Errolian’s Bits and Pieces

I highly recommend XNA101.NET for it’s excellent XNA tutorials.

Game Programming for Beginners in Microsoft’s C# and XNA. Learn to program using FREE tools from Microsoft. Develop games using Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express and Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express. No prior programming knowledge is required or assumed. Bill Reiss of Blue Rose Games provides lessons and tutorials stepping you through common programming tasks.

Beginning with installation of Visual C# Express and the XNA Framework, Bill then takes you through some simple 2D tutorials on drawing sprites to a screen, including hints and tips on the C# programming language.

Now he has embarked on a 3D game of Air Hockey. I am finding this excellent tutorial series invaluable having no prior 3D game development experience.

I highly suggest for those wanting to learn 3D game development with XNA, as I do, to head over to XNA101.NET.

It’s well before the deadline, but here is my entry for the 3D Buzz Xmas Game Programming contest.

This is my first ever attempt at writing a game of any kind. I entered to see ‘if I could do it’ rather than ‘can I win?’. Now lets see some other entries please, so I don’t come last by default.

Title: Elves Revenge
Players: One
Genre: 2D Platform Shooter
Levels: 20 Random Levels
Language: English
Platform: Windows PC x86
Code: Microsoft XNA Beta 2 (C#)

Downloads:

• Game Only (6.82Mb - Rar format)
• Source Code (7.01Mb - Rar format)

Requirements:

• Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime 9.0c
• Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0
• Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable (Beta 2)

If the game errors, it’s likely you need to re-check you are running the latest versions of the above.

The Game:

You control Santa, who needs to gather back all the presents that have been scattered around by the Elves who have rebelled against Santa. Santa must get back as many presents as he can before the bad elves take them for good.

Score points for killing the elves, and finding the presents. You lose points when the elves get to presents before you,and when you lose a life. You are also slightly penalised if you get stuck on a Xmas tree.

Xmas trees have prickly branches and will hinder you for a short time if you touch them.

Hop onto your reindeer for a short speed bonus.

You are Invulnerable for 2 seconds at the start of each Level - use it to get away from close spawning elves.

Some elves are faster than others!

Player Score in red is a Negative score.

Win game by staying alive through all 20 levels.

Lose game by losing all 3 lives.

Hint: You advance to the next level when all elves are dead, so try to keep 1 elf alive while you grab the remaining presents to maximise score.

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So here is a game play demo of my game, now titled Elves Revenge.

Hi-res version available for download here (18.6Mb).

The actual game and the source code should both be available from here later today.

Here are some menu screen shots from my simple 2D XNA game currently in development.

Working on some sounds right now, and I should have it out for the 3DBuzz and elsewhere within a week.

Screens after the break –>

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Here is stage 2 of my progress. This is basically just showing how I want my loading screen to look. Graphics will be updated throughout closer to the submission date.

Hi-res here (472K)

There is currently a contest going on over at http://www.3dbuzz.com to write a game with a Christmas game.

I’ve never written a game before, so thought I would use the opportunity to do some learning and submit an entry. I chose the Microsoft XNA Framework using Game Studio Express (Beta 2).

Here is stage 1 of my progress, which was purely a test of getting sprites on to the screen, and to have them moving independently in respect of direction and speed.

Hi-res here (11.4Mb)