XNA Game Studio Express FAQ - More Details About Indie Dev. on Xbox360 Posted by XanTium | August 14 12:04 EST

There are many questions left unanswered after the announcement from Microsoft to release XNA Game Studio Express for free and allow to build indie games for the Xbox 360. Below are the most interesting parts from the official "Microsoft XNA Frequently Asked Questions", that should clear up a few things: [QUOTE] Q: Can I use the XNA Game Studio Express or XNA Framework to build a commercial Xbox 360 game? A: XNA Game Studio Express will enable you to create Windows and now Xbox 360 console games much more easily. These games are limited to non-commercial scenarios for 360 titles created with XNA Game Studio Express. However, XNA Game Studio Express may be used to create commercial games which target Windows. We will be releasing XNA Game Studio Professional next spring which will allow developers to create commercial games for Xbox addition to Windows. Q: Isn't managed code in the XNA Framework interpreted and therefore slow? A: No, it is not interpreted. The IL is just-in-time (JIT) compiled into native code when it is initially loaded by a process, prior to execution. This allows hardware-specific optimizations unique to the PC and Xbox 360 architectures. Q: Why isn't there any Xbox 360 support in the beta? A: Microsoft does not release beta software on the Xbox 360 for security reasons. Thanks to the design and implementation of the XNA Framework on both Windows and Xbox 360 however, games developed using the XNA Game Studio Express beta starting August 30th will be easily adapted to run against the Xbox 360 retail console upon availability of the finished tools later this holiday. Q: How exactly can I share my 360 game to other 360 users? Will my game only be available to people with the XNA "Creators Club" subscription? Will it be available to all 360 users that have an Xbox Live account? A: There is currently no supported way to share binaries on the Xbox 360. Currently, there are four requirements that must be met in order to share a game targeting Xbox 360 which is developed with XNA Game Studio Express. 1. The individual you are planning to share the game with must be logged in to Xbox Live and have an active subscription to the XNA Creators Club 2. The receiving user must have downloaded the XNA Framework runtime environment for the Xbox 360 3. The receiving user must have XNA Game Studio Express installed on their own development PC 4. The game project, including all source and content assets, must be shared with the receiving user. The receiving user then compiles and deploys the game to their Xbox 360. Q: Can I store my XNA Game Studio Express game on my memory card and share it with a friend? A: No. Games developed using XNA Game Studio Express cannot be shared through a memory card at this time. Q: Do I need a hard drive to run XNA-based games on my Xbox 360 console? A: Yes. The XNA Framework runtime environment for Xbox 360 requires that a physical hard drive be present on your Xbox 360 retail console. Q: Can I create non-gaming applications (such as a Media Center/Player) with XNA Game Studio Express? A: On Windows this is possible, but the initial release on Xbox 360 is tuned to writing games. This is an area we are actively looking to the community for feedback on the types of applications they want to write for their Xbox 360. 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. Q: How can you debug XNA-based games running on the Xbox 360? A: Debugging on the console is supported through a remote debugging connection from a Windows desktop running XNA Game Studio Express. Q: How will the XNA Framework be available to developers? A: The XNA Framework will be made available to Windows game developers via a free download. In order to develop for the 360, developers will need to join the XNA "Creators Club" which includes everything a developer needs to build non-commercial games for an Xbox 360 retail console. Q: How exactly will I be able to run a game built with XNA Game Studio Express on my Xbox 360? A: On Windows, you'll be able to develop, test and distribute software created with XNA Game Studio Express for free. When you sign up for the nominally priced annual subscription to XNA Game Studio Express for Xbox 360, you'll be able to write a game on Windows, then send it to your Xbox 360 to test and enjoy. Eventually, you'll be able to distribute that code to other Xbox 360s, opening up a unique publishing avenue which will democratize game development on consoles. [/QUOTE] Read all the Q&A: http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/xna/faq/ A bit more details about how it will actually run on a retail Xbox360 was posted over at quartertothree.com: [QUOTE] The beta released at the end of the month will be just on the PC. The release version (at the end of the year) will let anyone with a "creator's club" membership ($99 per year) create builds on their PC to run on their Xbox 360. You'll basically take your Xbox 360 on the same local network as your PC, set it to listen for a code dump from your PC running the Game Studio Express, and then on your PC you hit the 'ol "compile and run on 360" thing. Very similar to the actual pro development environment, only it works on retail 360s (on the same local network, provided you have a creator's club membership activated on that console). You can share your games to anyone else in the creator's club. Just send the XNA project to them in email, on a memory key, put it up on your site for download, whatever. They load it up on their PC in their copy of XNA Game Studio Express, and send it to their Xbox. The goal is that, in the future, they'll have a channel for people who are not members of the creator's club to download and play the homebrew games. Like, there's Live Aracade, and there will be Creator's Arcade or some such. Anyone in the creator's club would theoretically be able to submit to Creator's Arcade and MS would examine it to make sure it's not really a pirate game or won't harm your Xbox, then they put it up for everyone to download and check out. That aspect of it is a little further out (think next year) and they're still working on details like ownership and copyright, how they'll examine submissions for safety, etc. [/QUOTE]

