XNA GameStudio

[mikeschuld]

The XNA Framework is a wrapper on top of DirectX that allows for easy development for the Windows PC and for the XBox 360. It manages a lot of the difficult tasks of creating devices and dealing with content partially in its code and partially by extending the Visual Studio framework to allow for easy building of the new components etc.

The game engine that I am building on top of the XNA Framework is simply another layer for people to use so they can even further concentrate on making their games instead of how to implement certain technologies on top of them such as physics, particle effect, scene graph management, and terrain LOD algorithms. All these topics and many many more will eventually be included in the Hazy Mind XNA Engine to allow for incredibly easy and fast game creation without all the hassle of learning 3D math and engine theory.

Although I would suggest learning the theories behind the engine concepts as well, it is not required to be able to make great games using XNA and the Hazy Mind XNA Engine. Once the engine is to a good starting point for easu game creation, a group of simple games will be created alongside in their own tutorial series to show the ease of creating your own games with these tools.

[Chr0n1x]

The thing about the Framework is it doesnt give us PC users a unfied shading architecture, it just allows us to use the ATI Xenos cards architecture without converting. (I think)
It wont be until ATI releases the R600 which is rumoured to have 64 unified shading pipelines on it that PC users will get unified shaders. (Which are MUCH faster than the whole shading process we have now)
(It also seems Nvidia is lagging behind, with sources saying it uses the current system of Vertex->Geometry->Pixel shaders instead of unified. Oh well, seems the gfx card industry has turned right around, with ATI coming out on top.

[Cirbirus]

...On a side note, the PS3 is going to be sweet, not really that much better hardware wise as far as I know, but the games that are coming out with it on launch should take your breath away. Assassins Creed being my main interest in purchasing at the moment. I wouldn't mind spending a few hours hanging out with that game's producer either.

It's funny to read these pre-release posts now that the PS3 is out and it sits unwanted, unloved, and unplayed on my entertainment shelf while I went out and bought a second 360 just so I could have one at my girlfriend's house.

And of course the PS3 release games were so bad they made the Wii a smash hit.

Any way, thanks for the great XNA 3D engine tutorial.  I know nothing about 3D programming so it's been a real learning experiance.

[Mithaearon]

Thank goodness Assassins Creed is coming out on the 360 soon!

[Cirbirus]

Thank goodness Assassins Creed is coming out on the 360 soon!

Thank the gods we only have to wait eleventeen months for Assassin's Creed to some out, yaaaaaay! I'm going to hold my breath! But I think this is a bit off topic...

[h4rdc0m]

Thank god I only play World of Warcraft, when I get around to playing it though
Coding is sucking up my work and spare time already.

[Mithaearon]

Thank god I only play World of Warcraft, when I get around to playing it though
Coding is sucking up my work and spare time already.

I play WoW too, or I did but I havent played for months!

[Nemo Krad]

I used to play, but it ate my time up really bad, almost made lvl 60 too

Good game, be nice to do an XNA version 

[h4rdc0m]

im lv 62 at the moment

[ericc59]

I played the open beta, but I didn't really like the art and pvp style.

[mikeschuld]

Thank the gods we only have to wait eleventeen months for Assassin's Creed to some out, yaaaaaay! I'm going to hold my breath! But I think this is a bit off topic...

We have definitely gotten off topic now