Gdc '08

[AlphaWolf]

I don't know personally if this is the case, but I suspect schools will be slow to introduce classes that require the use of C# -- especially in more traditional computer science programs where C++, Java, LISP/Scheme,some architectures assembly language are also taught.

Actually there's already a bunch of schools that have announced XNA programs. Microsoft listed some in a press release earlier.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Sure, they're great! That's why they're used everywhere! They hardly need GDC to extol the virtues of XNA though, nor as a launch place for a university programme. Community XNA is where the push needs to be. In the past homebrew was covered by a myriad of engines like Torque. If MS could nail down all these entry-level 'developers' especially by giving them a creative outlet, I think it'd be good for everyone.

 

[mrcorbo]

Sure, they're great! That's why they're used everywhere! They hardly need GDC to extol the virtues of XNA though, nor as a launch place for a university programme. Community XNA is where the push needs to be. In the past homebrew was covered by a myriad of engines like Torque. If MS could nail down all these entry-level 'developers' especially by giving them a creative outlet, I think it'd be good for everyone.

I wouldn't be surprised if this (a content submission and distribution system for "homebrew" projects done via XNA) was announced at one of their presentations if not the keynote which is titled, "A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community".

It is clearly one of their goals, so it's just a question of whether or not they have come up with a workable implementation yet.

Interestingly enough, I think the work Bungie did both in Halo 3 and on Bungie.net and the interoperability between the two as far as allowing for the submission, categorization and distribution of user generated content is a working model for how MS could handle XNA-developed content.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Barbie MMO.

 

[Squilliam]

It's halo 4-7! They decided it was best to save on all the waiting and release it all to the public at the same time. I especially like Halo 5 - "Master Chief goes to school". Halo 7 is pretty cool too, it's about how he finds a stray dog on a mission to stop the flood and they become friends, but cortana becomes jealous and launches a pre-emptive strike with nuclear weapons and starts judgement day. They really should have released Halo 8 at the same time! I don't want to wait over a year to find out what happens!

 

[Titanio]

A hint of some of what may be coming at MS's keynote?

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186258.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6186258

Microsoft's Chris Early promises tomorrow's keynote will contain "an announcement" about casual games and "asynchronous play" between Microsoft mobile platforms and Xbox 360 and PC games.

Toward the end of his presentation, Early talked about how excited he was at the prospect of combining casual and hardcore gameplay in "asynchronous play." "I can't wait for this bridge to happen between hardcore and casual games, especially when they're separated in time," he declared before referencing a well-know minigame. "I'd love to stand in line at the bank and play that BioShock flow game. Then come home and say, 'Ha! Take that!' I'd love to take that good casual game I played home and have that be successful there as well."

Early's comments sound reminiscent of Live Anywhere's gaming aspect, an ambitious program that would allow minigames and other aspects from Xbox 360 and Vista games to be played on Windows Mobile-enabled phones and the Zune multimedia handheld. Though Microsoft's plans for gaming via Live Anywhere were unveiled with great fanfare at the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo by Bill Gates himself, little has since been heard about the crossover functionality on handhelds.

That may change tomorrow. Early heavily hinted that some sort of announcement relating to a crossover between casual games on handhelds and hardcore platform games will be made during the keynote from Schappert, who is Microsoft's corporate VP of Live software.

I think there'd be more than this, but I guess this will be part of it.

 

[Arwin]

Maybe you'll be able to develop for Live Anywhere using XNA?

 

[patsu]

Xbox Live for cellphones (e.g., profile and gaming stats), plus proxy game play:

cellphone/portable device <-- control --> XBL proxy/bot (on Xbox 360 or hosted server) <-- play against --> Other XBL users

We may see endorsement from cellphone makers in the same announcement.

The "thing" behind the shroud should be an updated SKU (assuming 360 stock is low as reported).

 

[Shifty Geezer]

A hint of some of what may be coming at MS's keynote?
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186258.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6186258
I think there'd be more than this, but I guess this will be part of it.

