© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.
http://www.xna.com
Jukka Wallasvaara
Academic Developer Evangelist Microsoft
jukka.wallasvaara@microsoft.com
http://jukkawallasvaara.spaces.live.com
Visual Studio
Lifecycle Tools, .NET Framework
& languages
Services
Windows Apps
Apps Web
Office Apps
Mobile Apps
Games
Embedded Silverlight
Cloud Computing
• Extends Visual Studio 2008 to create games using C#
• Includes the XNA Framework Content Pipeline to consume game assets
XNA Game Studio 3.1
• Cross-Platform game development framework and runtime
XNA Framework
• Custom version of the .NET Compact Framework
.NET for Windows, Xbox 360, and Zune
Framework
Networking GamerServices
Graphics Audio Input Math
Storage Media
Application Model Content Pipeline
Getting the best info to game developers
Development (SDK’s and
Tooling)
Support &
Education
Ingestion, Certification,
Publishing
XNA is recommended to be used in Finland when starting game
development teaching.
Finnish gaming faculties are aiming to standardize the fundamental
curriculums
XNA Creators Club
• Community for game developers
Microsoft DreamSpark / MSDNAA
• High School & College student support
• Brings powerful and motivating learning path for STEM-D schools
COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMS
• A program is a list of instructions that tell a computer what to do
• When you write a program you have to do two things:
1. Figure out how to solve the problem
2. Express your solution in a form the computer can understand
• If you can’t do it, neither can the computer!
Learning to Program
• To be able to program you must be able to do two things:
1. Solve problems
2. Explain your solution to something very stupid (the computer)
• There is actually a step 0 as well:
0. Find out what the customer wants
• This is the most important step in real-world applications
demo
• Understanging the consept of game / program
Becoming a Great Programmer
• Great Programmers are:
• Knowledgeable – they know a lot about how to tell computers what to do and what computers are capable of doing
• Creative – they enjoy finding new ways to do things
• Good Company – they have to work with other programmers, and sometimes find out what the customer wants, even if the customer doesn’t actually know themselves
• Persistent – they will keep working at a problem until they find a way to solve it
How You Will Learn
• You are going to find out how to write C# programs by creating games
• You are also going to learn how games themselves are made to work, based on your experience with the XNA Framework
Three Things To know
• The C# programming language
• Used to tell the computer what to do
• The XNA game development framework
• A set of resources to help you make games
• Visual Studio
• A tool used to create, run, and debug programs
GAME
C#
XNA
Visual Studio
The C# Programming Language
• Lets you tell the computer how to do something
• You write programs as a sequence of simple steps
• A thing called a compiler converts your C# into
computer instructions
GAME
C#
XNA
Visual Studio
The XNA Framework
• A framework for creating games
• XNA Game Studio provides resources for game
programmers
• XNA also runs the “game loop”
GAME
C#
XNA
Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio
• An “Integrated
Development Environment”
(IDE)
• Where you write, run, and debug C# programs
• A “word processor” for software
GAME
C#
XNA
Visual Studio
Getting Started Creating Games
• To get started you need to:
• Install Visual Studio 2008
• Install XNA Game Studio 3.0
• Both these items are available for free
• They will run on most modern Windows PCs which support Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
• You don’t need a massively powerful computer to learn to program with XNA
• You can even use a NetBook
Installing Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
• Visual Studio 2008 must be on your machine if you want to write XNA games
• There are a number of versions;
• you can use the free “Express” version:
http://www.microsoft.com/express/download/
• You can get the free full Visual Studio 2008 version from MSDNAA or DreamSpark: http://www.dreamspark.com
• You can install this on a PC running Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7
Installing XNA Game Studio 3.0
• The XNA Framework is installed after Visual Studio
• It installs “on top” of it
• XNA Game Studio 3.0 is a free download from:
http://creators.xna.com
• It adds game project types to Visual Studio 2008, along with some extra tools you can use to manage the
games that you write
• There are also some sample games, but these are more complicated
The XNA Creators Club
• Only Trial and Premium members of XNA Creators Club can send their games programs to an Xbox
• Only Premium members of the XNA Creators Club can sell their games on Xbox Live
• Trial membership is available to students
• Premium membership costs $99 a year
• You don’t need to join the Creators Club to run your game programs on a Windows PC or Zune
• Creators Club Web site: http://creators.xna.com
Linking a PC and an Xbox 360
• The PC sends XNA games into the Xbox 360 via the network connection
• The PC and the Xbox must be “bonded” together so they know about each other
• You do this once and both devices then remember the connection
• The XNA Game Studio Device Center program manages this for you
• XNA game programs are stored on the hard disk inside the Xbox, so you can play them later
XNA Game Studio Device Center
• Used to manage the connection between devices
• You can run it from within Visual Studio, or as a free- standing program
Running Your First Game Program
• A game contains lots of content. This is the stuff that is not program code:
• Graphics, sounds, level designs, scripts, help text
• This must all be managed as part of the game so that when it is sent to the Xbox 360 it is all available for
use
• XNA Game Studio provides a Content Manager to look after this
• Works with Visual Studio to create a project that contains everything the game needs to run
Making an Empty Project
• Visual Studio will make you an empty game project
• This is like giving a sculptor a block of clay
• You select the target device when you make the project
• You then add your program code and your content to make your game
• Visual Studio will then use this project to build the game and send it to your target device
• All XNA games start from the same empty project
Running a Game Project
• Visual Studio provides commands to run and stop a game program
• Visual Studio compiles the game program from C# into instructions the target can understand
• The game program runs alongside Visual Studio
• You can think of Visual Studio as the “Remote Control” for your game program
• The game can also run “free standing” without Visual Studio
demo
• Visual Studio and my first game project
Using Multiple Hardware Platforms
• XNA is a framework which is designed to be independent of the actual game hardware
• Can run on a Windows PC, a Zune, or an Xbox 360
• Might even be new XNA devices in the future
• When you create a game, you can consider running it on any one or all three of these platforms
XNA Project as Containers
• People create projects to manage all the aspects of a job
• A director of a play will have scripts, costume designs, sound effects, tickets, etc.
