Creating a Cutting-Edge Game for Windows Tablets

Chas. BoydWindows Graphics3-043

The Broad Range of PCs

The OpportunityMore users are spending more time with tablets/convertibles

Living room and commuteThe hardware ecosystem is going there as a resultYou can target those users via a Windows Store Game

Broader PC InnovationWe know the platform is already capable of much moreLet us show you how you can use that platform to create an experience where you will stand out from the massesThese are the key areas where we have invested:

All the key tablet featuresMost cutting-edge technologyYou can self-publishEasiest development

PennyArcade on Surface Prowww.penny-arcade.com 02/22/2013“For me the Surface Pro is actually a great piece of hardware” -Gabe

Movies & Cut Scenes

Your Killer Game

Game InputGraphics Audio

Direct3D11

DirectX Video

PointerPoint PLM Windows

Live

Connected Services

Local Services

Direct2D

XInput

Sensor API

WASAPI

Windows Store

Xbox LIVE

Media Foundatio

nAppData

Contracts

Visual Studio

Asset Viewers

Asset Processors

Tools

Windows 8 Game Platform Technologies

HTML

XAML

XAudio2

PointerPoint Inputwin->PointerPressed += ref new TypedEventHandler<CoreWindow^,PointerEventArgs^>

(this, &LonLatController::OnPointerPressed);

void LonLatController::OnPointerPressed( _In_ CoreWindow^ sender, _In_ PointerEventArgs^ args ){ float2 position = float2( // position of contact args->CurrentPoint->Position.X, args->CurrentPoint->Position.Y ); m_lonLatLastPoint = position; // save for use in controller m_lonLatPointerID = args->CurrentPoint->PointerId;}

Cutting Edge Graphics in Windows 8.0

Halo: Spartan Assault

RecklessRacingUltimate

Movies & Cut Scenes

Your Killer Game

Game InputGraphics Audio

Direct3D11.2

DirectX Video

PointerPoint PLM Windows

Live, Azure

Connected Services

Local Services

Direct2D

XInput

Sensor API

WASAPIWindows

Store Install

Xbox LIVE

Media Foundatio

nAppData

Contracts

Visual Studio

Asset Viewers

Asset Processors

Tools

Windows 8.1 Game Platform Technologies

HTML

XAML

XAudio2

Shader DebuggingWiFi Direct

Azure

Cutting Edge Games: Graphics

Direct3D11Photoreal Rendering can help differentiate your product

Tablets run the Direct3D 11 Graphics API e.g. Surface Pro, etc.

The Direct3D 11 API runs all PC hardware: Tablets to SLIreduced-precision data types, shadow sampling, etc.

DirectX 11 Feature Levels

DirectX 11 Feature Level 9Vertex shadersPixel shaders8 Textures4 Render TargetsCube mapsVolume texturesAnisotropic filteringAntialiasingHDR renderingTexture compressionBC1, BC2, BC3

DirectX 11 Feature Level 10Vertex shadersPixel shaders8 Textures4 Render TargetsCube mapsVolume texturesAnisotropic filteringAntialiasingHDR renderingTexture compressionBC1, BC2, BC3

Geometry shadersStream out128 Textures per shader8 Render TargetsIntegers in shadersVertex texturesShader samplingConstant buffersAlpha-to-coverageBasic DirectComputeBC4, BC5 formats

DirectX 11 Feature Level 11Vertex shadersPixel shaders8 Textures4 Render TargetsCube mapsVolume texturesAnisotropic filteringAntialiasingHDR renderingTexture compressionBC1, BC2, BC3

Geometry shadersStream out128 Textures per shader8 Render TargetsIntegers in shadersVertex texturesShader samplingConstant buffersAlpha-to-coverageBasic DirectComputeBC4, BC5 formats

Full DirectComputeRandom access writesTessellation shadersNew compression formats BC6, BC7Min10float, min16floatShader linkingPresent() optimizationsHardware overlays/scalersTiled Resources

Approximate Market Segmentation

DX10

DX9

DX11

DX10DX9

DX11

Creating the Direct3D Device and Context

ComPtr<ID3D11Device> device;ComPtr<ID3D11DeviceContext> context;D3D11CreateDevice( nullptr, // use the default adapter D3D_DRIVER_TYPE_HARDWARE, 0, // use 0 unless a software device creationFlags, // defined above featureLevels, // what app will support ARRAYSIZE(featureLevels), D3D11_SDK_VERSION, // should always be D3D11_SDK_VERSION &device, // created device &m_featureLevel, // feature level of the device &context // corresponding immediate context );

Tiled Resources

Graphine

Tiled Resources ApplicationsGames: terrain, shadow maps, skyboxes, etc.Atlases: fine-grained memory management with minimal state changesImaging: 256Mpixel image display/editingMaps: massive datasets

See Talk 4-063: Massive virtual textures for games: Direct3D Tiled Resources

Cutting Edge Game Performance

How do I make my high-end game fast enough on a tablet?

