This may sound outrageous, but I'm interested in knowing if I could load code (a cs file, for example), or a class, into my game while running and use whatever methods or members that may be in it.

If not using it as an "asset" in XNA, then are there any other methods to load code on the fly (and still work on for the Xbox 360)?

I've spent over 2 hours now trying to figure out how to get this to work, but I've gotten to the point where my MethodInfo variable seems to be null always... so I'm here to ask what bits of code loads a dll, finds the class/type I want to use, then the method within it - in which I'd like to invoke or possibly use a "delegate" to reference it (if I can).

As for writing a content pipeline for cs files... I don't really know where to begin with that. The dll seems like it'd work for what I need, I just can't get it implemented no matter what I try, though.

Thanks for all of y'alls help.

I'd like to release my game with one "mission" in it for people to play. Later, based on what my game already allows for (but I might have never had the idea for when I made the actual game) I'd like to release "mission" packs that ones could download.

For this to work each mission pack would contain new content - such as textures, models, and even some XML data. But for it to really work how I want it to, I need to be able to go beyond just supplying it data (which XML does) and use actual code - namely methods in which to test data against each other that's already found in my main game, and then alter that data too.

So, much like the other content, I need to give it a directory to search for any dll files that match a certain name or in a certain directory, and for it to load it and use the methods found in it (which may also be in a class) based on what my main game tells it using either what's already hard coded in it or in other loaded dll files from within that specific "mission" pack.

Hopefully I've explained my planned use of it enough. If not, let me know.

Thanks again.

My target platform is Xbox 360, not windows, so that is of main concern to me.

May I ask this - how do XBLA games handle downloadable content exactly, if you can't dynamically load data that wasn't there to begin with?

EDIT: Or rather, I shouldn't say how XBLA titles load data, but instead how they add code - because I know alot of added content for those games have more than just added parameters, but are in fact manipulating the data in various new ways (which only methods can do).

EDIT2: (I'm editing alot here) Also, why do the methods I'm currently using to try and load a dll dynamically say it'll work on the 360? I'd also read some posts here that claimed some would work, too.

Well, I finally got it to work with this bit of code here...

            Assembly MyAssembly;
            MyAssembly = Assembly.LoadFrom("Missions.dll");

            Type[] MyType = MyAssembly.GetTypes();

            MethodInfo MyMethodInfo = MyType[0].GetMethod("Add");

            object[] parameters = { GameScene };
            MyMethodInfo.Invoke(null, parameters);

Hah, well, you may laugh at this; but I can't test on a 360 actually. I've just been reading what others say on this forum and what the help files say as for what should work or not for the certain platforms.

I use to have a 360 even, but it broke (for no reason at all... first time of that happening with any console of mine, in fact - but anyways...). I probably need to get another one and the membership thing to test my games on it, but I'm just focusing on getting a Windows version working that would be compatible with the 360 for demo purposes and proposals to the XBLA team.

I'd submitted and gotten one other project to a board meeting before, and that was using Windows and DirectX (with no XNA). But after working with XNA for a little while now, I've been pretty impressed with what XNA can help with - namely, dealing and handling Windows, which was my biggest problem (and in my case now, making porting over to the 360 easier too, I would assume).

jwatte:

XNA GS does not give you access to any kind of incremental update. The planned community for games will require you to ship an entirely new download of your product, from what's been made public so far.
If you have a publisher contract, you can get access to the the native XBLA libraries, which will allow you to do both code and data downloads.

I'm not working on this for being listed as a community game, or for a hobby. I know there is downloadable content for XBLA games, and as you said the XBLA libs will allow for this - so I suppose even if my code couldn't be left as-is if my game were to get greenlighted; it's a close enough representation of how it could/would work.

I'd suspected I'd have to do some sort of porting if it were actually published anyways. So I'll just take what I got as safe enough since I know my planned end result in my design is possible atleast.

Thanks for all of y'alls help, guys.

how do I then unload that code when I am done with it?

jwatte:

how do I then unload that code when I am done with it?

Shawn, you should know the work-around: just reboot the console with the next level as the start-up binary. Clears out all that unnecessary garbage right quick.

Better yet guys, I've figured out how to get a derived class (of a parent class found in my main game) from my DLL and then make an instance of it that my main game stores and uses...

            Assembly MyAssembly;
            MyAssembly = Assembly.LoadFrom("Missions.dll");

            Type[] MyType = MyAssembly.GetTypes();            
            
            GameMission = (Mission)Activator.CreateInstance(MyType[0]);

This way I can not only manipulate my data found in my main game/exe using whatever variables I created or had in mind for then, but I can also add variables/members within my DLL's derived class and use them for added flexability of manipulating my game's data.

And from what I've read, CreateInstance works on the 360 too. So I should still be safe.

EDIT: By the way, if I were to load a DLL file of the same name over and over again (but with a different file path), would it overwrite its data, or would each file loaded still remain in memory?