my own models. What's more, I profit from the fact that my wife is a graphic designer (Ndlr: Yael Barroz made the scenes for LBA and Alone) to ask her for models and scenes created in 3DS, that I integrate directly in Virtools. I try out camera functions and test plenty of things. So I see if it worth a shot to seriously develop all the ideas that pass through my mind.

Anyone can play with Virtools?
It is easy to use to create things that are simple. However, you need the logic of a programmer if you are going to create something really serious.

Do you use its development kit?
Not yet. For now, I put in place two projects using Virtools in its basic version. There are others that I will be a able to do once they finish their network layer, and there is one which will require two or three particular building blocks. If Virtools doesn't develop them, I will myself.

What faults did you find in Virtools?
Honestly, I don't see any major defects, but since I am not really using it professionally, I am not in the position of finding its limits.