2nd Edition

Real-World Flash Game Development How to Follow Best Practices AND Keep Your Sanity

By Christopher Griffith Copyright 2012
    432 Pages 80 Color Illustrations
    by Routledge

    432 Pages
    by Routledge

    Your deadline just got moved up. Your artist has never worked with Flash before. Your inner programmer is telling you that no OOP is a big Oops! Any Flash developer can share similar tales of woe. This book breaks down the process of Flash game development into simple, approachable steps. Never heard of a game loop before? No idea what a design pattern is? No problem! Chris Griffith gives you real-world expertise, and real-world code that you can use in your own games.  Griffith has been building games in Flash long enough to know what works and what doesn't. He shows you what you need to know to get the job done.

    Griffith covers Flash for the everyday developer. The average Flash developer doesn't have luxurious timelines, employers who understand the value of reusability, or the help of an information architect to design a usable experience. This book helps bridge the gap for these coders who may be used to C++, Java, or C# and want to move over to Flash. Griffith covers real-world scenarios pulled from his own experiences developing games for over 10 years in the industry.

    The 2nd edition will include: completely new game examples on more advanced topics like 3D; more robust physics and collision detection; and mobile device coverage with Android platform development for us on phones and tablets. Also coverage of the new features available in Flash CS5, Flash Player 10.1, and AIR 2.0 that can be used for game development.

    The associated web site for the book: www.flashgamebook.com gets close to 1,000 visits a month. On the site, readers can find all the source code for the examples, news on industry happenings, updates and special offers, and a discussion forum to ask questions and share ideas.

    Chapter 1: Computer Science Isn't For Everyone

    Chapter 2: The Best Tool for the Job

    Chapter 3: A Plan is Worth a Thousand Aspirin

    Chapter 4: //Comments FTW!

    Chapter 5: The Least You Can Do vs An Architect's Approach

    Chapter 6: Managing Your Assets/Working With Graphics

    Chapter 7: Make it Move - ActionScript Animation

    Chapter 8: Turn it Up to 11: Working with Audio

    Chapter 9: Put the Video Back in "Video Game"

    Chapter 10: XML and Dynamic Content

    Chapter 11: Four Letter Words: M-A-T-H

    Chapter 12: Don't Hit Me: Collision Detection Techniques

    Chapter 13: Mix Up - A Simple Engine

    Chapter 14: Bringing It All Together: A Platformer

    Chapter 15: Marble Runner : Our First Mobile Game

    Chapter 16: Air Hockey: A Multi-Touch, Multiplayer Tablet Game

    Afterword

    Online Content:

    Bonus Chapter: Squash 'Em If You've Got 'Em: The Bug Hunt

    Bonus Chapter: On Your Guard

    Bonus Chapter: Introduction to Mobile Development

    Appendix A: Webcams and Microphones

     Appendix B: Localization

    Appendix C: JSFL is JavaScript For Lovers

    Appendix D: Using AMFPHP with Games

    Biography

    Christopher Griffith

    "The book could be used as a course resource for advanced undergraduates or as a reference for experienced programmers who want to use Flash. The excellent companion website supplies all the code needed to build the examples, as well as a forum where questions can be posted and answered. The author frequently inserts commentary about best programming practices (what to do and what to avoid), which differentiates this book from many similar titles. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through researchers/faculty, two-year technical program students, and professionals/practitioners."-- E. Bertozzi, Long Island University, CHOICE