XNA Creators Club Online

frequently asked questions

Have a question? Not sure where to turn for answers? Don't worry - we have answers to the big questions about the XNA Creators Club Online Website, XNA Game Studio, and community games. Simply browse the list below and read all about it.

If you have a question not answered here, ask us on the Forums!

xna creators club online Website

Xna creators club
XNA game studio

General

Networking

Graphics

Input

Audio

Math

Storage

Starter Kits

XNA game studio 3.0 ctp

Non-Zune Questions

Zune Questions

xna creators club online Website
What does the new XNA Creators Club Online Web site offer now?
Currently, the Web site offers a broad array of content to all XNA™ Creators Club Online Web site visitors. Our content includes XNA news, blogs, community spotlights, tutorials, sample projects, and educational resources.

In addition, members of the site will notice they no longer need an Xbox Gamertag to sign in to access the forums. This facilitates a better overall user experience.

XNA Creators Club Online Premium members have the exclusive opportunity to create, submit, play and peer review Community Games on Xbox LIVE.

Do I need an Xbox Gamertag to log in?
While you do not need an Xbox Gamertag to log in, you still need a Windows LIVE ID. However, you must have an Xbox Gamertag to become an XNA Creators Club Online Premium member.

Why has my display name changed?
As part of the new site, we now have what we call a “creator name.” This name must be unique, it must be no longer than 30 characters, it may include only alpha-numeric characters, and it cannot begin with a number.

We tried to pre-populate this name for you with your display name if you had one on the previous site or if it is on your gamer card. We made adjustments for duplicate or invalid names; the person with seniority on the site has priority for duplicate or invalid names. Your creator name will take the place of your display name. It will appear next to all of your posts in the forums.

How do I change my creator name?
You may only change your creator name once during a new registration, or upon logging in with an old account for the first time on the new site. If creator names contain offensive or inappropriate language, we reserve the right to remove those names.

I already had a profile. Why do I have to re-enter my data?
The launch of the new XNA Creators Club Online Web site includes a revamped profile display. All your old information will be migrated to the new site. You only need to add new information.

Will all my posts be transferred to the new site?
We will do everything possible to make sure that all the forum posts are transferred to the new site.

I have a new blog/Web site/tutorial – can I list it on the new site?
Please send your suggestions to Creators@Microsoft.com. All sites will be reviewed, but there is no guarantee every posted site will be added.

Will there be more educational content?
Definitely. We are constantly expanding our database of education content. We will provide new releases at least once each month.

Will I still be able to show off my Gamercard?
You can still link your Gamercard to your account through your member profile.

Why doesn't my new Windows Live ID work?
If you are a returning XNA Creators Club member and need to migrate your account, you may encounter a problem where your new Windows Live ID (which is now required for you to be a member at the XNA Creators Club Online Website) does not work when you attempt to sign in. We are aware of this problem; currently, you can work around this problem by signing in at another site that uses Windows Live ID. Try http://www.live.com; sign in there, then return to the XNA Creators Club Online Website to access your profile.

How do I insert an image in a forum post?
You may insert an image if the image is already hosted on a web site. To insert an image, click the template manager icon (shaped like two documents of different colors). Choose insert_image_tag.htm and click Insert. Right-click on the template placed in your document, and choose Set Image Properties to define where your image is stored. Alternatively, you may use the <img> tag in the HTML code for your post. The XNA Creators Club Online Forums do not currently support hosting images.

Why does my forum post not change when I try to edit or remove it?
Intermittently, you may experience a delay from the time you choose to edit or remove a post to the time the change is reflected in the Forums. If you encounter this situation, please be patient – do not refresh constantly to see the change, as this does not speed the process.

What should I do if the XNA Creators Club Online website is not working correctly?
If the XNA Creators Club Online website isn’t working the way you expect, be sure to tell us! Click the Feedback link (also available at the bottom of any page), and then choose Microsoft Connect. Sign in with your Windows Live ID, and then click the link marked Feedback. Finally, click Submit Feedback to tell us the problem you’re encountering.

