Flash Games?

[dudeking]

Right, I have got a great idea for a game, but I have never made one before.
I am thinking about making it with flash so I can have it on the web, would flash be the simplest way to make it?
I have got a friend who is very good with graphics who will do all the graphics, I just need to know:-
1. How hard it will be... (it's a platform game (a side scroller))
2. What language to write it in, or shall I stick will flash?
3. What software should I use? I have Flash MX 2004 and I'm going to presume that its the best.

[oracle128]

1. How hard it will be... (it's a platform game (a side scroller))Depends on what language you write it in.
2. What language to write it in, or shall I stick will flash?Depends on what languages you know.
3. What software should I use? I have Flash MX 2004 and I'm going to presume that its the best.Depends on what language you write it in...

If you don't really know any language, then yes, Flash would be the easiest. It's the best tool for non-programmers, because it lets you get your interface and game assets in, then figure out later what you want them to do. That said, ActionScript probably isn't the best way to write a game, but usually it'll do.

I've never created a platformer in Flash before (I have done other types of games though), but I imagine the hardest thing would be handling contact (between the ground/platforms and the player/enemies, between the enemies and the player, between the enemies and the weapon, etc).

[dudeking]

I'm going to use either C# or Flash, I know bits of both but the only reason I am doing this is a learning experience. I have just brought a copy of Beginning C# Game Programming from Amazon.
Creating a game is always something I fancied doing, I think I might do this on in flash then move on to C#.
That's what I am thinking will be the hardest, but its a learning curve, It will take lost of reading, trial and error and TIME. I'm going with a platformer as I presume it will be the simplest. Am I right?

[dudeking]

Any one that has read this thread and wants to create flash games, I recomend you take a look at all these.
http://www.newgrounds.com/collection/flashtutorials.html

[oracle128]

A platformer would be one of the hardest things to do - in terms of programming the graphics and animation. Though, almost any 2D animated game would be just as hard - the differences really only come when you start to consider game logic, and they get even worse if/when you have to start consideing performance (eg. a platformer tracking ~10 objects per screen vs. a scrolling shooter with a potential hundreds of objects per screen (FYI if you want do a shooter, google for BulletML)).

If you're doing it just to learn C#, I recommend that you do something non-animated (once you've mastered the basics, of course) - board games and card games are a good start, because you can achieve them without animation, and add little bits of animation to extend it (eg. changing chess pieces from magically jumping to a square, to actually moving along to it).

On the other hand, if you really want to get your platformer idea off the ground in the near future, I stand by the recommendation of Flash. Trying to learn a full language to do it will leave you disappointed.

[dudeking]

This is really hard, I seem to be picking up the basics to Flash MX quick thought, I have acheved this http://dudeking.co.uk/game.swf this morning.

Arrow keys move, Space Jump.
I can't work out how to pick the ball up yet, I am just following some basic tutorials on Newgrounds, the people there seem helpfull, they have a whole forum dedicated to programing flash games.
I'm looking for a good actionscript guide now, the main problem I am having I don't no how to make the screen scroll when the pink blobby thing moves, at the moment it just falls off the edge.
BTW these are just shapes not the graphics I will be making the game with lol

[oracle128]

If you're wanting helping with Flash development, Newgrounds is definitely the place to be.

As for the difficulty? The thing about ActionScript is, it makes game logic harder to do - but the trade-off is you get to realize and visualize a project much quicker. Consider this: if you were doing it in C#, right now you'd still be deciding the classes, fields and methods you'd need.

[dudeking]

My copy of Beginning C# Game programming has just arrived.
It's great, it has 5 chapters teaching you C# then has 6 chapters on Game programming in C#.
The boot explains creating games with Direct X9. apparently the author has been making games sense the age of 11 its written really well its easy to read, not like the shi**y teach your self C++ in 24 hours and Teach your Self VB in 24 hours which really take about 6months to read because your bored out of your head after the first 2 lines. And where as the books the first thing they get you to make is a calculator of some kind the first thing this book gets to to make is a simple game.
I recommend this for any one wanting to learn C#

I'm still going to work with flash for a while as I want to get my games on places like newgrounds.