The second trailer of this amazing movie has been released.
After watching the trailer, it's becoming more and more clear to me that in the future, at least for certain kind of films, companies will only look for voices to produce movies. What do you think?
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
DREAM.BUILD.PLAY: REGISTER NOW!
As we wait for more details on the DBP contest, there's at least one task that may be currently accomplished: your registration.
After registering, you will get one important piece of info right away: the Final Entry Deadline.
I did register, meaning, I know which is the final entry deadline ... Want to know? ... I won't tell ya, so go and register ... ;)
After registering, you will get one important piece of info right away: the Final Entry Deadline.
I did register, meaning, I know which is the final entry deadline ... Want to know? ... I won't tell ya, so go and register ... ;)
XNA TEAM ASKS: "GDC '07 - WILL YOU BE THERE?"
The XNA Team wants to meet "the people that use XNA Game Studio Express" at the Game Developers Conference, which will be held this year in San Francisco (March 5-9, 2007).
What is more, given the success of the XNA Game Studio Express launch party (open-house) the Team is considering hosting another informal event in San Francisco.
So, will you be there?
What is more, given the success of the XNA Game Studio Express launch party (open-house) the Team is considering hosting another informal event in San Francisco.
So, will you be there?
Friday, February 02, 2007
FIRST PERSON SHOOTER CAMERAS
There's a new tutorial at Cornflower Blue's blog which explains in detail how to create a FPS camera with XNA.
From etayrien's post: "... We've been busy lately, which should put smiles on all your faces. I like my job, so I can't give any specifics, but we've got some stuff coming up we think you'll be excited about. ".
Told ya!!! ... something is being really cooked by the XNA Team ... does anybody know anything else about that "some stuff coming up"? What could it be? Hummmm ....
... well, cannot wait ... ;)
From etayrien's post: "... We've been busy lately, which should put smiles on all your faces. I like my job, so I can't give any specifics, but we've got some stuff coming up we think you'll be excited about. ".
Told ya!!! ... something is being really cooked by the XNA Team ... does anybody know anything else about that "some stuff coming up"? What could it be? Hummmm ....
... well, cannot wait ... ;)
Thursday, February 01, 2007
TIP: DEPLOYING GAMES TO THE 360 WITHOUT SHARING SOURCE CODE - PART II
In line with what he had explained for the matter, Stephen Styrchak has added some important information regarding obfuscation in general, and for the 360 platform in particular.
From Microsoft's forums: "Whether you want to obfuscate or not is completely up to your own discretion. It seems like a lot of people share the false impression that being able to decompile/disassemble binaries is a new thing that is possible with managed assemblies. It is not. It is just as easy to run a decompiler/disassembler on native binaries, and that technology has been around for decades.
That being said, yes, it will certainly work for assemblies compiled for the Xbox 360. Obfuscation is a post-compilation step that takes an assembly as input, and generates a new (obfuscated) assembly as output. The obfuscated assembly is functionally equivalent, but the instructions and functions have been rearranged in a way that makes it harder for humans to understand.
An obfuscated assembly is no different than an unobfuscated assembly in that it makes no difference to the JIT compiler and runtime if an assembly is obfuscated or not (which is why it will work on the Xbox 360). Similarly, assemblies for the 360 are not special assemblies; they are produced by the same C# compiler as the Windows assemblies -- so no special obfuscator is required to use on them.
Note that obfuscation just makes it harder to read disassembled assemblies, not impossible to read. With a more sophisticated disassembler, I believe you could effectively undo most of the obfuscation. You'll have to check with your obfuscation tool vendor to understand just how "secret" they can make your code. From my understanding of obfuscation, the efficacity also depends on the complexity of the software you are trying to obfuscate. That is, an algorithm in a single function will probably remain almost completely unchanged. However, an algorithm that requires dozens or more functions would be very well hidden. The trick is in hiding what functions are being called an what data is being passed around. The instructions doing the work (loops, branches, etc) are otherwise the same.
--Stephen"
Cheers!
From Microsoft's forums: "Whether you want to obfuscate or not is completely up to your own discretion. It seems like a lot of people share the false impression that being able to decompile/disassemble binaries is a new thing that is possible with managed assemblies. It is not. It is just as easy to run a decompiler/disassembler on native binaries, and that technology has been around for decades.
