XBOX 360 E User Guide

							
DO-IT-YOURSELF GAMING!
Looking to completely maximize your Xbox 360’s
potential? Look no further than the XNA™
Game Studio
Express. With it, gamers can create their own Xbox
360 or Windows® games. Yes, you read that correctly,
you can create your own games for Xbox 360 and
Windows! Of course, this isn’t something everyone does on a
daily basis, but at any given moment, nearly every
gamer has thought, “This would make a great game!”
Well, with XNA, now you can do it. Thank Charles Cox, Michael Klucher, Ronnie Yates, and Adam Ebel for the
following tutorial on getting started.
XNA REQUIREMENTS
Microsoft® Visual C#®
2005 Express Edition
XNA Game Studio Express leverages the Visual C#®
Express development environment, extending it for
game development. You can install Visual C# Express
from the Microsoft Express Editions website
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express).  We recommend that you configure the Visual Studio
2005 Help system to use online Help content when
available. Using online Help content ensures that you
are getting the most recently updated information.
Microsoft®.NET Framework 2.0
XNA Game Studio Express requires the Microsoft .NET
Framework 2.0. The setup program for Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition installs the .NET Framework if
it is not already installed on your computer. You can also install the .NET Framework from the Microsoft .NET
Framework Developer Center. 
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XNA Game Studio Express is designed to work only with Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express
Edition. Other products in the Visual Studio ®
2005 line (i.e., Visual Studio 2005 Professional) can coexist with XNA Game Studio Express on the same computer. However, you cannot
access the functionality of XNA Game Studio Express from these other products.
NOTE
Download XNA Game Studio Express at: http://msdn.com/xna/gse
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XNA Creators Club
To develop games for the Xbox 360, you need a
membership in the XNA Creators Club. Obtain an
XNA Creators Club membership from the Xbox Live
Marketplace.
Additional Required Software Installed by Setup
The XNA Game Studio Express setup program installs the following additional required software.
DirectX® Runtime
XNA Game Studio Express setup installs the current version of the DirectX® runtime. The runtime is required in
order to use the XNA Framework game application programming interface (API). 
Microsoft® Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool
XNA Game Studio Express setup installs the Microsoft® Cross-Platform Audio
Creation Tool (XACT) from the DirectX Software Development Kit (SDK). XACT
enables you to author audio content for your game. XNA Game Studio Express
setup installs a version of XACT that is compatible with the XNA Game Studio
Express product. XNA Game Studio Express may not work with content authored
using other versions of XACT. XACT requires .NET Framework
™1.1. Not all installations of Windows XP SP2 have .NET Framework 1.1
installed. Also, it is possible to have .NET Framework 2.0 installed but not .NET Framework 1.1. To determine if
you have .NET Framework 1.1, check for the existence of the following file on your computer.
%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\System.dll
If .NET Framework 1.1 is not installed, XACT launches, but using the tools causes XACT to generate the message,
“Object reference not set to an instance of an object.” If this message appears, download the .NET Framework
1.1 from www.microsoft.com/downloads under Developer Tools.
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You must have
administrator privi- leges to run XACT.
NOTE
If you’d like to learn more about getting a
membership to the XNA Creators Club, you can download an introduction video directly from Microsoft at http://msdn.com/xna/videos—
look for the video called “Getting Started with the XNA Creators Club.”
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CONNECTING TO YOUR XBOX 360™
WITH XNA GAME STUDIO EXPRESS
XNA Game Studio Express allows you to easily create
games for both your Windows computer and your Xbox
360. By simply downloading XNA Game Studio
Express, you can begin developing for your Windows
computer. In order to begin developing for your Xbox
360 using XNA Game Studio Express, follow these
additional steps.
Step 1: Sign in to Xbox Live®
Turn on your Xbox 360 and sign in to Xbox Live. To use XNA Game Studio Express to develop games for your
Xbox 360, you’ll need at least an Xbox Live Silver Membership and a hard drive for your Xbox 360 console.
While you are using the XNA Game Launcher or playing an XNA Game Studio Express game, you must remain
connected to Xbox Live.
