Recent posts by Zichu on Kongregate

Topic: Game Design / Adobe Flash Pro + Puppet Warp

Thanks for the reply. I just wanted to make sure that it has Puppet Warp or something similar to it. As I said, I’m not a very good drawer, so animating would be hard for me.

Just wanted to know if anyone has used this to animate your game characters at all?

Topic: Game Design / Adobe Flash Pro + Puppet Warp

Hey, I am currently on a Chapter in my ActionScript 3.0 book which is to do with using the Flash Authoring Tool, Timeline Scripting, Animation and such. Anyway, I wanted to have a mess about with Flash before I start reading more into this book and I wanted to know if Flash has Puppet Warp. I know Photoshop does, but I don’t fancy spending money on something just for Puppet Warp.

I’m not very good at drawing, so creating multiple images for one animation would be a pain for me. I don’t have Flash yet, I am going to be using SWiSH for my studying before I invest in more expensive software.

I was also just wondering if any AS Programmers on here, that aren’t very good at drawing use Puppet Warp to create animations?? I know it’s probably a cheap way creating animations, but if it saves someone money and maybe time, does it really matter??

Thanks.

Topic: Game Design / Process of Game Development

Thanks for the help guys. I have been learning C++ for over a year now, it was hard at first, but I am going back and forth through my books making sure I understand everything that is going on.

I have been learning ActionScript and DirectX since around January. I study both twice a week each for multiple hours, I also do one day of C++ just to backtrack, make sure I have the basics down completely.

Well I was just have a conversation with my Dad, and he knows how much I enjoy playing games and I talk about it a lot. He always asks me how I am doing with my studying and 9/10 its good. He was just going on about how important my studying is, if I wanted to make it into the industry, either it be independently or through a company. I just couldn’t grasp the process of developing a game. I sort of felt scared, I know for some people it’s just a hobby, they make a basic game and they’re happy with the results regardless of what people might say about it, but I want to be able to learn as much as I can, come up with that good idea and make it.

I did have one idea a few months ago, but I sort of got stuck and couldn’t think of much. I’m not very good at drawing and couldn’t put pencil to paper and just draw it lol. So anyway, I came up with another idea, mainly a traditional platform game, nothing to extreme or complicated to develop (hopefully…), I’ve written the genre down, the ideas I have and the way the game plays. I just haven’t drawn anything yet. Not to sure if it will have a story or anything, but I hope maybe in the next few weeks I might have a few drawings. I will most likely write it up in C++ and see how it goes, then give it a go with ActionScript or something, that way I have experienced the best of both worlds and can decide which one I feel more comfortable with.

Topic: Game Design / Process of Game Development

Hey, I have been on this site for quite some time now. I have posted a few things on this forum and have received a good amount of help.

I just wanted to know what kind of process do you game developers go through to start creating your game?
How do ideas come to you and how do they come together?
For people who aren’t very good at drawing, story telling, etc. How do you draft out your game idea?

I’m new to this sort of process and have had a few ideas, but I don’t think they are original, more of copies of games. I know it would be hard to come up with something completely original, but I don’t want to make a clone of a game.

How do you decide the sound, the graphics and art style, the story if there is one, replay value, fun factor, etc.

I am currently learning C++, ActionScript and dabbing into DirectX Graphics programming. Everything is helping me in different areas, I study multiple hours a day making sure I understand everything within those hours.

I’m not specifically looking to develop games just with ActionScript, just mainly posted on here because I know a lot of you would of developed games anyway and just wanted to get your opinions and some answers.

Cheers

Topic: Game Programming / trace() Method

Well I was just wondering if the book I am learning from is any good: Essential ActionScript 3.0. The book doesn’t seem to give me Exercises to do myself. I have a C++ book which has exercises at the end of each chapter and helps me alot by making me think about what I might need to include in my code.

If anyone else could recommend other ActionScript 3.0 books that have exercises or small projects that I could work on I would really appreciate it. I’m from the UK by the way, so some books might not be available in the UK.

Topic: Game Programming / trace() Method

Hey I had a look at what you guys put and I also had a god with the code again, but it still doesn’t output anything. It runs like it did before, but nothing outputs to the output window.

Is it meant to?

Topic: Game Programming / trace() Method

These pieces of code are on page like 101. I think I understand how it works now and I must of read the book wrong. I think it was just showing me how you would invoke the instance methods.

Topic: Game Programming / trace() Method

Well how would I output the code then?

Topic: Game Programming / trace() Method

Wow this book must be real bad lol. That’s how it pretty much shows you in the book.