• Visual Studio creates a project to keep all the items together for a particular game
• The Content Manager looks after the game assets
• A particular project is targeted at a particular XNA device
demo
• The Structure
Making Multiple Projects in Solutions
• A solution is a container for projects
• Think of it as a filing cabinet that we can put plays in if you like
• A solution can hold multiple projects so that a single game development can be aimed at different
hardware
• They can share the same program code, but perhaps use different asset files to match the target device
• Visual Studio can copy projects from one device to another
What is Imagine Cup?
Founded in 2003
The world’s premier
student technology competition
• The industry’s largest student technology competition
– Over 350,000 students from 100 countries entered in 2009
• Each year features different categories and a unique altruistic theme, encouraging students to tackle the world’s toughest problems
• Software Design semi-finals are held locally in over 60 countries; all other semi- finalists are selected online
• As with the Olympics, all finalists compete at the world finals, which are held in a different country each year
• Judges evaluate adherence to the theme, potential global impact, usability, originality, creativity, teamwork, and more
• 2003: Barcelona, Spain
• 2004: Sao Paulo, Brazil
– Imagine a world where smart technology makes everyday life easier
• 2005: Yokohama, Japan
– Imagine a world where technology dissolves boundaries
• 2006: Agra, India
– Imagine a world where technology enables us to live healthier lives
• 2007: Seoul, South Korea
– Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all
• 2008: Paris, France
– Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment
• 2009: Cairo, Egypt
• 2010: Poland
– Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.
Millennium Development Goals
2
1 3
4
5 6
7
Spain 8
1
2 Brazil
3 Japan
4 India
5 South Korea 6 France 7 Egypt
Project Competitions
Software Design
Game Development
Digital Media
Incentives include: $200,000 USD in cash prizes, Innovation Accelerator participation, Internships, Scholarships, and more
Warsaw in Poland
“ Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems”
2010
Bridge to the future Poland, Warsaw
The Theme
16 years of age or older
Enrolled as a student ( Jan 1 – May 31, 2009 ) Students from
FT or PT
High school College
Universities (or equivalent degrees) Graduate
PhD
That is YOU!
Max. 4 members per team
Mentor is optional
Max. 1 mentor per team Mentor can be
Professor
Microsoft intern Former champion
Anyone but not the former judge
You may need a mentor!
ROUND START DATE (all times 00:01 GMT)
END DATE (all times 23:59 GMT)
1 8 July, 2009 April 1, 2010
2 April 20, 2010 May 20, 2010
Worldwide Finals July, 2010 July, 2010
Each team represents ONE nation only
If team members are multinational
Each team submits ONE entry only Must be in English
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
Microsoft® XNA™ Game Studio 3 Silverlight
Operation Platform
IE 7 / IE8
Windows XP SP2 Windows Vista Windows 7
Round 1
Game demo
Playable video game application Game summary
Game play instructions
Everyone gets a programming book when registering
Round 2 – Semi-Finals (150 teams)
100% playable game Similar to Round 1
Participating to Xbox 360 draw
Round 3 (6 finalists)
30 mins presentation + Q&A Team will get a Xbox 360 +1 for faculty
Six Finalist Prizes
Trip to Warsaw
Includes round trip air travel Hotel accommodations &meals
$25,000 USD
One Second Place Prize
$10,000 USD
One Third Place Prize
$5,000 USD
Nation:
Brazil
Company:
Mother Gaia
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
demo
• Samples and templates
• XNA Creators Club Online – http://creators.xna.com
• XNA Team Blog – http://blogs.msdn.com/xna
• DreamSpark™ - http://www.dreamspark.com
• MSDNAA – www.msdnaa.com
You get everything you need from MSDNAA or DreamSpark for free
This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.
This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.