Why do I get an error when I try to manage my profile?
If you are unable to manage your profile, try the following steps: as soon as you reach the "manage my profile" page, click the Update button. The page will update and allow you to change the values in your profile. If you continue to encounter problems, please send us Feedback.

What browser and add-ons are required by the XNA Creators Club Online website?
Please see the Site Requirements page.

xna creators club
What are Community Games on Xbox LIVE?
With Community Games on Xbox LIVE®, XNA™ Creators Club Online members can now use Xbox LIVE Marketplace to submit their games to the XNA Creators Club Online Web site for distribution. Other XNA Creators Club Online members will be given the opportunity to download, play, and review submitted games for conformity with the service’s Terms of Use. Following successful completion of this process, the game will be added to the Global Games Catalog on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Then gamers in the U.S. who are connected to Xbox LIVE can play the game. Community Games on Xbox LIVE will become available to additional regions beginning in Holiday ’08.

How do I sign up for an XNA Creators Club premium membership?
There are two ways: You can purchase an XNA Creators Club membership with your Xbox 360 by navigating to the Marketplace blade on the Xbox 360 dashboard. Select the Game Store option, then All Games. Select the XNA Creators Club category. You will be directed to the membership page.

Alternatively, you can purchase a premium membership through the XNA Creators Club Online web site by clicking here.

Why don’t I see the XNA Creators Club premium membership offered on Xbox LIVE Marketplace?

If you don’t see the XNA Creators Club Online subscription service, it could be you live in a country that doesn’t offer that service currently. The list of countries that the XNA Creators Club is currently offered in is Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdon, United States.

It is not currently available in India or the Republic of Korea.

Other countries not listed above are still being investigated for future inclusion into the XNA Creators Club.

How can I get an XNA Creators Club premium membership if I don't own an Xbox 360 or if I live in a country that doesn't have Xbox LIVE?
You can purchase a premium membership through the XNA Creators Club Online web site by clicking here.

Do I need an XNA Creators Club premium membership to create games now?
You don’t need a premium membership to make XNA games for Windows. However, you must be a premium member to create games for the Xbox 360, to release Xbox 360 games to Community Games on Xbox LIVE, or to peer-review submitted games.

Can I submit or review community games if I have an XNA Creators Club 12-Month Student Trial Subscription that I got from my school or from the DreamSpark program?
A free XNA Creators Club 12-Month Student Trial Subscription will not give you access to premium content or services on the XNA Creators Club Online web site, including the ability to submit or peer review community games.

Why does my game have to be peer-reviewed? Why can’t I just post it?
Peer reviewers help creators write better games, and protect game players from experiencing highly offensive or malfunctioning games. Peer reviewers will reject your game if:

- Your game contains prohibited content, which is content not allowed on Xbox LIVE services
- You misrepresent what’s in the game play or in the promotional materials for the game
- The promotional content for your game ( for example, the banner or title) is not appropriate for all ages on Xbox LIVE Marketplace
- The game crashes, it has too many bugs, or it is technically defective in some way

What happens if somebody sneaks prohibited content into a game?
Microsoft reserves the right to take down a game retroactively without notice. Microsoft encourages peer reviewers to report objectionable content in a game. In addition, Microsoft will initiate a series of punitive actions against creators who willfully submit games with misleading content indicators. Punitive actions could include the loss of subscriptions and the removal of the creator or creators from the site. Also, Microsoft will comply with all legal requests where required by law.

How complex does the game have to be?
There are no complexity requirements for game submission. The only requirement is that the game be complete, which can be defined per game.

So I can make clones of games already on Xbox LIVE Arcade or somewhere else?
Not any more than you can make copies of Halo 3. When you submit a game, you stipulate that you own all the rights to the materials in your game. If you do not own the rights, do not submit the game.

Does this mean Xbox LIVE Arcade is going away?
No. The design and goal for Community Games on Xbox LIVE is to provide a distribution channel for enthusiasts to share homebrewed creations with their peers and friends.

Can I sell my game with Community Games on Xbox LIVE? What is the revenue split?
We will have more information about sales and revenue when we get closer to the retail consumer launch this holiday.