That being said, yes, it will certainly work for assemblies compiled for the Xbox 360. Obfuscation is a post-compilation step that takes an assembly as input, and generates a new (obfuscated) assembly as output. The obfuscated assembly is functionally equivalent, but the instructions and functions have been rearranged in a way that makes it harder for humans to understand.
An obfuscated assembly is no different than an unobfuscated assembly in that it makes no difference to the JIT compiler and runtime if an assembly is obfuscated or not (which is why it will work on the Xbox 360). Similarly, assemblies for the 360 are not special assemblies; they are produced by the same C# compiler as the Windows assemblies -- so no special obfuscator is required to use on them.
Note that obfuscation just makes it harder to read disassembled assemblies, not impossible to read. With a more sophisticated disassembler, I believe you could effectively undo most of the obfuscation. You'll have to check with your obfuscation tool vendor to understand just how "secret" they can make your code. From my understanding of obfuscation, the efficacity also depends on the complexity of the software you are trying to obfuscate. That is, an algorithm in a single function will probably remain almost completely unchanged. However, an algorithm that requires dozens or more functions would be very well hidden. The trick is in hiding what functions are being called an what data is being passed around. The instructions doing the work (loops, branches, etc) are otherwise the same.
--Stephen"
Cheers!
DREAM.BUILD.PLAY: GLOBAL COMPO?
Lately, many of us have been worried because the 'Register' section of the Dream.Build.Play competition only shows one country: the US (and not all of the states).
Well, Dave Mitchell has confirmed that the D.B.P. is a global competition.
From Microsoft's forums: "The site is live and yes we realize there are a few things that haven't quite propped properly. We've got people looking to get these fixed asap.
To be clear, yes you will be able to register outside the US as this is a global competition. And yes, the missing states will be re-annexed shortly.
Apologies for the wrinkles in the rollout.
--dave"
Just let's give the guys the due time to set up things properly, shall we?
Well, Dave Mitchell has confirmed that the D.B.P. is a global competition.
From Microsoft's forums: "The site is live and yes we realize there are a few things that haven't quite propped properly. We've got people looking to get these fixed asap.
To be clear, yes you will be able to register outside the US as this is a global competition. And yes, the missing states will be re-annexed shortly.
Apologies for the wrinkles in the rollout.
--dave"
Just let's give the guys the due time to set up things properly, shall we?
TIP: DEBUGGING XNA GRAPHICS PROBLEMS
Shawn Hargreaves has posted a technical article with relevant advice on how to debug and diagnose Direct3D-graphic calls both on Windows and XBox360.
From Shawn's post: "For debugging Xbox graphics you have to rely on less scientific techniques, such as tea leaves, entrails, or a visit to the local palm reader..."
Say no more, a must read ... ;)
From Shawn's post: "For debugging Xbox graphics you have to rely on less scientific techniques, such as tea leaves, entrails, or a visit to the local palm reader..."
Say no more, a must read ... ;)
"DREAM.BUILD.PLAY" CONTEST UPDATE
By the time I publish this post, I guess this update is old news if you -like me- are suscribed to many XNA Community blogs.
The Dream.Build.Play website is being updated and in turn, relevant information is starting to be published. So far you will find information on some sections -like "Home", "About XNA" and "Register"- until the week of February 5th, 2007 when the rest of the information -like "Prizes" and "How to Play"- will be unveiled.
So, what's next? Just direct your browser to the site and start by registering if you want to get in the compo (what I assume you do).
And remember: "... Besides worldwidefame and recognition, you could also win some fantastic prizes!" (just show me the money! show me the money!)
;)
The Dream.Build.Play website is being updated and in turn, relevant information is starting to be published. So far you will find information on some sections -like "Home", "About XNA" and "Register"- until the week of February 5th, 2007 when the rest of the information -like "Prizes" and "How to Play"- will be unveiled.
So, what's next? Just direct your browser to the site and start by registering if you want to get in the compo (what I assume you do).
And remember: "... Besides worldwidefame and recognition, you could also win some fantastic prizes!" (just show me the money! show me the money!)
