You NEED the following:

- A computer with the Windows operating system that supports Visual C# 2005 Express and is capable of running our VTMs. - A copy of Visual C# 2005 Express. Don’t worry, it’s free. - The XviD codec installed. - A stable Internet connection, preferably broadband.

The following prerequisites are optional, based on which game assets you want to create yourself, and whether you want to play the game on an Xbox 360.

- Some sort of paint software - Sound recording/editing software - Xbox 360 Controller for your PC (This is not required, but HIGHLY recommended) - An Xbox 360 with hard drive and subscription to the Creator’s Club

No. But keep in mind that while we will be explaining everything thoroughly as we go along, this won’t be a walk in the park for you if you’re a complete beginner. Any programming skills that you can bring to the class will be extremely beneficial, but officially, we’re going to be teaching you C# from the ground up.

To be determined, and announced shortly thereafter. To be precise, the moment the curriculum and the included games are completely finalized, we’ll open up to registrants. Not a moment before. We want people to know exactly what they’re getting into before we open the doors.

We’re currently working on that. We won’t have more than 100 seats, though the precise number has not yet been decided upon.

No. Seats will be rigidly set in this class, but all who pay will have a seat reserved for them. This is due to several factors, foremost being that we’ve had many students in our previous classes try to do this, only to change their minds at the last minute. Not to mention that since this is not a live class, you may find yourself wanting to occasionally ask questions via the Q&A system, or perhaps participate only during certain lessons.

Yes. We will be running this 101 session of the class more than just once, though we have not yet locked down the time or pricing for this second running.

Sure you can. We allow signups for up to four weeks into the class, but only if there’s an available seat. Just don’t get upset if you can’t keep up!

First off, don’t be fooled into thinking that this 101 course is going to be easy. However, as we progress through to other courses, such as 202, 404, etc. we will be moving on to higher end content. We will be exploring side-scrolling games, top-down games, shooters, adventure, and even working our way up to AI and 3D engines.

A slow connection is okay as long as it’s stable, and as long as you realize that you are responsible for downloading your videos within the time allotted. Videos do not stay in your Inbox forever.

Two weeks from their release. After which they are removed, whether you’ve downloaded them or not. This removal is automated.

No. After two weeks, the files must be removed, and we cannot repost them. Your only option at that point will be to purchase the lecture separately.

You are responsible for backing up your videos as soon as you receive them. If you lose the video after downloading it, your only option is to purchase the lecture separately once it is made available.

We will work with you to the best of our abilities. We will test the video on our end to verify whether the video itself is corrupted. If it is, then we will upload a new copy. If the file itself is not corrupted, then the source of the corruption is an unstable Internet connection. In this case, we will inform you that the video is functioning properly, and it will be your responsibility to find an alternate means to download the video. Again, a stable Internet connection is one of the requirements for this class.

Contact us, and we will make every possible concession to see that you get your content.

Yes. Though you would be well advised to keep careful track of where you download them. You are legally responsible for your videos should they leak onto the Internet.

Similar, though not necessarily the same. The Dynamic Content Drop was not completely perfected by the time we were wrapping up Max Fundamentals. This is different from the original system in that you will have rigid release dates for the videos, and the system will have a specific number of seats.

Yes. We will be using our standard watermark which is a very faint overlay of your name and address. This watermark is mandatory, and no we’re not going to simply start using serial numbers or codes. We WANT you to remember that your name is on these videos. Though, to be honest, nearly every single user who has seen our videos forgets that the watermark is there after the first few minutes.

Yes, the videos will be made available separately. Pricing for these videos will vary between $20 and $50 based on length and subject matter. Keep in mind that purchasing each video individually will result in a much higher expenditure than simply joining the class.

Most likely, yes. Will it be as economically priced as the class? No.

Yes, they will be included on the CD.

We will put the individual videos up for sale 1-2 weeks after the corresponding lesson is released in the class. This gives us time to record and compile the Q&A videos recorded in the class, and append them onto each CD.

That greatly depends on where you want to go with your game design education. This class is going to be extremely focused strictly on game design, and you will be creating many different games. Where the C++ videos provided a demonstration of many programming techniques which incidentally revolved around the making of a game, the XNA Xtreme class will take a look at programming from a game development angle right from the start.

Even if you’ve picked up the C++/OpenGL bundle, there’s no discussion of the development of console (Xbox 360) games. C# is very similar to C++, though is still a different language. Not to mention that when we eventually get up to working with 3D game engines, we’ll be using DirectX rather than OpenGL.

You’ll also notice that we’re going out of our way here to keep the price for this class extremely low, helping you to justify participation, even if you’ve already been using our C++ products. No matter your skill level with C++, you will find value in this class.

It’s free.

You can get it here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualcsharp/download/

The course runs for eight total weeks. At the beginning of each week (tentatively Monday morning CDT), you will be provided a different lecture over a series of topics outlined in the syllabus. Video distribution may take more than one day, meaning that some students may not receive their videos until Tuesday morning. These lectures will be provided to you in video format using the XviD codec, and will be watermarked with your personal information lightly overlaid upon them.

