Product: MechCommander 2 Source Released, Webcasts Scheduled

XNA development manager and lead programmer on MechCommander 2 Frank Savage will host a series of webcasts called 'MechCommander 2 Mods' concerning the shared source release of MechCommander 2, a real-time strategy RPG for the PC that was originally released in 2001 by Microsoft Game Studios. The first of the three scheduled webcasts will take place on Monday, May 22 at 1:00 pm, and will provide an overview of the source code and assets that make up the shared source release of MechCommander 2, as well as how to get started with working with the code. The second webcast will take place on Wednesday, May 24 at 1:00 pm, and will offer an overview of the tools used to create the game, including the Microsoft XNA development platform. The final webcast will take place on Friday, May 26 at 1:00 pm, and will discuss how the developers of the game managed to put the game together from inception to final shipment. All webcast times are Pacific Time. The shared source release is free to download and contains all of the source code and assets required to build MechCommander 2. In addition, the code can be used in conjunction with Microsoft's XNA Build March 2006 Community Technology Preview (CTP), and Microsoft has provided numerous online documents and tutorials via its Download Center to help users get the most out of this download.