Good choice of book - This is an awesome book for those trying to get started with game development using XNA since it really breaks down the process step by step. More advanced programmers will find it tedious, but the included sample projects are explained with such detail that the novice user will really be set up for success.

Good luck on your endeavor and I hope you keep these posts up. I think one of the best things you could do for yourself would be to try and add the suggested challenge features in the book to the final projects. It really forces you to dig down into the code and understand it better.

Hi Michael, thanks for dropping by . The book is great indeed, for beginners.

After two days I finished the second game:
[url="http://www.mediafire.com/?r08mbgm9ahaymwa"]Download Asteroid Belt Assault[/url]

Move on arrows and shoot on spacebar. By shooting in the asteroids you make them go away from you, they don't explode. Enemy does explode.

The two major new things I did, compared to the previous scrolling shooter, are the particle-based explosions and elastic collision system for asteroids.

I will not move on with the book, I will stop here and reread/revise these two games I did. I will make ToDo list for features I would like my game to have, the one in this [url="http://www.gamedev.net/blog/1244/entry-2250536-c-game-programming-for-serious-game-creation/"]article[/url]. There are lots of cool stuff I liked in these two games, but most of all I learned about architecture design. That is where I will be making the most changes in my game. So all this learning and reading has a purpose, to improve my game on which I plan to work for a year, this last year while I am in college.

I was the Acquisition Editor working with Kurt on this book. Thanks for posting this. The best reviews are ones that don't talk about the book much, but talk about what the book enables you to do.

It's great that the first couple of examples have already fired you up to work on your own game. I hope you'll come back to the book later and learn the rest.

I'm now working 100% on books for game developers. What should we publish next? I'm especially keen on more focused (and shorter) books that introduce you to more advanced topics quickly. As you've only read the first few chapters of this book I guess you'd prefer something shorter? What are you hoping to learn next?

Dave

PacktExplorer I am honored that you are here

Well, I would love to see a book on how would I go about creating a game like Warcraft. A book that would walk me through the process as this book does. There is nothing left unexplained, it is just perfect.

Lot of things could be simplified for the sake of learning and making the book not more then 500 pages. Instead of four races and so many characters, you could have just two races each represented by one Hero character. Those two characters would have some fighting weapons, magic and skills. One map instead of so many. Few sounds, and simple menus.

Maybe you could also add a worker for each race, so that he can make a building or two. My point is, it does not have to be full Warcraft, but just a tiny game, that would lay the foundations for us readers to move on and build up on that.

Thank you for dropping by

I completed the third game Robot Rampage. Here is the source code and install files. Not much to say, another great experience. One more game to complete the book.

[url="http://www.mediafire.com/?773uoj4qp8ouq3f"]Download XNA Project[/url]
[url="http://www.mediafire.com/?bd57akvi6ape56j"]Download Installation[/url]

Completed the last game Gemstone Hunter.