What I really like is that, atleast it feels like this, 99% of all Samples that get released are either XBOX only or XBOX / Windows with XBOX Controller made. Just like with Vector Rumble. I just downloaded it and started it and wanted to take a look at it and tried to get my ship spawned and after some minutes of holding all various buttons on the keyboard pressed I looked in the htm file that came with it and read that I only works with an XBOX Controller. Nice Windows Version.

These are the moments where I really hate the people that make these samples.

If there is anychance that someone of these people will read this: please include a way to play or test a sample WITHOUT having to own either a XBOX or a XBOX Controller.

Thanks.

 

By the way, anyone have a sample of vector rumble which can be tested with the keyboard? I'm to lazy to rewrite the whole input code, not to mention that I would screw it up anyways when I would try.

Firstly Xbox controllers work on the PC - they are not just for the Xbox. ANy XInput based controller will work. You need the wireless kit to make the wireless controllers work but USB ones will plub right in. The windows samples are therefore just fine as windows samples.

>If there is anychance that someone of these people will read this: please include a way to play or test a sample WITHOUT having to own either a
>XBOX or a XBOX Controller.
You should add a request for keyboard suppot for samples to http://connect.microsoft.com/ - thats the only way to be sure to get requests to the team.

> I'm to lazy to rewrite the whole input code,
Considering the samples are used for learning - its seems you are missing out on a great learning opportunity here. Switching the code to keyboard is a farily trivial task.

 

 

 

Is it really too much to ask that you get a $25 controller to use on your $1,000 computer when playing games? Especially when the tools are free. Personally, I think that the kind of games that XNA is suitable for making mostly play much better with gamepad than with keyboard support.

If you want to add keyboard support, it's not that hard. Add a KeyboardGamePad class, and make it implement the same functions as regular GamePad, but read the keyboard instead. Return -1/1 for the X and Y thumb sticks when the user presses WASD or arrow keys (left and right), space == A, enter == start, esc == B, backspace == back, etc.

Once you have the class written (an hour?) it's a matter of minutes to copy it into any sample game you want to play.

 

BloodyRain:

What I really like is that, atleast it feels like this, 99% of all Samples that get released are either XBOX only or XBOX / Windows with XBOX Controller made.

Vector Rumble is an exception, but nearly every sample on this site has keyboard and gamepad controls. After you download the sample, look at the .htm file, it'll have information about the sample and a listing of both the gamepad and keyboard controls.