Topic: Game Programming / trace() Method

Second piece of code:

package src
{
      public class B extends A
      {
              public function n()
              {
                     trace(“Method n() was called”);
              }
      }
      var bInstance = new B();
      bInstance.m(); bInstance.n();

}

Topic: Game Programming / trace() Method

First piece of code

package src
{
     public class A
    {
           public function m()
          {
                   trace(“Method m() was called”);
           }
    }
    var aInstance = new A();
    aInstance.m() // Displays: Method m() was called

}

Topic: Game Programming / trace() Method

Hey, I am currently learning ActionScript 3.0 from the Essential ActionScript 3.0 book. I am on Chapter 6 and it teaching me about Inheritance. I wanted to make sure that my code would output the text that it should do using the trace() method.

This is my code like it is in the book:

package src
{
public class A
{
public function m()
{
trace(“Method m() was called”);
}
}

var aInstance = new A(); aInstance.m() // Displays: Method m() was called

}

Now on the next page it uses the extend keyword to create a subclass of class A called B. I create a new class on a new file and type this in:

package src
{
public class B extends A
{
public function n()
{
trace(“Method n() was called”);
}
}

var bInstance = new B(); bInstance.m(); bInstance.n();

}

Now why isn’t the code within the trace method not outputting to the output window? I am using FlashDevelop by the way and it worked with a different piece of code perfectly fine. I even tried leaving the file to default how it was created which is like this:

package src
{
import flash.display.Sprite;
import flash.events.Event;

public class Main extends Sprite
{

public function Main():void
{
if (stage) init();
else addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init);
}

private function init(e:Event = null):void
{
removeEventListener(EVENT.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init);
// entry point
}

}
}

I even tested it and just replaced the // entry point with trace(“Hello”);
Nothing outputs at all. It’s getting me really irritated and without some help I am going to be stuck on this chapter.

Topic: Game Programming / Compiler Help

Awesome I tested it out and it works. Just wished the book had explained abit more. I searched that function on the Adobe Documentation and checked it. I put it at the end of the if statement to tell if it was working or not and the text is outputting to the debug console like it should. Glad it does that now and will be able to test the extra parts of the code that I need to add on.

Cheers johndaly ^^

Topic: Game Programming / Compiler Help

Hey I just checked my code and I created a new AS3 project. Now the code I previously posted works as the code compiles and the program runs, a blank window appears and that’s it. There was nothing else in the code and the code is used to find out if an email address does have the “@” character, if it does then obviously isValidAddress becomes true and that’s it.

Has anyone else been learning from Essential ActionScript 3.0 book or what? I am meant to add to this code, but how do I know that I actually did it right even though if it compiles properly O.o

Topic: Game Programming / Compiler Help

I will have a look once I get back on my comp (currently on my laptop) lol

Cheers

Topic: Game Programming / Compiler Help

Well when I create a project and put in some basic code such as:

var address = “address@email.com”;
var isValidAddress = false;
var i = 0;

while(i < address.length)
{
if(address.charAt(i) == “@”)
{
isValidAddress = true;
}
++i;
}

It tells me I have to find an output file, meaning the .swf file. The .swf file was never created and have no idea how to create it.

C++ and Flash are quite different, so not to sure if I have to specify which package I am using or anything. The code I showed was from the book, Essential Actionscript 3.0.

Well anyway… Draco, how do I go about compiling my code into a .swf file?

Topic: Game Programming / Compiler Help

Hey, I am currently studying ActionScript 3. I bought the Essential ActionScript 3.0 book not to long ago and I am close to Chapter 3. I have been learning C++ for a year now and decided to do this to give me some experience in creating games, obviously I won’t be making my own games till I have finished studying as much I as I need to know.
The only problem I am having is that I can’t really afford Adobe Flash CS5. It’s almost £700 for the Commercial Version which is quite alot for someone who only makes £300 a month and is studying at home. So I use Flash Develop and have only gotten to a part of the book where I need to add on to a piece of code that was explained in the book, sadly I am not able to compile or execute anything as I don’t have Flash Pro CS5. I am just wondering if there is another piece of software which allows me to compile and execute my codes.

By the way, I can create a project and write the code using the examples in the book, but I don’t know how to create a .swf file.

Cheers

Topic: Game Programming / [FAQ] Making Games. READ FIRST!

