This the evaluation of my flash game which was made for this unit. First i will talk about my idea process that went into the game. we had to make an asteroids style game or a Shmup (shoot-em-up). i chose the latter so i had to come up with a theme for the game, i started with a fantasy theme which would involve the player taking control of either a dragon, griffin or an airship.
it wasn't until it got to the production stage that many problems presented themselves. the first of them being the animations on the dragon and griffin would have taken me alot of time which i did not have, another factor was that my skills in drawing were not up to my personal standards. So i decided to go with a fighter jet as the player with airships being the enemy. this idea worked with me because aircraft require little to no animation and it gave me more time to work on the game more.
For my research i looked for games similar to the style of game i was making. the first of them was called Raiden X which is a flash version of an old console game from the 90's. it had power-ups which was something i wanted to incorperate in my game, along with end-level bosses. Next i started adding code to make the game work in the first place.
The coding process was my least favourite part of the module mainly because of how many different codes there are to do one function which confused me greatly, i needed alot of assistance with the coding. I managed to get a few things done myself such as adding a moving background, making a collision animation to the players ship and the enemy craft as well and i also added a start screen to it.
even though my game doesn't have any hit detection, enemy A.I, lives system, multiple enemies or a game over screen i am fairly pleased my the final product. The amount of effort involved was huge and time constraints were a major problem, also help was a bit hard to come by especially since because of my other class mates needs were just as important as mine but, as i said before, i am still happy with my end result.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
flash video tutorials
below are some links for tutorials on youtube.
Flash Basics tutorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKj1IgWJd-A
Scrolling background
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvZTCKMr83A
Flash Basics tutorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKj1IgWJd-A
Scrolling background
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvZTCKMr83A
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Game ideas
For my game i have decided on a fantasy themed Shoot-em-up style game. below are some examples of said game.
A "shoot 'em up", also known as a "shmup"[1][2] or "STG",[3][4] is a game in which the protagonist combats a large number of enemies by shooting at them while dodging their fire. The controlling player must rely primarily on reaction times to succeed.[5][6] Beyond this, critics differ on exactly which design elements constitute a shoot 'em up. Some restrict the genre to games featuring some kind of craft, using fixed or scrolling movement.[5] Others widen the scope to include games featuring such protagonists as robots or humans on foot, as well as including games featuring "on-rails" (or "into the screen") and "run and gun" movement.[6][7][8] Formerly, critics described any game where the primary design element was shooting as a "shoot 'em up",[6] but later shoot 'em ups became a specific, inward-looking genre based on design conventions established in those shooting games of the 1980s.[7]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoot_'em_up
The first example of a STG that comes to mind is a game called Raiden X, in this game the player has to destroy all the enemy craft on screen and survive. At the end of each level you have to fight a boss to progress to the next stage. the game also features power-ups that are dropped from enemies and can be upgraded by picking up the same one again.
http://www.raidenx.net/
http://thatguywiththeglasses.wikia.com/wiki/Raiden_X
Ideas
My game will be about an aircraft of some description fighting against an army of Zeppelins/airships that will attack the player.
A "shoot 'em up", also known as a "shmup"[1][2] or "STG",[3][4] is a game in which the protagonist combats a large number of enemies by shooting at them while dodging their fire. The controlling player must rely primarily on reaction times to succeed.[5][6] Beyond this, critics differ on exactly which design elements constitute a shoot 'em up. Some restrict the genre to games featuring some kind of craft, using fixed or scrolling movement.[5] Others widen the scope to include games featuring such protagonists as robots or humans on foot, as well as including games featuring "on-rails" (or "into the screen") and "run and gun" movement.[6][7][8] Formerly, critics described any game where the primary design element was shooting as a "shoot 'em up",[6] but later shoot 'em ups became a specific, inward-looking genre based on design conventions established in those shooting games of the 1980s.[7]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoot_'em_up
The first example of a STG that comes to mind is a game called Raiden X, in this game the player has to destroy all the enemy craft on screen and survive. At the end of each level you have to fight a boss to progress to the next stage. the game also features power-ups that are dropped from enemies and can be upgraded by picking up the same one again.
http://www.raidenx.net/
http://thatguywiththeglasses.wikia.com/wiki/Raiden_X
Ideas
My game will be about an aircraft of some description fighting against an army of Zeppelins/airships that will attack the player.
- Enemies come in strings and pattern
- The player controlled craft will be an air plane type craft and the enemies will be airships/Zeppelins.
- The game will have 4 shields that will disintegrate as the enemy shoots them.
- There will be small,medium and large enemy ships.
- there may be bosses.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Flash as an IDE
Today i am writing about how flash can be used to entirely make games and their assets. Flash is very popular for making animations, games and websites. Flash has always used Actionscript, with new versions integrated into later iterations of Flash. Actionscript 3.0 is the latest version and is the most efficient and performs better than Actionscript 2.0 which was easier to use but was a bit slow. AS3 can be programmed to respond to input devices such as keyboard, mouse, microphone, pressure mats and more.