Step 2: Download XNA™Game Launcher
Once you are signed in to Xbox Live, you can access Xbox Live Marketplace to download the XNA Game
Launcher and join the XNA Creators Club. This allows you to begin developing for the Xbox 360.On your Xbox Dashboard, navigate to the Xbox Live
blade. 
1. Select Xbox Live Marketplace and press  1. 
2. Select Games and press  1. 
3. Select All Game Downloads and press  1. 
4. Select XNA Creators Club.
At this point, you see a menu of download options
for XNA Game Studio Express—you must download the
XNA Game Launcher and join the XNA Creators Club. From the menu, select XNA Game Launcher and
press  1.
> Select Confirm Download and press 1. Wait for the  download to complete, then select Continue, and 
then press 1. 
> A check mark next to XNA Game Launcher indicates it has been successfully downloaded. 
> From the menu, select Memberships, and then  press 1. 
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As of now, you have two options for 
XNA membe rship: a four-month membership 
or an annual membership, both of which  are renewable and cost money (not Microsoft Points).
NOTE
This guide assumes you have already down-loaded Visual C# 2005 Express Edition andXNA Game Studio Express. These productsmust be installed before connecting to an Xbox 360.
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> A list of membership options for XNA Creators Club is displayed. Select the   optionyou wish to purchase, and press 1. Confirm your payment choice when asked. 
> A check mark next to the membership choice you selected indicates you have  enrolled in the XNA Creators Club.
After you download
the XNA Game Launcher
and join the XNA
Creators Club, you can
start the XNA Game
Launcher on your Xbox
360 and connect to your
Windows computer to
begin developing games.
Step 3: Connect Your Xbox 360™and Windows®Computer
When you develop games for your Xbox 360, you develop them first on your Windows computer, then transfer
them over your home network to your Xbox 360. This requires that your Windows computer and Xbox 360 share
the same subnet. Most home networking layouts support this configuration; if your Xbox 360 and Windows
computer share a router or hub, it is likely that the computers share the same subnet. With your Windows computer and Xbox 360 on the same subnet, follow these steps to set up a connection
between your Windows computer and Xbox 360:
1. On your Xbox Dashboard, navigate to the Games blade.      2. Select Demos and More and press  1.
3. Select XNA Game Launcher and press  1.
4. Select Launch and press  1.
Launch XNA Game Launcher on your Xbox 360; you’ll use it to both debug XNA Game Studio Express games
on your Xbox 360 and to play games on your Xbox 360 that you’ve already developed.
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The following warning message may
appear: “You can
only use this item with the full retail
version of this game. Do you want to con- tinue downloadingthis item?” If you
encounter this mes- sage, dismiss it byselecting Continue
and pressing  1.
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When the XNA Game Launcher appears on your
screen, you see three menu options:
> My XNA Games: Allows you to play games you have developed for your Xbox 360. 
> Connect to Computer: Allows you to connect to your Windows computer and receive new games
as you develop them. 
> Settings: Allows you to set a connection key, which is required before you begin sending
games to your Xbox 360. 
The next step is to generate a connection key. To do
so, use the Settings option: > Select the Settings option, and press  1. 
> The Generate Connection Key option appears. Select it, and press  1. 
> A panel appears showing you a key—a string of 25 letters and numbers that you must enter into XNA Game Studio Express on your Windows computer.  Do not accept the key yet.Leave it on the screen so you
can refer to it in the next set of steps. 
At this point, before accepting the key, you must enter the key into XNA Game Studio Express on your computer:
> On your Windows computer, open the Start menu, navigate to All Programs, then the Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express folder, and then XNA Game Studio Express. 
> Visual C# 2005 Express Edition launches. When it appears, select the Tools menu, then Options. 
> From the Options dialog box that appears, choose the XNA Game Studio Xbox 360 option from the selections on the left. If you do not see this option, be sure to check the Show All Settings check box in the bottom-left
corner of the Options dialog box.  
> Click the Add button. 
> In the dialog box that appears, type a name into the Xbox 360 Name field to identify your Xbox 360  console. The name can be any combination of letters and numbers you like. 
> Type the connection key from your Xbox 360 into the Connection Key field, and then click OK. When entering the key, do not enter any spaces or hyphens. 
> Click OK in the Options dialog box to save and close the connection key. 
