How to Program a Simple Click Flash Game
The Flash environment makes building interactive games straightforward. Even if you do not know much about programming, you can learn to make Flash elements respond to user interaction using simple code excerpts. ActionScript is the language that Flash uses, and it is capable of different functions. There are "built-in" functions that can be used to assign behavior to objects in your Flash files, for example when users click or roll the mouse over an object. The best way to pick up ActionScript programming is by learning one function at a time and building your knowledge as you go along.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Create your Flash file and set it up for the interactive elements. In the Flash authoring environment, create a new file and save it with an appropriate name.
-
2
Create your background and any other visual elements you need. Insert a new layer and name it "Actions" so that you have somewhere to keep your ActionScript code. It's best to keep your code organized and in as few places as possible as this helps testing and refining.
-
-
3
Create the elements that you want to be clickable. Start by using the drawing tools to create the shapes you want. Convert these shapes into Symbols, by selecting them and pressing F8 or choosing "Convert to Symbol" from the toolbar "Modify" menu.
-
4
Choose an appropriate name for each Symbol and select the "Button" radio button. Give your Symbol Objects Instance Names by typing into the text box on the Properties panel with an Object selected. An appropriate name for a Button instance should end with "_btn" as in "start_btn."
-
5
Alter the frames for your Buttons. Double-click on each of your Button instances to edit them. You will see that a Button Symbol has four frames automatically inserted. These frames define what your Button will look and behave like in three states: Up, Over and Down. The Hit frame defines the click-able area for the Button.
-
6
With the first frame selected, press F6 or choose "Keyframe" from the "Timeline" section in the "Modify" toolbar menu. Do this three times until each of the four frames has been turned into a Keyframe. Make changes to the appearance of your Button in each frame.
-
7
Insert code for your Buttons. Go back to the main scene for your Flash movie by pressing the backwards arrow in the Timeline area. Select your "Actions" layer and open the Actions panel. Click in the white text area and enter the following code for each Button, making amendments for your Button Instance Names as necessary:
start_btn.onRelease=function()
{ trace("Start Button pressed"); }
Export and test your movie, clicking on the Buttons to see that the statement is written to the Output console. This is a simple example to show how interactivity is implemented.
-
8
Implement the logic of your game. Within the functions defined to detect when your Buttons are being pressed, you should implement whatever you want to happen within the game, which will depend on its purpose. You can include all of your code within the "Actions" layer and respond to user interaction in whatever way you like. Once you have your code in place, test the game thoroughly to ensure it works as you expect it to.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Stick with the naming conventions for the elements in your Flash movies. The ActionScript editor in Flash will prompt you with suggested code, but it can only do so if you have used the correct name suffixes.
Avoid writing large sections of code without testing. It's easier to identify bugs and errors if you test often throughout the development process.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit souris-3 image by Ellsing from Fotolia.com
