Editorial Review
Foreword by Tom Miller
Developer, XNA Game Studio Express, Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft XNA Unleashed provides comprehensive coverage and solid instruction on how to leverage the XNA Framework to create high quality games for Windows and the Xbox 360. The author shows you how to take full advantage of the many features the XNA Framework provides; you will learn the intricacies of important tasks such as adding sound and music to games, as well as creating, loading, and texturing 3D objects. In addition to providing coverage of 2D programming, the author shows you how to create sophisticated 3D games. All the important topics such as physics, artificial intelligence, and special effects are covered in detail. Chad Carter is the CTO at Robertson Marketing Group. Many Fortune 500 companies use the ecommerce system he architected and developed from the ground up for the promotional business sector. He has been creating DirectX applications since 1996 and has developed games using Managed DirectX. Chad created a 3D locomotive simulator for Norfolk Southern that is used to teach children to obey railroad crossings signals. Chad’s website devoted to the XNA Framework can be found at www.xnaessentials.com.
Learn how to install and use XNA Game Studio Express
Discover how to build, deploy, and debug games for the Xbox 360 and Windows
Examine the XNA Framework in depth: 2D, 3D, sound, input, and HLSL
Learn how to create game components and game services
Delve into performance tuning techniques
Discover how to extend the Content Pipeline
Learn how to use the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) to add sound and music to games
Create a full 2D parallax side-scroller game
Discover how to use sprite batches
Learn to make the most of sprite fonts
Create 2D components such as splash screens and progress bars
Examine the different sprite batch blending modes
Discover 2D cel animation
Examine the High Level Shader Language (HLSL) in detail covering basic HLSL as well as vertex deformations and post-processing effects
Create a full 3D game that includes a 2D radar in the Heads Up Display (HUD), and much, much more
CD-ROM includes
• All C# examples and source code presented in this book.
• Explosion Generator tool for generating explosion animations.
Introduction
Part I Get Up and Running with XNA on Your PC and Xbox 360
1 Introducing XNA and XNA Game Studio Express
2 XNA and the Xbox 360
3 Performance Considerations
Part II Understanding XNA Basics
4 Creating 3D Objects
5 Input Devices and Cameras
Part III Content Pipeline
6 Loading and Texturing 3D Objects
7 Sound and Music
8 Extending the Content Pipeline
Part IV 2D in XNA
9 2D Basics
10 2D Effects
11 Creating a 2D Game
Part V High Level Shader Language
12 HLSL Basics
13 Advanced HLSL
Part VI Physics and Artificial Intelligence
14 Physics Basics
15 Finite State Machines and Game State Management
16 AI Algorithms
Part VII 3D Effects
17 Advanced Texturing Techniques
18 Special Effects
19 Particle System
Part VIII Putting It Into Practice
20 Creating a 3D Game
21 Improving the Game
22 Finishing Touches
Index
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Customer Reviews
Good XNA book. Can't wait for the updated XNA 3.0 version!! 
2008-06-24
When i started to get serious about XNA i started looking for a good book to begin learning. Like most people (IMHO) i learn better through books and then self training than reading everything online.
The Microsoft XNA Unleashed by Chad Carter is a great book as it is not merely a skim through from the top for XNA but is very detailed. I have just started and i dont think i will be done with the book very soon.
I like his presentation style as well as the detail. I read all the reviews and sure some folks think it is a good book whereas some folks think otherwise. For me when i started reading through it i immediately liked the presentation style. I think (IMHO) that a good presentation style with good material leads to better learning.
I will post an update to my blog as and when i complete this book. Based on my initial 80 or so pages, i like it a lot.
See my blog http://ilovethexbox.blogspot.com/2008/06/microsoft-xna-unleashed.html for updates to the review.
More a tutorial than a reference 
2008-06-21
The book assumes you know C#, and basically takes you through the development of a 2D game and a basic 3D FPS style game. As new functionality is added, the book explains the code pretty much line by line. It therefore shows you two sets of simple game design patterns in some detail.
