Building XNA 2.0 Games


Book Description

Building XNA 2.0 Games: A Practical Guide for Independent Game Development is written by James Silva, who recently won the prestigious Microsoft Dream Build Play game competition with his award–winning game, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. Building XNA 2.0 Games: A Practical Guide for Independent Game Development is an in–depth and exclusive look into the entire XNA game development process and includes the creation of a software game masterpiece. James Silva guides you through the process he took to build his award–winning title, from concept to reality. He reveals tips and techniques for creating a polished, high–quality game with very few resources, while bridging the gap between coding and art. This title shows software developers the following: The creation of a polished game from start to finish Design philosophies Next–gen 2D graphics, including shaders Techniques for fast, fluid game play XACT Audio and XInput Eye–catching particle effects for visual stimulation The book is packed full of code, pictures, and valuable insights into XNA game development.




Essential XNA Game Studio 2. 0 Programming


Book Description

Essential XNA Game Studio 2.0 Programming provides both hobbyists and experienced programmers with the information they need to take advantage of Microsoft's powerful XNA Framework and XNA Game Studio to produce professional-level games for both the PC and the Xbox 360. Beginners learn the fundamentals of 2D game development, creating a complete top-down shooter. Intermediate and advanced users can jump right into 3D game development and create a version of the 3D game that takes advantage of hardware acceleration using High-Level Shader Language (HLSL). Learn how to build an input system to receive events from devices; use the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) to integrate sounds and music into your game; design difficulty systems to tailor your game to players with different skill levels; create a multiplayer game using the networking features of the XNA Framework; implement an achievement system to provide incentive for continued play of your game.




Professional XNA Programming


Book Description

Professional game developer Nitschke shares his experience with the XNA Framework, and teaches readers how to use the free XNA Game Studio Express 2.0 to build cutting edge 2D and 3D games.




Beginning XNA 3.0 Game Programming


Book Description

Would you like to create your own games, but never have the time to dig into the details of multimedia programming? Now you don't have to! XNA 3.0 makes it simple to create your own games, which will run on your PC and Xbox 360 console. Even if you don't know how to program at all, Beginning XNA 3.0 Game Programming: From Novice to Professional will teach you the basics of C# 2008 programming along the way. Don't get overwhelmed with details you don't need to know—just learn what you need to start creating your own games right now! This fast–paced introduction to XNA 3.0 and the C# language provides you with a quick–start guide to creating high–quality XNA games. You'll be introduced to the key concepts and ideas you need to know in a gradual fashion so that you master one concept before using it as a foundation for the next. Before long, you will have the skills to create smooth, professional–looking results in a range of gaming genres. By the end of the book, you will have constructed several working games and have an excellent knowledge base from which to investigate more advanced techniques.




Essential XNA Game Studio 2.0 Programming


Book Description

Essential XNA Game Studio 2.0 Programming provides both hobbyists and experienced programmers with the information they need to take advantage of Microsoft’s powerful XNA Framework and XNA Game Studio to produce professional-level games for both the PC and the Xbox 360. Beginners learn the fundamentals of 2D game development, creating a complete top-down shooter. Intermediate and advanced users can jump right into 3D game development and create a version of the 3D game that takes advantage of hardware acceleration using High-Level Shader Language (HLSL). Learn how to build an input system to receive events from devices; use the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) to integrate sounds and music into your game; design difficulty systems to tailor your game to players with different skill levels; create a multiplayer game using the networking features of the XNA Framework; implement an achievement system to provide incentive for continued play of your game.




Professional XNA Game Programming


Book Description

You haven't experienced the full potential of Xbox 360 or Windows until you've created your own homebrewed games for these innovative systems. With Microsoft's new XNA Framework, the only thing limiting you is your imagination. Now professional game developer and Microsoft DirectX MVP Benjamin Nitschke shows you how to take advantage of the XNA Game Studio Express tools and libraries in order to build cutting-edge games. Whether you want to explore new worlds or speed down a city block in a souped up dragster, this book will get you up and running quickly. You'll learn how to implement 3D models, generate huge landscapes, map cool-looking shaders to your 3D objects, and much more. Nitschke also steps you through the development of your first fully functional racing game. You'll then be able to apply this information as you write your own XNA cross-platform games. What you will learn from this book Tricks for managing the game engine and user interface How to program an old school shooter game and space adventure Tips for improving racing game logic and expanding your game ideas Methods for integrating amazing visual effects using advanced shader techniques Steps for adding sound and music with XACT-bringing your game to life How to fine-tune and debug your game for optimal performance Who this book is for This book is for anyone who wants to write their own games for the Xbox 360 or Windows platforms. You should have some experience coding with C# or a similar .NET language. Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.




