SSquared Member Posts: 654 From: Pacific Northwest Registered: 03-22-2005 |
Just want to give everyone an update on XNA. Not sure who all is following this technology, but I continue to monitor progress almost daily. I've been somewhat negative on XNA, but I have to say, I have turned around over the last several weeks. I always held out hope for the final release, but had totally given up on Beta 1. I have seen some really great examples, tutorials, and engines (including a 2D Physics engine), which have given me some excitement. A recent announcement from Garage Games regarding TorqueX gets me even more excited for what's to come. Well, here are a few key updates: Beta 2 - Yes! Microsoft released Beta 2 awhile ago. Beta 2 does add some nice things, but is still not the final release. It requires changes in any Beta 1 project. I have yet to install it, and don't plan to install another XNA version until the final release. As such, I can't comment personally on this latest release. They have included a scaled down version of XACT (tool for music/sound libraries), but you are still limited to WMA files. The biggest addition is the content pipeline, allowing you to easily manage your game assets. TorqueX announcement - GarageGames has made an announcement regarding TorqueX. The engine itself will be free. This is fantastic news! No actual information regarding what type of features TorqueX will contain. The Pro version (including source) will be $150. For TorqueX tools, you will need Torque Game Builder. Mono.XNA - There is a Mono project for XNA. I really have no information as I do not follow Mono. |
Ereon Member Posts: 1018 From: Ohio, United States Registered: 04-12-2005 |
Ok, what exactly IS XNA? Is it a toolset? What does it contain? What the UI like? I can't figure out exactly what it is, I'm assuming it's not a full blown game engine or what not by any means, but I just can't figure out what exactly it DOES. ------------------ Portia The Merchant of Venice |
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SSquared Member Posts: 654 From: Pacific Northwest Registered: 03-22-2005 |
XNA is an API set (must use C# only at this time) used for game development. It allows for easy cross-platform development between Windows and XBox360. It is not an engine. It contains various classes and a framework for developing games. The developer is left to do a lot of work. For example, you will need to write your own collision detection. There is no toolset. No UI. It's Microsoft's next step in a gaming API. The TorqueX thing is exciting because it should hopefully add a significant layer on top of XNA to make development even easier. I'm assuming things like automatic collision detection, lighting, networking perhaps(?), etc. TorqueX itself is also just another API set. On its own, it contains no UI or tools. You must use Torque Game Builder to gain access to a UI and use Drag/Drop. |
D-SIPL Moderator Posts: 1345 From: Maesteg, Wales Registered: 07-21-2001 |
I'm going to the UK launch in a few weeks. Our University has invested in 20 XBox 360's modded for development and the XNA dev kit. Will review it as soon as I get a chance. ------------------ |
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SSquared Member Posts: 654 From: Pacific Northwest Registered: 03-22-2005 |
At this point, you still can't run on the 360. I think Beta 2 gets you ready and prepared for 360 work, but you are still unable to copy it over and run. The final release is sometime in December and should then have the necessary 360 stuff. I am interested in hearing your impressions. If they include MP3 support and a font/TextOut ability, I'd be thrilled. But I don't believe the 360 has font support, so everything must be manipulated as a bitmap. These are two of my issues with XNA as it relates to Windows development. I do not like losing capability. |
Faith_Warrior Member Posts: 490 From: So.Cal. Registered: 09-05-2006 |
quote:A lot of developers are moving away from MP3. Apparently the patent on the encoder/decoder requires a license for it to be legal and there is a hefty license charge for this depending on volume distribution. So, if you use an MP3 decoder for XNA games and distribute 1000's of games be they commercial or for free, expect to pay quite a lot for the use of the decoder. The best alternative that many developers are turning to is OGG. |
GUMP Member Posts: 1335 From: Melbourne, FL USA Registered: 11-09-2002 |
I agree. We use Ogg Vorbis ourselves. Besides, OGG supports more features (5.1!) and it has a better compression to quality ratio. |
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SSquared Member Posts: 654 From: Pacific Northwest Registered: 03-22-2005 |
You are right and I meant to follow MP3 with other compressed file types, but I seriously did not think anyone was going to point that out, so I left it at that. My point is that XNA will only use WAV files! That's ridiculous. So, to restate, I hope XNA will allow for several types of music/sound compression formats. I know one of the Project Manager's has already asked on the XNA forum what 2D and 3D graphics files people are expecting to use, but I don't recall anything similar for music. [This message has been edited by ssquared (edited November 11, 2006).] |
