Awesome
XNAGameStudio
The Education library from XNA Game Studios, valuable for MonoGame Developers for advanced samples.
Getting Started
If you are new to the archive and want to get started with the sample here. Check out the Getting Started page on the wiki This will tell you what you need to know to open the XNA projects (that haven't been converted yet) in this archive
The archive is now complete and all but two samples can be found here, next step MonoGaming the samples where applicable. (The two missing are Mojapi and Racing Game as their files are too big for GIT. I've downloaded and will source a difference host for the sample files)
If you have comments or suggestions for the archive, please let me know on twitter @SimonDarksideJ or on this site.
Complete solutions
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card Game Starter Kit: Blackjack (C#/VB) | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Audio, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures, User Experience | This starter kit contains a complete Blackjack game that incorporates an easily re-usable set of card classes that you can use to build your own card game. | Code Sample |
| Soccer Pitch | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample demonstrates use of the DualTextured effect for detail map multitexturing of procedurally generated surfaces. It also shows multipass rendering and simple shadow rendering by using depth biasing to avoid depth buffer aliasing. | Code Sample |
| Catapult Wars Lab | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | The Catapult Wars Lab is a complete 2D gesture-based catapult battle game for Windows Phone 7. | Tutorial |
| Catapult Wars Extensions Kit | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | This Training Kit expands upon the Catapult Wars lab with a series of exercises. | Code Sample |
| Game State Management (Mango, C#/VB) | Games: Gameplay, User Experience | This sample shows how to manage the transitions among menus and gameplay states. | Code Sample |
| Honeycomb Rush Lab | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Audio, Games: Collision, Games: Gameplay, Input, Touch & Gestures | This lab is a complete 2D touch action game for Windows Phone. | Tutorial |
| Marble Maze | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Audio, Games: Collision, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Games: Math, Games: Physics, Input, Touch & Gestures | The Marble Maze Lab is a complete 3D accelerometer-based game for Windows Phone 7. | Tutorial |
| Memory Madness Lab | Data and Isolated Storage, Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Audio, Games: Data Management, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures, User Experience | The Memory Madness Lab is a complete 2D touch-based memory game for Windows Phone. | Tutorial |
| Multi-Platform Game Training Kit | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | This Training Kit expands upon the Honeycomb Rush lab by bringing the game to Xbox 360 and Windows. | Code Sample |
| Net Rumble | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Graphics, Games: Physics, Networking & Web Services | Net Rumble is a two-dimensional shooter where up to sixteen players compete online in a death match arena filled with asteroids and power-ups. | Code Sample |
| NinjAcademy | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Audio, Games: Collision, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | This is a complete gesture-based game for Windows Phone. | Code Sample |
| Paddle Battle (Mango, C#/VB) | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, User Experience | This sample shows a very basic game written on top of the new Silverlight/XNA Framework application model. | Code Sample |
| Platformer | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | Platformer is a self-contained game solution for Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone 7 that includes both game code and game assets. The game is a standard 2D platformer with levels, enemies, and collectable gems. | Code Sample |
| Role-Playing Game | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Artificial Intelligence, Games: Collision, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures, User Experience | This sample contains a two-dimensional role-playing game that utilizes a tile engine, complete with character classes, multiple party members, items, and quests. | Code Sample |
| Ship Game | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Graphics, Games: Postprocessing, Games: Shaders | Ship Game is a complete 3D spaceship combat game. | Code Sample |
| Snow Shovel | Games: 2D Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | Snow Shovel is a simple game designed for Windows Phone 7 that shows how to draw 2D sprites and handle player input by using the accelerometer. | Code Sample |
| Spacewar | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Graphics | Spacewar is a complete starship combat game. It comes in two versions: Retro and Evolved. | Code Sample |
| Yacht | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures, Networking & Web Services | This is a complete wi-fi supported multiplayer dice game for Windows Phone. | Code Sample |
Shaders and effects
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shader Series: Introduction | Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This article is an introduction to the Shader Series, a set of samples and articles that allow an intermediate 3D developer to begin to explore the programmable graphics pipeline. | Article |