;)
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
TUTORIAL: A DATA DRIVEN SAMPLE ("SHOOTER ZERO")
Continuing with the "XNA Community Pimpage" tradition, I recommend reading this post on Gamey Little Hacker's Blog about data-driven game architecture and implementation.
Not only is the second part of the series on the matter but also you will find an interesting demo sample code which will bring some light for those of us who need tips and examples (and I say "of us" because I'm starting to deal with the concept of "Entity" within my engine so this example comes to me in the proper moment).
From GLH's blog: "Questions are welcome, and if there's enough interest I could write a few more posts that break out the details."
All in favor of more posts just raise your hands, or ... well, say, let GLH know that you're interested in more posts on this regard ... I am ...
Not only is the second part of the series on the matter but also you will find an interesting demo sample code which will bring some light for those of us who need tips and examples (and I say "of us" because I'm starting to deal with the concept of "Entity" within my engine so this example comes to me in the proper moment).
From GLH's blog: "Questions are welcome, and if there's enough interest I could write a few more posts that break out the details."
All in favor of more posts just raise your hands, or ... well, say, let GLH know that you're interested in more posts on this regard ... I am ...
OH MY ...
I was sad these days because my quite old crappy animation didn't make into Aniboom's finals (... not really ...) but I've been recently awarded with the "XNA Community Pimpage" by Sharky.
Thanks man ... ;)
Thanks man ... ;)
"LIFTED" BY PIXAR
"Lifted" is the name of the upcoming short animated film from Pixar Animation Studios.
Being a follower of superheroe comic books I still consider that "The Incredibles" is the best animation film from this studios but I must admit that this trailer is really funny.
Enjoy!
Being a follower of superheroe comic books I still consider that "The Incredibles" is the best animation film from this studios but I must admit that this trailer is really funny.
Enjoy!
TIP: DEPLOYING GAMES TO THE 360 WITHOUT SHARING SOURCE CODE
From Microsoft's forums (by Stephen Styrchak): "If you really want to share an Xbox 360 game without sharing the source, you can do it pretty easily. Just build your game into a DLL instead of an EXE (Game Library project). Then share a project with the source for the program entrypoint (main) that references your compiled assembly.
Basically, the project you have to share is the default Xbox 360 Game project with the Game1.cs file removed. The Game1 class should be defined in a separate DLL, which you can build from an Xbox 360 Game Library project. That way, the code in Program.cs will instantiate and invoke your game, which is implemented in another assembly.
You can develop the game using a multi-project solution and a project-to-project reference. But when it comes time to share it, just create a new Xbox 360 Game project and reference the already-compiled Game Library that holds all your game logic. Share that project (which is just a stub and contains no game logic), your compiled game assembly, and all the compiled assets.
This way, anyone with XNA Game Studio Express can use your shared project to build and deploy your game, without actually having the source for your game.
Although many people will encourage you to share your source as well, there are ways to show off your games and your creativity without giving everything away if you really, really don't want to.
Simpler methods are on the way. Just be patient.
--Stephen"
Some tip! But wait, if you can read between lines you may notice that something is cooking -even though no time frame has been revealed.
Please, tell me that an update pack for XNA is almost there ...
"... Just be patient ..."
Ok.
Basically, the project you have to share is the default Xbox 360 Game project with the Game1.cs file removed. The Game1 class should be defined in a separate DLL, which you can build from an Xbox 360 Game Library project. That way, the code in Program.cs will instantiate and invoke your game, which is implemented in another assembly.
You can develop the game using a multi-project solution and a project-to-project reference. But when it comes time to share it, just create a new Xbox 360 Game project and reference the already-compiled Game Library that holds all your game logic. Share that project (which is just a stub and contains no game logic), your compiled game assembly, and all the compiled assets.
This way, anyone with XNA Game Studio Express can use your shared project to build and deploy your game, without actually having the source for your game.
Although many people will encourage you to share your source as well, there are ways to show off your games and your creativity without giving everything away if you really, really don't want to.
Simpler methods are on the way. Just be patient.
--Stephen"
Some tip! But wait, if you can read between lines you may notice that something is cooking -even though no time frame has been revealed.
Please, tell me that an update pack for XNA is almost there ...
"... Just be patient ..."
Ok.
