An Aside

As an aside, here is another game I'm working on for a different class...

Detour

This has since been updated, and was a fun project to work on. After getting the initial code out of the way (code to switch between games, load the games, etc.) it was relatively easy to make games. This project had a much bigger emphasis on using the stage and Movie clips as well as AS3. What I mean by that is in teh proect for CAR233 I tried (and I think I did) do everything in code. This project mixes code a movie clips with preset animations and actions within a layer. So it was a different way of working, but also a good way of making a final product. It seemed much more intuitive.

Final Project - Post 5

All I've got to say is that I'm glad tomorrow is a working crit.

WORK IN PROGRESS

But really dissapointed that this is how little I have. That, and in trying to finish a lot of teh code/animations the code has become quite sloppy, which is too bad as it was kind of simple before.

Basically though, most of the key features have now been animated. Granted, the body isn't there half the time, but it's a start. The background is a little (see totally) overpowering. I really like the foreground though, I think that works very nicely.

Ther'es still more to do though. Thank goodness for finals week!

Final Project - Post 4.1

Yet another version!

WORK IN PROGRESS

This time, there's some of teh groundwork for animation. The way I've set it up seems pretty resonable to me, but we'll see. The only problem is that you have to uinput all of teh frame numbers, which gets a little annoying.

Other than that though, it works pretty well. There neeeds to be quite a few more frames, and each one should last longer, since right now everything is on speed. To me the game seems to be running at the same speed, which is nice.

Final Project - Post 4

So I started animating, and once again I have underestimated how much work and time goes into drawing the sprites, organizing them in Flash, and then putting together pieces and animating them. It has taken me considerably longer than I thought it would, and still don't have much to show for it! Whoops!

But here's the sprite sheet so far. Everything on this sheet has been assembled, so once I get this working in the game it should be fairly easy (just not quick) putting the torso on or adding more frames.

I'm digging the look, but not how much more needs done! I'll get this to work, add in teh environment, and then try and code bad guys/lives/things that will make this an actual game and moderately fun. We'll see. I would like to have a good chunk done for critique.

Final Project - Post 3

Yet another update...

WORK IN PROGRESS

There's a possibility I'm starting to overload Flash...I've noticed in the most recent one that it chugs a little bit in the browser. Sure, I could have people download it, but how would tehy be able to run it besides making a HTML for them to click on. Just a note.

Improvements:
- Arrows! Press "1" to fire (fires on release).
- Steadying. While holding down "1", press "2" repetively to not only increase the accuracy of your shot, but also the speed of the shot.

To Do List:
- ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART.
- Along with that is figuring out how to code animations...hmmm...
- Limiting the number of arrows, or maybe just making it take longer to load.
- Better collision for arrows.
- Enemies/AI.
- Compelling levels.
- Cleaning up the code.

So there's still more to do, but progress is very exciting! I think the art part will come next, if only because it's half the game, and will alter my code greater trying to figure out animations.

Final Project - Post 2

So here's some of the progress I've made so far.

WORK IN PROGRESS

There's still a lot more to do (no surprise), but I've made some decent progress in teh last three hours. One thing I really need to start doing to timing how long I work for, not only so I'll be better in managing homework, but also so I can understand and appreciate how long things take to make.

Updates:
- A much, MUCH better collision system. Mostly overhauled.
- Jumping. The longer you hold "Space", the higher the box jumps.
- Ledges. Double press "Down" key to fall through them.

On the agenda:
- ANIMATION AND ART! I've got to do it this time. No if's, and's, or but's about it.
- Shooting system.
- Enemies.

As an aside, it makes no sense to me why the earlier levels I made no longer work. For whatever reason, the character will just fall through blocks. The solution is as easy as making a new level, but curious none-the-less.

Final Project - Post 1

Heyo!

So here is a demonstration of the work I have done so far.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Good:
- Got scrolling fore/middle/background.
- Easier and more efficient heirarchies (in my opinion...not sure though!)

Bad:
- Maybe it's just Flash, but it's unintuitive to add new backgrounds for each level. Granted, the solution is just creating another AS file, but I've already got quite a few.
- Sloppy collision detection. Is more accurate than last time, but it thinks there are horizontal collisions when it hits the ground hard enough.

