FRIDAY, 13TH ...

... sorry guys for any delays in the news but I experienced some problems with my desktop that forced me to re-install everything ... before upgrading to WinXP Pro x64 I used an application called Restore-It!, but unfortunately it does not support this 64-bit OS, so I need to find an alternative -and more handy than "ntbackup.exe"- solution a.s.a.p. before a similar situation happens again.

Well, anyway, everything is getting back to normal now ... although I still have plenty of installations to do ...

I better start now, so see you all later!

BASIC EFFECT AND SPECULAR-LIGHT CONTRIBUTION

Shawn has published the second part of the series on XNA and lighting, which focus this time on "specularity": what it is, and how to tweak it by using "BasicEffect".

From Shawn's post: "... Specular light can be harder to understand. When viewed in isolation, its contribution seems incredibly minimal ... But in combination with the diffuse light, specular is a critical part of making a model look good. Set it too low, and your objects will appear flat and uninteresting. Too high, and everything will look like plastic: waxy and unnatural ...".

Read on!

"AIR LEGENDS": NEW TEASER PICS

Lawrence has published some new screenshots of the new features he has been working on for his game: "Sharky's Air Legends".

For those of you who still don't know or never heard about this game, let me tell you that it's a legend it-self, since it's one of the first XNA games that came out -if not the first- all done by a XNA user.

What is more, if you do some search on YouTube for any initial videos promoting XNA, you will surely find a sequence of Air Legends' planes flying around nicely.

From Sharky's post: "... I’m wondering if I should just release it now anyway, and follow up with an XNA v.next release when it comes out. I’m open to persuasion ..."

Want to get your hands on the latest build? Then just go and try to persuade him ...

By the way Lawrence, nice to hear from you, man!