> On your Xbox 360, select Accept New Key and press  1. 
You’re ready to connect
to your Windows computer
and deploy a game. You do
not have to generate
another connection key
every time you want to
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The connection key generated by XNA
Game Studio Express allows one computer
to communicate with one signed-in Xbox
Live profile on a single Xbox 360.
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deploy a game; the connection between your computer and your Xbox 360 is saved, even if you turn the Xbox
360 off or shut down your computer.
Step 4: Create and Deploy an Xbox 360™Project
Try out the Xbox 360 by deploying a simple, blank XNA Game Studio Express game to it: > On your Windows computer, at the main Visual C# 2005 Express Edition screen, click the File menu, and then click New Project.
> From the list of templates displayed, select Xbox 360 Game. Type a name for the project and a path, and then click OK. The project is generated, and the game code appears on the screen.
At this point, you must prepare the Xbox 360 to receive games from the Windows computer:
> On your Xbox 360, at the XNA Game Launcher main screen, select the Connect to Computer option and press  1.
> A screen appears stating that the Xbox 360 is wait- ing for a connection from your Windows computer.
Back to your computer for the final step:
> On your Windows computer, with your new project open, press 
5. 
> The project builds, deploys necessary files to the Xbox 360, and runs.
At this point, you’ll get
just a blue screen on your
Xbox. If you see this screen,
you have successfully
deployed a game to your Xbox 360. You can now deploy and play any game you
create on your Xbox 360! To stop the game and return to the main XNA Game Launcher, either press  0or
stop debugging on your computer by pressing 
s+5.
What Now?
You have successfully deployed your first Xbox 360
game. This game, like every game you deploy, now
appears in the “My XNA Games” section of the XNA Game
Launcher on your Xbox 360. Using the XNA Game Launcher,
you can play any of the games you have deployed to
your Xbox 360. From the XNA Game Launcher, you can
also delete games you do not want to keep.  Now try some of the tutorials. The code used in the
tutorials works on both Windows and Xbox 360, so
you can try either platform to get a feel for how to
develop for both.
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If the deployment
fails, check your net- work settings to
make sure your Xbox
360 is still connected to your computer orlocal area network.
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YOUR FIRST GAME: MICROSOFT XNA GAME STUDIO
EXPRESS IN 2-D
This section leads you through the steps necessary to create a very simple sprite-based game by using XNA
Game Studio Express.
Step 1: Install Your Software
Before you begin, make sure that you have installed all the necessary software, including Visual C# 2005
Express Edition and XNA Game Studio Express.
Step 2: Create a New Project
1. From the Start menu, click All Programs, then the Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express folder, and finally XNAGame Studio Express. 
2. When the Start page appears, click the File menu, and then click New Project. 
3. In the dialog box that appears, choose Windows Game or Xbox 360 Game and type a title for your project (such as “MyFirstXNAGame”) in the Name field. In the Location field, type a path where you’d like to save
your project. Then click OK.
After creating a new project, you’ll see the code view of your game.
Step 3: View the Code
Some of the hard work has already been done for you. If you build and run your game now, the graphics device
manager handles setting up your screen size and rendering a blank screen. Your game runs and updates all by
itself. It’s up to you to insert your own code to make the game more interesting. Much of the code to start and run your game has already been written for you, and it includes places for you
to insert your code:
> Initialize method: Initialize any assets that do not require a graphics device to be initialized. 
> LoadGraphicsContent method: Load any graphical assets such as models and textures. 
> UnloadGraphicsContent method: Release any graphical assets. Normally, no extra code is required here, because assets are released automatically when no longer needed. 
> Update loop: Update your game logic here. Move objects around, take player input, decide the outcome of collisions between objects, and so on. 
> Draw loop: Render all of your objects and backgrounds on the screen here.
Step 4: Add a Sprite
The next step is to add a graphic that can be drawn on the screen. Use a small graphics file, such as a small
.bmp or .jpg. Be creative—you can even make your own.
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1. Make sure you can see the Solution Explorer for your project on the window’s right side. If you cannot see it,select the View menu, and then select Solution Explorer. When it appears, files associated with your project
appear in a tree structure.
