Book Review - XNA Game Studio Creator's Guide
XNA Game Studio Creator's Guide
By Pat McGee and Stephen Cawood
Link to Amazon
Over the last few weeks I have been lucky enough to have the chance to read the book "Microsoft XNA game Studio Creators Guide" by Stephen Cawood and Pat McGee. I found that the book excellent and went into the details of using the game studio system very well. I feel that for a beginner that is starting their travels with XNA, this book would be a good start.
With the Book you have the ability to download the Source code from the books companion website. This code is easy to read and understand, it has also been sorted out will into different folders and stages so as not to confuse the new developer.
I do not want to dive into reviewing the complete chapter breakdown of the book and dig into each and every sample, but what I will say is that I feel that the chapters and content are laid out well and are easy to follow. You will find that if you do follow the book from Chapter one through to the end you will be presented with the complete process.
But if you are like some and search the book for a chapter or topic you are interested in you will not be disappointed. This book is set out in a way that you are able to pick up a chapter and go through it with out being hindered. You will find that the examples normally start from a citrating point that you can continue on from, or start from a base project that is also included in the sample source code.
One of the bonuses I did find in the book is a chapter on using MilkShape 3D. MilkShape 3D is a small affordable application that was developed by Chumbalum Soft and can be used to design your models for your XNA Applications. The author goes through the basic functions of the application to show you how to design a Model, perform some basic animations with it, and then to finally load and use the model inside an XNA Application.
For those who are new to 3D or even 2D game programming the author has also included couple of chapters on some basic vector and matrix calculations. These chapters will help you get started, but I do suggest that you pick up a book that explains it deeper if you want to get into the more advanced topics.
Overall I found that the book is complete and would be a good start to any beginner, as well as being a good reference for any intermediate XNA game developer. I did find that going through the book I was able to pick up some different approaches to performing some tasks. Some of these would not have been the way I would have gone, but none the less they work. I personally would have liked to see a little bit more on Game Components and Game Services as I feel that these are a handy group of systems that can be used with the XNA Framework and Game Studio.
Thanks to Pat ans Stephen for a great book,
Glenn "Mykre" Wilson
Microsoft XNA/DirectX MVP.
Book Description
Bring your gaming visions to life with Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express
Create complete 3D games using Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express and this hands-on guide. Written by experienced game developers, Microsoft XNA Game Studio Creator's Guide details the fundamentals of great game programming and offers detailed examples.
Inside, you'll learn to program a game engine, write shader code, create and animate 3D models, and add fluid motion and special effects. You'll also find out how to launch ballistics, add realistic scenery and terrain, and integrate lighting and textures. Step-by-step tutorials on underlying C# code and explanations of vector and matrix techniques are included.
- Build and dynamically update XNA game windows and custom 3D objects
- Learn scintillating animation techniques
- Create lifelike skyboxes, textures, lighting, and shading effects
- Program shaders using high-level shader language
- Develop single- and multi-player games
- Generate and code terrain with height detection
- Construct impressive graphics using sprites, multi-texturing, and blending
- Integrate audio, game dashboards, and score tracking
- Develop realistic collision detection, ballistics, and particle effects
- HaHHhhndle keyboard, mouse, and game controller input
- Create static *.fbx and animated Quake 2 models and control them in code
About the Author
Stephen Cawood is a former program manager at Microsoft Corporation. He has written several gaming titles.
Pat McGee is a faculty member and course developer at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He is a game programmer.
Product Details
- Paperback: 456 pages
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (June 25, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 007149071X
- ISBN-13: 978-0071490719
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
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