SilverlightAddict.com

Defend Stuff: A Silverlight 2 Game

RogerGuess — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:34:00 GMT

Defend Stuff is a tower defense game written in Silverlight 2. There is this ‘stuff’ that you are supposed to protect from the ‘bad guys’. You have rocket turrets, machine guns, and a seismic disruptor thingy. You can place turrets throughout the map as long as you do not block all paths preventing the enemy from getting to the stuff. Yes, the goal is to stop them, but blocking them would be rude. You need to blow them up instead. Click HERE to play.

Silverlight Links

RogerGuess — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:15:00 GMT

There is already an incredible wealth of samples, articles, tutorials, and applications out there for Silverlight. Here is a list of the links I like to keep my eye on.

Scott Guthrie
Tim Heuer (be sure to check out his video podcasts on Silverlight)
Adam Kinney
WynApse.com
Shawn Wildermuth
Jesse Liberty
Bill Reiss
Dan Wahlin
SilverlightCream

Silverlight 2 Beta 2: Value does not fall within the expected range

RogerGuess — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:32:00 GMT

This can come from a number of potential errors with XAML. The first thing I now check, is to see if I am attempting to add multiple FrameworkElements with the same x:Name. For me, I was dynamically adding usercontrols to a canvas, but I made the mistake of giving the root element of the usercontrol an x:Name.

Other cases where I created this error:

Specified a Grid.Row or Grid.Column that was greater than the actual number of columns or rows

SilverLander: A Silverlight 2 Game (updated for Beta 2)

RogerGuess — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:26:00 GMT

This was my first Silverlight game. I have now updated it for Silverlight 2 Beta 2 ( here is the Beta 1 version ). The game counts down and begins the lander on approach from the top left of the screen. Your job is to bring the lander to a safe slow (and upright) landing on the surface inside the highlighted landing zone. Each level increases difficulty by increasing gravity, increasing initial velocity, decreasing available fuel, and a decreasing landing zone radius. Use the arrow keys to rotate and thrust.

I started with the building blocks for the gameloop and use of sprites and vectors from Bill Reiss demos on SilverlightRocks.

My next steps are:

~~Gravity is currently straight down, so I need to update that to be the center of the moon/object. The game loop adds a vector straight down instead of directly toward the center of the moon.~~ (Done, thx to Bill Reiss who has way more physics experience than me)
Make magnitude of gravity relative to the proximity to the moon, rather than a constant.
There is a random math error during the game loop: you may experience it when the ship just jumps completely out of the screen. but appears to continue moving.
Create a formula for scoring, with bonuses for time taken, fuel remaining, difficulty, and slower velocity at landing.
Capture scores on a leader board via a web service.
Create a 'instrument panel' for indicators; speed, descent rate, remaining fuel, attitude, range to surface, etc.
Improve location of messages on the screen.

Runtime Alternative to XamlReader.Load in Silverlight 2 Beta 2

RogerGuess — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:37:00 GMT

This Sample was update for Silverlight 2 Beta 2 ( the beta 1 example is here )

I can see XamlReader.Load has it's uses for adding FrameworkElements at runtime, but I really hate the way the code looks. Additionally, I don't like the idea of managing a bunch of String.Format statements for my XAML. Things get even more complex when you want to take advantage of events. Luckily, there is an alternative.

Here is an example of adding elements (ellipse, storyboard, doubleanimation) at runtime, and attaching events so that they are removed when the storyboard ends:

public Page()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            this.MouseLeftButtonUp += new MouseButtonEventHandler(Page_MouseLeftButtonUp);
            updateElementCount();
        }

        public int spriteCount { get; set; }

        void Page_MouseLeftButtonUp(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
        {
            Point point = e.GetPosition(this);
            Ellipse ellipse = new Ellipse();
            SolidColorBrush mySolidColorBrush = new SolidColorBrush();
            DoubleAnimation animation = new DoubleAnimation();
            Storyboard storyBoard = new Storyboard();
            
            spriteCount += 1;
            string spriteName =string.Format("SpriteEllipse{0}", spriteCount);
            ellipse.SetValue(Ellipse.NameProperty, spriteName);
            mySolidColorBrush.Color = Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 0, 0);
            ellipse.Fill = mySolidColorBrush;
            ellipse.Width = 30;
            ellipse.Height = 30;
            ellipse.SetValue(Canvas.TopProperty, (point.Y - ellipse.Width/2));
            ellipse.SetValue(Canvas.LeftProperty, (point.X - ellipse.Width/2));
            LayoutRoot.Children.Add(ellipse);
            
            animation.Duration = new TimeSpan(0,0,3);
            animation.From = 1;
            animation.To = 0;
            animation.SetValue(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty, spriteName);
            animation.SetValue(Storyboard.TargetPropertyProperty, new PropertyPath(String.Format("{0}.Opacity", spriteName)));

            storyBoard.Completed+=new EventHandler(storyBoard_Completed);
            storyBoard.SetValue(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty, spriteName);
            
            storyBoard.Children.Add(animation);
            LayoutRoot.Resources.Add(string.Format("{0}_storyBoard", spriteName), storyBoard);
            storyBoard.Begin();

            updateElementCount();
        }

        void storyBoard_Completed(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            Storyboard storyBoard = (Storyboard)sender;
            string spriteName = storyBoard.GetValue(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty).ToString();
            FrameworkElement sprite = (FrameworkElement)LayoutRoot.FindName(spriteName);
            LayoutRoot.Children.Remove(sprite);
            LayoutRoot.Resources.Remove(string.Format("{0}_storyBoard", spriteName));
            updateElementCount();
        }

        void updateElementCount()
        {
            this.txtChildren.Text = string.Format("Children.Count = {0}", LayoutRoot.Children.Count());
            this.txtResources.Text = string.Format("Resources.Count = {0}",  LayoutRoot.Resources.Count);
        }

Silverlight 2 Beta 2 %project%TextPage.html Looking for Beta 1 (installed version 2.0.30523 requested version 2.0.30226)

RogerGuess — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:41:00 GMT

I converted a Beta 1 project to Beta 2 and made a few fixes to get it up and running. However, I noticed the testpage.html was still looking for the previous version of Silverlight 2 Beta 1. It's a quick fix: Create a new Silverlight 2 Beta 2 project/solution and grab the source for the %Project%TestPage.html and use it for your existing project. All you have to change is the path to the .xap file.

Silverlight 2 Beta 2: "Operation could destabilize the runtime"

RogerGuess — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:07:00 GMT

I ran into this after having Visual Studio convert my Beta 1 project to Beta 2.

System.Security.VerificationException was unhandled by user code
Message="Operation could destabilize the runtime."

I created a new Beta 2 solution from scratch and noticed at least one difference, which turned out to be a fix in my case. The reference to mscorlib was pointing to "%\Program Files\Microsoft Silverlight\2.0.30226.2\mscorlib.dll" for my converted project, but was pointed to "%\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Silverlight\v2.0\Reference Assemblies\mscorlib.dll" in the new Beta 2 solution. I updated the reference to the new location and all was well except for a few Beta 2 breaking changes that were easy to fix.

Note: I had two references to mscorlib in the previous location, inside two projects in my solution. One was a Silverlight Library, and the second was a Silverlight App that referenced the library. The error stack had the error inside the referenced library.

The requested operation cannot be performed on a file with a user-mapped section open. Silverlight

RogerGuess — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:26:00 GMT

I am getting this error when publishing the a asp.net website that gets added to he solution for Silverlight applications in Visual Studio 2008.

The requested operation cannot be performed on a file with a user-mapped section open.

I do not know the root cause yet, but I am currently getting around it by clearing out all the files in the website's ClientBin folder before publishing.

