Comments on: Developing a Casual Games with Silverlight 2 – Module 2

By: Mads Laumann

Mads Laumann — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:01:46 +0000

Hi Joel

I just did a post about Grid vs Canvas as a sprite container with performance in focus.
http://laumania.net/post/Using-Grid-or-Canvas-as-sprite-container.aspx

//Mads

By: joel

joel — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:15:49 +0000

The articles are every other month. The latest came out the week of the 20th so I would expect article 4 to be released in Mid March.

By: Mads Laumann

Mads Laumann — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:35:12 +0000

Hi Joel

Ok, but the clipping part of a Canvas wouldn’t be that hard a task right? I haven’t used clipping must, but don’t you just have to tell the canvas where is boundaries goes, and that’s it?

It would really be nice to know which approach is the best, performance wise. Maybe I should to some performance testing a blog about it :)

Btw, when will your next article about this game be out (article 4) ?

Br
Mads

By: joel

joel — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:45:20 +0000

This is interesting that you ask this, because recently I ready that using Canvas.Left and Canvas.Top performs a bit better than using a Grid. I am not positive this is true, but a grid is certainly a more complicated panel. Nonetheless, I find TranslateTransform so much easier to use. In fact, you can use TranslateTransform in either a Canvas or Grid. What I like best about a transform is the ability to apply easing if necessary. In this game I specifically choose to use a Grid to ensure that as sprites left the stage, they would be clipped by the container boundaries. If I had used a Canvas I would have had to apply a clipping to its perimeter.

By: Mads Laumann

Mads Laumann — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:32:26 +0000

Great article Joel! I’m really looking forward to the next one in the serie.

I have a question about how positioning your sprites. Its different then what you normally see on the net and also different from what I use to do myself.

I use to have my “game screen” as a Canvas and then use the attached properties Canvas.Top and Canvas.Left to positioning my sprite.

You have your “game screen” as a Grid and are using TranslateTransform to position your sprites.

As I see it, the outcome will be the same, but is there a reason to pick one over the other? Performance?

Best regards,
Mads Laumann

By: G. Völkl

G. Völkl — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:38:32 +0000

I am waiting for the next modul.

You do a great job.

Happy New Year

By: Kostya

Kostya — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:18:46 +0000

Can’t wait for a Module 3.

PS: BTW Happy New Year. ))

By: joel

joel — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:38:27 +0000

My apologies. I have the thiid article in the series coming out in a week or two and I promise it will have all of the source from each previous article.

By: pardeep

pardeep — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:37:58 +0000

hello this is great work but plz publish it’s code soon

By: Cyokin

Cyokin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:24:11 +0000

It is wonderful article for starter to learning SL game development. and it is better if you can share the finial source code, we can learn more from it. ^_^