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Microsoft Announces XNA Studio
simoniker writes "Microsoft has announced XNA Studio at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Based on Visual Studio 2005 Team System, XNA Studio is an integrated, team-based development environment tailored specifically for video game development, and will likely launch as a PC retail product early in 2006. Gamasutra has an interview with XNA's Chris Satchell with more details on what Microsoft sees as a solution for ever-expanding cost and complexity in game development."
What exactly is new here that Alienbrain doesn't offer? I guess there are those proprietary APIs for XBox Live compatibility and XBox controller polling..
Everyone already knows that XNA is just a fancy name for DirectX10 with even more proprietary lock down than ever. Look, MS...we know you want to own the entire game industry, but it's just not gonna happen. This makes me sad too because the Xbox2 looks like it could be pretty cool (hardware wise), but these kind of tactics are going to turn off everyone but the huge EA's of the world. You want to really "help" the gaming industry? Start working on Open GL instead of Direct3D. Start working on open standards... Start working on something that benefits the entire industry instead of just you.
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
A made a lot of games with just a text editor and CVS. Even for next generation games, there is more of a strain on the artists's packages, like Maya or MAX, then on the development IDE.
This is most likely just some thing to sell to managers, who have no idea how game development works.
And that is the core of the problem: If you want next generation games to success, hire GOOD managers and produces. And good designers. And keep everyone else the F out of the decision making process. It is not enough to promote a F'ing tester to producer and give him a schedule.
F.
VS .NET 2005 has implemented all sorts of bells and whistles for "collaborative" development which hasn't been getting much traction in the beta tests and this is just a respin of that to try to make it "sex-ay".
.NET can run on any platform just like COM could."
C'mon, when the marketspeak says:
"In answering this question, Satchell makes it clear that, while XNA Studio runs on Windows for development purposes, there's no reason why any exported data shouldn't be used anywhere, much as Visual Studio data can be compiled for many purposes. However, Microsoft has built or is building more tools closer to the run-time end of the business to give XNA Studio users significant ease in building content for Microsoft platforms, because exported XNA Studio data can be specifically designed to work with these tools."
That's standard Microspeak for "Yeah,
While this isn't a bad thing, the reality is that it would be FASTER to develop on a platform where the API's were open and the tools put out open and WELL DOCUMENTED file formats that anyone could make tools in the tool chain for.
Wait a minute - didn't they make Halo?
Nope, Bungie did.
There's nothing I hate more than when someone says a game is made by a publisher...that's like saying, oh hey man, did you hear that new Sony song? Yeah, man but what about the new Dreamworks album? Or, those Warner Brothers sure know how to direct a good movie...
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
- Visual Studio
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"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
I for one do want them there. i like the xbox. dont like it dont buy it. I dont really know where you get this idea that no one wants them there. they seem to be doing reasonably well from my point of view.
"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
I'd like to see more games based on innovative concepts or gameplay rather than just having better graphics so the sword you are wielding in SoulCalibur 9 has glints of light that look more realistic. I think it is strange that the Myst concept hasn't resulted in more games like that. Personally, the attraction of Myst for me was less the puzzle solving than the attractive visual design, the music, and the story telling.
My point here is that I don't care that MS has started pushing their game writing system. As long as the console business is based on the blockbuster concept borrowed from Hollywood we're going to continue to get more of the same.
"Lack of technical competence coupled with the arrogance of power, as usual, leads to no good end."
However, we are still anxiously awaiting a deathmatch-based development environment. Teams are great and all, but one "TKer" can spoil the entire experience. As a programmer, I prefer to work alone. Some idiot will always mess up the plan, be it with bad warthog driving or malformed code.
Quid festinatio swallonis est aetherfuga inonusti?
Africus aut Europaeus?
But Bungie is owned by Microsoft. So, yes, Microsoft did indeed re(write) halo and write halo 2. They also happened to publish it themselves. The 2 are not mutually exclusive.
To suggest MS needs to get out of the gaming market is lunacy - they - yes, MS Game Studios, have an impressive catalog that they not only published but developed. Probably my favorite game (that never made it) - Allegiance - was done by them.
I just want one game.. this one: Microsoft Crash Demo
When modding "Informative", please make sure it both has a source and IS actually informative.