It also makes the book very linear - as new functions are shown in the context of what has been built already, you can't easily just experiment with the different classes on their own. You really have to follow it through as a sequential tutorial.
What I was more hoping for was a more systematic treatment of the various XNA classes, and more of the underlying theory particularly with respect to using transformations. Matrix and vector maths is barely discussed directly at all.
The linear structure and practical focus also means that I didn't find myself able to "dip into" the book and learn more about XNA whilst watching TV for example.
So if you want an extended tutorial on XNA game programming its fine. If you want to really "get inside" XNA and graphics programming, then its not the right book for you.
Excellent Text for Intermediate Level Students 2008-05-14
This is a very well planned book with game development students in mind. Readers who complain that the writer takes off too quickly should keep in mind that the book is categorized as "Intermediate-Advanced" and quite accurately so.
I'm using this as a recommended text for a module I am teaching to diploma students and it brings them up to speed on programming with XNA.
You should get this if you have programmed in DirectX and/or C++; you'll find it a breeze and be amazed by how many things have been taken care / made much easier by the XNA framework and using a managed language such as C#.
The author, Chad Carter, also actively responds to the questions in the book's discussion forums. This is especially important for a technical book such as this as technology is constantly evolving (we're at XNA 2.0 currently), and it helps to know which parts of the book need to be updated (or not).
The only improvements I can recommend for the next edition (XNA 3.0) are:
1. Consolidated list of errata on the author's website (xnaessentials.com) to make it easier to find and update my own copy / students' copies of the book.
2. Teaching / supporting materials. However, I must admit that going through the exercises in the book will give you a good deal of ideas and inspirations already.
In short, thanks Chad, please keep up the excellent work.
Wow! Excellent Book ... Even for 2.0! 2008-04-29
At first I was hesitant to get this book since it based on the 1.0 refresh. However, I wanted to get started right away and seeing how this technology will simply continue to grow, there is no better time than the present to start learning.
I have all of the current XNA Books available and this one is by far the best. I love this guy's coding style ... it is nice when an author using .NET is actually using .NET styled code. If there is only one XNA book you can buy -- get this one.
I really enjoyed his perspective on performance. It helped me in my day job as well ... can you say Garbage Collector? I bought this book to do 3D and I have been happy with my results. I am using 2D to supplement my 3D game, but it seems the community is obsessed with 2D games at this point. The physics chapter is great. I also enjoyed the chapter on Artificial Intelligence. Both are short, but to the point and helped me know where I need to look for more information. The particle system is excellent. I liked the force field created by particles ... cool.
I am a programmer by trade and have dabbled in computer graphics in the past, but it was just too much work to get anything valuable. With XNA and this book as a guide, I was able to go so much farther than I ever did with DirectX and the books I bought on that subject. I have created a full 3D game that I plan to put out on Xbox LIVE Community Games when it is available. There is no way I would have a completed game without this book -- sound, game states, input, polish -- it is all in here!
I liked how the author didn't waste time on rendering a single triangle ... he did a rectangle (two triangles) ... and then later used that code to create a skybox. The chapter on the content pipeline was excellent. I enjoyed the advanced topics he has as well like Render Targets, Parallax and Relief Mapping.
In regards to changes with 2.0, he has updated the code on his site and it runs with no issues at all! Fortunately, the code is about identical to what it is in the book even with new code. I guess it just proves that not too much had to change between 1.0 refresh and 2.0.
I would buy this book again. In fact, I will when the author comes out with the 3.0 book.
Get this book ... and don't waste any more time ... make a great game -- it really is within grasp!
one of the better books, too bad its not 2.0, 
2008-03-06
well this isnt realy the publishers \ writer fault but this book is written for XNA 1.0, and once 2.0 had been released some of the code in the book needs a bit of tweaking,
i think that if you have some background knowledge about C# and programming, then this is the perfect book to take you into XNA.
it has a much better approach then most, "teach yourself" books,
and i recommand getting it,
it only got a 4 out a 5, but if a new edition with XNA 2.0 will be release i would have givven it a 5.
