XNA for indie games.
Author
Hi guys, I have a question regarding XNA development.
I have a bunch of knowledge in C++ and allegro api and I've done some basic games with that (Pong, arkanoid, tetris, etc...).
As I do not work in the gaming industry, I thought making indie games and selling it on a system like steam or xbox live arcado would be a good hobby for me.
Do you guys think that XNA is a good tool for doing that? Has microsoft ever spoken about XNA on their next console? Would game selling platforms like steam accept XNA games?
My questions are somewhat basic, and obviously I could be asking dumb question. I hope you guys can help me getting into the indie industry.
Thanks in advance,
Homer.
It most certainly is an excellent tool to create an indie game. You'll be limited to distribution on either the Xbox 360 or PC, but that's a pretty far reaching audience as it is.
I've never heard Microsoft mention anything about their next console, so no news about XNA on it.
I'm not sure about XNA on Steam. Looks like the question has already been asked here.
You also might find better answers here.
I've never heard Microsoft mention anything about their next console, so no news about XNA on it.
I'm not sure about XNA on Steam. Looks like the question has already been asked here.
You also might find better answers here.
Well, first things first. XNA is a wonderful indie toolset.
However there are snags. One snag is you can't easily get your game on XBox Live Arcade. I don't know what the requirements to do so are, but I will leave that to someone else to explain. Instead, you will easily be able to place your game on the XBox Live Indie Games portal, and all that requires is a premium subscription to XNA to get access to 360 development.
If you were developing for Windows, there would be absolutely no catches at all. No fees, no real limitations, etc etc.
As for XNA on Microsoft's next console; I have not heard anything about it. But then again, I've also not heard anything about their next console at all. I imagine they have one somewhere in planning, but that's pretty far off. I imagine there will be a version of XNA for that particular console, but it will most likely be different from the one we have now considering the XNA version we have now targets essentially Direct3D9, and the next gen console will probably be DirectX11.
However there are snags. One snag is you can't easily get your game on XBox Live Arcade. I don't know what the requirements to do so are, but I will leave that to someone else to explain. Instead, you will easily be able to place your game on the XBox Live Indie Games portal, and all that requires is a premium subscription to XNA to get access to 360 development.
If you were developing for Windows, there would be absolutely no catches at all. No fees, no real limitations, etc etc.
As for XNA on Microsoft's next console; I have not heard anything about it. But then again, I've also not heard anything about their next console at all. I imagine they have one somewhere in planning, but that's pretty far off. I imagine there will be a version of XNA for that particular console, but it will most likely be different from the one we have now considering the XNA version we have now targets essentially Direct3D9, and the next gen console will probably be DirectX11.
Quote:Original post by Flimflam
However there are snags. One snag is you can't easily get your game on XBox Live Arcade. I don't know what the requirements to do so are, but I will leave that to someone else to explain. Instead, you will easily be able to place your game on the XBox Live Indie Games portal, and all that requires is a premium subscription to XNA to get access to 360 development.
Aside from the premium subscription (which is $100/yr), your game also has to pass through a peer review process before it can be put up for sale on XBLIG games. Basically other XNA developers playtest your game, and make sure it passes a set of baseline requirements.
Author
Thanks for the tips!
What do you guys think about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Studio-Creators-Guide-Second/dp/0071614060/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3DIAQ9YY1AYMO&colid=1II6C45Z0790P
Do you have any other recommendations?
What do you guys think about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Studio-Creators-Guide-Second/dp/0071614060/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3DIAQ9YY1AYMO&colid=1II6C45Z0790P
Do you have any other recommendations?
Doing it for a hobby shouln't determine what API you use. You should choose whatever API is most comfortable for you to develop in. As for using XNA for business purposes, your locked into the XNA paradigm. Which is to say it's very unlikely you will ever be able to publish commercial XBOX games.
Quote:Original post by Homerzinho
Thanks for the tips!
What do you guys think about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Studio-Creators-Guide-Second/dp/0071614060/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3DIAQ9YY1AYMO&colid=1II6C45Z0790P
Do you have any other recommendations?
The reviews seem to indicate it's awesome, but at the same time it's only 500 pages and covers a lot of ground, so I can only assume it doesn't cover that ground in depth. But then, if you're new to it, I'm sure that it wont be bad. Combine that with all the examples on creators.xna.com and you'll be well off.
Quote:Original post by mososky
Which is to say it's very unlikely you will ever be able to publish commercial XBOX games.
There are XBLA games on the market right now that use XNA. The boundary isn't the API, it's having a publisher or convincing Microsoft that it meets their standards of quality.
I'm not saying it's impossible, of course nothing is. What I'm saying is if your going in for yourself to be an indie developer, If your priority is bringing software to the *market*, XNA may not be the best way to do that right now. If you just want to learn about making 3D games then XNA is an excellent choice.
Quote:Original post by mososky
I'm not saying it's impossible, of course nothing is. What I'm saying is if your going in for yourself to be an indie developer, If your priority is bringing software to the *market*, XNA may not be the best way to do that right now.
Huh? Why?
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