ORDERING QUESTIONS

When I place an order what happens to my contact and payment information?

In all orders, your contact information is kept on file with us but is not stored online on our servers - although you will have the option of having your e-mail account stored online if you wish to utilize the password assistance feature for your client account. The company processing the financial clearing of the transaction will keep your contact information online and most likely your payment information as well. If you order through our merchant account then we would have access to your payment information but we do not maintain those records on or offline and only access that information, when necessary, through our transaction processor (authorize.net).

We are considering using Amazon, Yahoo and/or PayPal accounts to also process transactions. If the order is placed through either then they would have access to both your payment and contact information while, in either case, we would only have access to your contact information.

How soon after I place my order will I receive the source package?

Orders placed via credit card through our merchant account are usually shipped the next business day assuming the transaction cleared. Normally, transaction clearing is never more than 3 business days. Orders placed through other transaction processors such as Amazon, Yahoo or PayPal, if any are used, are shipped when either organization instructs us to ship the product. Those instructions typically occur 24-72 hours after a transaction has been processed.

Orders by check or similar means will be shipped only after the payment has cleared. Time for clearing a personal check depends on the location of the bank but usually is accomplished within 5-10 business days.

Exactly what do I receive when I order the package?

The package consists of:

-   One compact disk containing the most recent version of the game and the most recent version of the complete C++ source code and Visual C++ project related files.
-   Arcade Game Design with C++ and DirectX - a two volume technical document consisting of a programmer's guide to XR7 and a programmer's reference to the data structures and classes used in the game. Together they consist of over 300 bound pages of documentation.
-   Royalty-free license to use the source code for commercial and/or non-commercial closed source applications.
-   60-days of technical support to assist with understanding and extending the code.

Are there refunds?

Due to the nature of the media (easily copied), refunds are not provided and thus all sales are final. However, defective media will, naturally, be replaced.

What about shipping fees?

Xandis.com believes in a one world, one price policy and thus all shipping and taxes are included in the price. The $34.95 fee covers worldwide shipping. If you have special mailing needs (such as wanting to sign for the package or require a quicker delivery), please contact Xandis to make such arrangements. In certain conditions where a special mailing means a higher postage, we will charge a fee to cover those costs.

Can I mail a check instead of ordering online?

Of course. Checks, or money orders, should be made payable to DRAKE ANALYTICS, INC. and written for US$34.95. Please mail your order to:

DRAKE ANALYTICS, INC.
ATTN: XANDIS.COM
PO BOX 19762
SEATTLE, WA 98109
USA

Checks must be drawn on a US bank account. If you would like to write a check that draws on a UK bank account, please contact us for information.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND SOURCE PACKAGE QUESTIONS

What skills are needed to understand the source code?

One should be comfortable with C and have a basic understanding of C++. The documentation does not cover the fundamentals of either language and the beginning programmer should have a C++ reference on hand. Additionally, it is expected that the reader will have had the experience of compiling and understanding the basic source code samples in the DirectX SDK.

The documentation is oriented towards those who have an understanding of programming but need to get their hands dirty with a complete game so that they can see how all the parts fit together.

Why are classic gaming genres used and not a first person shooter or other newer style?

The classic gaming genres were used because they provide the best way to learn the core skills required for modern game development, such as 3D collision detection, use of models, particle systems, sprites, parsing and loading data files, etc. Without learning the basics one will be overwhelmed with the additional technical issues surrounding complicated 3D shooters or, for example, martial art fighter games. This is one reason why most shooters use a third-party engine. Classic games though are no different at the core than first person shooters since the concept is the same: managing actors in a 3D world. However, there is less overhead with the classic genre and that makes learning easier. The skills learned with XR7 are directly transferrable to any other gaming genre.

It must be recognized that one should not learn game development through using an engine. The engine hides much of what you want to learn. The longer harder approach of starting from the ground up will produce a better set of skills than the approach that always relies on someone else's engine.

In what areas will technical support provide help and where will it not?

Support is there to help you understand everything about the code, data files and to clarify any part of the documentation. Furthermore, there are some areas where support will be provided in extending the game. These are mentioned in more detail in the documentation. Some of these areas include extending audio support to non-DirectX libraries; extending the GUI; using the standard template library; and using third-party collision detection routines.

For how long is the technical support provided?

60-days from your first support request but the 60-days must be used within 90-days of the order.

How would I receive technical support?

Technical support requests are made through the Xandis.com web site and responses are made via electronic mail. Typically a response comes within 24-48 hours.

What are the licensing specifics on the source code?

The license allows for commercial and non-commercial usage of the source code so long as the source code is not released, distributed or otherwise made available. It is essentially a shared-source license designed for those interested in producing shareware and/or commercial software.

What happens after the 60-days of technical support?

After the 60-days (within the 90-day limit) are passed, questions are answered on an as-available basis. This means that the request is not considered a priority and the response time will be entirely dependent on the current work load.

OTHER QUESTIONS

Can I play in Windowed mode?

If your video settings are set for a mode that is compatible with the game's needs then there should not be any problem. Hit the F11 and F12 keys to switch modes during game play. To always start up in Windowed mode, set fullscreen = n in the config.txt file.

How do I change the high scores?

Use your favorite text editor (like Notepad) to load the highscores-spec.txt file and change one or more of the scoreN values - where N is a number from one to ten.

For example, find the line that reads like:

score1 = 88339229

then change the number to a low number like 10. Then if you score higher than 10, your score will become a high score that takes that place. Do not worry about the ordering as that all gets sorted within the game. So, edit the score values as you wish.

If you have questions not answered here, please contact Xandis.