Synopses & Reviews
XNA will turn players into developers, doing for game creation what YouTube and myspace have done for music and video. Windows XPandXbox 360 Game Programming Using XNA Game Studio Express covers the fundamentals of XNA GSE for current game programmers, independent developers, small studio developers new to the Xbox environment, and programming students learning game programming. It provides a comprehensive guide to the field of games and game consoles, and presents the basics of game design. It concentrates on the game coding process, and introduces the fundamental aspects of game architecture with a focus on Xbox 360 as the code deployment target. The book discusses all aspects of game development through two major game examples: a 2D strategy game and a 3D simulation game. These projects are manageable for an individual developer because XNA GSE uses the C# programming language and managed DirectX. In addition, critical components as .NET and DirectX are introduced and the basics of C# and object oriented programming are reviewed so that new C# programmers will be able to use this book without referring to other sources. Intermediate programmers will be able to use the book's code present as a framework for writing their own games, and advanced programmers can skip the introductory chapters and focus on learning the functionality of XNA GSE, investigate the multi-core architecture of Xbox 360, and extend the game physics module.
Synopsis
With the release of XNA Game Studio Express version 2.0, the XNA toolkit is becoming more popular for programming both independent and commercial games for the PC and Xbox 360. "Complete XNA: An Exploration of the XNA Framework Library" shows intermediate to advanced game programmers how to use XNA with C# to program games. The book provides a comprehensive look at the entire XNA Framework, combining an analytical approach and examples that cover every class in the Library. Organized in a reference format, from introductory topics through the content pipeline, readers can work through the book in sequence or choose only the topics they are interested in. This is the only book on the market that features advanced-level coverage of XNA, making it suitable for both professionals and serious game development students.
Synopsis
Help your students discover how to create exciting and challenging games for the Xbox 360 using XNA Game Studio 4.0 and the Visual C# programming language. XNA GAME STUDIO 4.0 FOR XBOX 360 DEVELOPERS provides experienced game developers with a comprehensive overview of the XNA Framework, giving them all the tools, source code, and information they need to develop Windows and Xbox 360 games. They'll find an introduction to programming in XNA, the XNA Framework, and all the new features included in XNA 4.0 to get them started. The bulk of the book focuses on the XNA Framework, in particular the features of the Xbox 360, including the controller, playing audio, and creating graphics. The final part of the book covers the major features of Xbox Live, including creating and rendering an avatar, 3D programming, loading and rendering a mesh using a basic shader, and networking via system link and online. Students will tie together all the skills they've learned in a final game project that demonstrates the networking capabilities of XNA and acts as a rudimentary, sprite-based networked game engine for their own projects. Let's get started!
About the Author
Jeromy Walsh began his career in game development nearly 10 years ago when his passion for video games lead him to pursue BSc. degrees in both Computer Science and Psychology. After graduation, he began working for Liquid Entertainment where he implemented various in-game systems and wrote the world editor used for "Lord of The Rings: War of The Ring" and "Dungeons and Dragons: Dragonshard." Jeromy then moved to Pandemic Studios to spearhead their Next Generation Tools Department and was involved in the development of "Mercenaries" and "Star Wars Battlefront." Today, Jeromy is the president of the startup game company, Protean Entertainment, and acts as a roaming moderator on GameDev.net where he reaches out to more than 400 students annually when he writes lesson plans, review questions, and programming projects for his workshops on game development and programming languages.
Table of Contents
Introduction; Part 1 & Core Framework Elements; 1. Hello, XNA!; 2. The XNA Application Model; 3. Basic 2D Rendering Techniques; 4. Basic 3D Rendering Techniques; 5. User Input; 6. MusicandSound FX; Part 2 - Intermediate Framework elements; 7. Scene ManagementandCollision Detection; 8. The Graphics Sub-System; 9. Shaders and Effects; 10. Intermediate Rendering Techniques; 11. File IOandSerialization; Part 3 - Advanced Framework Elements; 12. Models, Skinning,andSkeletal Animation; 13. Advanced Rendering Techniques; 14. Particle Systems and Other Effects; 15. Gamer ServicesandLive!; 16. Networked Multiplayer Games; Part 4 & Tools and Technology; 17. DebuggingandProfiling; 18. Multi-Threaded Development; 19. Playing Without a Game; Part 5 & The Content Pipeline; 20. The Content Pipeline Paradigm; 21. Importers and Content Types; 22. Processors and Intermediate Formats; Appendix A: Obtaining and Using XNA GSE 2.0; Appendix B: Developing and Deploying on the Xbox 360; Appendix C: Working with the Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT)