XNA Game Studio 4.0 Programming

Get Started Fast with XNA Game Studio 4.0-and Build Great Games for Both Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE

This is the industry's best reference and tutorial for all aspects of XNA Game Studio 4.0 programming on all supported platforms, from Xbox 360 to Windows Phone 7 and Windows PCs. The only game development book authored by Microsoft XNA development team members, itoffers deep insider insights you won't get anywhere else-including thorough coverage of new Windows Phone APIs for mobile game development.
You'll quickly build simple games and get comfortable with Microsoft's powerful XNA Game Studio 4.0 toolset. Next, you'll drill down into every area of XNA, including graphics, input, audio, video, storage, GamerServices, and networking. Miller and Johnson present especially thorough coverage of 3D graphics, from Reach and HiDef to textures, effects, and avatars. Throughout, they introduce new concepts with downloadable code examples designed to help you jumpstart your own projects.

Coverage includes

· Downloading, installing, and getting started with XNA Game Studio 4
· Building on capabilities provided in the default game template
· Using 2D sprites, textures, sprite operations, blending, and SpriteFonts
· Creating high-performance 3D graphics with XNA's newly simplified APIs
· Supporting keyboards, mice, Xbox 360 controllers, Touch, accelerometer, and GPS inputs
· Loading, generating, recording, and playing audio
· Managing all types of XNA storage
· Using avatars as characters in your games
· Utilizing gamer types, player profiles, presence information, and other GamerServices
· Supporting Xbox LIVE and networked games
· Creating higher-level input systems that seamlessly manage cross-platform issues

From Windows Phone 7 mobile gaming to Xbox LIVE Indie Games, XNA Game Studio 4.0 creates huge new opportunities for experienced Microsoft developers. This bookhelps you build on skills you already have, to create the compelling games millions of users are searching for.

List of contents

Introduction    1
So You Want to be a Game Developer?    1
A Brief History of XNA Game Studio    1
What Is Available in Game Studio    4.0?    3
Why This Book?    4
1  Getting Started    5
Installing XNA Game Studio    4.0    5
Downloading the Tools    6
App Hub Membership    6
XNA Game Studio Connect    9
Writing Your First Game    11
Your First XNA Game Studio Windows Game    11
Your First XNA Game Studio XNA Xbox    360 Game    11
Your First XNA Game Studio Windows Phone    7
Game    12
Download Samples    12
Summary    12
2  Sprites and    2D Graphics    13
What Does    2D Mean?    13
Show Me Something on Screen    14
Spritebatch    16
Drawing    16
Moving Things Around    19
Animation    20
Controlling State    21
Rendering Text    25
Summary    27
3  The Game Object and the Default Game Loop    29
What Is in a New Project?    29
The Game Class    32
Virtual Methods    32
Methods    33
Properties    34
GameTime    34
Game Loop    36
Update and Draw    36
Components    38
GameComponents    38
Summary    40
4  Introduction to    3D Graphics    41
3D Graphics in XNA Game Studio    41
What Are    3D Graphics?    42
Makeup of a    3D Image    42
3D Math Basics    43
Coordinate Systems    44
Vectors in    3D Graphics    46
Matrix    53
Graphics Pipeline    61
Graphics Card    62
Vertex Shader    62
Backface Culling    63
Viewport Clipping    63
Rasterization    64
Pixel Shader    64
Pixel Tests    64
Blending    65
Final Output    65
Reach and HiDef Graphics Profiles    65
Graphics Profiles Define Platform Capabilities    66
The Reach Profile    66
The HiDef Profile    66
Let the    3D Rendering Start    67
GraphicsAdapter    67
GraphicsDevice    69
Drawing with Primitives    71
Summary    83
5  Lights, Camera, Action!    85
Why Do I See What I See?    85
View Matrix    87
Projection Matrix    88
Perspective    89
Orthographic    93
Camera Types    93
Static Cameras    94
Models    95
What Is a Model?    95
Rendering Models    99
Summary    103
6  Built-In Shader Effects    105
Using BasicEffect    106
Basic Lighting    108
Textures, Vertex Colors, and Fog    114
Using the Effect Interfaces    121
Using DualTextureEffect    122
Using AlphaTestEffect    124
Using EnvironmentMapEffect    124
Using SkinnedEffect    127
Summary    140
7  States, Blending, and Textures    141
Device States    141
BlendState    142
DepthStencilState    149
Render Targets    155
Faking a Shadow with a Depth Buffer and Render
Targets    158
Back to Device States    161
The Stencil Buffer    161
RasterizerState    164
SamplerStates    166
Other Texture Types    169
Summary    170
8  Introduction to Custom Effects    171
What Is a Custom Effect?    171
High Level Shading Language    172
Creating Your First Custom Effect    172
Parts of an Effect File    173
Global Variables    174
Vertex Structures    174
Drawing with a Custom Effect    177
Vertex Color    179
Texturing    180
Setting Sampler States in Effect File    183
Textures Repeating    184
Lighting    186
Ambient Lighting    186
Triangle Normals    190
Diffuse Lighting    192
Emissive Lighting    198
Specular Lighting    199
Fog    202
Point Lights    206
Effect States    209
Alpha Blending Using Effect States    211
Summary    213
9  Using the Content Pipeline    215
Tracing Content Through the Build System    215
Content Processors    216
Content Importers    223
Combining It All and Building Assets    226
Combining What You Learned So Far    235
Summary    238
10  Having Fun with Avatars    239
Introduction to Avatars    239
Accessing Avatar Information Using
AvatarDescription    240
Loading Avatar Animations with AvatarAnimation    243
Drawing the Avatar Using AvatarRenderer    246
Modifying Avatar Lighting    248
Playing Multiple Animations    249
Blending Between Animations    253
Interacting with Objects    260
2D Avatars Using Render Targets    263
Custom Avatar Animations    265
Creating the Custom Animation    266
Building the Custom Animation Type    267
Creating the Content Processor    273
Adding the Custom Animation to Your Game    283
Updating Your Game to Use the Custom
Animation    284
Summary    285
11  Understanding Performance    287
General Performance    287
Who Takes Out the Garbage?    289
Multithreading    292
Graphics Performance    293
Measuring Performance    295
Performance Measurement Tools    306
Cost of Built-In Shaders    307
Summary    309
12  Adding Interactivity with User Input    311
Using Input in XNA Game Studio    311
Polling versus Event-Based Input    312
The Many Keys Of A Keyboard    312
Reading Keyboard State    313
Moving Sprite Based on Keyboard Input    315
Onscreen Keyboard    316
Precision Control of a Mouse    320
Reading Mouse State    320
Moving Sprite Based on Mouse Input    322
Setting the Mouse Position    324
Xbox    360 Gamepad    324
Reading Gamepad State    325
Moving Sprites Based on Gamepad Input    329
Thumb Stick Dead Zones    332
Other Types of Controllers    332
Is the Gamepad Connected?    333
Multitouch Input For Windows Phones    334
Reading the TouchPanel Device State    334
Determine Number of Touch Points    336
TouchPanel Width, Height, and Orientation    337
Moving Sprite Based on Multitouch Input    337
Reading Gestures from the TouchPanel    339
Displaying GestureSample Data    341
Windows Phone Sensors and Feedback    342
Acceleration Data using the Accelerometer    344
Locating a Windows Phone with the Location
Service    348
Providing User Feedback using Vibration    351
Summary    351
13  Turn Up the Volume    353
Playing Sound Effects    353
Using SoundEffect for Audio Playback    354
Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creations
Tool (XACT)    360
Dynamic Sound Effects    368
Recording Audio with a Microphone    368
Generating Dynamic Sound Effects    371
Summary    374
14  Storage    375
What Is Storage?    375
Isolated Storage    375
Saving and Loading Data    377
The IsolatedStorageFile Object    379
XNA Game Studio Storage    380
Recreating the Project on Xbox    380
Devices and Containers    382
Getting a Device    383
Looking at the API    387
Loading Loose Files from Your Project    388
Summary    390
15  Gamer Services    391
GamerServicesComponent    391
Guide Class    392
Trial Mode    392
Now the Bad News    397
Platform-Specific Guide Functionality    397
Gamers and Profiles    402
GameDefaults    405
Presence    406
Privileges    406
With Friends Like This...    407
Summary    408
16  Multiplayer Networking    409
Multiplayer Games    409
Getting Ready for Networking Development    410
Main Menu and State Management    412
Creating a Network Session    416
Building a Game Lobby    423
Playing the Game    425
Searching for an Available Network Session    430
Joining an Available Network Session    435
Sending Player Invites    438
Simulating Real World Network Conditions    439
Summary    440
17  Using Media in XNA Game Studio    441
What Is Media?    441
Playing a Song    441
MediaPlayer    442
Songs and Metadata    443
Media Enumeration    444
Media Library    444
Video    448
Rendering a Video    448
Visualizations    451
Rendering Visualization Data    451
Summary    453
A  Reach vs. HiDef Chart    455
B  Using the Windows Phone FMRadio    459
C  Windows Phone    7 Launchers and Choosers    463
D  Dealing with Tombstoning    479
Index    487
 