SilverLander: A Silverlight 2 Game

RogerGuess — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:59:00 GMT

This was my first Silverlight game. I have now updated it for Silverlight 2 Beta 1 ( here is the Beta 2 version ). The game counts down and begins the lander on approach from the top left of the screen. Your job is to bring the lander to a safe slow (and upright) landing on the surface inside the highlighted landing zone. Each level increases difficulty by increasing gravity, increasing initial velocity, decreasing available fuel, and a decreasing landing zone radius. Use the arrow keys to rotate and thrust.

I started with the building blocks for the gameloop and use of sprites and vectors from Bill Reiss demos on SilverlightRocks.

My next steps are:

~~Gravity is currently straight down, so I need to update that to be the center of the moon/object. The game loop adds a vector straight down instead of directly toward the center of the moon.~~ (Done, thx to Bill Reiss who has way more physics experience than me)
Make magnitude of gravity relative to the proximity to the moon, rather than a constant.
There is a random math error during the game loop: you may experience it when the ship just jumps completely out of the screen. but appears to continue moving.
Create a formula for scoring, with bonuses for time taken, fuel remaining, difficulty, and slower velocity at landing.
Capture scores on a leader board via a web service.
Create a 'instrument panel' for indicators; speed, descent rate, remaining fuel, attitude, range to surface, etc.
Improve location of messages on the screen.

Runtime Alternative to XamlReader.Load in Silverlight

RogerGuess — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:01:00 GMT

Update: This was a Silverlight Beta 1 example. Beta 2 now has updates to make this even easier. Here is an example.

Here is an example of adding elements (ellipse, storyboard, doubleanimation) at runtime, and attaching events so that they are removed when the storyboard ends:

 public Page()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            this.MouseLeftButtonUp += new MouseButtonEventHandler(Page_MouseLeftButtonUp);
            updateElementCount();
        }

        public int spriteCount { get; set; }

        void Page_MouseLeftButtonUp(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
        {
            Point point = e.GetPosition(this);
            Ellipse ellipse = new Ellipse();
            SolidColorBrush mySolidColorBrush = new SolidColorBrush();
            DoubleAnimation animation = new DoubleAnimation();
            Storyboard storyBoard = new Storyboard();
            
            spriteCount += 1;
            string spriteName =string.Format("SpriteEllipse{0}", spriteCount);
            ellipse.SetValue(Ellipse.NameProperty, spriteName);
            mySolidColorBrush.Color = Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 0, 0);
            ellipse.Fill = mySolidColorBrush;
            ellipse.Width = 30;
            ellipse.Height = 30;
            ellipse.SetValue(Canvas.TopProperty, (point.Y - ellipse.Width/2));
            ellipse.SetValue(Canvas.LeftProperty, (point.X - ellipse.Width/2));
            LayoutRoot.Children.Add(ellipse);
            
            animation.Duration = new TimeSpan(0,0,3);
            animation.From = 1;
            animation.To = 0;
            animation.SetValue(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty, spriteName);
            animation.SetValue(Storyboard.TargetPropertyProperty, "Opacity");

            storyBoard.Completed+=new EventHandler(storyBoard_Completed);
            storyBoard.SetValue(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty, spriteName);
            storyBoard.Children.Add(animation);
            LayoutRoot.Resources.Add(storyBoard);
            storyBoard.Begin();

            updateElementCount();
        }

        void storyBoard_Completed(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            Storyboard storyBoard = (Storyboard)sender;
            string spriteName = storyBoard.GetValue(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty).ToString();
            FrameworkElement sprite = (FrameworkElement)LayoutRoot.FindName(spriteName);
            LayoutRoot.Children.Remove(sprite);
            LayoutRoot.Resources.Remove(storyBoard);
            updateElementCount();
        }

        void updateElementCount()
        {
            this.txtChildren.Text = string.Format("Children.Count = {0}", LayoutRoot.Children.Count());
            this.txtResources.Text = string.Format("Resources.Count = {0}",  LayoutRoot.Resources.Count);
        }

SilverTwitter: A Service Enabled Silverlight App

RogerGuess — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:01:00 GMT

This Silverlight application is a simple example of how to consume data from a web service.

