Microsoft® XNA™ Unleashed: Graphics and Game Programming for Xbox 360 and Windows

Foreword by Tom Miller

Developer, XNA Game Studio Express, Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft XNA Unleashed provides comprehensive coverage and solid instruction on how to leverage the XNA Framework to create high quality games for Windows and the Xbox 360. The author shows you how to take full advantage of the many features the XNA Framework provides; you will learn the intricacies of important tasks such as adding sound and music to games, as well as creating, loading, and texturing 3D objects. In addition to providing coverage of 2D programming, the author shows you how to create sophisticated 3D games. All the important topics such as physics, artificial intelligence, and special effects are covered in detail. Chad Carter is the CTO at Robertson Marketing Group. Many Fortune 500 companies use the ecommerce system he architected and developed from the ground up for the promotional business sector. He has been creating DirectX applications since 1996 and has developed games using Managed DirectX. Chad created a 3D locomotive simulator for Norfolk Southern that is used to teach children to obey railroad crossings signals. Chad’s website devoted to the XNA Framework can be found at www.xnaessentials.com.

  Learn how to install and use XNA Game Studio Express

  Discover how to build, deploy, and debug games for the Xbox 360 and Windows

  Examine the XNA Framework in depth: 2D, 3D, sound, input, and HLSL

  Learn how to create game components and game services

  Delve into performance tuning techniques

  Discover how to extend the Content Pipeline

  Learn how to use the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) to add sound and music to games

  Create a full 2D parallax side-scroller game

  Discover how to use sprite batches

  Learn to make the most of sprite fonts

  Create 2D components such as splash screens and progress bars

  Examine the different sprite batch blending modes

  Discover 2D cel animation

  Examine the High Level Shader Language (HLSL) in detail covering basic HLSL as well as vertex deformations and post-processing effects

  Create a full 3D game that includes a 2D radar in the Heads Up Display (HUD), and much, much more

CD-ROM includes

• All C# examples and source code presented in this book.

• Explosion Generator tool for generating explosion animations.

Introduction                 

Part I      Get Up and Running with XNA on Your PC and Xbox 360

1              Introducing XNA and XNA Game Studio Express                       

2              XNA and the Xbox 360              

3              Performance Considerations    

Part II     Understanding XNA Basics

4              Creating 3D Objects                      

5              Input Devices and Cameras     

Part III    Content Pipeline

6              Loading and Texturing 3D Objects             

7              Sound and Music     

8              Extending the Content Pipeline                  

Part IV   2D in XNA

9              2D Basics                       

10           2D Effects                     

11           Creating a 2D Game               

Part V    High Level Shader Language

12           HLSL Basics          

13           Advanced HLSL    

Part VI   Physics and Artificial Intelligence

14           Physics Basics 

15           Finite State Machines and Game State Management  

16           AI Algorithms 

Part VII  3D Effects

17           Advanced Texturing Techniques

18           Special Effects 

19           Particle System

Part VIII Putting It Into Practice

20           Creating a 3D Game 

21           Improving the Game

22           Finishing Touches

Index