Chapters 1 & 2

To start out the book, I discuss Flash- and game-related terminology.  This covers different game types, programming terms, and Flash-specific groundwork.

In Chapter 2, I outline some of Flash’s strengths and weaknesses with regards to game development.  Where it is deficient, I recommend ways to augment and improve it.

There are no files associated with this chapter.

Chapter 3

In Chapter 3, I discuss the elements of game design documentation.  It is important to be able to outline the features of a game before you ever begin to code.  I briefly discuss UML design and one program in particular, StarUML, that can be used to develop it.  In addition, there is a helpful tutorial, created by a Flash Player engineer, which shows how to use StarUML to generate AS3 code from a layout.

Chapter 3 Files

Chapter 5

Managing assets and graphics is the subject of Chapter 5.  I cover some tips for image optimization, library organization, and general guidelines to keep your FLA in good working order.

There are no files associated with this chapter.

Appendix B

The first of two online appendices, Appendix B details localizing a game for different languages.  We take the MixUp game from Chapter 14 and create a set of languages for it using the Strings panel and the Locale class.

Downloadable Chapter

Appendix B Files

Chapter 15

This is the big one.  In Chapter 15, we pull together the concepts learned for math, physics, external data, and good code design and put them into practice.  We create a simple platformer game which is highly modular and can be used as the basis for larger -scale games.

Chapter 15 Files

Chapter 14

Chapter 14 is the first of two sections which deal with creating an entire game from scratch.  I walk step-by-step through the complete process for making a simple puzzle game using an engine and flexible interfaces to provide re-usability.  We create two variations of the game; one with a static image and one which uses the player’s camera.

Chapter 14 Files

Chapter 10

Covering trig and physics, Chapter 10 will guide you through several examples of these important game dev components in practice.  We use trig and geometry to create the foundation for a 3D-style tunnel shooter, and we apply 2D physics to simulate simple driving mechanics.

Chapter 10 Files

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 covers different methods of collision detection in Flash, which is widely used in many popular games.  I also discuss when to use which method – sometimes you don’t need pixel-perfect accuracy to achieve a relatively simple effect.

Chapter 11 Files

Chapter 4

In Chapter 4, I give a crash course in ActionScript 3 programming, covering topics such as Classes, Events, and Errors.  While this is not a comprehensive course in AS3, but should be enough for developers coming from other programming backgrounds or earlier versions of Flash.  For AS1/2 devs, I also recommend this tutorial to aide in the transition.  There are also a number of great articles by Grant Skinner on topics like garbage collection.

Chapter 4 Files