| Shader Series 1: Vertex Lighting | Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows one of the most basic uses of shader effects — vertex lighting. | Code Sample |
| Shader Series 2: Textures and Colors | Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how to combine texture operations with mathematical color operations to blend colors and achieve interesting lighting effects. | Code Sample |
| Shader Series 3: Per-Pixel Lighting | Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample explains how to move lighting calculations to the pixel shader for high-quality per-pixel lighting. | Code Sample |
| Shader Series: Coordinate Spaces | Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This supplemental article outlines the different coordinate spaces that are necessary when creating shaders. | Article |
| 3D Graphics | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample demonstrates several basic topics in 3D graphics utilization, including how to load a 3D model by using the XNA Content Pipeline, how to manipulate the model, the view and the lighting, and how to incorporate 2D graphics assets and make them interact with the loaded model. | Code Sample |
| Avatar Shadows | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample demonstrates how to implement planar shadows for avatar characters to increase visual quality and richness of 3D scenes involving avatars. | Code Sample |
| Billboards | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how to efficiently render large numbers of billboard sprites, using a vertex shader to perform the billboard computations entirely on the GPU. | Code Sample |
| Bloom Postprocess | Games: Graphics, Games: Postprocessing, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how to use bloom post-processing filters to add a glow effect over the top of an existing scene. | Code Sample |
| Camera Shake | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | This sample demonstrates a 3D camera shaking and controller vibration effect. | Code Sample |
| Color Replacement | Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample demonstrates how to render parts of an object with a user-defined color. | Code Sample |
| CPU Skinning | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to improve performance on Windows Phone by skinning 3D models on the CPU. | Code Sample |
| Distortion | Games: Graphics, Games: Postprocessing, Games: Shaders | This sample demonstrates how to implement a variety of screen-space distortion effects with a general post-processing technique. | Code Sample |
| Generated Geometry | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how 3D models can be generated by code during the XNA Content Pipeline build process. | Code Sample |
| Instanced Model | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how to efficiently render many copies of the same model, using GPU instancing techniques to reduce the cost of repeated draw calls. | Code Sample |
| Lens Flare | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample shows you how to implement a lens flare effect by using occlusion queries to detect when the sun is hidden behind the landscape. | Code Sample |
| Non-Realistic Rendering | Games: Graphics, Games: Postprocessing, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how to implement stylized, non-photorealistic rendering techniques, such as cartoon shading, edge detection, and a pencil sketch effect. | Code Sample |
| Normal Mapping | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Shaders | This sample applies a normal mapping effect to a mesh, and uses a custom content processor to demonstrate adding and removing per-vertex data and reading opaque data. | Code Sample |
| Particles | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample introduces the concept of a particle system, and shows how to draw particle effects by using SpriteBatch. Two particle effects are demonstrated: an explosion and a rising plume of smoke. | Code Sample |
| Particles 3D | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how to implement a 3D particle system using point sprites. The sample builds on the ideas introduced in the Particles sample, showing how those principles can be extended to work in 3D and optimized through the use of shaders. | Code Sample |
| Path Drawing | Games: Artificial Intelligence, Games: Gameplay, Input, Touch & Gestures | This sample demonstrates how to translate touch input into a path that can be drawn on-screen and followed by a game object. | Code Sample |
| Primitives | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample implements a PrimitiveBatch class, which can be used to easily draw points, lines, and triangles on the screen. | Code Sample |
| Primitives3D | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample provides easily reusable code for drawing basic geometric primitives. | Code Sample |
| Reach Graphics Demo | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: 3D Graphics | A sample demonstrating the six built-in graphical effects supported in the Reach graphics profile. | Code Sample |
| Rim Lighting | Games: 3D Graphics | This sample demonstrates how to implement a rim lighting effect by using the standard graphics effects available on Windows Phone 7. | Code Sample |
| Safe Area | Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to make an XNA Framework game display correctly on a wide range of different televisions. | Code Sample |