Who owns the IP rights to the game I create? Can I distribute my game on non-Microsoft services?
You own the complete IP rights to your game, and you are free to distribute through any service of your choosing. However, we may provide incentives for exclusive distribution through Microsoft services.

How do I set the ESRB rating for my community game?
Community Games on Xbox LIVE are not rated by the ESRB. Instead, the games are reviewed by XNA Creators Club Online members. These games will have a game classification before they appear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Will parental controls affect access to my community game?
Yes. All community games are considered unrated. Unrated is the highest level of restriction on the Xbox 360 console. Community games will be inaccessible on consoles with activated parental controls.

Will there be a size limit for games submitted to the Xbox LIVE Community service?
Yes, the submitted .ccgame file must not exceed 150 MB.

Do I need an active Xbox LIVE connection to play downloaded community games?
Yes. To play Community Games on Xbox LIVE, you need an Xbox LIVE connection at all times.

How do I play an Xbox LIVE Community Game?
Please see the Quickstart: Play guide for details.

How do I revise or remove the thumbnail image for my game?
Currently, the only way to remove a thumbnail image from your game when revising is to replace it with a .ccgame package that has a new thumbnail image. This can be done when your game release is in a pending, rejected, or taken down state.

My game release has been rejected – why does it still show as “pending”?
When reviewing your game projects in your “my game projects” page, be aware that rejected games will still count as “pending” in the projects release statistics. We are aware of this issue and are working to fix it in a future release. To see which releases are actually pending and which are rejected for a particular game project, click the project to retrieve the details on each release.

Why do the classification sliders in game submission or review not work properly?
If you encounter strange behavior with the classification sliders, such as suddenly changing values or being unable to select certain values, check your browser’s zoom settings - anything other than 100% may cause the sliders to behave erratically. Set your zoom to 100% and try again.

What do I do if I am unable to download the games from Xbox?
If you can’t download community games on Xbox LIVE, see the Quick Start Guide: Play article which lists the requirements and steps you through downloading community games on Xbox LIVE.

Remember, that you must be a Premium member and have an Xbox 360 with hard drive, as well as an Xbox LIVE Gold or Silver account to download community games.

If you’ve tried the steps in the Quick Start Guide but still have issues, please report them on the Forums.

Why does my game package upload not complete properly?
If you attempt to upload a game package and encounter a problem, check the length of the package filename. The filename must be no longer than 100 characters for the upload to be successful.

xna game studio
General
Is XNA Game Studio 2.0 fully compatible with Visual Studio?
Yes. Microsoft® XNA™ Game Studio 2.0 is designed to install custom extensions to supported versions of Microsoft Visual Studio® tools. This includes Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition, Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition, and Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition.

For a complete list of supported editions, see Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and Microsoft Visual C# Express Edition.

Can I use an existing XNA Game Studio Express game project with XNA Game Studio 2.0?
You will need to upgrade the project to the format used by XNA Game Studio 2.0, and update your game code to be compatible with changes in the XNA Framework. See Upgrade Guide: XNA Game Studio Express to XNA Game Studio 2.0.

Can I target both Windows and Xbox 360 platforms with the same solution?
Yes. See Cross-Platform Game Project Converter for details about converting a Windows® game project into an Xbox 360console game project, or an Xbox 360 console game project to a Windows game project – while keeping both projects in the same solution.

How do I file bugs or make suggestions?
If you find a bug or have suggestions for XNA Game Studio, be sure to tell us! Click the Feedback link (also available at the bottom of any page), and then choose Microsoft Connect. Sign in with your Windows Live ID, and then click the link marked Feedback. Finally, click Submit Feedback to tell us all about it.
Networking
Will Community Games be able to auto-update following a launch or will users be required to download a new version of the game? Will user data be saved?
Currently, each community game release is treated as a separate download. When a creator posts a new version of a game, the creator needs to create a separate release. Other creators will see this as a new download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Auto-updating is not currently supported. Unfortunately, this means that user data cannot be transferred between releases. Auto-updating is being considered for a future release.

