Hi, I ' m just starting to work with XNA and I'm having a doubt planning my project. I would like to make any application (for example the Space Invaders) and develope a multiplayer on-line version for this. What would you think it could be the best idea for this? I have thought on these ideas: -Using the libraries of System.net for send messages between two players, but it could be very slow... -Use an existing game server (a game engine, that includes everything related with communications etc) and try to connect this with XNA game. I am looking for a free-source game server, to include my xna game in any place, but I haven´t found anything.... Do you know any way to solve these? Thanks!

I'm pretty certain that the beta of XNA will not allow you to do networking. I guess you'll have to wait for the full release when i assume there will be something equivalent to DirectPlay in managed DirectX....

Quote:Original post by RobTheBloke
I'm pretty certain that the beta of XNA will not allow you to do networking. I guess you'll have to wait for the full release when i assume there will be something equivalent to DirectPlay in managed DirectX....

But..I Suppose I can use the libraries of C# to communicate between two hosts,can´t I?

You should be able to use a C# library to do networking, but while it should work on windows, it will not work on the Xbox 360.

You can use System.Net on Windows to do the networking. Why do you think it would be slow? There are a few retail MDX games that have multiplayer support built apon this platform. It appears that they may not be supporting Networking on the 360 (?). It is unknown if they will add this feature to the final release. In my own opinion, I have a feeling that they will add networking support only for the Professional Version of XNA.

If you feel strongly for this feature, I would suggest signing up for the beta and voting for network support. They have a web page where you can add suggestions and bug reports. Once a suggestion is filed, other registered beta users can vote on the suggestion.

From the XNA FAQ:
"Q: Does the XNA Framework include the ability to use Xbox Live?
A: The initial release of the XNA Framework on the Xbox 360 will not have any support for networking. We realize this is a big area of interest for game developers and are actively working on a solution for the next release. "

It sounds like you are looking for a complete XNA game engine. Torque would be my recommnedation as of right now. Due to XNA only being out for a month, many people have not had enough time to develop a full engine. It may be awhile before many engines are ported. If you search around, you should be able to at least find an managed or unmanaged network server. However, the main issue is that most servers are built for specific purposes. A better approach, might be searching for a networking library built to be utilized for gaming engines.