About the author

Tom Miller has been with Microsoft for a full decade. He specializes in bringing together managed code and gaming. He wrote and supported Managed DirectX, and for the past few years, he has been largely responsible for implementing the framework (graphics, audio, input, storage, and other core features) included in XNA Game Studio products. He currently works for Microsoft Game Studios.
 
Dean Johnson joined Microsoft in 2006 and helped launch the XNA Creators Club pipeline allowing hobbyists and independent developers to release their games on the Xbox LIVE Indie Games Marketplace. He currently is a Lead Software Development Engineer working on the XNA Game Studio product team.
 
Both authors actively blog and participate in game development conferences.
 

Summary

Get Started Fast with XNA Game Studio 4.0-and Build Great Games for Both Windows® Phone 7 and Xbox 360®
 
This is the industry's best reference and tutorial for all aspects of XNA Game Studio 4.0 programming on all supported platforms, from Xbox 360 to Windows Phone 7 and Windows PCs. The only game development book authored by Microsoft XNA development team members, it offers deep insider insights you won't get anywhere else-including thorough coverage of new Windows Phone APIs for mobile game development.
 
You'll quickly build simple games and get comfortable with Microsoft's powerful XNA Game Studio 4.0 toolset. Next, you'll drill down into every area of XNA, including graphics, input, audio, video, storage, GamerServices, and networking. Miller and Johnson present especially thorough coverage of 3D graphics, from Reach and HiDef to textures, effects, and avatars. Throughout, they introduce new concepts with downloadable code examples designed to help you jumpstart your own projects. Coverage includes
 

• Downloading, installing, and getting started with XNA Game Studio 4
• Building on capabilities provided in the default game template
• Using 2D sprites, textures, sprite operations, blending, and SpriteFonts
• Creating high-performance 3D graphics with XNA's newly simplified APIs
• Loading, generating, recording, and playing audio
• Supporting keyboards, mice, Xbox 360 controllers, Touch, accelerometer, and GPS inputs
• Managing all types of XNA storage
• Using avatars as characters in your games
• Utilizing gamer types, player profiles, presence information, and other GamerServices
• Supporting Xbox LIVE and networked games
• Creating higher-level input systems that seamlessly manage cross-platform issues

 
From Windows Phone 7 mobile gaming to Xbox 360, XNA Game Studio 4.0 creates huge new opportunities for experienced Microsoft developers. This book helps you build on skills you already have, to create the compelling games millions of users are searching for.
 

Product details

• Authors: Johnson, Dean Johnson, Mille, Miller, Tom Miller
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2017
• EAN: 9780672333453
• ISBN: 978-0-672-33345-3
• No. of pages: 528
• Weight: 800 g
• Series: Developer's Library; Addison-Wesley; Addison-Wesley
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing > Programming languages