SOME HELPFUL ADVICE FOR THE 360 DEV.
Peter D. has published some tips that will help you avoid the "memory wall" you may find when developing games for the XBox 360.
From Microsoft's forums: "I mentioned in a previous thread, that developers need to be careful when creating their games as the 360 has only 512mb of ram available. I noticed recently that as more people start to use the XNA launcher, they are running into this memory wall.
So here are my top tips to help avoid the wall ..."
Want to know more, follow this link.
From Microsoft's forums: "I mentioned in a previous thread, that developers need to be careful when creating their games as the 360 has only 512mb of ram available. I noticed recently that as more people start to use the XNA launcher, they are running into this memory wall.
So here are my top tips to help avoid the wall ..."
Want to know more, follow this link.
XNATUTORIAL.COM: WEEKLY UPDATE
The guys from XNAtutorial.com have published their Weekly Update summary of XNA announcements, workarounds, code, games, teasers, and reads.
It's amazing how fast the XNA community is growing: new blogs have been published (and old ones now include sections which focus on XNA), plenty of interesting games are being developed, and more and more video trailers are being released (most of the latter can be found on this site).
Enjoy!
It's amazing how fast the XNA community is growing: new blogs have been published (and old ones now include sections which focus on XNA), plenty of interesting games are being developed, and more and more video trailers are being released (most of the latter can be found on this site).
Enjoy!
ANIBOOM AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
At last! The list of winners of AniBoom's first competition has been published.
Congrats to the winners! (... 25k ... 5k ... is this for real? If so, some compo, don't you think? ...)
Also, a new competition is comming: "Aniboom Eyedoll Auditions", so if you have some experience in Animation you could give it a try. I would ...
... if only I had time ... :(
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
TUTORIAL: XNA COLLISION DETECTION FOR 3D MODELS (PARTS 2 & 3)
Sunday, January 28, 2007
NEW VISUAL STYLE FOR MY BLOG
As you can see, the style of my blog has changed.
As a result, all my previous posts have been automatically regrouped by year/month but both fields are displayed wrong (year-1, moth-1) even though the date of each post is correct ... weird!!!
Since I'm using the beta version of Blogger -which seems not to include "republish index/site" options- I'm contacting google support team now ...
Anyway. I hope you like the new look.
Bye.
As a result, all my previous posts have been automatically regrouped by year/month but both fields are displayed wrong (year-1, moth-1) even though the date of each post is correct ... weird!!!
Since I'm using the beta version of Blogger -which seems not to include "republish index/site" options- I'm contacting google support team now ...
Anyway. I hope you like the new look.
Bye.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
ANIBOOM AWARDS FINALS COUNTDOWN: ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT
Yes, that's right. We have only three days left to cast our votes for the finalists.
I did vote, so what about you? If not, don't forget to watch the videos in each category and rank them before the deadline is met if you want your favorites to win the competition.
Watch this space!
I did vote, so what about you? If not, don't forget to watch the videos in each category and rank them before the deadline is met if you want your favorites to win the competition.
Watch this space!
Friday, January 26, 2007
OOB INTERSECTION TEST USING XNA
As we wait for the second part of Sharky's tutorial "XNA Collision Detection for 3D models", there is an interesting source code to study, which was programmed and uploaded by Minh at Channel 9 site.
Too many links for one sentence, don't you think?
Anyway, just dowload the code, build the assembly and play around with the test demo to see how the test performs.
See ya!
Too many links for one sentence, don't you think?
Anyway, just dowload the code, build the assembly and play around with the test demo to see how the test performs.
See ya!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
DREAM.BUILD.PLAY CONTEST IS COMING
You don't believe it, read this post on the XNA Team Blog.
"... The specific timeframes will be announced soon but I can say that everyone will have ample time to design, develop and polish their games. After all, we're not after samples here... we're looking for the next blockbuster game that's lurking in your dreams! ..."
Say again please .... THE NEXT BLOCKBUSTER ... I love this part ... ;)
"... The specific timeframes will be announced soon but I can say that everyone will have ample time to design, develop and polish their games. After all, we're not after samples here... we're looking for the next blockbuster game that's lurking in your dreams! ..."
Say again please .... THE NEXT BLOCKBUSTER ... I love this part ... ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)