2. Right-click on your project in Solution Explorer, click Add, and then click Existing Item. Browse to your graphic. If you can’t see any files, make sure you change the Files of Type Selection field to read Content Pipeline
Files. Click the graphic file, then click Add. An entry for the graphic file appears in Solution Explorer.
3. When you add a graphic file, it is automatically added to the XNA Framework Content Pipeline, which allows you to quickly and easily load the graphic in your game.
4. Click the entry for the graphic in the Solution Explorer. In the Properties window below Solution Explorer, look for the “Asset Name” property (in the example below, the asset name is “mytexture”). You’ll use the name in
your code to load the graphic so it can be displayed in your game. If the Properties window isn’t visible, press
4, or select the View menu, then the Properties Window.
5. Now, you must write code that loads and displays the sprite on the screen.
Back in the code view of your game, find the LoadGraphicsContent method, and add the following lines in and
above the method so it looks similar to this:
Make sure the call to ContentManager.Load is using the “Asset Name” you saw in the Properties window in
Step 4. This code loads and prepares your graphic to be drawn and reloads your graphic if the graphics device is
reset (for example, if the game window is resized).
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//this is a texture we can render
Texture2D myTexture;
//coordinates to draw the sprite at
Vector2 spritePosition = Vector2.Zero;
//this is the object that will draw the sprites
SpriteBatch spriteBatch;
protected override void LoadGraphicsContent(bool loadAllContent)
{
if (loadAllContent)
{
myTexture = content.Load(“mytexture”);
spriteBatch = new SpriteBatch(graphics.GraphicsDevice);
}
}

C# Code
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6. Now, add code to the Draw loop so it looks like this:This code draws the sprite on the screen each frame.
7. Build and run your game. The sprite appears. Now, it’s time to give it some motion. 
Step 5: Make the Sprite Move and Bounce
Change the lines of code in and above the Update method to read this way:
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//store some info about the sprite’s motion
Vector2 spriteSpeed = new Vector2(50.0f, 50.0f);
protected override void Update(GameTime gameTime)
{ // Allows the default game to exit on Xbox 360 and Windows
if (GamePad.GetState(PlayerIndex.One).Buttons.Back == ButtonState.Pressed)this.Exit();
//move the sprite around
UpdateSprite(gameTime);
base.Update(gameTime);
}
void UpdateSprite(GameTime gameTime)
{ //move the sprite by speed, scaled by elapsed time
spritePosition += spriteSpeed * (float)gameTime.ElapsedGameTime.TotalSeconds;
C# Code

protected override void Draw(GameTime gameTime)
{graphics.GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.CornflowerBlue);
//draw our sprite
spriteBatch.Begin(SpriteBlendMode.AlphaBlend);
spriteBatch.Draw(myTexture, spritePosition, Color.White);
spriteBatch.End();
base.Draw(gameTime);
}

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This code moves the sprite around each frame and cause it to change direction if it hits the edges of the
game window.
Step 6: Explore!
From here, you can do just about anything. Here are some more ideas to extend this sample:
> Experiment with the call to SpriteBatch.Draw. Change the Color parameter to tint the sprite.
> Add a second sprite and use BoundingBox objects to allow the sprites to collide with one another.
> Use the keyboard, mouse, or controller to make the sprite respond to movements of an input device.
> Create some audio events so that the sprite makes sounds as it moves.
> Instead of a sprite, use a 3-D primitive that moves around in 3-D space. 
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int MaxX = graphics.GraphicsDevice.Viewport.Width—myTexture.Width;
int MinX = 0;
int MaxY = graphics.GraphicsDevice.Viewport.Height—myTexture.Height;
int MinY = 0;
//check for bounce
if (spritePosition.X > MaxX)
{ spriteSpeed.X *= -1;
spritePosition.X = MaxX;
}
else if (spritePosition.X < MinX)
{ spriteSpeed.X *= -1;
spritePosition.X = MinX;
}
if (spritePosition.Y > MaxY)
{ spriteSpeed.Y *= -1;
spritePosition.Y = MaxY;
}
else if (spritePosition.Y < MinY)
{ spriteSpeed.Y *= -1;
spritePosition.Y = MinY;
}
}
C# Code
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