You will have four days from each release to watch the videos and ask any questions of the instructors. These questions can be submitted in textual or audio format. Your instructors will answer each question in a video that will be made available to the entire class via the Q&A system. The cutoff for submitting questions is the Friday of each week.

Optional challenges will be presented to students who wish to partake in them. These challenges can be posted in a peer review area to receive feedback from classmates and from the instructors. The class will also have its own forum where classmates can interact and ask questions of one another.

We’re counting eight weeks starting from April 9, and we’re not counting weekends. This means that the class will be officially over on June 1. However, the classroom itself will be open through June 8, allowing students to wrap up any of their games and get any final questions submitted. On June 8, though, the classroom is shutting down.

All assignments are optional. You may submit your games and any challenges that are presented for classmate and instructor feedback. There will, however, be no “graded” assignments during the class. This allows for students of any schedule to have an easier time participating in the class.

No. All lectures will be provided in video format, allowing people in any time zone to participate.

That is going to vary on a week-by-week basis. At this time, there is no concrete number. We are currently creating a syllabus that outlines precisely what will be covered from one week to the next. You will receive however much content it takes to cover those topics. There will be a minimum of two hours of content released per week. However, as those of you who are familiar with our content know, we have a tendency to explore topics on a very deep level. This means that it is very likely that we will not be able to cram everything we want you to learn into just two hours.

Nowhere else will you find the level of depth and detail that will be provided in the XNA Xtreme class. We know; we’ve looked. That’s why we’ve decided to put this class together. However, there will always be people who prefer not to invest in something when they can get something similar, even if it is of extremely lesser quality, for free. In such cases, it’s simply going to come down to how much value you place on your education, and how much quality you demand from your learning experience.

That’s a highly subjective question. Many people say they “know how to program,” though they lack a variety of skill sets. It also depends greatly upon how much value you put on continuing your education. The only answer that would apply to anyone would be this: If you are already comfortable programming a variety of different types of games using C# and the XNA framework, and are certain that there are absolutely no techniques that you could possibly learn in a 101-style environment, then this class is not for you.

No, unless you plan on dumping the games you write onto one to try them out.

Well, Microsoft didn’t exactly make this easy for people, did they? You could buy the Core system, which costs $299, but does not come with a hard drive. You’ll need a hard drive to dump your XNA games onto the Xbox. You can buy a hard drive separately for around $99, or you could just go ahead and buy the Premium system in the first place, which costs $399, comes with a hard drive, and you also get a really keen wireless controller and headset out of the deal. The only drawback to that is that the wireless controllers do not work with a PC, which can be useful for testing the game before you send it to the Xbox 360. However, you can use a wireless controller with your PC if you have also purchased the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows, which runs an extra $20. You are also going to need to have joined the Creator’s Club, which unlocks the ability to transfer games to your Xbox 360. This costs $49 for four months, or $99 annually.

In all, you’ve probably spent about $550 or so. Again, though, you don’t NEED to get all of this to participate in the class. This is only if you want to play your games on your very own Xbox 360.

Yes. Without a hard drive, you cannot dump your games onto your Xbox 360.

No, but if you have not joined the Creator’s Club, you cannot dump your games to your Xbox 360. The Creator’s Club membership costs $49 for four months, or $99 annually.

You don’t need one, though we highly recommend that you get one. We will be demonstrating how to assign inputs to an Xbox 360 controller.

You can get one with a USB cable for around $30 online. Or you can splurge and get a wireless controller for anywhere from $40 to $60, and then get the wireless receiver, which is currently on Amazon for less than $20 before shipping.

The wired (USB) controller will work fine, though will require you to download a driver from Microsoft. Wireless controllers require the Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. You will find some websites that appear to be selling the Wireless Xbox 360 Controller for Windows, though this is simply a standard wireless controller bundled with the receiver.

Yes. You’ll be creating games right from the start.

No. We will start out by creating some Windows form applications (though these will be game related) to make sure that you know how C# actually works before even touching the XNA framework.

Currently we’re looking at a minimum of five games in this 101 curriculum.

Yes, you can. If you’re sharing the game with a friend via PC, they will only need a copy of Windows and a computer capable of playing your game. But keep in mind that if you’d like to share the game to a friend’s Xbox 360, they will also need a subscription to the Creator’s Club.

Games created in the class will come in a variety of formats, all focusing on classic arcade-style games. A full list of all games created, along with screenshots of each one, will be made available when the syllabus is released.

Yes. Since the creation of graphics is optional, we will provide you with the graphics that we actually use in the video. They will be made available for download in your Inbox.

Yes. As we put together graphics for the game, we will be recording the process. We use Photoshop here at 3D Buzz, though it should not be too difficult to follow along using GIMP or any other paint software. These videos are considered to be a bonus, and do not actually pertain to the class itself.