Can I release downloadable content?
Downloadable content is not currently supported, though this is being considered for a future release.

Can I make a game playable over Xbox LIVE?
Yes. XNA Game Studio 2.0 supports Xbox LIVE networking. However, if you wish to create a game for Community Games on Xbox LIVE, you – and all other players sharing an Xbox LIVE connection – must have an XNA Creators Club Premium membership and an Xbox LIVE Gold membership for the duration of the Community Games Beta on Xbox LIVE. Starting in Holiday ’08, an XNA Creators Club Premium membership will no longer be required to play Community Games.

Can I create a game where Xbox 360 and Windows users can play over LIVE together?
Yes. XNA Game Studio 2.0 supports cross-platform play between Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows LIVE. However, if you wish to create a game for Community Games on Xbox LIVE, you and all other players sharing the Xbox LIVE connection must have an XNA Creators Club Premium membership in addition to an Xbox LIVE Gold membership for the duration of the Community Games Beta on Xbox LIVE. Starting in Holiday ’08, a player won’t need an XNA Creators Club Premium membership to play Community Games. An XNA Creators Club membership is not required for players sharing a Windows connection.

Do I need a connection to Xbox LIVE to play my XNA Framework game?
Yes. XNA Game Studio Connect requires a connection to Xbox LIVE at all times.

If I have written a local multiplayer game, must the player with the XNA Creators Club membership sign in first?
In the event that multiple people want to play a local multiplayer XNA Framework game, it is essential that the player with a valid XNA Creators Club membership sign in first before launching XNA Game Studio Connect. After launch, additional players can then sign in to play. If multiple players on a single Xbox 360 console have a valid XNA Creators Club membership, the connection settings used by XNA Game Studio Connect will always default to the first player.

How do I distribute my game?
Please see Submit your Game in the XNA Quickstart Guide.

My computer cannot connect to my Xbox 360 console. What should I do?
This may indicate issues with your network settings, connection key, file names, or file system. Please see Troubleshooting Xbox 360 Game Deployment for detailed descriptions of these issues.

Why does my application work from my local computer, but throw SecurityException when I move it to a shared network folder?
This is a security feature of the Common Language Runtime (CLR). Applications that are run from locations other than the local system have greater security restrictions than applications run locally. Running XNA Game Studio titles from a shared network folder is not supported.

Graphics
What do I do to fix the error message, "NoSuitableGraphicsDeviceException was unhandled"?
Check the inner exception for more information why the graphics device could not be created. XNA Game Studio thoroughly checks why the graphics device could not be created. It reports these checks in the inner exception.

If NoSuitableGraphicsDeviceException does not have an inner exception, it is likely either that your graphics card does not have a DirectX 9 driver, which means it does not support Shader Model 1.1, or that the hardware acceleration slider is not set to Full in your settings.

To determine the version of DirectX installed on the computer:
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type dxdiag, and then click OK.

The System tab tells you which version of DirectX is installed on the computer.

To set hardware acceleration to Full on Windows XP:
1. Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties on the menu.
2. Click the Settings tab, and then click Advanced.
3. Click the Troubleshoot tab.
4. Set the Hardware Acceleration slider to Full.
5. Click OK, and then click Close.

To set hardware acceleration to Full on Windows Vista:
1. Right-click the desktop, and then click Personalize on the displayed context menu.
2. Click Display Settings
3. Click Advanced Settings...
4. Click the Troubleshoot tab.
5. Click the Change Settings button, and then move the Hardware Acceleration slider until it is set to Full. Note that for display adapters that won’t let you change the hardware acceleration, the Change Settings button may be disabled.
6. Click OK on the three open dialog boxes.

To determine which shader models are supported:
Please see How To: Check for Shader Model 2.0 Support for information about how to programmatically query the shader capabilities of the graphics card.

Does XNA Game Studio have a video playback capability?
The XNA Framework does not contain functions for video playback. We might include this in future releases.

Can I use the Delay Sign feature for my Xbox 360 game?
Use of delay signing can prevent the game from running on the Xbox 360 because the console uses strong name verification. Under strong name verification, the assemblies will not load until the signing process is complete.

