Working on the Xbox

As a side project for this semester, I want to show that I can work with platforms outside of just PC. I know that I worked on MxRPC (an AR app on the phone) but Unity did most of the work for porting to the phone. Thus for my class, Console Programming, I will be making a 2D game for the Xbox One. There are a few things to consider when making games for the Xbox One. The first one is the software needed to actually make the app. Through some research I saw that I would have to use the XNA, but later I found out it was for the xbox 360 and not the Xbox One. What I really needed to use was the UWP (Universal Windows Platform) inside of Visual Studios. This could be used to make applications for the Windows Phone, Windows Computers, and most importantly the Xbox One. As usual I will be working with the Visual Studio 2019 and I will be using the Windows 10 SDK (10.0.18362). This is available everywhere on campus and on my laptop so it should never be a problem to get a hold of this software. I will be storing my project on Github and will be using SourceTree as my GUI for an easy accessibility to the repository. I want to use a repository so my project would be accessible anywhere I go, or in case some hardware failures, as well as, I want my information to cleanly keep my progress over the semester. I also want to store the project on Github so I can show people the project in the future without having to be next to them. For my hardware I am using an Acer Nitro-15 for my main developing stages and switch on and off to a desktop that the school provides. I also have my very own Xbox One that I will be turning into a DevKit. Before I install the project on the Xbox, I will have to test the application on my computers. I could test the application with with the two wired controllers that I have purchased already. This will also help to test a local cooperative feature I plan on making in the game. Before starting development for my game, I need to get familiar with the UWP coding system. I will be doing this by looking into UWP (and their tutorials) to get into the process of the new coding system. I will also have to freshen up my C# skills, since I primarily work with C++ and my prior knowledge with C# is mainly with Unity. The last part of my pre-development period is looking into some cool artificial intelligence behaviors that I can show off in the game. Right now the plan for the game is to create a top down bullet hell game, which will allow the me to do quite a few different behaviors. Right now I’m thinking of Flocking Boid Enemies that will wander then fly towards the player and an enemy that stays at a distance and shoots towards the player. I plan on making some more distinct enemies in the future. The last thing I plan on talking about is the game itself. I don't have a name for it at the moment, but I do have the main concept of the game. Now remember my main goal for this is to show that I have the ability to work with the Xbox for future employers, so the game won't be that large. I want to make something small, but fun. With this said, I plan on making a top-down 2-D bullet hell. I don't know the style of the game yet, but that is the next stage in my development.