| Shadow Mapping | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows you how to implement basic shadow mapping from a directional light, where the view and projection of the shadow map adapt to the viewing frustum of the viewer's camera. | Code Sample |
| Shatter | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how you can apply an effect on any model in your game to shatter it. | Code Sample |
| Shape Rendering | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Graphics | This sample demonstrates a method for adding debug shape rendering functionality to a game. | Code Sample |
| Sprite Effects | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Games: Postprocessing, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how shaders can be used to implement special effects when drawing 2D graphics with SpriteBatch. | Code Sample |
| Split Screen | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, User Experience | This sample demonstrates how to display the same scene in two viewports by using two separate view and projection matrices, simulating a two-player game scenario. | Code Sample |
| Stock Effects | Games: Shaders | Stock effects provides source code for the five effects (BasicEffect, SkinnedEffect, EnvironmentMapEffect, DualTextureEffect, and AlphaTestEffect), and the default shader used by SpriteBatch (SpriteEffect). | Code Sample |
Physics and AI
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collision Series 1: 2D Rectangle Collision | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Collision | This tutorial details several simple techniques for constraining motion and collision detection in two dimensions. | Tutorial |
| Collision Series 2: 2D Per-Pixel Collision | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Collision | This tutorial details how to perform per-pixel collision detection in two dimensions. | Tutorial |
| Collision Series 3: 2D Collision with Transformed Objects | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Collision | This tutorial explains how to perform per-pixel collision detection in two dimensions on sprites that use linear transformations such as rotation or scale. | Tutorial |
| Collision Series 4 Collision with a Heightmap | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Collision | This sample demonstrates how to move objects along a heightmap, useful when creating a game that requires interaction between moving objects and terrain. | Code Sample |
| Collision Series 5 Heightmap Collision with Normals | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Collision | This sample demonstrates how to use information about a heightmap's vertex normals to follow the contour of the terrain. | Code Sample |
| Aiming | Games: Artificial Intelligence, Games: Math | This sample shows how to turn one object to face another. This can be useful for AI that aim at a player. | Code Sample |
| Bounce | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Physics | The bounce sample draws and physically simulates 100 spheres of varying size, mass, and weight. | Code Sample |
| Collision | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Collision | This sample demonstrates collision detection for primitives, including triangles and oriented-bounding boxes. | Code Sample |
| Chase Camera | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Games: Math, Input, Touch & Gestures | This sample demonstrates how to create a simple chase camera with spring physics. | Code Sample |
| Chase & Evade | Games: Artificial Intelligence | Featuring a cat, a mouse, and a tank, this sample demonstrates how to implement several simple behaviors for AI, including chasing, evading, and wandering. | Code Sample |
| Flocking | Games: Artificial Intelligence | This sample demonstrates how AIs can use simple rules to move together and create complex behaviors. | Code Sample |
| Fuzzy Logic | Games: Artificial Intelligence | This sample shows how an AI can use fuzzy logic to make decisions. It also demonstrates a method for organizing different AI behaviors, similar to a state machine. | Code Sample |
| Inverse Kinematics Sample | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Games: Physics | This sample demonstrates how to implement the basic Cyclic Coordinate Descent (CCD) Inverse Kinematics algorithm. | Code Sample |
| Pathfinding | Games: Artificial Intelligence | This sample demonstrates how AIs can use algorithms to navigate a map by using three common pathfinding routines. | Code Sample |
| Picking | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Graphics, Games: Physics | This sample shows how to determine whether a player's cursor is over an object, and how to find out where on the screen an object is. | Code Sample |
| Picking with Triangle Accuracy | Games: Collision, Games: Graphics, Games: Physics | This sample extends the Picking sample with a more accurate picking algorithm, which tests against individual triangles that make up a mesh. | Code Sample |
| Simple Animation | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how to apply simple program controlled rigid body animation to a model rendered by using the XNA Framework. | Code Sample |
| Skinned Model | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how to process and render a skinned character model by using the XNA Framework Content Pipeline. | Code Sample |
| Waypoint Navigation | Games: Artificial Intelligence | This sample demonstrates basic artificial intelligence navigation in 2D by using waypoints. | Code Sample |
Content Pipeline