Flash uses vector graphics which means that when an image is made in flash the quality of the image doesn't decrease when you resize it. also the size of the file is quite small. along with vector flash can import graphics and movies in bitmap format. Flash has many image manipulation tools and filters similar to photoshop such as, opacity, drop shadow, free transform and more.
Objects that have been drawn on stage can be converted into Movieclips, buttons and symbols which can be seen in the library. In the library assets that have been converted to symbols will be listed here and can be dragged to the stage without having to be drawn again. objects can be swapped with another one from the library and any changes made to any symbol will be updated.
The program is most often known for its use in animations and games. AS is used for coding and flash can be used for animations as it incorporates timelines, layers and can be operated with a pen and tablet for more precise drawing. along with animation sound can be used and edited (to a certain degree) in flash which can be invaluable in animations that require audio. these will be added into the library for further use. objects can be can tagged with instance names that can be programmed using actionscript.
Audio in flash can be edited by chopping parts of sounds by highlighting the area you want to remove and then delete it. This can used for shortening the length of the audio or reducing the size of the file to increase the performance of the overall flash animation or game. Flash accepts many audio formats such as mp3, WAV, ASND and more.
If a sound file is either very loud or very quiet flash has the capability to adjust the volume of them. the audio track has envelope handles which, by dragging either one up or down will adjust the volume accordingly. This can also be used to fade audio in and out. As mentioned previously, any MovieClip, Symbol or Button will be placed in the library after being converted or imported, the same applies for audio files.
Movieclips can be edited individually through their separate timelines which can be used for in-game collisions which would feature explosions and such. objects and components can be colour coded in the timeline so that they can be identified from a crowd of images which will help streamline development. The use of layers can be used to add depth to the selection and organisation of on-screen objects, the higher the layer is in the list the object will be at the front.
For those whose skill in AS3 is very poor flash has components that can be easily dragged on to the stage, components such as scroll panes, buttons and many more. any coding can be all stored on a single frame so that it is all easy to find. For all the coding to work flash uses a compiler that will join the code together and help the author to correct any errors and inconsistencies.
My final thoughts on the use of Flash as an IDE are quite positive mainly because of its many diverse uses and applications. Flash has been an interest of mine for many years, most prominently in the animation department, where i used to make very basic stick man animations. I was usually surfing on the internet for animations especially on websites such as Newgrounds and Stickpage which specialised in stick man animations and games.
On the game development and AS3 side of flash i have honestly been quite intimidated and overwhelmed by the amount of coding that goes into them. Thanks to this unit i am gradually gaining a better understanding of flash and its use in game, animation and web design. Overall my outlook on flash is still very favourable despite my skill with AS3 being very poor.
Flash uses vector graphics which means that when an image is made in flash the quality of the image doesn't decrease when you resize it. also the size of the file is quite small. along with vector flash can import graphics and movies in bitmap format. Flash has many image manipulation tools and filters similar to photoshop such as, opacity, drop shadow, free transform and more.
Objects that have been drawn on stage can be converted into Movieclips, buttons and symbols which can be seen in the library. In the library assets that have been converted to symbols will be listed here and can be dragged to the stage without having to be drawn again. objects can be swapped with another one from the library and any changes made to any symbol will be updated.
The program is most often known for its use in animations and games. AS is used for coding and flash can be used for animations as it incorporates timelines, layers and can be operated with a pen and tablet for more precise drawing. along with animation sound can be used and edited (to a certain degree) in flash which can be invaluable in animations that require audio. these will be added into the library for further use. objects can be can tagged with instance names that can be programmed using actionscript.
Audio in flash can be edited by chopping parts of sounds by highlighting the area you want to remove and then delete it. This can used for shortening the length of the audio or reducing the size of the file to increase the performance of the overall flash animation or game. Flash accepts many audio formats such as mp3, WAV, ASND and more.
If a sound file is either very loud or very quiet flash has the capability to adjust the volume of them. the audio track has envelope handles which, by dragging either one up or down will adjust the volume accordingly. This can also be used to fade audio in and out. As mentioned previously, any MovieClip, Symbol or Button will be placed in the library after being converted or imported, the same applies for audio files.
Movieclips can be edited individually through their separate timelines which can be used for in-game collisions which would feature explosions and such. objects and components can be colour coded in the timeline so that they can be identified from a crowd of images which will help streamline development. The use of layers can be used to add depth to the selection and organisation of on-screen objects, the higher the layer is in the list the object will be at the front.
For those whose skill in AS3 is very poor flash has components that can be easily dragged on to the stage, components such as scroll panes, buttons and many more. any coding can be all stored on a single frame so that it is all easy to find. For all the coding to work flash uses a compiler that will join the code together and help the author to correct any errors and inconsistencies.
My final thoughts on the use of Flash as an IDE are quite positive mainly because of its many diverse uses and applications. Flash has been an interest of mine for many years, most prominently in the animation department, where i used to make very basic stick man animations. I was usually surfing on the internet for animations especially on websites such as Newgrounds and Stickpage which specialised in stick man animations and games.