Graphics Performance on Tablets2D / sprite games should run at native resolution wherever possibleLook at ways to minimize overdraw, such as more complex meshes.

3D games may need to render the scene at lower-than-native resolution, and scale up to native before the overlay elements (score, etc) are appliedThis is common practice on the PC and consoles

The new overlapping Swapchain API enables accelerated scalingAs we’ll see later

 

Graphics Performance -Language Also consider programming language

C++ is the fastest language we offerEnables the most ‘vertical’ portability

The C++ sample code is very straightforwardModeled after XNA architecture

Cutting Edge Games: Size

App Packaging and DistributionTypical cutting edge games of today come on dual layer DVDs (xbox 360, PC, etc) and are 8 GB to 25GB

Digital downloads can take a while…

How do I fit my game on a tablet?

App Packages in Windows 8x86 Binaries

AudioTexturesShaders

Animations

x64 Binaries

AudioTexturesShaders

Animations

ARM Binaries

AudioTexturesShaders

Animations2GB

2GB

2GB

App Packages in Windows 8.1x86 Binaries

Audio

Textures

Shaders

Animations

x64 Binaries

Audio

Textures

Shaders

Animations

ARM Binaries

Audio

Textures

Shaders

Animations

8GB

8GB

8GB 25GB

How do I minimize download time & storage?DX9 GPUs don’t support some texture formats

Choice:Use DX9 textures even for DX11 users (LCD)DX11 users want the higher quality their hardware can use

Ship both: make DX9 users wait for DX11 textures to downloadNew PC hardware has wireless connectivity and SSD storage

25GB

Windows 8.1 App Bundlex86 Binaries x64 Binaries ARM

BinariesDX9 Textures

DX10 Textures

DX11 Textures

1.0x UI Elements

1.4x UI Elements

1.8x UI Elements

ARM binariesDX9 Textures1.0x UI elements

Deployment 1

DX9 Textures

1.0x UI Elements

ARM Binaries

Deployment 2x86 Binaries x64 Binaries ARM

BinariesDX9 Textures

DX10 Textures

DX11 Textures

1.0x UI Elements

1.4x UI Elements

1.8x UI Elements

x64 binariesDX11 Textures1.4x UI elements

Deployment 2x64 Binaries

DX9 Textures

DX11 Textures

1.0x UI Elements

1.4x UI Elements

App Packaging -How ToKeep game resources in separate foldersStandard naming convention for resource identifiers

Build time: Packager tags them all in the bundle

Deployment: Installer checks device, and installs the applicable bits

Note: The default bits for a single package are always installed:

FLDX9, 1.0x DPI setting, Locale language

Group assets by FeatureLevel

Create theApp Bundle

App Bundle Contents

App Bundle Contents

App Bundle Contents

App Bundle Contents

Notify Resource Manager of Desired Folder// Set current UI thread's MRT ResourceContext's DXFeatureLevel// Note: GetForCurrentView is per UI thread and will fail on the background thread

auto rcontext  = Windows::ApplicationModel::Resources::Core::ResourceContext::GetForCurrentView();

rcontext->QualifierValues->Insert("DXFeatureLevel", "DX9"); // “DX10” or “DX11”

Set Feature Level String ResourceContextFL;switch ( m_featureLevel ){ case D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL9_1: case D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL9_2: case D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL9_3: ResourceContextFL = “DX9”; break; case D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL10_0: case D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL10_1: ResourceContextFL = “DX10”; break; case D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL_11_0: case D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL_11_1: ResourceContextFL = “DX11”; break; default: error;}

D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL featureLevels[] = { D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL_11_1, D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL_11_0, D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL_10_1, D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL_10_0, D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL_9_3, D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL_9_1 };

App Bundle SummaryApp bundles let you tailor your product to your customer

Up to Blu-Ray™ install sizes

DirectX APIs already help you span different vendors

App Bundles let you span different generations as well, as the industry continues moving forward via innovation

Cutting Edge Games: Controls

Automatic Input RoutingTouch

Mouse

Keyboard +

Weight

Weight

WeightGameLogic

Game Controller

Accelerometer Weight

Weight

Cutting Edge Games: Display

All the Inches

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Tablets

Convertibles

Notebooks

Desktops & All-in-Ones

2-D Visuals: New DPIs At 10” tablet panel1366*768 1.0x1920*1080 1.4x2560*1440 1.8x

