[John259]

I'm not familiar with the Xbox so apologies if this is a stupid question. It's on behalf of a friend who is considering possible Christmas presents for a grandchild.

Are there any Xbox games which involve an element of programming? Not writing programs in a formal programming language, but (for example) setting up a list of commands which a robot then carries out? Something perhaps along the lines of SpaceChem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceChem or the Codex of Alchemical Engineering, although ideally far less difficult than those games.

I've tried Googling but so far, quite understandably, only found references to information about how to program games for the Xbox.

[alternate]

not that I know of. Console tend to be closed platforms ruling out things like this.

[John259]

Originally Posted by alternate

not that I know of. Console tend to be closed platforms ruling out things like this.

I'm not talking about something which hacks into the console's software, just a game which to some extent simulates simple programming.

[ExoPaul]

Game wise no there are not. You would need a PC more than a console.

But having said that there are a lot of non-games in the Indie Games section that may offer things like "programme a robot" and other stuff. They even have games that turn your controller into a sex toy (pointless but shows the creativity of Indie game developers to push beyond simple games) so there could be some sort of programme there but you would have to browse the thousands of Indy Games and try a few of them as demo's to find out if they are any use or not.

[John259]

Originally Posted by ExoPaul

there are a lot of non-games in the Indie Games section that may offer things like "program a robot" and other stuff.

Thanks, that sounds exactly like the kind of thing I'm looking for. Where's the best place to start searching for those? (Apologies for having to ask but I'm not familiar with the Xbox world.)

[gds1972]

The nearest thing I can think of was the XNA Game Studio. But this is PC base but it can make games for the 360.

[John259]

Originally Posted by gds1972

The nearest thing I can think of was the XNA Game Studio. But this is PC base but it can make games for the 360.

Sorry if I didn't make it clear enough, but I'm not looking for Xbox game development software. I'm looking for a game for the Xbox in which you have to use programming-like concepts to create a set of commands for a machine or a robot, etc. BTW this wouldn't be to control a physical robot, only the image of one on the screen. A few such games are available for Adobe Flash Player, The Codex of Alchemical Engineering being a quite well-known example. This review describes it and has a link to it http://jayisgames.com/archives/2008/...ngineering.php

[2Dshmuplover]

You can always try Trials Evolution, it's incredible what some people have achieved through that, all kinds of game genres from modern to retro, even programming demo's which I gather is more what you are getting at. If you wanted to create a walking robot then I'm very sure you can using it's pro editor.

If you are interested in creating music at all then Ezmuze 2+ on the Indie games channel is fantastic, it's like the old Music 2000 series on PS1 only better.

[John259]

Originally Posted by 2Dshmuplover

You can always try Trials Evolution

Thanks. I just read its Wikipedia article and it's certainly of potential interest. Could a ten-year-old learn how to use the level editor and the in-game programming language?

If you are interested in creating music at all then Ezmuze 2+

Again, thanks, I'll look into that one.

on the Indie games channel

Is that http://indiegameschannel.com ? If so, is there any way to search it by category?

BTW I hadn't thought of in-game level editors, that's a good idea.

[2Dshmuplover]

As you might already know Trials Evolution's editor is a bit more than just a standard level editor, it's perfectly possible to create your own games unrelated to the Trials experience. It's a powerful piece of software, there are two modes, basic and pro, a 10 year old could learn a few things with the basic editor probably more about level design and physics than programming, it all depends on what they want I guess. I assume it gets pretty complicated with the Pro editor, something I've not trued myself. The recent Origin of Pain DLC has improved the editor as well as performance and added a lot of extra features so we should start seeing even more impressive things soon.

Sorry I wasn't clear, by the Indie channel I mean't XBLIG, the Xbox Indie Games tab.

If you want to see the sort of stuff that is possible with Trials Evolution then watch this

Here is also a tutorial vid from RedLYNX to help you on your way with the editor which might give you a good idea of what to expect (it's over 2 hours long). The Skill Games section is what you will want to learn to create something like a robot walking on screen. It looks immensely complicated imo. link