Seems like a lot of room for exploits... will be interesting to see the amount of security they put into this, etc, or if the 360 runs in a different "mode".

Basically, you'll be building dev xexs. (Similar to dev XBEs) The XNA Framework on the 360 harddrive will allow the xex to be ran. The framework will determine what can and cannot be done. So if you were to program something to open the network port on a hardware level, I'm sure the framework will deny it since they said network support doesn't exist.

XNA Sounds like pure crap, only way this will be usefull is if its exploitable in some way.......

Love everyone's Optimism, am I the only one who caught this?:




An official, maybe $20 version of Xbox Media Center in the market place would kick ass. With enough demand, maybe MS will bow to the mod scene and take care of the legalities of licensing.

Dang i really hope we can make applications for the 360......make xbmc360....other nice little utilities....

Too bad it isn't trully free. What's the crap about requiring a subscription fee. I don't pay to play online on Live and I'm not going to pay them to develop home brewed software on the 360 either. I wouldn't mind tinkering with a couple basic games and compiling them to see how it all works on the console. I'm familiar with building apps and some basic games on the PC, but was curious how it was done for consoles.

Too bad MicroShaft is deciding to make this a pay for play scenario. I don't mind paying to have access to their proprietary demos and examples, but if I want to use someone else's examples on the web instead I should be able to do that for free.

If they really want the small guys to be able to do this they need to open it up or stay at home.

i think this is great news. i cant program, but ill deffo be paying for subscription. itll give me the boost i need, cos ive heard the XNA framework is much easier to use than other things. its deffo good for indy developers, and people looking to start.

lets just hope the application section doesnt take too long to get running. id love an FTP server, so i can access the HDD to put saves on, without having to fork out for a Sata adaptor.

You may be forgetting that MS is providing additional tools with the subscription, as well as minimal support and access to a "X360 Enthusiast Developers Corner". And don't forget the planned "Indies' Corner" on XboxLive360. The lone fact that we'll be able to get the maybe-to-exist Xbox360 Media Center straight from XboxLive360 is worth it.

Dude. They're selling the console at a big LOSS. Maybe up to 200$ USD of loss. Maybe even fucking more. Where was the last time you saw a tri-core PowerMac G5 with 20gb and 512mb of RAM and a X1800 (or some'n like that) for 400$ USD? No wonder they want to profit from their investment.

Not all is free as in beer, sometimes you have to pay your beer because the free one tastes like goat piss...

^^

i hear ya. i dont think $99 is too much a price for enhancing the console.

so say it takes two years for them to let you distribute binaries to non-devs. so what? thats $198 + $400 for your machine. i challenge you to find a better deal for a media box.

Aw shucks! I think the #1 thing everyone is gonna want is an XBMC360. As usual M$ doesn't listen to what people actually want.

if xbmc is possible through this I will pay!

@bonevichio

read the whole thing properly...xbmc360 is possible just not in "initial" version

Best news for the console so far! Nice!