4k

2560x14401080p

OS DPI Scale factorsModern1.0x1.4x1.8x

Desktop1.0x1.25x1.5x2.0x

New Resolutions And Performance1024*768 0.75MPix1280*800 1 MPix1366*768 1 MPix1600*900 1.4MPix1920*1080 2 MPix2560*1600 4 Mpix3840*2160 8 Mpix

4k

2560x14401080p

Hardware Solution: Scalers and OverlaysFor performance, hardware can scale up imagery for freeMain rendering can be at a lower resolution for better performance – the hardware will scale it back up

It can also preserve quality of 2-D content:Create a second swapchain for an overlay to store 2D imagery (text, score, cross-hair, etc.) at native resolution

Overlapping Swapchain CompositionHardware accelerated scaling of content up to native resolution at high quality

Hardware accelerated composition of overlay elements onto background contentoutRGB = topRGB + bottomRGB*(1 – topA)

See talk 3-062: What’s New in Direct3D

HUD swap chain

(1920x1080)

Display

(1920x1080)

3D swap chain

(1280x720)

Swapchain CreationDXGI_SWAP_CHAIN_DESC1 bottomSwapChainDesc = {0};bottomSwapChainDesc.Width = RenderTargetWidth;bottomSwapChainDesc.Height = RenderTargetHeight;bottomSwapChainDesc.Scaling = DXGI_SCALING_STRETCH;dxgiFactory->CreateSwapChainForCoreWindow( ... );

if (m_dxgiOutput->SupportsOverlays()) { DXGI_SWAP_CHAIN_DESC1 topSwapChainDesc = {0}; topSwapChainDesc.Width = 0; // screenWidth; topSwapChainDesc.Height = 0; // screenHeight; topSwapChainDesc.Scaling = DXGI_SCALING_NONE; topSwapChainDesc.Flags = DXGI_SWAP_CHAIN_FOREGROUND_LAYER; topSwapChainDesc.AlphaMode = DXGI_ALPHA_MODE_PREMULTIPLIED; dxgiFactory->CreateSwapChainForCoreWindow( ... );}

...bottomSwapChain->Present(1, 0);if (topSwapChain) topSwapChain->Present(1, 0);

Option Menus and Inventory ScreensRender UI directly in Direct3D, ScaleForm, Direct2D, or XAMLCreate a separate IFrameworkView in the same window/rect

Analogous to XNA’s GameScreen helper classCan use XAML in menu view, & pure DX in game view

Open a new window (split-screen) from your appViewSizePreference::UseHalfLets user control split with familiar OS UISwitch using Activate() methodCloses when app closes

Secondary AppsIn App Purchase store, server status app, chat client, Skype

Launch a new app (split-screen)New cross-app launching APILets users control split via familiar OS UICan stays running when invoking app quits

See Talk 2-010: Building Apps that Work Together

Best PracticesBe sure to throttle back rendering speed of any window that loses focus (changes activationState )Speeds up the window or app the user is actually using

On occlusion, pause gameplayAuto-resume on tap/click or just a timer

Handling Occlusion

void DirectXApp::Run(){ while (!m_windowClosed) { if (m_windowVisible) // from window->VisibilityChanged event { dispatcher->ProcessEvents(CoreProcessEventsOption::ProcessAllIfPresent); m_renderer->Update(timer->Total, timer->Delta); m_renderer->Render(); m_renderer->Present(); } else { dispatcher->ProcessEvents(CoreProcessEventsOption::ProcessOneAndAllPending); } }}

Multiple DisplaysMulti-MonMore screen real-estate“Docking” your tablet

Projection/TVImmersionShare your display

Share Your Display

Share Your DisplayLet everyone see the game board, track map, rankings, or world map, …

User can just use Multi-mon to MiracastMiracast (aka WiDi) is based on WiFi Direct, so no WiFi AP reqd

User feature: No APIs need to be called by developer

ProjectionManager APIAPI that allows you to show different things on different screens when Windows has multiple screens availableStart ProjectionManager->StartProjectingAsync( NewView, CurrentView );Stop ProjectionManager->StopProjectingAsync( NewView, CurrentView );Swap ProjectionManager->SwapDisplaysForViewsAsync( NewView, CurrentView );Screen Available Query ProjectionManager->ProjectionDisplayAvailableScreen Available Notification ProjectionManager->ProjectionDisplayAvailableChanged

Cuting Edge Games: Connectivity

Game Scenarios

Play-Pause-ResumeTablet to convertible to laptop to desktop PC use roaming, save state and dynamic input switchingWindows Phone to Windows to Xbox use services and cloud – or roll your own with Azure

Cross device vs. cross screen – compare & contrast mechanics and mobility

Living Room

Living Room -sociable

Considerations for Gameplay Types

Async: turn-based, crowd-sourced real-time, rankings, etc.Sync: simultaneous multiplayer via TCP

