The best way to learn this stuff is to do it.  Each game is different and requires a different balance of graphics/physics/AI/gameplay.  Don't try to start big: just do simple stuff like tic tack toe or pac-man until you get the feel for it.  As far as what's best Maya/Direct X/etc, it depends on what you are ...

Do you need help translating into English? I am practicing my Japanese language skills.  I cannot translate, but I can help check grammar and sentence structure. I have experience tutoring college-level English, writing formal business letters, and writing game documentation. I am looking for projects to do in my spare time (which I ...

Jason, If there are significant differences between qualifications for local and international applicants, those differences should be made clear up front. 

[quote user="UberGeekGames"]Reading controller inputs from a text file would work pretty well, but everything depends on already having wrapped input, storage, video, etc. Most people don't. Even I'm guilty of this when I'm in the last "get it over with" stages of a project when it's easier to just hack ...

If it's a capital ship (large-scale vessel), then the terms I like best are: "Forward Battery" (Battery is technically more than one gun) "Forward Cannons" "Bow Cannon" "Bow Emplacement" "Fore Cannon" "Primary Cannon" (If it's the biggest gun on the ship) If you ...

It all depends on what feels right in the game.  If it doesn't feel right to you, then it's wrong.  If gravity is too weak, then up the multiplier.  Another thing to consider is fall-off.  If you want stronger gravity near the planet and weaker gravity farther away, then multiply gravity times itself.  The formula ...

What are you specifically trying to do? If you can rotate a 3D object, the process is the same, just keep rotation 0 in the third dimension.  What kind of 2D object are you trying to rotate: a model, a sprite, something else?  If you're rotating a Vector2, you can just use a matrix like you would for a 3D object.

I recommend against using real Newtonian gravity.  I've done it before, and while it produces a nice effect, it is very sensitive and your orbit decays or collapses very quickly unless the player can absolutely perfectly balance their thrust.  You could have the computer add a nudge if the player is close to orbit, though, that might ...

The approach you describe is basically correct.  You shouldn't need to average the points though, just pick one.  For an axis of rotation, you should use both points.  In the demo you give, the axis is always aligned on the ordinal axes, so you could get away with less math and just use those.

If you're worried about that, you can encrypt your file.  Even a simple A = 1, B = 2 would help prevent hacking, albeit no encryption is completely un-hackable.  Pretty much any C# book will tell you how to load and save files on a PC.  Use the #if XBOX (I may have spelled that wrong) to switch between PC and XBox saving ...