On the game development and AS3 side of flash i have honestly been quite intimidated and overwhelmed by the amount of coding that goes into them. Thanks to this unit i am gradually gaining a better understanding of flash and its use in game, animation and web design. Overall my outlook on flash is still very favourable despite my skill with AS3 being very poor.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
more coding
In flash we made a two scripts. the first one is to control an object with out keyboard control and later with it.
Here is the code:
import flash.events.KeyboardEvent;
// set variables
var moveRight:Boolean = false
var moveLeft:Boolean = false
var moveUp:Boolean = false
var moveDown:Boolean = false
// tells the object where to go if true
stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,moveship);
// allows the object to move without keyboard input
function moveship(event:Event) {
if (moveRight==true) {
ship.x+=3;
}
if (moveLeft==true) {
ship.x-=3;
}
if (moveUp==true) {
ship.y-=3;
}
if (moveDown==true) {
ship.y+=3;
}
}
// listen to keyboard being pressed
stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN, pressKey);
stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP, stopship);
// if not pressed set move ship to false
function stopship(myevent:KeyboardEvent):void{
moveLeft=false;
moveRight=false;
moveUp=false;
moveDown=false;
}
// if pressed set move ship to true
function pressKey(myevent:KeyboardEvent):void{
if (myevent.keyCode==Keyboard.RIGHT){
moveRight=true;
}
if (myevent.keyCode==Keyboard.LEFT){
moveLeft=true;
}
if (myevent.keyCode==Keyboard.UP){
moveUp=true;
}
if (myevent.keyCode==Keyboard.DOWN){
moveDown=true;
}
}
The second script is to pull an object from the library and place it on screen.
here is the code:
import flash.display.MovieClip;
var ship:MovieClip = new Ship();
ship.x=275
ship.y=200
addChild(ship);
Here is the code:
import flash.events.KeyboardEvent;
// set variables
var moveRight:Boolean = false
var moveLeft:Boolean = false
var moveUp:Boolean = false
var moveDown:Boolean = false
// tells the object where to go if true
stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,moveship);
// allows the object to move without keyboard input
function moveship(event:Event) {
if (moveRight==true) {
ship.x+=3;
}
if (moveLeft==true) {
ship.x-=3;
}
if (moveUp==true) {
ship.y-=3;
}
if (moveDown==true) {
ship.y+=3;
}
}
// listen to keyboard being pressed
stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN, pressKey);
stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP, stopship);
// if not pressed set move ship to false
function stopship(myevent:KeyboardEvent):void{
moveLeft=false;
moveRight=false;
moveUp=false;
moveDown=false;
}
// if pressed set move ship to true
function pressKey(myevent:KeyboardEvent):void{
if (myevent.keyCode==Keyboard.RIGHT){
moveRight=true;
}
if (myevent.keyCode==Keyboard.LEFT){
moveLeft=true;
}
if (myevent.keyCode==Keyboard.UP){
moveUp=true;
}
if (myevent.keyCode==Keyboard.DOWN){
moveDown=true;
}
}
The second script is to pull an object from the library and place it on screen.
here is the code:
import flash.display.MovieClip;
var ship:MovieClip = new Ship();
ship.x=275
ship.y=200
addChild(ship);
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
More flash games
Happy wheels
The game Happy wheels is a bmx game where the player has to get from the start of the obstacle course to the finish. what makes this game stand out is because of the violence and gore, the selection of funny and crazy characters and the feature to make levels and post them in the game for everyone else to play and rate.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Asteroids style games
I will be researching games in the style of asteroids.
Asteroids is a video arcade game released in 1979 by Atari Inc. It was one of the most popular and influential games of the Golden Age of Arcade Games. Asteroids uses a vector display and a two-dimensional view that wraps around in both screen axes. The player controls a spaceship in an asteroid field which is periodically traversed by flying saucers. The object of the game is to shoot and destroy asteroids and saucers while not colliding with either, or being hit by the saucers' counter-fire. (Wikipedia)
Asteroids is a video arcade game released in 1979 by Atari Inc. It was one of the most popular and influential games of the Golden Age of Arcade Games. Asteroids uses a vector display and a two-dimensional view that wraps around in both screen axes. The player controls a spaceship in an asteroid field which is periodically traversed by flying saucers. The object of the game is to shoot and destroy asteroids and saucers while not colliding with either, or being hit by the saucers' counter-fire. (Wikipedia)
This game is called trippy asteroids. this game of asteroids uses fast-paced techno music and basic shapes, it also uses bright and vibrant colours in the background and in the shapes. the colours change when the player destroys all the blocks on screen and new ones appear in their place. this game isn't very challenging but it is very fast paced.
The game here is called space rocks. it is a very stylized version of asteroids with some more features such as health, shields, money and upgrades. unlike the original game it uses a bomb feature which destroys all the meteors on screen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)