This is just an introduction thread about the new StencylWorks Flash game development tool. It’s a very cool piece of software that combines codeless game creation with native Flash (.swf) game publishing, on top of some sophisticated collaboration and marketplace tools. We at Kongregate felt this was something that our new, and veteran, game developers would be very interested in so we’ve opened this dedicated forum for all things Stencyl. Check out the full details on our [feature page](http://www.kongregate.com/pages/stencyl) for Stencyl! We look forward to seeing all of the great content that will surely come out of this tool. Have fun everyone!

This looks rather interesting, and i’ll consider giving it a go. Do you know if it’s easy for beginners of programming to pick up? I wouldn’t want to waste my time if it’s overly complicated.

Hmm, I might have to give this a try just to see what it is. Anyway though, I’m going to recommend learning the actual language Actionscript 3 language used for making flash games, as it will give you much more flexibility and control in making your games. Here’s a great [tutorial](http://gamedev.michaeljameswilliams.com/2008/09/17/avoider-game-tutorial-1/) to get started. Of course, I haven’t tried StencylWorks yet, so this isn’t a criticism of it, just a recommendation for those looking to get a little bit deeper into flash games.

> *Originally posted by **[Hunkadunkus](/forums/80/topics/174276?page=1#posts-3780170):*** > > This looks rather interesting, and i’ll consider giving it a go. Do you know if it’s easy for beginners of programming to pick up? I wouldn’t want to waste my time if it’s overly complicated. It’s actually heavily-aimed at beginners – you can create entire games without ever writing a line of code. Still, for advanced devs, you can get in and edit the ActionScript 3 directly. It really can be used for a variety of skill levels. :)

Ooh! Looks interesting! I’m going to try this right away. Is there going to be a contest for games developed with Stencyl?

No official contests are planned at this time. I hope to eventually find a sponsor to create one, and if we have a strong Stencyl community that may help get one going. ;) I make no promises though – we primarily just thought this was a really cool tool and wanted to raise awareness of it despite not having a sponsor or contest yet.

I will check this out later.

Looks pretty cool! I might look into this.

Seems really interesting,i’ll try it sometime.

Well, I can say that following the tutorial, it seems simple enough. It’s got a quaint charm to it, and from my current progress, it looks easy.

Started using it yesterday, it’s pretty interesting. 

That looks damn awesome. If I can get my parent’s permission to download it, I might create a game during my study leave and over the rest of Summer.

There is a contest on Stencyl.com to make a game by the end of June and win 100$

I’m a massive fan of Stencyl, and am really stoked to see it finally unveiled here on Kongregate. I know you guys will put it to good use. The potential here cannot be overstated. If the right people get a hold of this tool, it could be one of the best communities and centers for independent developers. I strongly recommend anyone taking a few days to really get into it. I made Balls in Space in about 6 weeks, including the time it took to learn the tools and countless hours goofing around and tweaking little art nonsense. You can make games quickly and sell them to sponsors with this tool, and I really hope it introduces game development to a whole new audience of creators. /endpraise! :D

Interesting forum.

This looks really fun! I’ll edit my post when I’m done playing with it! :D

> *Originally posted by **[damijin](/forums/80/topics/174276?page=1#posts-3780434):*** > > I’m a massive fan of Stencyl, and am really stoked to see it finally unveiled here on Kongregate. I know you guys will put it to good use. The potential here cannot be overstated. If the right people get a hold of this tool, it could be one of the best communities and centers for independent developers. I strongly recommend anyone taking a few days to really get into it. > > I made Balls in Space in about 6 weeks, including the time it took to learn the tools and countless hours goofing around and tweaking little art nonsense. You can make games quickly and sell them to sponsors with this tool, and I really hope it introduces game development to a whole new audience of creators. > > /endpraise! :D I’m definitely going to invest some time into this program. For people like me, I’m terrible at coding in Flash, and Stencyl just simplifies everything. Once I finish the tutorials I’m gonna start brainstorming on what kind of game to make. :D By the way, the [Stencyl Chat](http://www.stencyl.com/chat/) is a pretty cool place to be. These people know their stuff.

I’ve been a long time beta tester of Stencyl. Use it almost everyday now. It’s a great piece of software to use since I’ve no coding/AS3 background and without it, I don’t even know how to start making a game. I think this will be true for a lot of people here. Most of us just tend to play games and have no idea how to make one. It’s a interesting learning process that requires more thinking and understand how pieces interact. Most of all, besides Flash, I understand Stencyl has plan to output IOS for Iphone and html5 not too far down the line. I can see how one can cross-advertise their own games between online flash and it’s mobile version. They say summer. We’ll see. I am just learning it everyday as much and as deep as I can ( a lot of options and button to uncover) so that I can monetize my games at that point.

This seems really cool, as I don’t need to learn ActionScript I will definitely look into this

I’m a former beta tester also (former, because now it’s public!) and I have to say, there’s nothing cookie-cutter about making a game. Sure, you could do the same thing as anyone else – but the great thing about Stencyl is that it gives you the power and access to ALL of Flash/Flixel and not just what someone decided you needed. Granted, some of it is going to be too advanced for new users – but everyone starts somewhere. What’s exciting is that if you’re good with logic, you can create anything. Learning code syntax is secondary and quite unnecessary if you never choose to delve into it. I hope everyone has fun with Stencyl, I know I have been!

After completing the tutorial, I have formed a review: Whereas Stencyl covers most aspects of Game creation, the tutorial neglects to cover some key points. The tutorial it runs you through revolves around the creation of a minor level for a platform game. By assigning classes, actors, and behaviours, it allows simplistic coverage of game creation without having to learn code. Whereas it is amusing to download components from the “Forge”, giving you the ability to get huge chunks of game code with one click, it does offer a general laziness to the user. Whereas Flash, and most game creation tool kits force you to create your own sprites, Stencyl offers a large amount of sprites available from the Forge. This can, as previously discussed, ruin the overall quality of gaming, as I predict we will see numerous games with the same sprites. But, one thing is for sure, the cutback of code entered onto the system is great. Not only that, but all code entered it colour coded, and easily notable and editable. Using baby steps, learning AS can be easier. Overall, the tutorial offers some decent coverage, however, neglects the most important issues of Platform games: A score system, a lives system, moveable enemies, enemies that kill when touched, enviromemtal hazards, and multiple levels. Self-Teaching these things shouldn’t be a hard thing, and it’s great to see small playable content that can be created in 5 minutes. New To Game Creation? – 5/5 Game Developer Veteran? – 3/5 to 4/5 (Varying from person to person)

@Hunkadunkus. I think this is a very fair assessment. In addition to the basic tutorial, I think they needed more advanced tutorial that can get people move on to the next level. Some of those pieces are in the articles provided in stencylpedia. However, nothing compares to actually running through a real and advanced tutorial. Note that stencyl is currently a very small company with limited manpower. With recent launch and alliance with Kongregate, I am sure bigger and better things will build up. I have been asking them to set up a set of more simplistic video tutorial to show each of the major pieces like scene designer, forge, actor importer etc. I am sure they are aware of this but again it comes back to resources. If only it is a larger company like some of its competitor … It would also be good if you can post some of your thoughts at their forum.

@ this forum: Wow. I hope this isnt the end of an era. :P

I’m also a former beta tester, it’s nice to see this forum has set up. :) Stencyl has enabled me to experience game creation first hand without knowing a programming language. Although I haven’t made anything actually worthwhile yet (everything i’ve made so far is a day or multiple’s work) I’m sure I’ll actually finish something when I set my mind to it. :P

Looks fun… shall definitely download and have a look, could let me earn my D properly.