Getting Ready for Windows Vista ® Chuck Walbourn SDE, Game Technology Group.

Getting Ready forWindows Vista®Getting Ready forWindows Vista®

Chuck WalbournSDE, Game Technology Group

Windows Vista HighlightsWindows Vista Highlights

Desktop uses Direct3D 9

New display and audio driver models

User Account Control (aka LUA/UAP)

Windows Vista for GamersWindows Vista for Gamers

Direct3D 10

Game Explorer

Parental Controls

AgendaAgenda

Game Explorer

Account Privilege

Application Compatibility

Installation & Patching

Games for Windows logo

Games ExplorerGames Explorer

Linked directly off the Start menu

Displays games installed on the system

Shows meta-data such as developer, publisher, various ratings, links, etc.

Parental controls system will lock out some games based on rating if enabled

Basic information including rating is already provided for many legacy titles (~2500)

Games Definition FileGames Definition File

A title provides meta-data through a piece of XML called a Game Definition File (GDF)

The GDF is embedded as a resource into a binary (exe or dll)

Thumbnail image must be also embedded in the same binary

Game Definition File Editor tool in the DirectX SDK

Aside: Code signingAside: Code signing

GDF containing binary must have a valid Authenticode signing to provide a ratingGreat security measure to ensure bits you ship are the bits a user has on their machine

Works on exe, dll, msi/msp, cab filesWindows XP presents this data in many placesWindows Vista relies on this even more

Verisign ID required to access WinQual dataSee DirectX Documentation topic Authenticode Signing for Game Developers

Game Explorer IntegrationGame Explorer Integration

Use IGameExplorer COM object to register the GDF-containing binary during install/patch

Use the COM object to double-check ratings access in your game’s startup (VerifyAccess)

GE can show saved games with thumbnailsPrepending a structure at the beginning of your save game files

Support command-line launch with a save game file

Depends on the existing extension/shell launch system

Use a unique extension for your save game files!

See the DirectX Documentation topic Windows Game Explorer Integration and GE documentation for more details

AgendaAgenda

Game Explorer

Account Privilege




Account PrivilegeAccount Privilege

User Account Control (UAC)Key security feature in Windows Vista

“Standard User”New name for Restricted User (LUA) on Windows XPDoes not have full access to the system

Read only to most of the hard drive and registryCan only write to per-user and specific common areasCannot install drivers, start/stop services, change Firewall settings

Changes in the OS make heavy use of thisEvery account on the system runs most processes as “Standard User”!

Account Privilege ElevationAccount Privilege Elevation

“Administrator”A user with administrator privileges can elevate a process to run at ‘admin’ level

Must happen when the process is created!

The system prompts every time you launch the app

Child processes do inherit the elevation

UAC detects common exe names that require admin rights (SETUP.EXE, etc.)

Executables can be marked in a manifest to require ‘admin’ privileges

Can explicitly use “Run As…”

Supporting UACSupporting UAC

Follow all the guidance for Limited User Accounts on Windows XP!Parental Controls only works on “Standard User” accounts

i.e. a controlled account cannot have any admin rightsIf your game requires admin privileges to run, it cannot be played by accounts with Parental Controls active

See the article Gaming with Least-Privileged User Accounts in the DirectX SDK

AgendaAgenda

Game Explorer

Account Privilege



Xbox 360 Controller for Windows


Application CompatibilityApplication Compatibility

Windows Vista is compatible with most existing Windows applications

Common compatibility concerns for games

x64 EditionMedia Center EditionMulticoreLegacy APIs

Current and upcoming technical articles in the DirectX SDK address these in detail

Improving Application CompatibilityImproving Application Compatibility

Use the Application Verifier toolhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/compatibility

Integrated version in VS 2005 Team System

Make sure any drivers you install have both 32-bit and 64-bit versionsInvestigate deprecation warnings from VS2005Be sure to revisit your game timing code!

