Creators Club Benefits

ajpharrington

"Both subscriptions provide aspiring game developers with access to thousands of game assets from Microsoft and key partners such as Turbo Squid Inc., as well as white papers, specialized starter kits, samples and technical product support to help turn Your World, Your Game into a reality."

Am I missing something here Where can I get access to these 'specialized starter kits' and 'samples'

Have I been deceived into buying this subscription If so, is there some way I can get my money back

Maybe I'm missing something...

George Clingerman

You're not missing anything. Creators Club membership benefits is just still in it's infancy. There is content available at Turbo Squid and there is the Spacewar starter kit right now.

There is also a ton of community content and games ready for you to download and play as well. Check out sites like XNAResources or XBox360Homebrew for some roundups of available titles you can currently play with your Creative Club membership. Give Nut Harvest a look if you're looking from some multi player Creator's Club membership mayhem.

There will be more to come as well from Microsoft and their partners. As with all new programs, content starts at a trickle, but the floodgates will be opening.

ajpharrington

What you mentioned is available to everyone. Where is the exclusive content

Lima Beans

ajpharrington wrote:

What you mentioned is available to everyone. Where is the exclusive content

There is none. The only thing the membership allows you to do, is launch games on your xbox360.

This may change in the future.

If you want a refund you need to call: 1-800-4MY-XBOX You can cancel your account there, and ask for a manager to try and convince them for a refund.

Ska Software

I think that without any exclusive content, it's still worth it, IMHO.

But then again, if you think about it, all community created Xbox360 XNA projects are exclusive content because they cannot be run without a Creator's Club membership. For example, if I release an alpha of my totally sweet game that everyone loves but I'm only supporting Xbox360 deployment, that becomes exclusive content.

waruwaru

Since Xbox lib/classes < Windows lib/classes, your totally sweet game should be able to converted to a totally sweet Windows game pretty easily... On the other hand, it's pretty easy to create "exclusive content" for Windows only. In fact, we have alot of those already...

ajpharrington

The point is not whether it is worth it. The point is that it has been falsely advertised. I bought into the creators club thinking it would help me get started on my own project, with the mentioned samples and starter kits. Now I have the ability to deploy games to my xbox, though I dont have anything worth deploying yet.

waruwaru

Here are some more discussion/promises in a previous thread if you are interested:

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx PostID=1112030&SiteID=1

Just when you think you should cancel, they toss out something like:

XNA Creators Club - The longer you remain a member, the more value you will receive. Over the course of this year, this should become abundantly clear.

Jim Perry

ajpharrington wrote:

The point is not whether it is worth it. The point is that it has been falsely advertised. I bought into the creators club thinking it would help me get started on my own project, with the mentioned samples and starter kits. Now I have the ability to deploy games to my xbox, though I dont have anything worth deploying yet.

I've deployed about a half-dozen games from the community already. You're not looking hard enough. Also if you want something worth deploying start writing code.

The Creator's Club isn't for getting you started on your project. You misread, you weren't falsely advertised.

r2d2-proton

Where does it say exclusive

Both subscriptions provide aspiring game developers with access to thousands of game assets from Microsoft and key partners such as Turbo Squid Inc., as well as white papers, specialized starter kits, samples and technical product support to help turn Your World, Your Game into a reality.

What do you want for $99 (per year)

Microsoft gave Visual Game Studio Express for free. They have one of the best maintained websites around, bar none. Their people go out of their way to communicate to us. They have already provided numerous examples for us to use. There is a tremendous amount of support here, and elsewhere on the net.

$99 is a token at best. Personally, I would be embarrassed if I displayed such disregard for their generosity.

ajpharrington

"Both subscriptions provide aspiring game developers with access to ... specialized starter kits"

"The Creator's Club isn't for getting you started on your project. You misread"

Nick Gravelyn

I understand your complaint. I shared it initially as well hoping to have all sorts of starter kits available. But to tell you the truth, game design depending, if you spent the time coding today you could get yourself a ways into a game (assuming that you know enough to do so). I've already got quite a start on my entry for dream-build-play and I've put into it maybe 6-7 hours today and maybe 2 that count from Tuesday. Time is much better spent learning and doing than complaining and waiting for someone else to get you started.

Ska Software

Hey man, now you're modifying my exclusive content! Not cool!

XNA Rockstar

I think the trend we are starting to notice is that MS has an overzealous marketing department 

While the actual product you're buying--the ability to play homemade games on your xbox360--is outstanding and absolutely worth the $100 (at least by comparison to the alternatives), the promises of things that aren't really there is upsetting some people.  And I think that's understandable. 

I'd say we're better off ignoring the marketing hype about the "youtube of games" and "access to thousands of assets" and "drag and drop interface" and focus on the fact that you can play homemade games on an xbox 360 for $100.  The end!  Most people would say that it's a bargain at that price.

So, if you look at it from that perspective, anything else is gravy.  MS has mentioned a few times that they do want to reward the CC members more in the coming months.  And, if things keep heading in the direction they're moving, by mid to late 2007, reality will have caught up to the marketing promises.  (its not they're fault...they're just the forward thinking type  )

waruwaru

XNA Rockstar wrote:

outstanding and absolutely worth the $100 (at least by comparison to the alternatives)

the article had some mistakes

1. Net Yaroze is a black PS1 (not PS2).

2. PS2 shipped with Yabasic in the PAL region, and wasn't covered

3. PS2 has PS2-Linux with doc/graphics libs/gcc compileds for $200+ (which the article doesn't even cover). Comes with an HDD, keyboard, mouse (and maybe a controller, I forget). In ~2 years, it would've cost the same amount. After that, won't be able to play xbox XNA games without shelling out another $50/$100. It's more like renting a home-brew tool instead of owning it.

The article didn't go into the unofficial home-brews either. Which can be had on just about any platform for $100 or less on most platform.