:)
Doesn't work at all with XNA 2.0 
2008-03-01
Foreword by Tom Miller
Developer, XNA Game Studio Express, Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft XNA Unleashed provides comprehensive coverage and solid instruction on how to leverage the XNA Framework to create high quality games for Windows and the Xbox 360. The author shows you how to take full advantage of the many features the XNA Framework provides; you will learn the intricacies of important tasks such as adding sound and music to games, as well as creating, loading, and texturing 3D objects. In addition to providing coverage of 2D programming, the author shows you how to create sophisticated 3D games. All the important topics such as physics, artificial intelligence, and special effects are covered in detail. Chad Carter is the CTO at Robertson Marketing Group. Many Fortune 500 companies use the ecommerce system he architected and developed from the ground up for the promotional business sector. He has been creating DirectX applications since 1996 and has developed games using Managed DirectX. Chad created a 3D locomotive simulator for Norfolk Southern that is used to teach children to obey railroad crossings signals. Chad’s website devoted to the XNA Framework can be found at www.xnaessentials.com.
Learn how to install and use XNA Game Studio Express
Discover how to build, deploy, and debug games for the Xbox 360 and Windows
Examine the XNA Framework in depth: 2D, 3D, sound, input, and HLSL
Learn how to create game components and game services
Delve into performance tuning techniques
Discover how to extend the Content Pipeline
Learn how to use the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) to add sound and music to games
Create a full 2D parallax side-scroller game
Discover how to use sprite batches
Learn to make the most of sprite fonts
Create 2D components such as splash screens and progress bars
Examine the different sprite batch blending modes
Discover 2D cel animation
Examine the High Level Shader Language (HLSL) in detail covering basic HLSL as well as vertex deformations and post-processing effects
Create a full 3D game that includes a 2D radar in the Heads Up Display (HUD), and much, much more
CD-ROM includes
• All C# examples and source code presented in this book.
• Explosion Generator tool for generating explosion animations.
Introduction
Part I Get Up and Running with XNA on Your PC and Xbox 360
1 Introducing XNA and XNA Game Studio Express
2 XNA and the Xbox 360
3 Performance Considerations
Part II Understanding XNA Basics
4 Creating 3D Objects
5 Input Devices and Cameras
Part III Content Pipeline
6 Loading and Texturing 3D Objects
7 Sound and Music
8 Extending the Content Pipeline
Part IV 2D in XNA
9 2D Basics
10 2D Effects
11 Creating a 2D Game
Part V High Level Shader Language
12 HLSL Basics
13 Advanced HLSL
Part VI Physics and Artificial Intelligence
14 Physics Basics
15 Finite State Machines and Game State Management
16 AI Algorithms
Part VII 3D Effects
17 Advanced Texturing Techniques
18 Special Effects
19 Particle System
Part VIII Putting It Into Practice
20 Creating a 3D Game
21 Improving the Game
22 Finishing Touches
Index
Wrote my first game in four days 2008-02-08
This book was a recommended text for my graduate-level game architecture class. Like all good students, I left my assignment to "write an educational children's game" until the last moment, and found myself with five days to get myself up to speed on XNA -- starting from square one.
Thankfully I'd had some C# experience, but when I sat down on Friday night with only this book and my laptop, I knew nothing about how to install or use XNA. After a solid weekend's work, I had an interactive fish tank simulator (ecosystems are educational, right?) complete with sounds and animation. There were enough examples in the book to get me started in all the directions I need to go: animating and scaling a sprite, collision detection, creating a sound bank... Plugging the appropriate code samples together was quite painless.
I did have some trouble running the example code from the book, probably because I was running the relatively new XNA Game Studio 2.0, while the examples were written under the previous version. Nothing some Googling and debugging couldn't work around, however.
Be sure to explicitly follow the instructions (either in the book or on the XNA download site) for installing Visual Studio, .Net, DirectX, and XNA Game Studio. You need precisely the right versions in precisely the right order or you'll be tearing your hair out. The CD that comes with the book contains only the example code - none of the Microsoft products above are included - so if you're on a slow Internet connection, you'd better start downloading now.