For next time:
- Actual art assets: character, landscape, enemies.
- AI for enemies.
- The shooting and jumping mechanics for the main character.
- Ledges you can fall through when holding/pressing down.
- Bigger levels.

There's still wuite a bit more to do obviously. Thank goodness for Mayfest. And next weekend.

Final GDD Abstract

The driving idea behind my final game is to have gameplay defined by the use of controls and animation.

In regards to controls, the way that the player presses buttons greatly affects the character. In order to shoot a single arrow, the player has to do more then press "A". Instead, the player first holds down the "Fire" button, waits for the arrow to be strung, and then must press another button (while holding down "Fire") to steady the character's aim, and only then can the player fire the arrow.

As for animation, it will impact the actual gameplay. If the player lets go of the "Fire" button before the arrow is strung, the arrow will launch from the character's hand. In the same way, if the player decides not to balance the character's aim, the arrow will shoot in regards to where the character's bow is pointing at that moment.

Obviously, this will affect gameplay. If an enemy gets too close, press the "Fire" button quickly to throw the arrow instead of stringing it. Or if the player has good timing, they can watch the character and shoot the arrow quickly instead pressing more buttons and wasting time.

More than anything, it would be cool to get this working. Cool in the sense that there's added strategy, pretty graphics, and just fun to play.

Project 2 Plus

And here is the version I presented in class...sorry if you had ben waiting, and I swear this will be the last one!!

Project 2 Plus

Project 2

So here's Project 2

Project 2

I definitely was able to play around and rework a lot of the code I've already written, but the concepts, graphics, and most important fun isn't there yet. I underestimated how long animating would take, especially in regards with getting it into Flash. I spent quite a bit of time figuring out how to move through the MovieClips and how to position all of the frames within the clip.

In terms of animation, so much more could be happening. Having a character that actually responds to the environment, whether it's pushing back against a wall, trying to change their momentum, or bracing/preparing for impact after a fall or jump. All of these things would help lead to a more believable experience. It will be tricky (I think?) to get characters to move realistically, as the one I have now glides instead of steps.

In terms of code, I found out that Flash allows for inheritance. So I used that throughout the code fro Project 2. In the beginning the code was pretty concise, but quickly got out of hand since I started dumping code in from my previous code fro Project 2. The end result works, but could be trimmed down and made more intuitive, especially since with every level change some errors are thrown. Nothing that affects the game, but knowing it's there means something sin;t working right. Knowing that there is inheritance will help dramatically in the next project.

And the concept! The magnets didn't carry over as well as I thought they would. I was hoping that you would see the character move in cool, curved paths, but he just kind of floats away. I couldn't figure out the actual physics as well, so there's just a radius around the magnets where it works.

So yeah. I'm somewhat pleased with what I've learned, but not what I have done so far. I need to be further along!

Project 2 Update

So here's a much better version of project 2.

First, the collision is mostly correct now. It pushes the character back down when it's head hits something, and bounces off the extremes of teh screen.

Also new is scrolling, which automatically looks for the leftmost and rightmost platforms, and stops scrolling when they're reached. The code is flexible, so it should work for any level.

Other things that need to be done:
Platforms you can jump through, or duck down through.
An actual level.
An actual concept.
Oh, and fix the friction in the air. (As in get rid of it)

Here's the update!

Same controls.

Project 2 So Far

So far, Project 2 has a far way to go.

Originally it was going to be a Contra like game, I think I'm switching to a game where your character is magnetized and he can activate it whenever he wants. When he activates his magnet near another one, he'll launch into the air or attach to it.

The code I have right now is messy. The physics is acting properly (compared to Project 1), but compromises were made. First, everything has to do with teh center of the box. If teh center is off teh edge, teh whole thing will fall.

One problem can be seen when jumping right under the floating block. I'll have to switch it so that that doesn't happen.

Oh, and when the box falls friction applies. Just a remined to fix that.

Here it is.

In this version though:
Double tap left or right to get a quick speed boost (which needs altering)
Press "1" to jump