Local Multiplayer - Wifi Direct and NFC, e.g. for matchmaking See multiplayer talk 3-051 by Jianye & Priya

Tune mechanics and difficulty per form factor and perf profile“Lean forward” vs “lean back” content

Connectivity Innovation

More broadband wireless devices are coming

Metered network considerationsNew store packaging and installer helps with that

Scenarios for connected play

Gameplay Design

Implementation StrategiesIsolate code for core game logic from device-dependent code

Console / desktop / phone / tablet specific features (e.g. XAML UI/input/contract usage)

C++ dlls are a good solution

Cross Device Development ToolsVisual Studio 2013 builds apps for all MS platforms

Windows DesktopWindows StoreWindows PhoneConsole

New for Windows 8.1 and VS 2013: DirectX Debugging

Visual Studio TalksSee talk 3-141: DirectX Graphics Debugging Tools

See Also:2-305 What’s New in Visual Studio 20132-211 C++ for Windows Phone3-329 Using VS C++ 2013 to get the best performance3-308 C++ Best Practices

Cutting Edge Game FeaturesWindows 8Direct3D 11.1XAudioPointerPointMouseLookXInputC++

Windows 8.1Direct3D11.2 Tiled Resources Scalers & Overlays HLSL Shader linker8-25GB packagesMulti-monWi-Fi Direct

Go For ItGet your cutting edge game out to these new users/places Pioneer this new spaceCheck out the solutions for your case: Store, packaging, installer Rich input/controller options Direct3D11 graphics, hardware scalers Networking, services

Related talks Title Session IDBuilding Games for Windows 2-047What’s new in Direct3D 11.2 3-062Massive virtual textures for games: Direct3D and Tiled Resources 4-063DirectX Graphics Debugging Tools 3-141Bringing Desktop PC Games to the Windows Store 3-190Tales from the Trenches: Developing “The Harvest” and “Gunpowder” with Unity 3-044Accelerating Windows Store Game Development with Middleware 3-187Bringing Halo: Spartan Assault to Windows tablets and mobile devices 2-049From Android or iOS: Bringing Your OpenGL ES Game to the Windows Store 3-189Cutting Edge Games on Windows Tablets 3-043Play Together! Leaderboards with Windows Azure and iMultiplayer with WiFi Direct 3-051Innovations in High Performance 2D Graphics with DirectX 3-191

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© 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

Example Assets UsedDX9 DX10 DX11

Texture.dds BC1 4k x 2k BC1 4k x 2k BC7 4k x 2kNormal.dds R8G8 2k x 1k BC5 4k x 2k BC5 4k x 2kHeight.dds R8 2k x 1k BC4 4k x 2k BC4 4k x 2k

DX9 DX10 DX11Texture.dds BC1 4k x 2k .5

5.46MBBC1 4k x 2k .5 5.46MB

BC7 4k x 2k 1 10.9MB

Normal.dds R8G8 2k x 1k 2 5.46MB

BC5 4k x 2k 1 10.9MB

BC5 4k x 2k 1 10.9MB

Height.dds R8 2k x 1k 1 2.73MB

BC4 4k x 2k .5 5.46MB

BC4 4k x 2k .5 5.46MB

Total Sizes: 14MB 14 + 22MB 14 + 27MB

Hardware Form Factors

Phone Tablet Desktop/LaptopAlways available10min engagementEach user has oneModerate performanceSmall display size 3-5”720-1080p resolutionDirectX 9Touch inputAlways connected -3G

Living Room, Commute30-60min engagementMultiple per householdModerate performance Med. display size 7-11”HD resolution (1080p)DirectX 9-11Touch input, stylusAlways Connected -WiFi

Seated at workstation2+hr sessionShared across householdTop performance hardwareLarge display size 13-24”Full 1080p or higher resolutionDirectX 11Mouse&Keyboard, trackpadAlways connected –LAN

Game CategoriesCasual Mid-core AAASimple gameplay2-D Sprites1-10min sessionAsynch multiplayer4-25 weeks, $50k1-5 developersSelf-publishedEasy to port to new platforms$1 - $5 unit price~5% total user spend1-2GB installNot sticky, 4x turnover of AAAXBLIG1000s released/year

Moderate gameplay3-D rendered30min to 60minLocal multiplayer1 year, $100k to $2M5-10 developersSteam, XBLA, ImpulseReasonable porting cost$5 - $10Significant portion of spend2-8GB installVery popular with usersXBLA, PSN??

Challenging gameplay3-D Photo-Real2+hrs sessionWeb and local multiplayerUp to 2-5 years and $5-25M20-100 developersLarge PublishersChallenging to port ($1-2M/per)$20 - $60Majority of Total Game Spend8-25GB installCreate a loyal audienceXbox, PS3Dozens released /year