Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 Game Development

Book description

Creating fun, sophisticated games for Windows devices large or small has never been easier! With masses of example code and fully working games for you to download and run straight away Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 Game Development is your ideal first step into modern games development.

This book gives you everything you need to realize your dreams and produce fantastic games that will run on all Windows 8 devices from desktops to tablets to phones. You can code once and run everywhere. The ubiquity of Windows 8 devices makes this opportunity to good to miss!

The Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms have huge potential for gaming. New form-factors - such as the Surface tablet - coupled with improved processors and higher screen resolutions combine to make Windows 8 the best Windows version yet for independent games development. It's never been easier to create a fantastic game, package it up and deploy it straight to the Windows Store with its audience of millions. This book will show you how.

What you'll learn

  • Develop using the free or full versions of Visual Studio 2012.

  • Learn how to share code between the two Windows 8 platforms

  • Master high performance 2D and 3D graphics using the MonoGame development environment.

  • Discover how to control your games, including using touch screens, keyboards and accelerometers.

  • Produce high quality music and sound effects for your games.

  • Explore masses of example code and working projects with source code available to download and run straight away.

  • Learn how to publish your games through the Windows and Windows Phone Stores for fun or profit

  • Who this book is for

    Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 Game Development is aimed at those with an existing background in programming and knowledge of the C# programming language.

    No prior knowledge is required of programming for Windows 8 or Windows Phone 8, XNA or MonoGame, or games-programming in general. This book will guide the reader through the steps required to become proficient in all of these areas of development.

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Dedication
    3. Contents at a Glance
    4. Contents
    5. About the Author
    6. About the Technical Reviewer
    7. Acknowledgments
    8. Introduction
    9. CHAPTER 1: Getting Started
      1. A Closer Look at Visual Studio Development for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
      2. Windows 8 Devices
      3. Windows Phone Devices
      4. Using Visual Studio for Windows 8 and Windows Phone Development
      5. Creating a Windows Store Project
      6. Creating a Windows Phone Project
      7. Debugging
      8. Cross-Platform Development
      9. Getting Help
      10. Game Development
      11. Welcome to the World of Windows 8 and Windows Phone Development
      12. Summary
    10. CHAPTER 2: Getting Started with MonoGame
      1. What Is MonoGame?
      2. Installing MonoGame
      3. Creating a MonoGame Project
      4. Adding Some Content
      5. Sprites in Detail
      6. Useful Sprite Effects
      7. Displaying Text
      8. Supporting Portrait and Landscape Orientations
      9. Experiment and Play with MonoGame
      10. Summary
    11. CHAPTER 3: Creating a Game Framework
      1. Designing the Game Framework
      2. Using the Game Framework
      3. Benchmarking and Performance
      4. An Example Game: Cosmic Rocks (Part 1)
      5. Creating MonoGame Games
      6. Summary
    12. CHAPTER 4: User Input
      1. Detecting Input Capabilities
      2. Using the Touch Screen
      3. Reading Mouse Input
      4. Reading from a Compatible Gamepad
      5. Reading the Keyboard and Text Input
      6. Reading the Accelerometer
      7. Handling the Windows Phone Back Button
      8. An Example Game: Cosmic Rocks (Part II)
      9. Considering Input Design
      10. Summary
    13. CHAPTER 5: Sounding Out with Game Audio
      1. Sound Effects and Music
      2. Playing Sound Effects
      3. Playing Music
      4. An Example Game: Cosmic Rocks Part III
      5. Make Some Noise
      6. Summary
    14. CHAPTER 6: Drawing with Vertices and Matrices
      1. A New Approach to Drawing
      2. Creating Our First Vertex Rendering Project
      3. Tinting Objects
      4. Understanding Matrix Transformations
      5. Drawing Primitives
      6. Applying Textures
      7. Using Transparency and Alpha Blending
      8. Handling Orientations
      9. Integration into the Game Framework
      10. Enter the Matrix
      11. Summary
    15. CHAPTER 7: The World of 3-D Graphics
      1. Perspective Projection
      2. Rendering 3-D Objects
      3. The Depth Buffer
      4. Hidden Surface Culling
      5. Vertex and Index Buffers
      6. Lighting
      7. Orthographic Projection
      8. Mastering the 3-D World
      9. Summary
    16. CHAPTER 8: Further 3-D Features and Techniques
      1. Importing Geometry
      2. Working with the Camera
      3. Adding Fog
      4. Adding a Skybox
      5. Particles
      6. Using Effect Objects
      7. Mixing Sprite and Matrix Rendering
      8. A Universe of Possibilities
      9. Summary
    17. CHAPTER 9: Enhancing Your Game
      1. Managing Multiple Game Modes
      2. Managing Game Settings
      3. Adding a High-Score Table
      4. Creating Reusable Game Components
      5. Summary
    18. CHAPTER 10: Application Management
      1. Managing the Application Life Cycle
      2. Responding to the Game Window Resizing
      3. Summary
    19. CHAPTER 11: Getting Started with XAML
      1. A Brief History of XAML
      2. Creating XAML Projects for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
      3. Exploring XAML
      4. Working with the Page Designer
      5. Colors and Brushes
      6. Exploring XAML
      7. Summary
    20. CHAPTER 12: XAML Controls and Pages
      1. The XAML Controls
      2. Orientation
      3. Multiple Page Projects
      4. But What about MonoGame?
      5. Summary
    21. CHAPTER 13: Mixing XAML and MonoGame
      1. Using MonoGame and XAML Together
      2. Communication between the Game and the Page
      3. Using the Application Bar
      4. Page Navigation
      5. Summary
    22. CHAPTER 14: Distributing Your Game
      1. Trial Mode
      2. Submission Requirements
      3. Testing Your Game
      4. Considerations Prior to Distribution
      5. Preparing for Distribution
      6. Selling or Giving Your Game for Free
      7. Offering Your Game to Beta Testers
      8. Automated Application Testing
      9. Submitting Your Game to the Store
      10. Go Create!
      11. Summary
    23. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 Game Development
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: June 2013
    • Publisher(s): Apress
    • ISBN: 9781430258360