When debugging, sometimes my full-screen game crashes and I am unable to return to Visual Studio. Other than rebooting my computer, what can I do?
When a program takes over the graphics device, sometimes it is unable to properly return the graphics device to Windows after a crash. Here are some things you can try:

1. Press the Windows button or CTRL+ESC to bring up the Start menu. Sometimes this will restore the task bar, which enables you to bring up Visual Studio.
2. Press ALT+TAB to return focus to Visual Studio, then press SHIFT+F5 to stop the program you are debugging. Sometimes you may have to press ALT+TAB a few times to return the focus to Visual Studio before pressing SHIFT+F5
3. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to bring up the Windows Security window. If the Windows Security window comes up, you can use Task Manager to end the task running your game. Then you can return to Visual Studio.

If those suggestions do not work, your only option is to reboot the computer.

Another option is to debug in windowed mode. This would eliminate the possibility of the previously-described issue altogether.

What shader models does XNA Game Studio support?
XNA Game Studio supports all the DirectX 9 shader models (versions 1.x, 2.x, and 3.0) on Windows, along with some variants. For a full list of supported shaders, see the ShaderProfile enumeration. On Xbox 360, XNA Game Studio supports Shader Model 2.0 and an extended variant of 3.0 customized for the Xbox 360. Some starter kits may have more restrictive requirements. For example, the Spacewar Starter Kit requires Shader Model 2.0 or later.

How do I create lighting and material effects in XNA Game Studio?
Lights and materials are implemented in XNA Game Studio with effects. To implement lighting or material effects, create an effect that contains the desired vertex or pixel color transformation. The actions of a simple effect are encapsulated in the BasicEffect class, which provides functionality for applying lights and materials, and setting world, view, and projection transformations. You may choose to use BasicEffect for simple functionality or to create your own effects using the Effect class.

What is an effect file?
An effect is a combination of vertex and pixel shader code grouped together to encapsulate a particular rendering technique. Effects can be written in either high-level shader language (HLSL) or assembly code. An effect file contains effect code. You may see effect files with an .fx extension that contain HLSL code. Effects in HLSL or assembly code must be compiled to a binary format before they can be used in an application. For overviews of HLSL and the effect file format, see the HLSL Shaders and Effects DirectX Programming Guides on MSDN. Go to the Direct3D API Reference for complete reference documentation for HLSL, shader ASM, and the effect file format.

How do I create my own effects?
See How To: Create and Apply Custom Effects for a sample of a simple effect using the Effect class that sets the diffuse color of a vertex.

After drawing using Graphics.SpriteBatch, why do my 3D objects draw incorrectly?
By default, SpriteBatch.Begin does not save your current render state. This means it will change certain render state properties, which in turn may cause 3D objects to render incorrectly. You can choose either to reset the render state yourself after the call to SpriteBatch.End or call SpriteBatch.Begin and pass in SaveStateMode.SaveState, which will restore the render state after sprites are drawn.

Input
Can I map the Xbox Guide button on the Xbox 360 Controller to an action?
No. The Xbox Guide button is reserved.

My mouse cursor is not visible. How can I make it visible?
Mouse support is available only for Windows. Set the Game.IsMouseVisible property to true.

The Xbox 360 Controller does not work properly in Windows. How can I correct this?
For the Xbox 360 Controller to work correctly in Windows, you need to install the latest Xbox 360 Controller driver. You can download this driver from Microsoft Hardware Download Gaming Software.

Audio
Can I load and play a wave file from the Audio API without using the XACT tool?
No. All wave files that you wish to play must be compiled into an XACT project before you can play them.

How can I get more information on using XACT?
For an easy guide to adding sound files to an XACT project and playing them, see How To: Add a Sound File to Your Game Using XACT and How To: Play a Sound. For detailed information about authoring audio in the XACT tool, including information on categories, variables, and other advanced features, see XACT Audio Authoring.

