While in the process of building these tutorials, I have created a list of topics that people want to be able to do that don’t really fit into any other category. This category is a list of tutorials that cover random little changes that you might want to try out in your game. It is probably a good idea to look through the list and see what’s here, so that later you can come back when you run into a particular problem.
Calculating the Frame Rate
17 Sep 2021
The frame rate of a game is the number of times the screen is redrawn (a frame) in a given amount of time—usually a second. Different games have different frame rates. By default, XNA tries to run a 60 frames per second (fps). If your rendering or updating becomes slow, this may start to drop. Once you get down to 15 frames per second, it starts to be noticeable, and you will have to change your code somehow to improve your frame rate. This tutorial will show you a simple way of calculating the frame rate of your game.
Changing the Window Size
17 Sep 2021
Changing the window size is simple in XNA. This tutorial will show you how.
Changing the Window Title
17 Sep 2021
An XNA game has a default window title, which is the name of your game. However, you might want to change this title to be something else. This tutorial will show you how to set the title of the window that you game is running in.
Console Windows
17 Sep 2021
Many beginning game programmers are used to having applications that have a console window (you know, that black window that only displays text). In fact, many beginning game programmers have only made programs that have only a console window. People often use them to give simple text feedback about what is going on in their program to help them debug. However, XNA games do not, by default, show a console window. This tutorial will show you how to turn on and use a console window in your game.
Drawing in Wireframe Mode
17 Sep 2021
On the graphics card, you can change a setting that indicates that you want to draw only lines (a wireframe version of the triangle), rather than the entire object. In many games, this won’t come up, but occasionally, you find a time and a place that you want to use wireframe mode. This tutorial will show you how to do this in an XNA game.
Full-Screen Mode
17 Sep 2021
Many games run in full screen mode, meaning that the game fills the entire monitor. There isn’t even a border around the game. All you can see is the game. This really helps the user get into the game, because there are no distractions. This tutorial shows you how to make your XNA game run in full screen mode.