Making a game using XNA - just how easy it is?

Trip Skyway decided to find out.

Just read that article. Very cool...more stuff like that on the front page = a good thing.

Just spell checked it too as there were a couple of typos as Syrok kindly pointed out.

:P

^_^

I wonder if you could create a game even if you had no idea.

I guess the key part is having some inkling of an idea that inspires you. Half the trouble I have with LBP is I just plain don't have any ideas that I could put into game form.

I do have a vaguely good idea for a flash / XNA game but I'll keep it under my hat in case I ever decide to do anything about it.

I'm terrible at spelling, luckily that C# editor spell checks your code :)

I have a fantastic idea for an adventure/survival game. Well, I would love to play it anyway. ^^
Having an idea wouldn't be a problem, the biggest problem for me would be the coding, which is why I like LBP. You only need to know how thinks reach to each other and build something fun around it.

Aye. I quite like some of the unpredictability of LBP. Some things that you feel sure should work actually don't work, so you plan around them :)

So Trip, roughly how much would it cost to get XNA developing?

It's all free mate, the C# editor and the XNA studio download. You'll need Photoshop or something to make sprites in but that's all.

It's 65 quid to get into the premium bit that let's you run stuff on the 360 and then publish to XBLA, but I don't think you really need that to start with as you can just plug a USB 360 pad or the wireless adaptor into your PC.

It lets you publish to PC from the software even makes an installer for you.

Jazzy stuff! I thought you had to pay up front for the XNA membership kit or something.

Cool!

I think you used to have to pay for the basic privileges but they changed that.

Ahhh I thought so.

Hmm, looking at some of the stuff that's "made it" to XBLA, and is probably selling (well, seems to be featuring in the most downloaded section at least) it could be a neat way of making some extra dosh...

Or not. Who the hell would want to buy an XNA game about space vixen zombie pirate chimps?

I would love to get together with the AATG massive to make a small game on XBLA or summat.

Heh, I already have an XNA Community account. So count me in.

I could probably contribute to...

Artwork
Design
Level design
Scripting

Might even be able to help out with the code, even if it is just bug hunting.

We could then do regular diary articles. Much like the Wolfire boys do, only without our tech looking as good.

Hehe Like their chat blogs.

What could I contribute? Probably bugger all, but sure I could come up with some whacky visual shit.

Any C# masters on here for me to come crying to when I get stuck?

C is something I've always wanted to learn but as soon as I start down the route of looking into it, my brain inexplicably melts.

Dunno why. But if a deep knowledge of C# is needed here, I'm going to have to give it a miss.

Tried to download some of the bits you recommended in your (excellent) feature Trip but I couldn't find the free stuff. Maybe I'll wait and see how MS's game-making thing turns out when it arrives this year (the one that just allows you to stick bits and bobs together in a "nothing like LBP" type of way)

The article was a bit bloggy so it might not have been too clear.

First Get Visual C# 2008 Express Edition and install it.

Download and install XNA game studio 3.0

Next I'd do the Beginners tutorial. It's nicely split up into 10 minute videos so it's easy to do a bit at a time. You'll get a good idea of what's required from that.

Beaut :) Cheers fellah.

I can do a bit of C# but i hate object orientated stuff so i just muddle through on that side of things. I can help implement stuff but no way in hell am i writing an engine from scratch, far too boring and guaranteed to kill a project d.e.a.d.

I've dabbled in VS C# and Managed DirectX and starting faffing around with XNA so this could be just the ticket for me as helping my housemate with his Unity project has given me a creativity boost :)

I don't mind doing something in G.E.C.K or anything like that either if learning to code will put people off.

Is it easy to take pre-built code and chop and change it around a little bit?

Say f'r instance someone had produced a bit of generic code to do a 3D shooter - could you just nick their code and adapt it a bit to make your own twisted vision?

I do c# for a living, but not games stuff so i may be able to help you out with general stuff.

a full game engine is going to have a lot of complicated code in it. it will be possible to modify existing stuff, but it wouldn't be a trivial job for someone used to working with that sort of code to make any sort of significant change, so if you want to do more than just tweak the handling of the controls or something i doubt it would be worth your while.

Hmmm I figured as much, plus I wouldn't really learn anything.

Sounds like I've got to go and pinch all the C# manuals from our lab and get on with some reading.

from my own messing around with directx a few years back (using vb6 as my language of choice for simple if slow code) just getting a basic 3d environment of a floor and a few object lying around, and moving around it wasn't too hard. and i think xna should probably make things easier, so passing a few basic milestones should be achievable at least.

Keep it simple for the first few tries. Make Space Invaders, Pong for example or you run the risk of getting bogged down with too much to learn in too many different areas.

Baby steps :)

Oh, i'd like to put forward that our idea either 2d or 3d has dinosaurs in it. Zombies are so last year, dinos are the future.

Let's make a 2D Left 4 Dinosaurs!

The idea I had was to do what Trip did, and basically adapt an existing Flash game I've done (An arkanoid clone)

If I get stuck doing that then I won't bother trying to do anything more complex :)

good plan. good luck.

Doing it in actionscript was actually very simple - I think the basics of programming in an object oriented language could be fiddly but you've got the basic stuff like loops, conditionals and mathematical operations - therefore knocking up a very simple breakout should be easy ish.

That said, the last time I tried to do something like this in Visual C++, I got horribly horribly lost and unstuck.

Thanks, that'd be most appreciated :)