Hey, I am currently studying ActionScript 3. I bought the Essential ActionScript 3.0 book not to long ago and I am close to Chapter 3. I have been learning C++ for a year now and decided to do this to give me some experience in creating games, obviously I won’t be making my own games till I have finished studying as much I as I need to know.
The only problem I am having is that I can’t really afford Adobe Flash CS5. It’s almost £700 for the Commercial Version which is quite alot for someone who only makes £300 a month and is studying at home. So I use Flash Develop and have only gotten to a part of the book where I need to add on to a piece of code that was explained in the book, sadly I am not able to compile or execute anything as I don’t have Flash Pro CS5. I am just wondering if there is another piece of software which allows me to compile and execute my codes.

Cheers

Topic: Kongregate Labs / Game Create

Game Maker is a little meh tbh. I’ve used it before and it didn’t teach me anything. It’s basically a piece of software that lets kids have fun and make little games. You can use it to get the idea of how games sort of work, but you won’t get very far with Game Maker.

It is best if you learn programming tho. I haven’t made a game yet and I am currently learning C++ just to get me started. I’ve been studying it for about 5 months now and I do feel I have progressed alot. I’ve been back tracking through the first book and I can do alot of the exercises without any help, I feel quite proud atm ^^

Anyway, I was told that you need to use Flash and ActionScript to make games and upload them onto Kongregate. I have never used ActionScript before and I’m no good with Flash either, but I was also told that once I have finished my course on C++, I should think about learning C# and using XNA to make games, then move onto using Flash and ActionScript.

Also you can follow the tutorials, but alot of people who do just use the tutorial and make a game and even upload it onto Kongregate. So this site has alot of Shootorial look a like games and alot of people get quite irritated.

Topic: Kongregate Labs / A few questions about making games on here

Ahhh ok cheers lol
Well I guess I will try out C# and XNA after and just get some experience with that. I will then try out ActionScript and Flash after that I guess ^^
I will probably be back months later hopefully with a game or something.
I have been wanting to find out more about putting up games on Kongregate or other sites, so I’m glad I did it today.

Topic: Kongregate Labs / A few questions about making games on here

That’s fine ^^, does it really matter if I use C# and XNA or ActionScript 3 and Flash? Are they both reasonably easy compared to each other?

Topic: Kongregate Labs / A few questions about making games on here

I don’t think that stuff is in the books that were provided, there were only 2 books with the course I am doing and the I am on the second book and have just looked through them both and I don’t see anything to do with the 2 things you mentioned.

With the converters, could that be anything like for example converting different number systems like binary to decimal or hex to binary and stuff? Would it work the same way as Celcius-Farenheit converters? With the virtual memory simulator, there isn’t anything in the book that says stuff like that.

I will tell you chapters I have completed:
Introducing C++
Logic, Conditionals, Loops and Arrays
Functions
References and Pointers
Classes and Object orientated programming
Strings and other topics(the other topics are like the this pointer, friends, static keyword, namespaces etc)
Operator Overloading
File input and output(saving and loading files)
Inheritance and Polymorphism
Templates
Errors and Exception Handling
Number Systems (The chapter I am on now)

The chapters after:
STL Primer
Windows Programming
GDI and Menus
Dialogs and Controls
Timing, Animation, and Sprites
The Air Hockey Game

I haven’t done C++ before these books, I have probably been doing it for 4 – 5 months now. I know alot of people have had years of experience with programming languages before they started there first game.

Topic: Kongregate Labs / A few questions about making games on here

When you how far advanced, do you mean how long have I been learning it or how much experience have I had with it?

Topic: Kongregate Labs / A few questions about making games on here

Hello, I don’t know if this is the right place to put this up, but I just have a few questions for you all or some of you.

1. How long have alot of you been making games, programming etc before you started submitting games on Kongregate?

2. What game engine software do you use to make your games?

3. What programming languages do you use to program your games?

4. Do some of you program, design and even create some of the objects in your games on your own, or do alot of you try and find people to help you out or have (a) friend/friends that help you out?

5. Is it difficult coming up with game ideas that people will enjoy and get addicted to?

I am sort of a nooby at this kind of stuff. I am currently learning C++ game programming online and do a good amount of C++, but am still learning alot of new things as I progress through the course. I also completed a 3D game course a few months ago which helps you step by step how to make the game. the game engine I used was called GameCore. I have also tried out a few 2D game engines, but I just really don’t know where to start, I have used Games Factory, RPG Maker, Game Maker, some of those nooby engines.
I have read a few threads on the developer forums and was looking at this one called AS3, I looked it up and says something about Action Script and it looks like its a combination of Flash Player and code. I’m not a very good drawer and have only tried animating once which was for the 3D game.

How long does it take to make a game for alot of you?
Is it hard making a game on your own? If alot of you do this.
How much experience do you think I would need before I start making some games and submitting them?

Thanks for your time,
Zichu ^^