XNA Creators Club

After lauching the service earlier this week, Microsoft have allowed members of the public to produce and share games they make via Xbox Live. If you have an Xbox Live account and a HDD you can download the XNA pack which will allow you to play 7 demos over the next 15 days.
So far i've tried two games, Culture, where you control a beam of light to make flowers grow in a world, and Jelly car, where you drive a squishy car over a squishy world trying to reach the exit. I was pretty impressed with both, as they play quite solidly and have a really cool style to them.
Being told in an email from one of our course leaders that we will be using this XNA platfom next term looks like it'll open up alot of options. Exciting stuff.

Instructables

Most of you have probably seen this website, but for the ones that haven't heres a link. I first saw it early last year, but only just found it again. Theres money saving ideas, tips, tricks and a whole lot of other interesting stuff. Worth a look.

VE: Development process

I've finally settled on the idea of arrays of rings to form pipes to travel along. The images below show a few lengths of 'pipe' arrange in a way that will allow the user to make decision on the path taken, but they are still all straight. I've search the net to find ways of bending the 'pipes' so it curves well (unlike the modifiers i've tried). Idealy i would like to make a sline and mount the rings along it, to make a pleasant curve. But the little bugger won't let me. Any ideas, please let me know.

Next step is to add more rings, add some shapes to create sounds and lighting effects(???) and find out how to pleasantly bend the rings.






The different coloured rings play a different sound when traveled through.