XNA 2.0 Game Programming Recipes


Book Description

In this book, XNA expert Reimer Grootjans brings together a selection of the hottest quick-start recipes in XNA programming for the Xbox and Windows PC. Advanced XNA programmers, experienced coders new to games development, and even complete beginners will find XNA Game Programming Recipes an invaluable companion when building games for fun or as commercial products. Numerous problem-solving recipes cover topics from cameras and angles, to textures, models, and lighting and shadowing, and will get you over the common hurdles encountered in both 2D and 3D XNA application design.




Kodu for Kids


Book Description

Ever wanted to create your own game? With Microsoft's Kodu, you can do just that -- and, as you do, you'll learn and practice powerful creativity, problem-solving, and storytelling skills, too! Designed for kids, Kodu is a simple new visual programming language is perfect for any non-programmer -- of any age. Now, Kodu for Kids will teach you everything you need to know to create games with Kodu that will run on your Xbox 360 or Windows PC. Working directly with Microsoft Studio's Kodu Game Lab, James Kelly walks you through every step of building a game, including: Learning to use Kodu's visual coding tools Creating and manipulating characters Building and customizing game worlds Adding weapons, objects, and other enhancements And much more The book concludes with a start-to-finish case study, walking you through creating a complete quest-style game. Kodu for Kids is written to be easy and friendly enough for 8-12-year-olds -- so it's simple enough for anyone who's ever wondered how games work, how they're put together, and how programming works!




Zune Game Development using XNA 3.0


Book Description

XNA 3.0 brings you the ability to create games that will run not just on the PC and Xbox 360, but also on the Zune mobile device. While creating games for Zune is, in many ways, similar to working on the other platforms, it also presents its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. Smaller screens, limited storage, and less processing power all affect the way you need to think about designing and implementing your games. Zune Game Development Using XNA 3.0 is a comprehensive book that will guide you through the many aspects of XNA game development and their specific implementations on the Zune platform. The book addresses Zune game development concepts in detail and shows you how to apply them in practical, step–by–step examples, building complete, working XNA 3.0 examples along the way that you can download and play.




Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games


Book Description

Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games (ECGG) is a unique reference resource tailored to meet the needs of research and applications for industry professionals and academic communities worldwide. The ECGG covers the history, technologies, and trends of computer graphics and games. Editor Newton Lee, Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships, Los Angeles, CA, USA Academic Co-Chairs Shlomo Dubnov, Department of Music and Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA Patrick C. K. Hung, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada Jaci Lee Lederman, Vincennes University, Vincennes, IN, USA Industry Co-Chairs Shuichi Kurabayashi, Cygames, Inc. & Keio University, Kanagawa, Japan Xiaomao Wu, Gritworld GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany Editorial Board Members Leigh Achterbosch, School of Science, Engineering, IT and Physical Sciences, Federation University Australia Mt Helen, Ballarat, VIC, Australia Ramazan S. Aygun, Department of Computer Science, Kennesaw State University, Marietta, GA, USA Barbaros Bostan, BUG Game Lab, Bahçeşehir University (BAU), Istanbul, Turkey Anthony L. Brooks, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark Guven Catak, BUG Game Lab, Bahçeşehir University (BAU), Istanbul, Turkey Alvin Kok Chuen Chan, Cambridge Corporate University, Lucerne, Switzerland Anirban Chowdhury, Department of User Experience and Interaction Design, School of Design (SoD), University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India Saverio Debernardis, Dipartimento di Meccanica, Matematica e Management, Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy Abdennour El Rhalibi, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK Stefano Ferretti, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Han Hu, School of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China Ms. Susan Johnston, Select Services Films Inc., Los Angeles, CA, USA Chris Joslin, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada Sicilia Ferreira Judice, Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada Hoshang Kolivand, Department Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK Dario Maggiorini, Department of Computer Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy Tim McGraw, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA George Papagiannakis, ORamaVR S.A., Heraklion, Greece; FORTH-ICS, Heraklion Greece University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece Florian Richoux, Nantes Atlantic Computer Science Laboratory (LINA), Université de Nantes, Nantes, France Andrea Sanna, Dipartimento di Automatica e Informatica, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy Yann Savoye, Institut fur Informatik, Innsbruck University, Innsbruck, Austria Sercan Şengün, Wonsook Kim School of Art, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA Ruck Thawonmas, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan Vinesh Thiruchelvam, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Rojin Vishkaie, Amazon, Seattle, WA, USA Duncan A. H. Williams, Digital Creativity Labs, Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, UK Sai-Keung Wong, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan Editorial Board Intern Sam Romershausen, Vincennes University, Vincennes, IN, USA