Overall, this book is highly recommended for folks who want (or need) to get rolling with XNA quickly.
Preview before buying 2008-01-14
This might be a good book; I don't know, I couldn't get very far into it before I gave up. The introduction says,"This book was written with a few different audiences in mind," and boy, does he live up to that.
At times, it seems that the author is writing for complete novices. He spends most of the first chapter giving detailed instructions on installing VC# express, which is just a standard wizard install, so you think we're taking baby steps. Whoops, next he starts talking about render loops and back planes as if he were addressing an experienced game developer who knew all about game programming, and was just looking for the differences in XNA and OpenGL. Then a bit later, he is somewhere in the middle, explaining how to draw a point.
I almost get the impression that he had a decent book, but somebody turned on a big fan at the publisher's office, and scattered the pages all around, and they were put back in random order. I've read reviews from experienced developers that say this is a good book, so maybe it is, for them. For someone new to game programming, it's very hard to follow. To be fair, the intro does say you need a good understanding of programming, so it's not intended for novices, but I'm an experienced programmer, just not in the area of games or graphics. And I found the book very frustrating and confusing.
Another problem is that he spends a lot of time on writing programs for the XBox360, rather than the PC. If you don't have an XBox, or don't want to spend the hundred bucks it costs to join the club you need to be in to program for it, then you naturally want to skip those parts. But later, you realize that he is assuming you did read those parts, so you have to go back and try to figure out what you missed. Or maybe it's just more of the same, where he brings in advanced concepts completely out of the blue.
My recommendation is to read sample chapters on the web, or skim through the book in a bookstore. If you can follow it, great. I couldn't.
The 2nd Course in XNA 2007-12-06
This is my official 2nd book that i am going through (Though i do own 3 XNA books, one of them is way to basic and only covers 2d).
This book is a great book. It just does not give you good code to program by, but gives you the reason why you should program this way, by, well, another example. Teaching about librarys, and DLLs, this book shows why some methods of programming are inefficient. The first GameComponent you create is a FPS which calculates your FPS. But how you create it is amazing, for those who have programming experience, but no XNA experience, and how to implement it is great. So then by showing the different ways of drawing and what they have on your FPS is great. You understand why things are just better. Then we get right into creating a lirbary, with FPS, Camera, and Input handler as the first projects.
Another great thing is this book shows you have to become a Better XNA programmer, not just a good 3D programmer. That way you can take complete control over XNA. I am current only on Chapter 5. But (being a college student for programming in a "REAL" school, not a tech school) i can tell that this knows what he is talking about.
Ill be updating this comment when i get to Chapter 10: 2D Effects (which is great when you wanna create GUI's. not so fun when you are doing 2D games (i dont like 2D games, not mathematically hard enough)) (and yes the double parentheses is a habbit, gotta properly use them) :)
***A SIDE NOTE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DREAMING/BECOMING A GAME PROGRAMMER***
Ok so you want to become a game programmer. This is great steps to make. First learn all you can about different graphics uitilities. (Learn directX with C++ and then learn OpenGL). Next go to College, not a tech school. Though DigiPen is the greatest, and much harder than regular college, game school around, it does not mean employers will respect you. If you earn a degree from there, or full sail or other game specific colleges, you will not have as much opprotunity as a Tier 1 school. Not only are Tier 1 Abet Schools cheaper than those places, and easier, they give you a real degree. Which means while your waiting to become a game programmer, you can work and earn 55-70k a year. Second off you learn about theory, which i hate theory but none the less, which is a fantastic tool when programming better games.
So for anyone aspiring to be a game programmer, dont go the easy (but harder school wise) way out. It will only bite you in the butt down the road.
Excellent. How about another one for XNA 2.0? 2007-12-04
I enjoy reading the book (almost done). Stuff related to performance is really helpful, not for just XNA programming. One thing I'd love to see is another book from this author (second edition?) - covering XNA 2.0 and adding a few more features to existing tutorials (sample games) in this book. Recommended.