Am I correct in interpreting that Q&A as saying that at some point people who DON'T pay the XNA subscription fee will still be able to download homebrew games that pass MS quality assurance?

"far" later (as in 6mo to 1y) but technically, it's "in the plans" to have an "Enthusiasts' Corner"

This just in: It's C#-ONLY...


FUC^^^NO CARRIER

This is fantasic, I'm getting excited Me and friend of mine from work already have the wheels turning for an awesome XBLA type game

Anyone who complains about the price is an idiot, console development has been untouchable to garage devs since the 2600 days, and getting worse with every generation. The buy in for most consoles today is in the 100K range. Something that costs a piddaly $99 a year is a god-send to anyone SERIOUSLY interested in trying their hand at making a console application. The point of this is NOT to distribute these homebrew apps to the masses or to somehow help us with creating an exploit, it's to give indy game developers something where they can test their skills in a console environment.

As someone who knows a few indy game devleopers, even buying a cheap game engine will cost you a few grand, if you can't do graphics and need to commision that work, that will be a few more grand... $99 a year for what's essentially a software license is chump change even in the indy world. The only people who the $99 is too much are people who are only really interested in running stuff that other people made and not really interested in running anything themselves. This is a development environment pure and simple, it's not ment for joe gamer. Chances are if you're an indy gamer using the 360 as a testbed, you're not spending money on games and accessories so the $99 covers that cost in the eyes of MS. It's more then reasonable IMO.

For the most part you'll want to get your game (or application) up and running on the PC for starters and once you've got most of the bugs worked out buy your Xbox 360 license and make sure it works in that space as well.

Wow, this is really amusing, expecially the "they will do a XBMC with it"... awesome.
If you're going to throw away some money better stick with shockwave flash, at least is portable.
Real performances on gaming, multimedia application or whatever are definitely not available with this crappy SDK.

Only real programmers with a real SDK that can squeeze something from a X360...

If u just want to test out how this stuff works, and im surely someone who will try it out, u can use it on your pc to create and test your games.

If u turn out to be a fast learner 99$ is a very good investment to test your skills on the console.

I think its a very good initiative, i dont see sony doing something like this, at least not with the ps3.

I wonder if it is possible to get into XBLA with your own created game. Not with the first release at least, no network code








Not really... ok it's very well needed. But u are forgetting about the whole graphikal and 3d part. This is a whole other thing, and most programmers wouldnt even know how to draw a tree ...

The screenshots shown showed some kinda of mayjong kinda game. If u can create games like that, but than with network code, its a good start. Imagine being able to get your own game up on XBLA eventually. But i doubt that will be possible for a long long long time...

I am quoting this post by "twistedsymphony" because it is worth re-reading as he describes perfectly MS's purpose in releasing these XNA development tools...even though we will be continued to be plagued by those kids asking if they have to pay $99 a year to have homebrew to "mod" their 360...I wish I knew more about coding, these tools could be fun...however it has been too many years since I was doing any coding, and then it was mostly in FORTRAN...

Allowing XBMC on the 360 may disrupt their plans to sell more media center PCs.

I hope so.
The only reason I haven't bought a 360 yet is because it(currently)only streams mpeg2 and Window Media file crap. This is the age of avi files. Who's bright idea was it to only let certain video files(ones that are pretty much non standard) to stream? They lost 500 bucks over that decision with me.

I converted all my favorite movies to high-res xvid. I'll be damned if I spend 6 months turning them into WMV. The day an XBMC for 360 is out is the day I'll buy one. Not a second before.

I'm excited. It seems like this is the MS solution to Bill Gate's homebrew experience posted a few months ago.

What I'm wondering is if this opens up the door to emulation. If the source code is dirtributed directly between people with the membership that means that, within the bounds of the framework, you should be able to make anything you want. You'd never see them on the Creators Club Live download section of course, but does anyone know of a reason why this shouldn't be possible?

I mean, $100 a year to be able to run homebrew, emulation, and design my own games if I wish on my 360? Sold.