Breakout (XNA) - Update 2

Well, the breakout game is coming along. Now, we've got some points and lives. The cool thing is, I've been able to make it this far, pretty much by simply watching the 2D tutorial for XNA, so it's obvious that the framework has a lot to offer for people who are just starting. Of course, no one these days dreams of developing a game like Breakout, but it's a start. I can't wait to get on to the 3D graphics. Then again, I will still need someone to design the graphics. Either way, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Back to the Breakout game, there are still a bunch of things that need to be taken care of. For example the ball doesn't go through the bottom yet. It just removes a point if it hits the bottom. I've got it now so that bricks can take more than one hit before they disappear, and the more hits they require, the more points they are worth. This is cool, except right now it's totally random, and there is no way to distinguish how many hits a brick has remaining. It would also be great if I had some way to design levels. Right now, it's just a simple grid and bricks are placed side by side and on top of each other. That's really boring. Finally, I think the game slows down part way through. I don't know if it's just my computer or not, so if you have the same experience, let me know, and we'll have to figure out what's clogging it up!

And, that's about it... check out the game at the Open Games For Beginners download site!