Danny Burbol’s How to make a falling blocks style Flash Game Tutorials

Lesson 2: Drawing Blocks & Keyboard Input

A Link To: All Lessons’ Table Of Contents
A Link To: The Original Flash Game that started all this

So here’s where we left off at the end of lesson 1. We have a couple self-contained screens that we can navigate between by clicking buttons.

You’ll notice that I changed my title text, scaled up the title screen buttons with the free transform tool (Tool bar, the black cursor with the box, under the white cursor and above the Lasso) and I’ve added an extra screen with links to these tutorials. You should be able to make changes like this if you went through lesson 1. The only thing you’ll needs is the function to call to open a web link in a new window. Here it is:

Note the: import flash.net.*;

In this lesson we are going to:

• Learn how to draw a sprite with a rectangle using ActionScript .
• Learn how to create our main loop callback event (timer events).
• Learn how to use Sprites for containers.
• Learn how to use 2 dimensional arrays as an adjacency matrix (the game’s board).
• Learn how to detect simple keyboard keys presses.
• Learn how to rotate our game’s pieces using some simple vector math trick.

I’m also not going to be going in to as much depth as I did in Lesson 1. Lesson 1 was a “starting from nothing” introduction to flash, but here in Lesson 2, we’re going to build on what we’ve learned rather than reiterate all of it. So don’t be afraid to pop open Lesson 1 and review a couple steps when you feel the need. I know it’s annoying, but realizing you don’t quite know how to do something and having to go dig up the info is actually a great way to train yourself to remember.

(more…)

And now, life in fast forward with half postcards for a day.

I’m not giving up on getting this journal caught up to present time. Instead I’ve decided to alter the format. It’s better to make two entries per postcard than it is to give up on the project altogether. My OCD may be rolling in it’s grave, but rather than sticking with the same format that’s getting me behind, I’m going to adopt a “whatever works” philosophy. Some days may be postcard size, some days may be full pages (like the Blonde Shelly pages), but I’m not giving up without a fight!

I hope it’s fun to read… I mean, my life isn’t really all that entertaining, but I hope my edited and caricatured life is. :)

The following pages contain NUDITY & SWEARING!

as I said last time, this blog is usually PG-13, so I wanted to give you a big warning!! You’re about to see boobies! If you don’t want to see boobies (or if you’ll get yourself in trouble), go play my Falling Blocks flash game instead. :)

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Blonde Shelly Intro Story

4 Pages (Base Colors)

Next steps:
–dirty up the alley backgrounds
–decide on where the sun is and add all the shadows/highlights on everything (btw, I have a coloring tutorial that will pretty much show you how far along I am and what’s left to do.
–two words: "Line Weight!"
–also, I added a little texture to the last page’s background… my painting instructor has a great quote. "Color takes the credit, but Value did the work." Just compare the road on the last page to the alley on the page before… a little texture goes a long way…)

Also, here’s the bio again, if you didn’t see it last time:
Blonde Shelly BIO and Creative Commons:

Blonde Shelly is an angel –but not just any angel, she’s a muse. She fell from heaven to do what muses do best –inspire others! Oh, and she’s usually either naked or wearing next to nothing.

Shelly is a catalyst. She is a mirror for everyone she comes in contact with. Stories *contain* her, but are not usually *about* her. She brings other people’s hopes and dreams back to the front of their mind (regardless of whether or not they are "good" dreams or "evil" dreams).

Most of Shelly’s stories start and end with her being nude. However, they may involve her getting some article of clothing or some object that is used to inspire someone in exactly the way they need to be inspired, and then she’s gone.

Finally, my plan for Shelly is to make her a character that takes advantage of Creative Commons. Basically, she’d be free to use in anyone’s story or comic, provided the story or comic was distributed free. (more legal details to come) Shelly is not meant to outshine your character, rather she is meant to help your character shine brighter.

The Cut & Dry Bio
Appearance: Voluptuous, Blonde Haired, Blue eyed, nude or mostly nude girl (aka the classic "Blonde Bombshell"). Note: she has a beauty mark under her right eye.
Motivation: She’s a muse, she’s nothing unless she’s inspiring others, and it’s the only way for her to get back into heaven.
Problem: She’s an angel, and she’s on earth. She can’t just go back home at any time, she’s got to earn it by fulfilling her muse roll. However, this also makes her a target for darker forces who would love to kill an angel for many reasons (some real, some imagined).
Powers: She knows your dreams, the ones you’ve lost along the way –and she’s probably already set things in motion so you’ll find them again.
Other Powers: None. No, she doesn’t have wings. No, she can’t fly. Yes, she can die just like you or me.
Personality: In many ways Shelly is best described as "an actress". She will be whatever she needs to be in order to successfully inspire someone.

Author’s Note on Nudity: I dated a girl who went to fashion school. I joked with her about girls being naked while walking down the runways at fashion shows. She informed me that, in the fashion world, if you’re wearing one article of clothing, you’re *not* considered to be naked. A woman walking down the runway in nothing but a pair of earrings is NOT naked.

I thought this was funny, but I immediately realized it’s presence in art and photography. A nude figure is just a boring naked body… but if you add one article of clothing, suddenly it gains some kind of context. She’s not just a naked body, she’s got a story. (Even porn material will dress the model/actress with some kind of costume or persona to give her a context –to give her a personality to connect with.)

As a muse, Blonde Shelly lives by this point of view. She’s not just a naked body, she wants to inspire you. She’ll find a way to end up wearing/holding whatever it is she needs to in order to get your attention and get you to carry out your dreams.