Why does calling GetCue from SoundBank never return a cue?
In your XACT project, you may have set a sound bank property called IncludeCueNames to false. For each sound bank in your project, this property must be set to true. Open XACT, load your project, and click each of your sound banks in the project tree view. Check the value of IncludeCueNames in the property pane as you click each sound bank. If any of these values are set to false, set them to true and rebuild your project.

Math
What coordinate system does the XNA Framework use?
The XNA Framework uses a right-handed coordinate system.

Storage
Why do I get an exception when I try to use Storage classes?
One possible reason is that one of your operating system folders — most likely %_NTDrive%\Documents and Settings\ — is mapped to a network drive. This release does not support storing player data or running titles from a network location.

Starter Kits
How do I install the XNA Game Studio starter kits that I downloaded from the XNA Creators Club website?
The Downloads sections on the starter kit pages feature Microsoft Installer (.msi) files, which contain the starter kit templates. If you have installed Visual Studio, which is required for XNA Game Studio, then the files will be executable. Double-click on the downloaded .msi file, and the installer will launch.  Note that the installation requires the version of XNA Game Studio for which the template was created.

After installing the XNA Game Studio starter kits, how do I use them?
Open the appropriate version of Visual Studio for the XNA Game Studio version of the starter kit you downloaded; for example, if the starter kit is for XNA Game Studio 2.0, open Visual Studio 2005. Click on the File menu, then click on the New Project option. The starter kit will be listed in the XNA Game Studio area on the dialog.

After installing an XNA Game Studio starter kit, I can’t find the starter kit in the New Project dialog in Visual Studio! What do I do?

Note that this question was written for the Visual Studio Installer (.vsi) files.  The starter kit pages now feature Microsoft Installer (.msi) files that avoid this problem.

First, make sure that you are using the version of Visual Studio that is appropriate to the version of the starter kit you installed; for example, if the starter kit is for XNA Game Studio 2.0, use Visual Studio 2005. If you do not see it in the default view of the New Project dialog, then select the other Project Types in the New Project dialog and look for the starter kit there. For example, the Visual C# node may contain the starter kits, if the XNA Game Studio 2.0 entry does not.

If you still cannot find the starter kit, then it is possible that it installed into the wrong version of Visual Studio. Due to a known issue, the .vsi installer will install into the latest version of Visual Studio that is available. For example, if you have Visual Studio 2008, then the starter kits for XNA Game Studio 2.0 may install into the Visual Studio 2008 template folder. To check for this, go into your user documents folder, and then enter the Visual Studio 2008\Templates\ProjectTemplates\Visual C# subdirectory. If this folder contains a .zip file that is named like the .vsi file (e.g., ShipGameWindows.zip), or if any subdirectories of this folder contain these .zip files, then you will need to move the file to the Visual Studio 2005 path in your user documents folder. Move the zip file(s) to the Visual Studio 2005\Templates\ProjectTemplates\Visual C#\XNA Game Studio 2.0 (note that Visual Studio 2005 is a requirement for XNA Game Studio 2.0 and its related starter kits).

When I try to create a new project from an XNA Game Studio starter kit, Visual Studio reports an error about an “untrusted component”. Why?

Note that this question was written for the Visual Studio Installer (.vsi) files.  The starter kit pages now feature Microsoft Installer (.msi) files that avoid this problem.

This error usually indicates a mismatch between the version of Visual Studio and XNA Game Studio and the version of the starter kit. You may only use starter kits that are developed for the particular version of XNA Game Studio that you are using. However, in some cases, the starter kit may show up in the New Project dialog for the latest version of Visual Studio, even if that version is not supported for the starter kit. For example, you may see this error when creating a new project from an XNA Game Studio 2.0 project within Visual Studio 2008 with XNA Game Studio 3.0. If the starter kit does not appear in the New Project dialog in the appropriate version of Visual Studio, then it is likely that the starter kit is in the wrong location. Follow the steps in this entry to fix this problem.

xna game studio 3.0 ctp
Non-Zune Questions
What do I do if I find a bug?
Please post any bugs you find to the XNA Game Studio Connect web site. This site allows you to search for similar bugs as well as suggest new features for the product.

