Games in a Flash!
By Jason Erick D. Masipiqueña
Ever played a video game? A silly question; I bet everybody in CS has played at least one game on any platform. What's more enjoyable than the thrill and fun of playing games? The ability to make them. If gaming is your passion, you might as well move forward and try to make your own. All you need is your creativity, your skills in programming (that's why you're studying computer science), and a game development tool. Many free and commerical ones are downloadable through the Internet. Somtimes it only takes core programming languages like C++ or Java (remember your CS 11 or CS 12 MP's?), although it's undoubtedly difficult especially for complicated and graphics-heavy games. Macromedia Flash, originally a tool for creating Web sites and application enhancements, can also be used as a powerful game development tool. Why Flash? Although Macromedia Flash is not solely intended for game development, its features allow users to easily create game elements. You have the tool, but can it supplement your creativity? Flash offers rich vector graphic and animation design features, fit for creating an effective game environment. You can also import external files like bitmaps, sounds, and video clips to augment the gaming experience. ActionScript Now that you have created a great game environment, you need to orchestrate all the elements to come up with an even greater gameplay. This is where your programming skills come into action. ActionScript is Flash's scripting language. It provides actions, operators, and objects, all essential in creating your game. ActionScript 2.0, available in Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004, is a restructuring of the ActionScript language that provides several new features found in programming languages such as Java. The Actions panel in Flash has two modes: normal mode and expert mode. In normal mode, you build scripts by selecting options from menus (so, this is the "normal ”way of programming?). In expert mode, you type text directly into the panel; the same way we type our programs in a text editor (does this mean we are "experts?”). These scripts can be attached to movie clips, buttons, or frames to create the gaming experience you need. To learn more about ActionScript, there are many Flash tutorials, even ones about game development, on the Net. You can also refer to Flash's Help section. There are also sample files featuring certain ActionScript capabilities. I learned most of the things about ActionScript by reading the Help section and by viewing sample files; they were a lot more comprehensive than I expected. It is relatively easy to learn Flash and ActionScript for us programmers. Once you have become familiar with Flash, you can express your ingenuity by making games in no time. I have been working on my very first Flash game, Space Poring (check out the screenshot), since October 2004, and in the process I am also learning more about Flash and ActionScript. This project will be my entry to Level-Up's Flash Game Contest. The deadline has been moved several times from November 31, 2004, to this coming April. Once I have formally submitted my project, I will be glad to make it "open-source” and share how it was done. Note: If you are interested in game dev't, you might want to join UP ACM Student Chapter's Gaming & Graphics Special Interest Group (SIG). Contact the author of this article or any UP ACM officer (see related news article) for more info.
By Jason Erick D. Masipiqueña
Ever played a video game? A silly question; I bet everybody in CS has played at least one game on any platform. What's more enjoyable than the thrill and fun of playing games? The ability to make them. If gaming is your passion, you might as well move forward and try to make your own. All you need is your creativity, your skills in programming (that's why you're studying computer science), and a game development tool. Many free and commerical ones are downloadable through the Internet. Somtimes it only takes core programming languages like C++ or Java (remember your CS 11 or CS 12 MP's?), although it's undoubtedly difficult especially for complicated and graphics-heavy games. Macromedia Flash, originally a tool for creating Web sites and application enhancements, can also be used as a powerful game development tool. Why Flash? Although Macromedia Flash is not solely intended for game development, its features allow users to easily create game elements. You have the tool, but can it supplement your creativity? Flash offers rich vector graphic and animation design features, fit for creating an effective game environment. You can also import external files like bitmaps, sounds, and video clips to augment the gaming experience. ActionScript Now that you have created a great game environment, you need to orchestrate all the elements to come up with an even greater gameplay. This is where your programming skills come into action. ActionScript is Flash's scripting language. It provides actions, operators, and objects, all essential in creating your game. ActionScript 2.0, available in Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004, is a restructuring of the ActionScript language that provides several new features found in programming languages such as Java. The Actions panel in Flash has two modes: normal mode and expert mode. In normal mode, you build scripts by selecting options from menus (so, this is the "normal ”way of programming?). In expert mode, you type text directly into the panel; the same way we type our programs in a text editor (does this mean we are "experts?”). These scripts can be attached to movie clips, buttons, or frames to create the gaming experience you need. To learn more about ActionScript, there are many Flash tutorials, even ones about game development, on the Net. You can also refer to Flash's Help section. There are also sample files featuring certain ActionScript capabilities. I learned most of the things about ActionScript by reading the Help section and by viewing sample files; they were a lot more comprehensive than I expected. It is relatively easy to learn Flash and ActionScript for us programmers. Once you have become familiar with Flash, you can express your ingenuity by making games in no time. I have been working on my very first Flash game, Space Poring (check out the screenshot), since October 2004, and in the process I am also learning more about Flash and ActionScript. This project will be my entry to Level-Up's Flash Game Contest. The deadline has been moved several times from November 31, 2004, to this coming April. Once I have formally submitted my project, I will be glad to make it "open-source” and share how it was done. Note: If you are interested in game dev't, you might want to join UP ACM Student Chapter's Gaming & Graphics Special Interest Group (SIG). Contact the author of this article or any UP ACM officer (see related news article) for more info.