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoring Particle Systems Using XML and the Content Pipeline | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This tutorial teaches you how to extend the Particle 3D sample so the particle systems are defined by XML files loaded with the XNA Content Pipeline. | Tutorial |
| Content Manifest Extensions | Games: Content Pipeline | This sample shows how to build a list of deployed content for your game to use. | Code Sample |
| Compiled (XNB) Content Format | Games: Content Pipeline | This article documents the format of the compiled data files (.xnb) produced by the XNA Game Studio 4.0 Content Pipeline build process. | Code Sample |
| Custom Model Class | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to go beyond the limits of the standard Model class by loading geometry data into an entirely custom class that can be extended more easily to cope with specialized requirements. | Code Sample |
| Custom Model Effect | Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample shows how custom effects can be applied to a model using the XNA Framework Content Pipeline. | Code Sample |
| Custom Model Importer | Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to implement a custom model importer for the XNA Framework Content Pipeline. | Code Sample |
| Custom Model Rigid and Skinned Animations | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | The Custom Model Rigid and Skinned Animation sample demonstrates how animations can be imported on rigid models and then played automatically. Additionally, this sample demonstrates applying an animation to rigid and skinned models. | Code Sample |
| Particles Pipeline | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics | This sample builds on the Particles 2D sample to allow authoring of particle effects in XML files, which makes creating new particle systems and modifying particle system parameters a much simpler task. | Code Sample |
| Skinned Model Extensions Tutorial | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics | This tutorial will teach you how to extend the Skinned Model sample by directly accessing and manipulating the [*positions of specific bones to add three new features. | Tutorial |
| Sprite Sheet | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to implement sprite sheets, combining many separate sprite images into a single larger texture that will be more efficient for graphics hardware. | Code Sample |
Networking samples
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP Multiplayer: Tic Tac Toe | Networking & Web Services | This sample demonstrates how create an HTTP Multiplayer game for Windows Phone. | Code Sample |
| Bing Maps for Games | This sample demonstrates how to use the Bing Maps API to load map data into an XNA Game Studio game. | Code Sample | |
| Bing Maps for Games with Pathfinding | Games: Artificial Intelligence | This sample expands on the Bing Maps sample by using road data to allow a tank to travel to markers while driving on the roads. | Code Sample |
| Invites | Networking & Web Services | This sample shows how to support invites in a networked XNA Framework game. | Code Sample |
| Network Prediction | Networking & Web Services | This sample shows how to use prediction and smoothing algorithms to compensate for network lag, making remotely controlled objects appear to move smoothly even when there is a significant delay in packets being delivered over the network. | Code Sample |
| Network Lobby and Chat Icons | Games: 2D Graphics, Networking & Web Services | This set of images is designed for displaying status within a networking game, including voice-chat and readiness. | Tool |
| Network Game State Management | Games: Gameplay, Networking & Web Services | This sample shows how to implement the user interface for a multiplayer networked game. It provide menus for creating, finding, and joining sessions, a lobby screen, and robust network error handling. | Code Sample |
| Network Architecture Client-Server | Networking & Web Services | This sample implements a simple multiplayer network session, using a client/server network topology where each computer sends its player input to the server, which updates the state of everyone in the session and sends results back to the clients. | Code Sample |
| Network Architecture Peer-to-Peer | Networking & Web Services | This sample implements a simple multiplayer network session, using a peer-to-peer network topology where each computer is responsible for updating the state of its locally controlled players. | Code Sample |
| Recipe: Non-Linear Navigation Service for Windows | User Experience | Windows Phone Recipes provide you with building blocks that you can use in your own applications to accelerate your development. We created the Non-Linear Navigation Service for Windows Phone in order to give you the ability to simplify and improve how the Windows Phone back stack works in your application. | Article |
| Recipe: Push Notification Server Side Helper | Push Notifications | This library provides an easy way for sending all three kinds of push notification messages currently supported by Microsoft Push Notification Services. | Article |
Misc Tools / Audio and Assets
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Audio | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Audio | This sample shows how to position sounds in 3D space by implementing panning, Doppler, and distance attenuation effects. | Code Sample |
| Accelerometer | Input, Touch & Gestures | This sample shows how to read the accelerometer sensor on Windows. | Code Sample |