Which versions of Visual Studio are supported?
Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition and higher (C# language support must be installed), plus Visual C# 2008 Express Edition.

Can I use Visual Studio 2005 with XNA Game Studio 3.0?
Visual Studio 2005 SKUs are not supported with XNA Game Studio 3.0 and later. However, you do not need to uninstall Visual Studio 2005 or XNA Game Studio 2.0 as those products will work side-by-side with Visual Studio 2008 and XNA Game Studio 3.0.

Can I use the new C# 3.0 features with XNA Game Studio 3.0?
The new C# 3.0 language features are fully available for Windows in the CTP release. It is our plan that the final release of XNA Game Studio 3.0 will support these features for Zune and the Xbox 360.

What does “Simplified Sound Effects” mean for XNA Game Studio 3.0?
Since the XACT audio engine isn’t available on Zune, we modified the content pipeline to take a number of audio formats and convert them to single sound effects that the game can just fire and forget, using a new simplified sound API.

Zune Questions
Will this feature only work on newer Zune devices?
XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP currently will support Zune 4/8, Zune 30, and Zune 80 devices.

Can I build ccgame files to share my Zune game with my friends?
The XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP will not support sharing CCGame files with other users.

Can I transmit the game to another Zune device wirelessly?
No, you must deploy the game to your Zune through your device connection on your PC, using XNA Game Studio 3.0 to deploy.

How does the wireless support work?
The Zune device can support multiple Zunes that have wireless turned on and are within range of each other. If all the Zunes have the game deployed, and the game is written to work in a multiplayer mode, you can join in and play games with other Zunes.

Can I talk to a webserver or an RSS-feed through the wireless connection?
The Zune wireless connection has no Internet support. It only enables you to play games with other nearby Zunes, along with other standard Zune features (for example, music sharing).

Do I need an XNA Creators Club premium membership to deploy the game?
You do not need a premium membership to deploy the Zune game from your PC.

Are there any limitations on how I can use the music that’s stored on the Zune?
DRM-licensed music cannot be played. Otherwise, you have full access to the music and pictures stored on the Zune.

You mention the Zune will be supported in XNA Game Studio 3.0. What else is supported in XNA Game Studio 3.0?
We have not announced any other features for XNA Game Studio 3.0 at this time.

Will XNA Game Studio 3.0 work with Visual Studio 2008?
Yes. XNA Game Studio 3.0 will only work with Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition and higher, plus Visual C# 2008 Express Edition. Visual Studio 2005 SKUs will not be supported for XNA Game Studio 3.0 and later, but will not interfere with XNA Game Studio 3.0 development.

Does XNA Game Studio 3.0 work in 64-bit mode?
In the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP, you cannot deploy Zune games to the Zune media device if you are running a 64-bit operating system. We plan to address this issue before the final release of XNA Game Studio 3.0.

What are the input differences between the Zune 30 and newer Zune devices?
The newer Zunes have the new Zune Pad input device that allows users to navigate the Zune interface with touch. The Zune 30 devices only have the capability for button presses. When designing your game, you should make sure that it works with both types of input devices.

What graphical capabilities do I have on Zune?
The Zune supports 2D graphics through the XNA Framework SpriteBatch APIs. Rendertargets and the ability to directly set pixel data to textures enable developers to be creative with their Zune games. 3D APIs and capabilities are not supported on Zune.

How much memory is available for Zune games?
Games on Zune are allowed up to 16 Mb for code and content.

Does the Zune support Xbox LIVE?
No, the Zune doesn’t connect to Xbox LIVE. All networking takes place over a local ad-hoc wi-fi network. However, the networking APIs are similar to what is available in XNA Game Studio 2.0.

Will Zune games be able to store XML save data?
Yes. The same System.Xml.dll assembly that is available on Xbox 360 is available on Zune. Likewise, Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Storage is fully supported for save game containers.

When will the Zune be supported in my country?
The XNA Game Studio team has no information about the Zune team’s future release plans. Please visit the Zune team’s Press release page for more information.

Can the Zune play games in landscape mode?
Definitely, but the process isn’t automatic – you must manually switch the rendering view appropriately.

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