Getting started with DirectX and C++ can be daunting, but there are a couple of new resources out that can help you!

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You won’t master DirectX/C++ game development in a day, but if you want some good resources to help you get rolling, there are two great resources you should check out:

  • Introduction to C++/DirectX Game Development on Microsoft Virtual Academy
  • DirectX/C++ Game Project Template and Getting Started Kit
  • Rapid2d C++/DirectX Game Engine

Introduction to C++/DirectX Game Development on Microsoft Virtual Academy

Microsoft Virtual Academy offers a variety of live and recorded sessions on a variety of technologies. Tomorrow, Thursday December 5th, 2013. The session will be available on demand after the event, so if you miss the live date, you don’t have to miss out! Mickey Macdonald and Bryan Griffiths will be doing an introduction to C++/DirectX Game development.

Mickey & Bryan are well equipped to help you learn about building games from the ground up. They’ll cover topics such as game loops, input detection, basic shaders, and state management.

Mickey is an indie game developer and also a technical evangelist at Microsoft. Bryan is a video game design instructor at triOS college and has also worked on AAA title as well as smaller indie and web based games.

Watch the session on demand at Microsoft Virtual Academy

DirectX/C++ Game Project Template and Getting Started Kit

If you are interested in building a DirectX game for the Windows Store, check out the DirectX game learning template. You will find links to download, information about the template and the Getting Started Guide here.

The learning template extends the basic DirectX app template and adds additional components such as

  • InputManager: Consolidated input from touch, mouse, keyboard, and Xbox controllers. 
  • Virtual analog controls: A basic virtual controller with tracked-touch analog control and digital buttons. 
  • OverlayManager: Add and manage multiple Direct2D overlays for a Direct3D scene.
  • SoundPlayer: Add rudimentary sound effects and play music as background audio. Updates to Direct3D resource management.

Rapid2D Game Engine

Rapid2D is a fast, dynamic editor and game engine targeted specifically at Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.

Rapid2D takes care of all the complicated stuff such as the rendering pipeline, sound, managing image assets, and converting files to the proper format – all of this is done for you behind the scenes – but still gives you the raw power and control of native C++ code.

Lets Create..

The Rapid2D editor is around a year old now, and has seen continued development and huge improvement since its initial release. Recently, the UI of the editor has been completely ripped out and redeveloped, giving it a much more professional look. The various UI components can also be undocked and customised, something which wasn’t possible before.

Rapid2D sports a sophisticated particle engine (complete with warp effects), one-click physics and custom colliders, and cool stuff like spatial sound. Probably the most attractive feature, though, is the ability to deploy the same game to both Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows RT and Windows Phone at the same time – with only one click. That’s just handy.

It may seem obvious, but Rapid2D creates projects which are fully compliant with Microsoft’s app submission policies.

And publish..

So you’ve made an awesome game, one which will turn heads and be that killer app you’ve always wanted to make. But suddenly, you’re hit with the thing that probably causes more frustration than anything else amongst app developers – it’s time to publish.

Luckily, if you’ve chosen to develop your game for the Windows 8 or Windows 8 Phone platform, publishing to the store is a really simple and stress-free process.

First things first, you will need to register for Developer account. Normally this costs $99 USD, but if you are lucky enough to be a DreamSpark or BizSpark member, you get registration completely free of charge.