| Bitmap Font Maker | Games: 2D Graphics | This tool converts Windows TrueType fonts into .bmp files.This enables you to modify the rendered font .bmp file before loading it into your game, including adding effects such as drop shadows. | Tool |
| Curve Editor | Games: Math | This tool provides an easy-to-use visual editor for creating curves for use with the XNA Framework Curve class. The curve control used to display and edit curves inside the editor can also be imported into your own applications. | Tool |
| Custom Indeterminate Progress Bar Sample | Controls | This sample shows you how to create a custom indeterminate progress bar that runs on the compositor thread for better performance. | Code Sample |
| Dynamic Menu | User Experience | This sample demonstrates how to develop a dynamic user interface, which can be laid out in code or in xml, or a combination of both. | Code Sample |
| Geolocation | Location & Mapping | This sample shows how to use the location service on Windows Phone 7 to store and navigate back to a location. | Code Sample |
| Graphics Profile Checker | Games: Graphics | This utility provides detailed information about hardware capabilities for XNA Game Studio projects. | Tool |
| Input Reporter | Input, Touch & Gestures | This tool displays input data for all controllers connected to the system. It supports multiple controller types, including flight sticks, dance pads, and guitars. | Tool |
| Input Sequence | Input, Touch & Gestures | Learn how to detect sequences of input such as combo moves or cheat codes. | Code Sample |
| Level Starter Kit | Sensors | This Windows Phone 7 Starter Kit is a complete Level application written in C#. The program provides the user with the ability to use their phone as a level. | Code Sample |
| Localization | Games: Content Pipeline, User Experience | This sample shows how to localize an XNA Framework game into multiple languages. | Code Sample |
| Microphone Echo | Games: Audio | This sample shows how to capture audio data from a microphone, perform a echo process on it using DynamicSoundEffectInstance, and play it back through the device speakers. | Code Sample |
| Microphone Sample | Games: Audio, Sensors | This sample demonstrates how to get audio input from the Windows Phone microphone in a Silverlight application by using the Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Audio.Microphone class. | Code Sample |
| Model Viewer Demo (Mango) | Controls, Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Graphics, User Experience | This sample showcases a complex application built on top of the integrated Silverlight/XNA Framework application model. | Code Sample |
| Music Management for Windows Phone 7 | Games: Audio | This sample implements and demonstrates the usage of BackgroundMusicManager, a class that helps your Windows Phone 7 game play music and reliably respond to external events that affect music playback. | Code Sample |
| Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) Sample | Games: Data Management | This sample demonstrates a simple MVVM application that uses XAML binding to connect the Views to the Model. | Code Sample |
| Orientation | Games: Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | The Orientation sample for Windows Phone 7 demonstrates locking the screen to landscape or portrait mode. | Code Sample |
| Push Notifications | Push Notifications | This sample shows how to use push notifications within an XNA Framework application on Windows Phone 7. Includes a tool to send test messages. | Code Sample |
| Saving Embedded Images | Data and Isolated Storage, Games: Visual Assets | This sample shows how to save an image from a phone application to the phone. | Code Sample |
| Silverlight Sound Sample | Games: Audio | Demonstrates how to play multiple sounds simultaneously in a Silverlight application for Windows Phone. Shows how to load a wave audio file into a Stream that can be played by using the SoundEffect classes. | Code Sample |
| Sound and Music | Games: Audio | The Sound and Music sample demonstrates the basics of Sound and Music for games on Windows Phone 7. | Code Sample |
| SoundLab | Games: Audio | A collection of 170 audio files for use in your games and apps, including body hits, UI sounds, and ambient outdoor noises. | Tool |
| Tilt Perspective | Games: 3D Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | This sample uses the accelerometer to estimate the orientation of the phone's screen relative to the user's eyes, and renders a 3D scene corrected for that viewpoint in order to create an illusion of depth. | Code Sample |
| Tombstoning Sample | Games: Data Management, Performance & Optimization | This sample shows how to restore the visual state of a page and also application data when an application is reactivated after tombstoning. | Code Sample |
| Touch Gestures | Input, Touch & Gestures | This sample demonstrates how to use touch-based Gestures on Windows Phone 7 by using the XNA Framework. | Code Sample |
| Touch Thumbsticks | Input, Touch & Gestures | This sample demonstrates a technique for using the touch panel to provide thumbstick-style controls on Windows Phone 7. | Code Sample |
| Translator Starter Kit | Localization & Globalization | This program enables the user to enter a word or phrase in one language and have it translated into another language. | Code Sample |
| Unit Converter Starter Kit | Games: Data Management | This Starter Kit is a complete Unit Converter application written in C#. The program enables the user to convert values from one type of unit to another. | Code Sample |
