XNA questions

[alex_read]

Hi guys & gals!

I've spotted a couple of posts recently which refer to XNA. All I know about it is that it is a framework to allow PC and XBox games to be created. I wondered whether some of you who use this might be able to quickly answer maybe just a sentence or so for some simple questions to save me trawling through material on it please

1. I get the impression DirectX is still live and well, and that this is a framework to allow .Net development upon DirectX. DO I have the right idea here?
2. If both SDK's still exist, what#s the main advantage/are the main advantages of choosing one over the other please - why would you code using the XNA framework as opposed to the DirectX SDK?
3. Finally 2 posts I read, albeit older ones (which prompted me to post here) mention this is only for C# developers??!?!! Is this true and if so, how on Earth is that possible as it would be a .Net framework IL option which surely would therefore be available to all .Net languages, no?

Thanks for your time

[Quasar6]

'Ello Alex.

Lets see:

I get the impression DirectX is still live and well, and that this is a framework to allow .Net development upon DirectX. DO I have the right idea here?

From what I understand, XNA is a user-friendly wrapper around native DirectX, designed to make making games easy and fast without sacrificing any low level power.

If both SDK's still exist, what#s the main advantage/are the main advantages of choosing one over the other please - why would you code using the XNA framework as opposed to the DirectX SDK?

Taking into account my bias (I haven't used the DX SDK for anything serious, but I've been learning the XNA framework), I'd say the major advantages are as follows:

1) XNA can produce for the Xbox 360. You'd need to be an expert on DX and Xbox to do this with the DXSDK, if it's even possible.
2) XNA is easier to use.
3) XNA comes with a huge number of samples, starter kits, tutorials, etc. and has a good sized online community in which people who work on the framework frequently participate.
4) XNA is continually being updated, and often polls the community for what features should be implemented next.

Since I don't know what's going to be in XNA 3.0 (which should be out soon), I can't really enumerate on the disadvantages... most of them will be solved by then.

And again, I haven't used DX.

Finally 2 posts I read, albeit older ones (which prompted me to post here) mention this is only for C# developers??!?!! Is this true and if so, how on Earth is that possible as it would be a .Net framework IL option which surely would therefore be available to all .Net languages, no?

Wikipedia: "Games that run on the framework can technically be written in any .NET-compliant language, but only C# and XNA Game Studio Express IDE and all versions of Visual Studio 2005 are officially supported."

Since I'm using Express, I'm limited to C#. And it seems like the entire community (including tutorials and samples) writes in C#. And I know the above line doesn't apply when 3.0 comes out, 'cause it'll only have support for VS2008. But I imagine the trend will continue: buy Visual Studio and you can program with XNA in whatever language you like.

[Atheist]

The XNA Game Studio environment only supports C# altough while surfing kleinma's site i clicked a link to yet another MVP friend of his that i believe had an article about how to make XNA work with VB.NET, let me see if I can find it.

Edit: Here it is, have a look and see if you can find it, I havent really looked myself.

[Quasar6]

http://ilovevb.net/Web/blogs/vbxna/default.aspx

This what you were refering to, Atheist?

I'm not certain, never having tried it, but I believe it works fine in VB in VS2005.

[Atheist]

I dont know what I'm refering to
I just assumed there should be an article there somewhere about how to make XNA work with VB.NET

[Paul M]

Zune development is one of the major changes added to XNA 3.0, it only supports 2D development though. And XNA does work with VB.NET you will just have to add the appropriate references.

[Quasar6]

Zune! I forgot about Zune!

Not surpring, really: I know nothing about the Zune, except that it has something to do with mobile games. Since mobile games are the retarded evil lovechild of the games industry and phone companies, I have no interest in the Zune.

[alex_read]

Without sacrificing any low level power - clever and interesting. I wondered about this.

Wow so many answers and I was just expecting to be told look at the homesite yourself it's all on there!

Many many thanks for taking the time to reply and help clarify this for me - much appreciated from each of you!