See the DirectX SDK topic Game Timing and Multicore Processors

http://msdn.microsoft.com/compatibility

App Compat TestingApp Compat Testing

Include testing on Windows XP Pro x64 Edition, Windows XP MCE, Windows Vista consumer SKUs (Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate)Test using single and multicore CPUs from all major vendorsBe sure to try 4 GB RAM configurations

Exposes 32-bit overflows in configuration code

Do not force your game to run with or require ‘admin’ privileges enabled!

Test on Windows XP under a Limited User AccountTest on Windows Vista with UAC active

AgendaAgenda

Game Explorer

Account Privilege



Xbox 360 Controller for Windows


InstallationInstallation

Typically install and uninstall require ‘admin’ privileges

Needs to write to C:\Program Files and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

Setup Windows Firewall, install any drivers, etc.

If using a non-standard setup, you might need to add a manifest to your setup program

For causal games, might be able to do a fully per-user installation instead

InstallationInstallation

Traditional installers are way too complicated!

Simplify the setup Q & ACreate an Express install option that bypasses most promptingConsider play from media, background copy, or install on demand approachesSee the installation articles in the DirectX SDK

Direct SetupDirect Setup

DirectX runtime install is usually not optional!

DirectSetup needs to install components like D3DX, XINPUT, XACT, etc. not part of “DirectX 9.0c”

Combine the DirectX EULA into your own, always run Direct Setup in silent mode

Don’t prompt user about installing DirectX or try to guard it with a version check!

Aside: Direct Setup sizeAside: Direct Setup size

Don’t assume you have to ship every cab in the REDIST folder for your game

You can save a lot of space on media and in your self-extracting download packages

See Installing DirectX with Direct Setup in the DirectX SDK for details

Installation IssuesInstallation Issues

Watch out for 16-bit code in older installersWill fail to run on x64 Editions

Drivers have to be code signed by default to install on Windows VistaUninstall will likely need to walk per-user registry and directories to fully clean up

Neat shell functions can helpSHFileOperation, SHDeleteKey

Badly written OS version checks are a bane!

Don’t do themIf you must do them, do them right and test thoroughly!

PatchingPatching

Need to plan how patching will work under “Standard User” scenarios

Windows Installer MSP technology

Require elevation to patch (only if rarely!)

Use of per-user and common data areas

See upcoming article in the DirectX SDK (April 2006) for details

AgendaAgenda

Game Explorer

Account Privilege




Games for Windows logoGames for Windows logo

Task SwitchingMost developers are doing this well

Fast User Switching alive and well in Windows Vista!

See the DirectX Documentation topic Games for Microsoft Windows Logo for Applications for scenarios to test

If the Windows key or the accessibly features conflict with your game’s keyboard layout, see the DirectX Documentation topic Disabling Shortcut Keys in Games

Games for Windows logoGames for Windows logo

Windows Error ReportingRethrow or call ReportFault API in any custom UEH

Avoid using catch(…) in your code

Make sure all your binaries (exe, dll) have a VERSIONINFO resource with real information!

See the DirectX Documentation topic Crash Dump Analysis

Call to ActionCall to Action

Check out the various DirectX SDK articles

Make sure your testers and installer developers review this deck!

Try your back catalogue and games in development on Windows Vista Beta 2 in May

Games this year should support the Game Explorer and “Standard User”

Questions?Questions?

ResourcesResourcesGDC 2006 Presentationshttp://msdn.com/directx/presentations

DirectX Developer Centerhttp://msdn.com/directx

XNA Developer Centerhttp://msdn.com/xna

XNA, DirectX, XACT Forumshttp://msdn.com/directx/forums

Email [email protected] (DirectX & Windows

development)

[email protected] (XNA Feedback)

© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.Microsoft, DirectX, Xbox 360, the Xbox logo, and XNA are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United Sates and / or

other countries.This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.

Getting Ready for Windows Vista ® Chuck Walbourn SDE, Game Technology Group.

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