This sample was built with:

Visual Studio 2008
Microsoft Silverlight Tools Beta 1 for Visual Studio 2008

Download the source

Note: There are three projects in this solution, the Silverlight application, the website to host the application, and the web service to provide data. The web service was created separately to demonstrate a cross domain service call. For grins, remove crossdomain.xml from the web service.

Silverlight 2 - More Goodness from ScottGu

RogerGuess — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:27:00 GMT

Scott has a post 'First Look at Silverlight 2' that reveals some goodies coming up in the Beta1 release. He has also listed a number of great Silverlight tutorials:

Part 1: Creating "Hello World" with Silverlight 2 and VS 2008

Part 2: Using Layout Management

Part 3: Using Networking to Retrieve Data and Populate a DataGrid

Part 4: Using Style Elements to Better Encapsulate Look and Feel

Part 5: Using the ListBox and DataBinding to Display List Data

Part 6: Using User Controls to Implement Master/Details Scenarios

Part 7: Using Templates to Customize Control Look and Feel

Part 8: Creating a Digg Desktop Version of our Application using WPF

I found some more Silverlight insider goodness from Adam Kinney.

SilverLander: A Silverlight Game

RogerGuess — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:22:00 GMT

I updated this to Silverlight 2 Beta 2 HERE

Here is my first Silverlight game. The game counts down and begins the lander on approach from the top left of the screen. Your job is to bring the lander to a safe slow (and upright) landing on the surface inside the highlighted landing zone. Each level increases difficulty by increasing gravity, increasing initial velocity, decreasing available fuel, and a decreasing landing zone radius.

I started with the building blocks for the gameloop and use of sprites and vectors from Bill Reiss demos on SilverlightRocks.

My next steps are:

Gravity is currently straight down, so I need to update that to be the center of the moon/object. The game loop adds a vector straight down instead of directly toward the center of the moon.
There is a random math error durring the game loop: you may experience it when the ship just jumps completely out of the screen. but appears to continue moving.
Create a formula for scoring, with bonuses for time taken, fuel remaining, difficulty, and slower velocity at landing.
Capture scores on a leader board via a web service.
Create a 'instrument pannel' for indicators; speed, descent rate, remaining fuel, attitude, range to surface, etc.
Improve location of messages on the screen.

>>>>> Updated this from 1.1 to Silverlight 2, see here >> http://silverlightaddict.com/blogs/silverlightgames/archive/2008/06/05/silverlander-a-silverlight-2-game.aspx

Silverlight in CommunityServer

RogerGuess — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:53:00 GMT

I ran into a few issues getting a silverlight app running inside CommunityServer ( version is 2007.1 ). To keep things clean, I am publishing all required files for the silverlight app in it's own folder off the root of the site. I then want to embed that app in a single post. Simon Guest posted a great tutoral for Silverlight Videos, but I was still having issues loading the app. After using his iframe example, I got this error:

ag_e_runtime_managed_assembly_download

Searching on that led me to this post. The fix turned out to be easy. I updated the website to allow only scripts instead of 'scripts and executables' ( website properties > Home Directory tab, Execute Permissions setting ).

Now I have it working for this post: SpaceRocks "With Friggin Laser Beams"

SpaceRocks "With Friggin Laser Beams"

RogerGuess — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 21:01:00 GMT

I updated Bill Reiss demo on SpaceRocks to include firing at the asteroids. If you have not checked out his demos's yet, be sure to visit SilverlightRocks. He got it all started, and I just added one extra step ( Keep em' coming Bill! ). I added the XAML for a simple laser bolt, and am treating it just as the other sprites (ship/asteroids) with additional checks for collision. The keys A,D,and W control the ship. Use the space bar to fire.

Note: This demo requires Silverlight 1.1.

Silverlight Games 101

RogerGuess — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:21:00 GMT

Bill Reiss has posted some excellent demos for Silverlight 1.1 on Silverlight Games 101. He includes samples, instructions, and even full Visual Studio 2008 solutions zipped up and ready use. He includes some very usefull utilities for dealing with vectors, sprites, and a game loop. Be sure to take a look at his SLG101Utilities.