Just wanted to wave my hand as someone who would appreciate a web-based way to sign up for the premium memberships.

My company is an MS GCP that uses XNA to render 2D Visio drawings (office plans, blueprints, server configurations, etc..) as 3D worlds. We would buy multiple accounts. We just don't need an XBox 360.

Visi3D:

Just wanted to wave my hand as someone who would appreciate a web-based way to sign up for the premium memberships.

My company is an MS GCP that uses XNA to render 2D Visio drawings (office plans, blueprints, server configurations, etc..) as 3D worlds. We would buy multiple accounts. We just don't need an XBox 360.

Yes, a web-based sign-up would help a lot.

Yeah its a shame that they seem to be setting up a tier now.

This is a bad idea. The community needs as much information as it can get.

I also dont have a 360 and starter kits I cant run are useless.

I'm of the opinion that it would be easier and more helpfull to the end product (XNA) to release any source code from starter kits and such to everyone, this would keep the nature of the sharing community more robust and alive. Things that would be good candidates for "Premium Content" would be artwork, sound packs, tools and utilitites, etc.

subsonicZ:

I'm of the opinion that it would be easier and more helpfull to the end product (XNA) to release any source code from starter kits and such to everyone, this would keep the nature of the sharing community more robust and alive. Things that would be good candidates for "Premium Content" would be artwork, sound packs, tools and utilitites, etc.

I second that. Although there is a precedent for premium starter kits, I don't see how that's going to work without releasing them with a more restrictive license. At this stage in XNA's life, I think we're better served by keeping them free and permissive.

 

Here is my 2 cents on the issue.

Premium Content for membership:
It is a given that when one is charged for a service with promise of what they will get, then it is not an entitlement but a fulfillment.

Membership only for 360 owners:
While windows only users maybe be upset the content is for members and membership requires a 360 console they feel left out.  Mostly it seems from the messages that they can't afford one.  My take on this is that XNA while useful for Windows as well as Xbox 360 it is geared more towards console.  The one thing a programmer has a hard time recieving before entering the industry is experience in console development.  Console development is different from PC development for at least two reasons:

1. Fixed tech spec structure, as opposed to LCM (Lowest Common Machine)
2. Core OS differences

The fact that they are offering this is truly an experience.  As well as allowing an idie game company lower costs in forming to program games with proper authoring tools.  True that someplaces currently don't have LIVE and that is a valid point.

The point being that one should be grateful for having access to this tool and a supportive community with being charged.  As things go on it will change as all things do.  After all it does state that XNA has everything you need to make a Windows XP/Vista game up to the final product for free.

Well, I feel a bit annoyed personally that it keeps telling me I need a creators club account to download the content when I do, and I really would like to use the starter kit aswell.

I downloaded the premium torque engine no problem when it came out, and my subscription goes all the way to december..

Is that really what it says - you need a premium account? Thats a slightly confusing error - you need a creators club account. Hopefully thats what you meant

Try logging out of this site, xbox.com and XBL on your xbox - next time you log in this site should know you are a creators club member. Several other people have fixed things this way.

 

John Westlake:

I downloaded the premium torque engine no problem when it came out, and my subscription goes all the way to december..

Can you still see the TorqueX download or is it jsut the ship kit? Did you try logging out of everything?

Gah! Now I can't download the Torgue X either. Just comes up with

Apart from that fact that the sub goes until december, I'm assuming that if I didn't have one it wouldn't let me deploy and play my games on my 360; as it still does let me.

Correct - if you can run XnaFX games on the xbox you are in the CC - just that this site seems to have forgotten.

I would suggest logging out of this site, xbox.com and XBL on your 360 and then logging back in to see if it makes any difference but I've suggested it twice already and got no response.... seriously - others have reported that it has fixed their issues.

 

There's another report of premium contnent not working so I have escalated the issue. I will let you know the result as sooon as I know something.

The ZMan:

There's another report of premium contnent not working so I have escalated the issue. I will let you know the result as sooon as I know something.

Ok cheers. And yeah, I tried signing out of everything, but it didn't do anything.