Windows 8 And Windows Phone 8 Game Development

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.

Written as a practical Packt tutorial, this essential reference will show you how to develop engaging games on the Windows Phone 8 platform.The book is dedicated to the beginners in 3D game development that want to learn how to create their first game for the Windows Phone 8 platform. You do not need to have any prior experience regarding the integrated development environment, the mobile platform, and used technologies. However, some basic knowledge of C++ and C# languages, as well as object-oriented programming, is required to understand parts of code described in the book.

Build and optimize Windows Phone 8 apps for performance and security Drill into Windows Phone 8 design and architecture, and learn best practices for building phone apps for consumers and the enterprise. Written by two senior members of the core Windows Phone Developer Platform team, this hands-on book gets you up to speed on the Windows 8 core features and application model, and shows you how to build apps with managed code in C# and native code in C++. You’ll also learn how to incorporate Windows Phone 8 features such as speech, the Wallet, and in-app purchase. Discover how to: Create UIs with unique layouts, controls, and gesture support Manage databinding with the Model View ViewModel pattern Build apps that target Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7 Use built-in sensors, including the accelerometer and camera Consume web services and connect to social media apps Share code across Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 apps Build and deploy company hub apps for the enterprise Start developing games using Direct3D Test your app and submit it to the Windows Phone Store

This book will provide you with a comprehensive guide to developing games for both the Windows Mobile platform and the Windows Phone using the industry standard programming languages C# and VB .NET. You will be walked through every aspect of developing for the Windows Mobile platform—from setting up your development environment for the first time to creating advanced 3D graphics. Finally, you’ll learn how you can make your applications available to others, whether distributing for free or selling online. Using extensive code samples throughout, you’ll gather all the information needed to create your own games and distribute them successfully for others to enjoy. Aimed primarily at C# developers, almost everything in the book can be used in VB .NET too. For those areas where this is not the case, workarounds are suggested so that VB .NET developers are still able to use the techniques described.

Good game design pulls the player into the world of the game, consuming the player's perception with each carefully considered detail. This immersion requires consistency, depth, and for many games, modality, but PC operating systems weren't necessarily designed to leave the player alone in the game. Now with Windows 8, the PC offers an environment in which games - and players - feel right at home, with full-screen apps, minimally intrusive notifications, and a host of other design features that support the goals and desires of the game designer. Learn how Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 provide a new paradigm for writing games, with interactive experiences central to their design and components and services that make game development as straightforward as it is on game-specific systems like the Xbox. See how the Windows 8 platform is open to games that can work on everything from Windows Phone 8 handsets to Windows 8 slates to mega-PC rigs, while minimizing engineering costs. Review a real-world example of how a game works on Windows 8 with all the bells and whistles, including 3D, audio, input through touch and tilt sensors, app store deployment, etc.

Summary Windows Phone 8 in Action is a comprehensive guide to developing apps for the WP8 platform. It covers the Windows Phone Runtime and .NET APIs used to work with a phone's sensors and hardware, including the accelerometer, camera, gyroscope, GPS, and microphone. You will learn to write code to dial the phone, write emails, send text messages, and recognize speech. The book also teaches you to build applications that use location and push notification. About this Book With 10 million (and climbing) active handsets, Windows Phone 8 has become a real alternative to Android and iOS. WP users are hungry for great apps, so it's time for you to start creating them! Windows Phone 8 in Action teaches you how to design, build, and sell WP8 apps. In it, you'll learn to use the WP Runtime and .NET APIs to control key features like the accelerometer, camera, GPS, and microphone. This example-driven book also shows you how to write applications that use location and push notification, enhanced navigation services, and WP8's deep multimedia capabilities. You'll need a working knowledge of C#. No experience with Windows Phone or XAML is required. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. What's Inside Build your first phone app Master the Windows Phone 8 interface How to sell on the Windows Phone Store Use features like voice recognition and media About the Authors Tim Binkley-Jones has worked with XAML since the first releases of WPF and Silverlight. Adam Benoit is an independent developer with more than a dozen apps in the Windows Phone Store. Massimo Perga is an engineer at Microsoft. Michael Sync is a web and WP architect. Table of Contents PART 1 INTRODUCING WINDOWS PHONE A new phone, a new operating system Creating your first Windows Phone application PART 2 CORE WINDOWS PHONE Fast application switching and resume Scheduled actions Launching tasks and choosers Contacts and calendars Storing data Working with the camera Integrating with the Photos and Music + Videos Hubs Using sensors Network communication with push notifications Using the Speech API PART 3 XAML FOR WINDOWS PHONE ApplicationBar and context menus Panorama and pivot controls Building a media player Using Maps Building HTML applications Releasing and monetizing apps

It is an exciting time to be a Windows developer. The arrival of Windows 8 is a complete game changer. The operating system and its development platform offer you an entirely new way to create rich, full-featured Windows-based applications. This team of authors takes you on a journey through all of the new development features of the Windows 8 platform specifically how to utilize Visual Studio 2012 and the XAML/C# languages to produce robust apps that are ready for deployment in the new Windows Store. Professional Windows 8 Programming: Learn how to utilize XAML to create rich content driven user interfaces Make use of the new AppBar to create a chrome-less menu system See how to support Sensors and Geo-location on Windows 8 devices Integrate your app into the Windows 8 ecosystem with Contracts and Extensions Walks you through the new Windows 8 navigation system for multi-page apps Minimize code with Data Binding and MVVM design patterns Features tips on getting your app ready for the Windows store Maximize revenue for your app by learning about available monetization strategies

A step-by-step guide.This book is for all game developers, designers, and hobbyists who want to create assets for mobile games