Entries in Writing News (2)
Second Chapter Up
I've put up the second chapter of the book here. This actually has some code in it. I've also just about finalised the table of contents. This has taken ages, because I have to figure out how much time to spend on different topics and the overall slant of the book. I'm going for "Learn to program properly and have fun writing games while you do it" as an approach. If you can already code you might find it boring, but I'm hoping that you'll stick around for the ride.
Another thing that has taken ages is getting the tone and voice of the book sorted. This sounds silly, but I've written loads of pages trying to find a good "sound" to the material. I'm sure that people who actually know English (for whom I have more and more respect every day) probably have a proper way of describing what I'm doing at this point. I'm relying on editorial people (and you,dear reader) to give me guidance on this.
Anyhoo, the chapter is up and the contents are coming. Let me know what you think.
Learning C# with XNA
I'm writing another book. With pictures.
If you have ever wondered what it is like to write a program, then my book is for you. If you've got an XBOX 360 and an urge to create games of your own, then my book is for you. If you have a wobbly table with one leg shorter than another, then put a magazine or something underneath the short leg, then you will have a level surface to put my book on when you read it.
The aim of the book is to give you an insight into what proper programming is all about. It will also tell you how games are created and how programs make use of the XBOX 360.
If you can't program, then don't worry, you are just the person who should read the book. To give you a taster of the content I'm going to put the first three chapters up on this site over the next few days. Then, I'll put selections from the other chapters and sample code up later as well.
I can confidently say that you will have never seen anything like it. With party games like Color Nerve, XBOX Controller Racing, a Mind Reading Act and "Things that go bump in the night" along with lots of other fun and frolics it is going to be a blast.
You can find the first sample chapter here. You can discuss the book here.
