In the last 2 parts we covered simple classes using object and static methods. Today I’m going to go over class extensions.Extending classes is really useful when you want to make a bunch of classes that have independent functionality but also share a lot of common functions.

One of the most useful ways to use class extensions in game development is to extend the MovieClip class, and that’s just what we’re going to do now!

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In the last lesson we went over what a class is, touched on the types of functions you can do and created a static class with some commonly used math routines.

This time we’ll get into object based classes.

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I know that ActionScript 3.0 is the big thing now, but for a lot of flash developers who started out as hobbyists with more art background than programming, a strict/rigid language is really imposing.

Because of this intimidation factor, many of today’s most creative flash developers still work with ActionScript 1 and 2, coding everything on their timelines and in #include files, but with AS3 looming overhead, they are looking to get their feet wet in the pool of structured programming.

For me, if I hadn’t learned how to work with AS2 classes, AS3 would definitely be way over my head, so I thought I’d take a little trip back in time today and write a long overdue tutorial for my olschool homeboys out there that want to learn what classes are all about.

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This week I have finally made a commitment to eating healthier. My approach is a little different as I still intend to eat the kinds of foods I have always enjoyed. I am not on a gimmicky diet, and I sure as hell am not going vegan, but I am making better choices, and getting creative.

It’s only been a day and a half since implementing this change, but I already feel more energy, and the food I’ve been eating is pretty frikken good. I’ve decided to track my progress here on my blog, and share any of the recipes I come up with during this transition.

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Ingredients:

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

2 Cans of ‘no salt added’ diced tomatoes

1/2 Tbsp garlic salt

1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1/3 Cup Spinach

1/4 Cup chopped red bell pepper

Calories: 48 per 1/2 cup serving

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Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Spinnach

1/4 Plain Yogurt

1 Tbsp Dale’s Roasted Tomato Dressing (gives it a bit more kick)
OR
2 Tsp red wine vinnegar (gives it a slight tanginess)

3/4 Cup Dry-curd cottage cheese

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/* Edit

I realize I type-ramble in this article and some of the concepts are probably way over people’s heads who haven’t tried doing multiplayer games yet, so here’s the basic point of this post. We are making a kick-ass multiplayer server and will be providing affordable hosting services for people who want to do some cool multiplayer games. Because we want to make something developers will enjoy using, I’m hoping to get some discussion going. Ask questions about what we are doing… let us know what features you want… etc….

End Edit */

Any followers of my work, probably already know I have been working with my partner, Brendon, on developing a developer-driven multiuser communication system.

Our proof of concept server has been done for a while now, and has addressed several issues that are lacking in commercial servers like SmartFox, ranging from good multi-room support, and efficient packet management.

While version 1 of the server has had a good run, it’s also a bit of a frankenstein. It started nearly 3 years ago with simple features, and as we flushed out what we expected from a good communication server, we kept adding more and more until a monster was born.

With any monster, you get awesome power, and a lot of unpredictable results. Version 1 was no different. Random bugs, memory leaks and poor management tools have made it a bit of a hassle to work with, in spite the superior feature set.

With the version 1 features designed and tested, we realized we still had a lot more room for improvement, and some of our concepts still needed to be fleshed out better, and so we have started work on Version 2.

Sanguine Server is being designed with 2 goals. The server itself is being designed to be superior to any other socket server currently available, and the platform as a whole is being designed as an affordable solution for independent developers who may not have the resources to verge into the realm of multi-user applications and games otherwise.

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While surfing around I noticed a few people had been asking about ways to move the camera around in their flash movies without using tweens.

I’m fully aware that there are some great solutions to this problem, but they may be a bit more than what people need, so I decided to whip off a very simple solution that can be used by entry-level programmers, or people with no programming background at all.

In order for this to work you will need to contain your actual animations in a movieclip. This is typically preferable to scenes anyway, so most animators probably do this anyway.

In this movie clip, create a new layer for the camera control. Now all you need to do is download simple_camera.fla and grab the MovieclipCameraControl object from the library and paste it into the new layer of your movie.

Now, whenever you make a new keyframe and re-position the camera reticle, your movie will automatically pan itself until the camera is centered, or the edge of your scene reaches the edge of the stage.

If you are interested in how it works, read on.

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I’ve been asking people what they want to read about on this blog, and most people who are interested at all have asked me to write about my games and how I developed them. I only have one current game that is far enough along to discuss without fear of having the idea stolen, and it’s a game that has actually had a pretty large impact on my focus. As you’ll see, what started out as a simple game design ended up changing my entire site, and birthing a few other games.

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This article isn’t going to teach you how to make a game.
It won’t hold any super-duper scripting tricks.
What I want to cover is the basic thought and planning process I use to design a game.

Now in all honesty, I am FAR from traditional in my work habits. I juggle more designs then I am actually capable of building, I drink while I work and I cut a lot of corners. But I do have some traditional habits that I think are always good to abide by.

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