Congratulations on making your way to the end of this book. This represents a considerable accomplishment. You have developed a strong programming foundation that includes an understanding of how to program using Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express and XNA Game Studio 3.1. You have learned not only the mechanics of working with the Visual Studio Express IDE but the basic principles of good game development. As a result, you have developed a strong foundation upon which to continue your game development education. However, while you have certainly learned a great deal, there is a great deal left for you to learn and experience.
To truly become a top-notch programmer and game developer, you need to keep experimenting, learning, and tackling ever more difficult challenges. To help you along your way and to make sure that you don’t lose any of your momentum, this appendix provides a collection of online resources to which you can turn for more information about Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express, XNA Game Studio 3.1, game programming, the Xbox, and the Zune portable media player.
A lot of information about XNA Game Studio 3.1 is available on the internet if you know where to look for it. To help you get started, this appendix provides a list of essential websites that you should frequent regularly in order to keep abreast of the latest information on XNA Game Studio 3.1.
The XNA Developer Center website (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/xna/default.aspx), shown in Figure B.1, is the definitive authority for serious game developers. Here you will find information on XNA and get easy access to XNA blogs and other resources.
The Wikipedia Microsoft XNA page, shown in Figure B.2, is located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_XNA. It provides a good overview of Microsoft XNA and is a great source of references and links to online content, including articles, tutorials, and online reviews.
The xnPlay website, shown in Figure B.3, is located at http://www.xnplay.co.uk/. It provides visitors with previews of new Xbox 360 Community games. It is managed by a group of self-described game fanatics who love to play, talk, and share information about games. In addition to describing game features, this site also allows users to submit their own input.
If you want to keep your eye on what the competition is doing, a good place to regularly visit is the XBLA & XBLIG Ratings page located at http://xblratings.com, as shown in Figure B.4.
Once you have created an Xbox game that you think is ready for release to Xbox live, you’ll need to go the XNA Creators Club Online by visiting http://creators.xna.com/en-US/, as shown in Figure B.5. Here you will be able to sign up for membership and access game development resources.
Perhaps the best way to stay on top of all the latest XNA news and events is to regularly visit the XNA Team Blog located at http://blogs.msdn.com/xna/, as shown in Figure B.6. This blog is frequently used for new and upcoming announcements. An archive of postings going back as far as August 2006 places a lot of information at your fingertips.
If you have questions that you need answered or have information that you want to share, then visit the community forums page located at http://forums.xna.com/forums/, as shown in Figure B.7. As of the writing of this book, over 121,000 users had contributed a quarter of a million postings. To participate all you have to do is sign up for a free membership.
Learning how to work with Visual Studio or Visual Studio Express and becoming a good C# programmer is key to becoming an effective XNA game developer. In the sections that follow you will find several helpful websites where you can learn more about both of these topics.
This book has provided you with a good overview of the C# programming language. However, C# is a topic worthy of multiple volumes. To learn more about C# so that you can take your computer games to the next level, visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vcsharp/default.aspx, as shown in Figure B.8.
If you have elected to use Visual C# 2008 Express as your programming environment when developing an XNA game, then you will need to visit the Visual C# 2008 Express Edition page located at http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/, as shown in Figure B.9. Here you can download Visual C# 2008 Express, watch videos, and access the Visual C# team’s blog.
If you feel you need a further review of C# or want to learn more about the language’s origin and development, check out the C Sharp page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_Sharp_(programming_language) located at Wikipedia (shown in Figure B.10). In addition, you will find links to dozens of other C# online resources.
Of course, there are plenty of other options for developing games than XNA. It’s a good idea to stay abreast of alternative game development approaches and to become a part of the greater game development community. If you want to know more about game development, check out http://www.gamedev.net/, as shown in Figure B.11. You can sign up for a free newsletter, visit gamer forums, and learn about alternative game development frameworks and game engines.
While you can use XNA Game Studio 3.1 strictly to develop games that run on Microsoft Windows, you are missing out on a world of fun and opportunity if you do not leverage XNA as an Xbox 360 development tool.
As far as modern gaming consoles go, Xbox is as good as it gets, both as a standalone device and as a network-based gaming platform. To learn more about Xbox 360 and to access a host of online resources, visit http://www.xbox.com/enUS/hardware/, as shown in Figure B.12.
Wikipedia’s Xbox 360 page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360), shown in Figure B.13, provides an excellent historical record of the Xbox. Perhaps most useful of all is the abundance of links provided on this page.
Although not as robust or popular as the Xbox 360, the Zune player still represents a significant gaming platform for XNA. With the release of the next generation of Zune HD player in late 2009, Zune’s new size and chipset provide it with video capabilities that surpass the iPod, while making it an even more attractive gaming platform.
As far as modern portable media players go, Microsoft’s Zune is at the head of the pack and with the instroduction of the Zune HD, is poised to continue gaining popularity and market presence. To learn more about the full range of Zune players and their features, visit http://social.zune.net/, as shown in Figure B.14.
Wikipedia’s Zune page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zune), shown in Figure B.15, provides an excellent overview of all the available Zune models and their features and capabilities.
If you enjoyed this book and are interested in learning about other game development options or other programming languages, visit my website located at http://www.tech-publishing.com, as shown in Figure B.16. While you are there drop me a message to let me know what you think of the book or how you think it might be improved.
Figure B.16. Visit www.tech-publishing.com to learn more about game development and to provide your feedback on this book.