Gamedev Lounge 0010

[puggsoy]

I tried Game Maker a few years ago. Looked way too linear, although it's probably loosened up since then.

Still, I like AS3. It's easy to get a hang of, fairly flexible, and "online flash games" is one of the most Googled things on the net. No problem with getting your game played, and good games can rise on the popularity meter in days. Also Adobe AIR gives you lots of extra code for desktop apps.

I agree with Hoeloe that Flash isn't the prime option for professional game design (although, just look at what Ratloop did with Rocketbirds), C++ or C# might be better fitted. Still, it's not such a bad option if you want to get fast results, and it's a pretty good start for getting your ideas out there.

[Previous]

No problem with getting your game played, and good games can rise on the popularity meter in days.

Then add ponies and, boom!


I don't see how "professional game design" depends on the development tools used (or the programming part at all). The only influence is how good you'll be able to translate your "professional game design".

[Hoeloe]

What I mean by that is twofold. Firstly, Actionscript is a rather low-powered language, meaning your design of core elements of your game is often forced to work around it (design influence is mostly here).
Secondly, I consider game design as a multi-levelled process. The design is not just limited to graphic design and level design, etc., but also in algorithm design and code design. Badly designed code can ruin a game just as much as bad level design, if not more. Note that code design is not necessarily the code itself, but more the layout of the code. For example, in an OO language, this might be as simple as deciding which class files you will use, and where your inheritance will be, etc.

Now, Actionscript is not a great OO language. It's more like an OO/Procedural hybrid, making the design of it's code very different to other, pure OO languages, even if certain aspects of the code itself may be very similar. I know that AS has improved on the OO front since the move from AS2, but the setup is still very different, if not because of that, then because of other odd quirks.

Does that clear things up a little?

[puggsoy]

Well, as long as your game isn't going to be doing lots of different things, you're mainly OK with AS3. I mean, stuff like simple platformers or puzzlers are mostly pretty friendly to make, even more so with the numerous engines out there (Flixel, Flashpunk, etc). The thing is, as long as your game fits within Flash's restrictions, there's no real problem.

Yeah, AS3 isn't really fit for professional game development: the fact that it can be embedded into a browser already shows how restricted it is. But then again, how easy it is to make certain programs evens it out. I can make a calculator or drawing application much faster than in C++ or some other language. Sure, I won't have as many options, but if speed/simplicity is more important than flexibility, then that's the best choice. Same with Game Maker: if you want to make a game without too much hassle, and don't really care about how restricted it is, then there's no reason to bother with hundreds of lines of code just to set up the menu screen.

What I'm saying is this: the language/environment/method you choose for development depends on your needs. That's why there are so many different languages in the first place, really. Simplicity and flexibility, one always restricts the other, and the different languages let you choose the balance that fits best for the developer.
Personally I find AS3 is good for what I currently need. My head's full of ideas, and I want to get a few of them out there as soon as I can. I also think that if my games are good I can get a bit of popularity, which is always nice. But I'm determined to later on make proper, full-fledged games in C++ that can really take game design to its limits.

(By the way, to be clear, I'm not trying to say you're wrong or anything. Just want to state my opinion on the matter )

[Hoeloe]

(By the way, to be clear, I'm not trying to say you're wrong or anything. Just want to state my opinion on the matter )

And I completely agree with most of what you've said there. Flash does very much have it's uses, and for simple games, it's extremely easy to use. However, the moment you take them to the next level, Flash stops being nice and user-friendly and starts feeling like it's draping anchors over you. I know this because I've been there. I was a Flash developer for a long time, but my ideas got just slightly too big, and Flash suddenly turned ugly on me, and I had to scrap several months of work.

The point I was trying to make to begin with is that if you do use Flash, be warned that it may come back to bite you later.

[puggsoy]

Yeah, I'll be careful not to try and push it too much. From looking through the AS3 reference (which I do regularly) I can normally see what can and can't be done, so I'm trying to not let my ambitions go too wild.

Although, to be honest, it can often be quite fun to try and find workarounds or hack-ish ways to do things. It's really satisfying to finally get this or that working, even though Flash doesn't directly allow it, and it makes you feel like a genius

[Sengir]

Zynga(Mostly Flash Games) has more money and players than EA(Mostly not-Flash Games)...

[Vipershark]

Which, honestly, is really, really sad

The state of the industry is pretty awful when a company who makes shitty no-depth flash games that are all copies of each other or ripoffs of other games is one of (if not the) top "developer(s)"

I use the term developer in quotes when referring to zynga because fuck zynga

The same applies to rovio and angry birds, though they were at least a bit more original with their ripoff

[~Axis~]

Angry birds was made by EA?

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Angry birds was made by EA?

[Hoeloe]

Angry birds was made by EA?

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Angry birds was made by EA?

No, and no-one suggested it was.

[~Axis~]

Yeah, I know... Stupid post...

[LeleleleMAXIMUM]

hey i made this "game" a few months ago
http://swfcabin.com/open/1327758903
you can, like, play it? and things happen.

i could give you instructions on what to do, but i'm so indie that i won't

[Sengir]

make more

[Previous]

Why does the bird die when I try to make him eat one of the chocolate cookies? Noooo

Also, make more :-D

[LeleleleMAXIMUM]

only if you beat my cousin's high score:


and i only got 220