| User Interface Controls | User Experience | This sample demonstrates a set of extensible user interface controls that you can drop right into your Windows Phone 7 game. | Code Sample |
#Winforms Samples
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| WinForms Series 1 Graphics Device | Games: Graphics | This sample shows you how to use an XNA Framework GraphicsDevice object to display 3D graphics inside a WinForms application. | Code Sample |
| WinForms Series 2 Content Loading | Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics | This sample shows you how to import arbitrary 3D models at runtime by running the Content Pipeline importers and processors dynamically. | Code Sample |
Assorted documentation
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avoiding the Windows Watchdog | Performance & Optimization | This article gives tips on how to avoid the Windows Phone Watchdog, which seeks out and shuts down unresponsive applications. | Article |
| Best Practices for Windows Games | Data and Isolated Storage, Games: Gameplay, Games: Shaders, Input, Touch & Gestures, Sensors, User Experience | This article describes a variety of best practices to employ when preparing your Windows Phone 7 game for submission to Windows Phone Marketplace. | Article |
| Data Structures | Games: Data Management | This article is an introduction to using data structures in games, with several game-specific examples of using data structures, and a quick-reference data structure performance "cheat sheet." | Article |
| Dynamic Audio | Games: Audio | This article demonstrates and describes the new dynamic audio features available in XNA Game Studio 4.0. | Article |
| Gestures | Input, Touch & Gestures | The Gestures article demonstrates the differences in using gestures on Windows Phone 7 and other major phone platforms. | Article |
| Intro to C# From Objective-C and Java | This article is an essential guide for developers moving to Windows Phone 7 and C# from the Objective-C or Java languages. | Article | |
| Intro to Game Loop | This article introduces the concept of a game loop as presented by the XNA Framework App Model, and highlights the structure of loop-based game programming in XNA Game Studio 4.0. | Article | |
| Loading Time Reduction for Games | Performance & Optimization | This article describes a variety of ways to reduce loading times on your games. | Article |
| Localization for Games | Localization & Globalization | This document provides a step-by-step guide and recommended practices to ensure a Windows Phone game project made in XNA Game Studio is localizable. | Article |
| Marketing Tips: Get your app or game noticed | Collection of tips from developers in the community, on marketing your app or game. | Article | |
| PEGI Express Rating Tool Information | Marketplace & Submission | PEGI Express is the name of a newly developed version of the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating sytem that allows games for Windows Phone to get an age rating. | Article |
| Performance Considerations for Windows Games | Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Data Management, Games: Graphics, Performance & Optimization | This article demonstrates techniques of memory management, content loading, and profiling to increase performance of Windows Phone 7 games. | Article |
| Performance Utility | Games: Graphics, Performance & Optimization | This utility contains three code tools that you can use to debug and optimize your game: a profiler, a frames-per-second counter, and a customizable debug console. | Tool |
| Performance Measuring Sample | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Performance & Optimization | This sample demonstrates using the Performance Utility to understand the impact of drawing and colliding 3D meshes to game performance. | Code Sample |
| Tombstoning for Windows Games | Data and Isolated Storage, Games: Gameplay | This article demonstrates how to handle deactivation events (tombstoning) on Windows Phone 7 by using XNA Game Studio. | Article |
| Visual Basic Support in XNA Game Studio (Mango) | This document provides basic guidance about developing games in Visual Basic with XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh. | Article | |
| What's New for Games (Mango) | This document aims to call out a few of the changes in Windows Phone OS 7.1 and Windows Phone Developer Tools that affect game developers. | Article | |
| Xbox 360 Controller Images | Games: 2D Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | This pack is a set of Xbox 360 controller graphics that you can use in your games. | Tool |
| Xbox 360 Controller Button Images | Games: 2D Graphics, Input, Touch & Gestures | This pack is a set of images that represent the buttons, thumbsticks, and triggers on the Xbox 360 Controller. | Tool |
| Xbox 360 Performance Best Practices | Performance & Optimization | This article discusses best practices for achieving good performance on Xbox 360 for XNA Game Studio games. | Article |
Avatar samples (Not supported by MG yet)
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Avatar Animation Sample | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to load and process a custom animation for an avatar by using the XNA Framework Content Pipeline. | Code Sample |
| Avatar Animation Rig | Games: Content Pipeline | The avatar rig is a model and animation rig setup for authoring custom avatar animations. | Tool |
