Help with Flash Game

[Ithiopathanologist]

Anyone out there will to help me out.
I am a student and I want to make a Flash Game for my Major. But I don't know the first things about programing.

I want to make a game that is similar to Dance Dance Revolution.

(for those who don't know what this is its a dancing game that involves tapping in beat to music and presing the arrows at the right time)

I know that this game is possible because a cut down version is on the internet. Its called "Dan Dan Revolution."

I have no means of plagarising anything but it would be really helpfully if anyone here on IW could lend me a hand.(all contribution will be noted)

[Hivetyrant]

I thought you said you had finished it...

[Intrepid]

is this for software or info process?
hive tyrant what are you doing?
i think i'll make an mp3 playera lot like winamp actually but remove, add and redesign the things i don't like or i would like added(it will be my program i won't use any source i didn't write apart from the mp3 decoder)
bah! that will be err.. intresting in visual basic [img]tongue.gif[/img]

EDIT: what is LennonCook doing?

[ 01-29-2004, 10:43 AM: Message edited by: Intrepid ]

[philip]

So you want to learn programming? Would it be a flash game as in sort of a website. (not sure if flash and flsh websites differ much so...) For websites do a search on google for tutorials. I think this site might explain some things already (I used it to learn html, js and css) http://www.echoecho.com/flash.htm

I think you need to learn the syntax of the program. Then probably you want to take a look at coding standards to make legible code.

This is a good support forum I think:
http://forums.devshed.com/

[Ithiopathanologist]

Slight change of plans I just realise I need to do it in VB so any one for VB???

[philip]

I think it's the same. Learn the syntax and using the program. The forums I suggested in my earlier post have a VB part as well.

[Hivetyrant]

Originally posted by Intrepid: hive tyrant what are you doing? What is LennonCook doing?

I'm doing a Triple Triad clone, and I cant remember what Lennon is doing.

[LennonCook]

Originally posted by Intrepid: i think i'll make an mp3 playera lot like winamp actually but remove, add and redesign the things i don't like or i would like added(it will be my program i won't use any source i didn't write apart from the mp3 decoder) bah! that will be err.. intresting in visual basic [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Interesting, yes, but quite possible - Naomi Nash did basically that for hers, and topped the class I think.

[Vaskez]

Originally posted by Ithiopathanologist: Anyone out there will to help me out. I am a student and I want to make a Flash Game for my Major. But I don't know the first things about programing.

ROFL! Sorry, but you want to start making a game when you don't know the first thing about programming? There is a reason why people start with the hello world program. Ok, granted, I haven't done flash and it seems a lot simpler but if you wanted to start making a game in Java or C++ there'd be a whole load of things you'd have to learn first.

Unless you have loads of time to learn I'd suggest doing something different for your major. What course are you on? If you are making games it sounds like a computer related course in which case it is wierd that you haven't been taught programming.

Anyway, sorry I can't help you since I only know C, Java and C++. My "expertise" is in C++.

[ 01-31-2004, 07:36 PM: Message edited by: Vaskez ]

[/)eathKiller]

WOW! How interesting! I just happen to be working on a DDR type game myself!!!

Only my version is more like the "action" sequences in Shenmue, that is to say that it quickly flashes "left arrow" and if you don't press it in time you get hurt or even worse [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Such a game is quite easy to make, the only difficulties I've had so far are sound allighnment, becasue you basically have to make it run two paths for each "on Key press" button, one path you press the key in time, another path, you don't press it on time. If you don't you effectivley have caused some action, you may have even lead to a completley differint path in the game, your system will require alot less work though because you can have one "MISS" Action and then create, say, several paths in which a counter counts down. For instance, if you have 3 chances to miss an arrow, and you miss an arrow, you can then have all the arrows do the same thing except have the scene change if they dont get it and have to play either a compeleteley differint series of arrows (which are similar at the start) or t he same arrows, which you copied the button paths of, so that they can continue to play only its a new scene now and they've lost 1 life point, then if they lose another life point the same thing happens and they have one life left, and another effective miss can lead to failure. In order to have failures occur with each one you'll want automatic scene frames where you fail if you dont press the button in time, like with my game. For instance, i keep the button up for about 1.2 seconds, then i remove it. if the player does not press the corresponding arrow key OR presses the WRONG arrow key, they suffer a loss, In some cases I can even have multiple paths with arrows leading down differint paths, you're DDR game will, of course, have times when the arrows are pressed in quick sucession, or even two at once, be sure to have your buttons have "AND" conditions applied to their code, and you dont have to know how to program to apply any of these situatiosn if you use flash MX [img]tongue.gif[/img]


anyway, let me see, what else is there?

OH right! be sure to run at at least 20 FPS, so that you can time the button pressing time precicley, also, be sure to allow for button pressing to occur for more than just ONE SINGLE frame because it's inhumanly impossible to time on-the-dot precisley!

Also: There are many pre-designed games out there which you can use as templates to learn more about game design.

Oh and a final thing: Though a DDR Game is easy to draw, its not the easiest kind of game one can design, that reward goes to button-based adventure games like the Journeyman Project, if you've ever played that.