I recall them mentioning this before 360's release. IIRC the example was something like Halo but where you control a different aspect to the same game on your mobile. So at home you play the shooter, on your PC you control the strategic gameplay, and on your mobile you do some resource management, or something. Or you play football and play matches in your console, but play a team management game on your mobile with the results feeding back into your console success, and vice versa.

Bit disappointing if that's what they're unveiling, IMO. Short of some MMO fanatics, who really wants to be locked into the same game-universe on different platforms? Aren't mobiles ideally suited for a simpler game experience, which is an experience people can and do enjoy, just like Live! Arcade?

 

[valioso]

at first glance doesnt sound too exciting

 

[Dominik D]

Maybe you'll be able to develop for Live Anywhere using XNA?

With nVidia XFX for cellphones and MS probably buying Danger - very likely. The largest gap between smartphones and iPhone is that GPU's for smarts are pretty much nonexistent. Now MS can try (stress on TRY) to compete with Apple in that space. Releasing XNA for accelerated smartphones seems like a good idea.

 

["Nerve-Damage"]

A new $299 SKU system with an 80GB HDD, HD-DVD/Blu-Ray hybrid drive, with Wii like controllers & games.

 

["Nerve-Damage"]

RROD strikes again.

Demo Xbox 360 dies from the infamous three red lights

One of Microsoft's demonstration Xbox 360 consoles has succumbed, rather publicly, to the infamous 'Red Ring of Death' in the company's XNA area at the Game Developers Conference.

The machine, videoed by BBC technology editor Darren Waters, has clearly developed problems the outcome of which will be familiar to a large number of owners of the console - three red lights surrounding the unit's power button.

:neutral:

 

[Nesh]

heh I dont know whether I should find this funny or sad. It makes me wonder if it will be ok to jump to the 360 bandwagon soon

 

[Rockster]

I think its just the ability to download and share games via Live and stripping the "Creators Club/PC" requirement to play. (ie. Exposing XNA game downloads to everyone via the games blade)

GDC just doesn't seem that great a vehicle to launch new SKU's. Just give me my Too Human demo to download and I'll be on my way. Interested to see how it's coming and whether my prediction of it becoming XBox's Lair come true. Anyone remember what time the spring dashboard update came out last year?

 

[Titanio]

I think its just the ability to download and share games via Live and stripping the "Creators Club/PC" requirement to play. (ie. Exposing XNA game downloads to everyone via the games blade)

I think that's reasonable, it's perfectly in fitting with the keynote's title.

That and Live Anywhere (or whatever they're going to call it now) seem like good bets.

 

[Diamond.G]

Anyone remember what time the spring dashboard update came out last year?

I am pretty sure that it came out around E3 timeframe (April-Mayish?).

 

[Titanio]

No one's posted this stuff here?

MS's Italian PR sent out the press releases early (I guess they really wanted to go home).

The pertinent bits:

- Gears of War 2 announced, will release in Nov
- XNA Creators' Club members will be able to distribute their games to all Live! members by the end of the year. Users will be able to rate games. Beta in Spring.
- To demonstrate the creative power of the community, 7 games will be put on the Marketplace to show what kind of games users should expect.
- Ninja Gaiden 2 will be released globally in June, featuring saved films
- Perhaps linked to the hint given yesterday about casual 'gateways' to hardcore home games, Fable 2 will have a supplementary game on XBLA in advance of its release, which will let you earn money you can take into the full game.

 

[AlphaWolf]

live blog of MS Keynote

 

[patsu]

Havok introduces Destruction and Cloth

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3166400

First up was Destruction, a technology that was described to us as "previously too costly for most developers." As the name implies, Destruction technology allows for nearly everything in a game's environment to be wrecked by bullets and battle. If you're thinking Stranglehold, you're on the right track, but Havok is going for something slightly more realistic.

Havok also showed off their less awesome-sounding but equally cool Cloth technology. These tools lend a game extremely realistic but functional cloth movement, whether said cloth is actual clothing worn by a character or just a flag blowing in the wind. The key here is that cloth acts realistically -- a cape will float up when the character wearing it jumps -- but in a controlled fashion that is suited to the game -- the cape will not get tangled up in the character's legs.