R.I.P. Creators Club

#1 It looks like equal attention is given between the phone and console. Even on the first news update: 10/11/2010 news

Sure, the old CC version of the site is gone...but I do not see the console taking backseat when it comes to site real estate.

#2 As we all know..nearly everything good evolves. I say embrace change and thank the old form for being what it was.

..then make a movie about it to exploit the market! ;)

#3 I think we need to focus on the real tragedy here: Could they not come up with a less cheezy name than App Hub? I'm feeling a bit App-prehensive about this...

Then again, I'm the cheesiest person I know. If left to my own device I would have named it App-Mania.

App-Mania
An App-le a Day
App-lication...wait, that one already exists.

#4 I think the name "App Hub" is the sole reason why I'm having an "issue". "App" makes perfect sense for phones, but the xbox? We are Game Developers, NOT a Product Improver. Then there is "Hub" ... Do you think they could be any less creative?

Even a short name like "Dev Port" would be more pleasing to both worlds than "App Hub". Microsoft doesn't even own AppHub.com, seems like they are jumping the gun. Or maybe, JUST MAY..BE.. they think we actually like sub domains(create.msdn.com).

OK! I'm done ranting :-)

#5 Now we're ragging on the naming, not the focus. Totally outside my area of interest =/

#6 @Michael: I couldn't help myself :-) In reality though, everything is focused on the phone(the name, logo, and content).

I know it's not fare saying whoever owns a business on the left side of the street has priority, but when all the signs on the street point to the left and say "LOOK HERE", then what am I suppose to think..

#7 So where is the new WP7 TX engine? We need to get started on these new games before the phone comes out.

#8

Quote:"Now we're ragging on the naming, not the focus. Totally outside my area of interest =/"

Only because I cannot make any puns on the focus of the product :P

Honestly, I don't know what everybody's been going so absolutely nuts about with the whole WP7/XBOX/PC relationship. I mean, isn't the point of XNA to have a multiplatform framework?

Of course I'm not talking about giant projects, but just about anything I've worked with has pretty smoothly transitioned from Xbox to WP7, and vice versa.

Let them come out with 30 engines for WP7, as well as 3 app markets, and a tablet PC. As long as the idea of XNA continues to grow, it won't even be a speedbump as far as my development is concerned. If WP7 is the excuse they needed to throw more attention into XNA, then so be it :)

Though I do agree, them making a move like that without having the domain is a bit odd O.o

#9 Whatever happened to developing PC games, it's like they've removed all mention of that from the site...

#10 I think that windows games are pretty much assumed. You build and test on the PC, but it seems that MS could have given us more support, like games for windows live, and some sort of games for windows live store.

#11 @Henry: OK, people suggesting GfWL need to shut up now :)

It is universally hated (except by publishers who don't know better), and big name games are moving AWAY from it. The next Dawn of War 2 expandalone, for example, won't have anything to do with it - THANK GOODNESS! It is overcomplicated to get a game activated on it (I've *never* had a good experience), unnecessary and completely ruins it for people who play on laptops far away from the Internet. All the GfWL games I have are either major single-player games or strategy games with hefty single-player campaigns. The out-of-game experience is non-existent (they only gave us a client to buy stuff with, the bastards).

If MS downplay GfWL, that's fine by me. They seem completely incapable of making Live not suck for the desktops. The less mention of GfWL there is on Microsoft's sites, the more hope I have for PC gaming. Friends don't let friends buy GfWL games. Release a client app with all the functionality of the 360 dash, or else they might as well ditch it.

It looks like they really only care about games (and tools?) for phones and 360, though. It's right there in the title. No mention of Windows itself. I'd say the 360 is closer to Windows than a WinPhone in the sort of games you could do, so it would make sense to have all three platforms in focus.

#12 @ Henry,

Yes I really want to start making apps for the WP7. I have some of them designed and I really can't wait!

@ Arron

Yes App kinda cheapens the whole thing. Sometimes I think that microsoft wants XBLIG to fail. I wonder if any games in 2011 will make as much as I made a game with zombies in it (~200 000)

#13 < fun

#14 @John: I would be very happy with only 10% of IMAGWZ's income :-) If there is a game that becomes that popular, lets make sure its someone from this community! :-)

#15 Aaron I feel the same way. Personally if anybody here could make 20K per game and make 3 games a year, that would be awesome :)

#16 Hmm the site itself looks very "2.0" I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing...>< That said the WP7 icon is right up there next to the XBOX icon, so definitely no drawing away from "app hub" as being a means of deployment to 360. That was my concern that the 360 focus would fade away but glad it's given equal attention.

onwards and upwards

#17 I think DrMisty did a nice summary of Shawn Hargreaves comments here: www.mstargames.co.uk/mistryblogmain/50-xbligthoughts/158-a-view-from-an-xna-insi...

The biggest thing I take away from that is that XNA is THE game development platform for WP7. That's not the case with XBox 360... We'll be developing on the same platform professional studios, such as EA, are developing on.

#18 Don't forget that console sales are normally like 20-30 x what pc sales are. Sales that would be considered a hit on the pc are a failure on a console. The only real outlet for most indies on the pc are portals, Facebook and browser embedded games. I believe a few xna games have made it onto steam or such. I would imagine that you could make the type of game that sells on a casual portal like bigfish as well. There are a lot of TGB games on sites like that.

#19 Henry that is why I choose to deploy to XBLIG. Where else are you going to make money? Another reason why you want to side with Micrsoft is that I believe their plan is to have Xbox + wp7 + Unamed windows tablet all work together. With their frameworks in place you can deploy to multiple places.

#20 If anybody logged on today the indie games are right back beside the arcade. Im glad its there. I guess the specialty shop thing didn't work. (thankfully) :)