| Avatar Animation Pack | Games: Content Pipeline | This pack includes 21 custom avatar animations. | Tool |
| Object Placement On Avatar Sample | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to draw a model on part of an avatar. In this case, a baseball bat is placed in the avatar's right hand. | Code Sample |
| Avatar Multiple Animations Sample | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample demonstrates how to play two animations simultaneously on different parts of a single avatar. | Code Sample |
| Avatar Animation Blending Sample | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to blend two avatar animations together so that they smoothly transition from one animation to the next. | Code Sample |
| Avatar Usage Guidelines | Learn the rules about acceptable - and unacceptable - Avatar usage in Xbox LIVE Indie Games. | Article |
Archived (pre XNA 4.0) samples
| Title | Area | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiled Sprites-(ARCHIVED) | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Graphics | This sample shows how to manage data for tiling, animation, visibility determination, and virtualization of a 2D camera. | Code Sample |
| Redistributable Font Pack (ARCHIVED) | Games: 2D Graphics | These OpenType fonts, created by Ascender Corporation and licensed by Microsoft, are free for you to use in your XNA Game Studio game. | Tool |
| Spaceshooter (ARCHIVED) | Games: Artificial Intelligence, Games: Collision, Games: Content Pipeline | This Spaceshooter Sample includes elements of AI, Collision Detection, and other features. | Code Sample |
| Shader Series 5 Multipass Lighting (ARCHIVED) | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample uses blend states to add the effects of individual draws to the back buffer, allowing multiple draws to light the same piece of geometry. | Code Sample |
| SpriteBatch Shader (ARCHIVED) | Games: 2D Graphics | This utility provides the HLSL source code for the SpriteBatch shader that comes built into the XNA Framework, so you can make your own improvements and additions to the sprite drawing process. | Tool |
| BasicEffect Shader (ARCHIVED) | Games: 3D Graphics | This utility provides the HLSL source code for the BasicEffect shader that comes built into the XNA Framework. You can use it to extend the simple 3D transform and lighting capabilities of BasicEffect and add your own 3D effects. | Tool |
| Movipa (ARCHIVED) | Data and Isolated Storage, Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Content Pipeline, Games: Data Management | Movipa is a puzzle game that demonstrates game features such as non-continuous rendering, asynchronous asset loading, game state saving and loading, multiple gameplay modes and complex scene-description system for layered 2D scenes. | Code Sample |
| Robot Game (ARCHIVED) | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Audio, Games: Collision, Games: Gameplay, Games: Postprocessing, Games: Shaders | Robot Game is a 3D robot combat sample. It demonstrates advanced graphics using shaders and post-processing effects, advanced particle systems and 3D positional sound for both single-player and split-screen two-player versus mode. | Code Sample |
| Minjie (ARCHIVED) | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Audio, Games: Gameplay | The Minjie Sample is a puzzle game that challenges you to flip your opponent’s pieces to your own color by surrounding them on two sides with your own pieces. | Code Sample |
| Marblets (ARCHIVED) | Data and Isolated Storage, Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics | Marblets is a puzzle-style game that challenges you to eliminate groups of same-colored bubbles. This sample offers only a few game modes, providing ample opportunity to add your own unique game types and modes. | Code Sample |
| Shader Series 4: Materials and Multiple Light Sources (ARCHIVED) | Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | This sample is an example of how a developer might combine the techniques leading up to this sample into a usable system for composing a 3D scene. | Code Sample |
| Optimization: Particles and High-Frequency Code (ARCHIVED) | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Data Management, Games: Graphics | This tutorial teaches you how to find and correct performance problems in your game. It highlights solutions to common performance problems on Xbox 360, using a particle system as an example. | Article |
| Vector Rumble (ARCHIVED) | Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Collision, Games: Gameplay, Games: Physics | The Vector Rumble Sample is a two-dimensional shooter, pitting up to four players against one another in a death match arena filled with asteroids and power-ups. | Code Sample |
| Pickture (ARCHIVED) | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Gameplay, Games: Graphics, Games: Shaders | The Pickture Sample is a photo-based puzzle game with a twist: on the more difficult settings, the board is two sided and puzzle chips can be flipped. | Code Sample |
| Catapult (ARCHIVED) | Data and Isolated Storage, Games: 2D Graphics, Games: Gameplay, Games: Physics | The Catapult Sample is a quick, addictive game where the goal is to send a pumpkin flying as far as possible. | Code Sample |
| Racing Game (ARCHIVED) | Games: 3D Graphics, Games: Graphics, Games: Postprocessing, Games: Shaders | Racing Game is a 3D auto racing game that features advanced graphics, audio, and input processing. Race around the track and try to beat the ghost car to achieve the best time. | Code Sample |