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Flash opens new windows and opportunities for game designers
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By Paul Wilson
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There are three main aspects: the player, the file format, andthe authoring tool/IDE. Flash games can be developed forwebsites, interactive TV, as well as handheld devices. There isno need to adopt multiple programming languages to build games.
It is the universal tool that permits the development ofmultimedia driven complex games. Games means fast, furious,efficient with rich graphics.
Flash enables developers to build the most popular games foronline gamers. It just needs to support:
* Rich engaging graphics. * Smooth download of files from thenet. * A playback device that can interpret downloads.
There are three main areas: design, development, and hosting.
The first step is creation of graphics. One must use Fireworksas well as Freehand for this aspect. The tools are compatibleand fireworks allows the addition of Java script to images.
The game development will be done in Flash by importing graphicscreated in Freehand and Fireworks. The graphics are then placedin Director the parent tool of Flash.
The next part, hosting, uses a Web server. Dreamweaver MX is thetool that will create Web pages to host the game.
And, finally ActionScript is used to provide enhancedfunctionality.
Advantages:
* Integrates almost all features needed for developing a game.It is a great interactive tool. * Can be used anywhere does notneed additional software or plug ins. * It is Mac friendly. *Permits conversion from a full game to web version and viceversa. * Low cost and free to distribute. Licenses for decodersMP3 and Sorensen Spark are included. * Artists that can useflash easily are in plenty. * Flash delivers broadcast qualityimages over the Internet. * Permits embedding of game in powerpoint for use in presentations. * Plenty of information as wellas guidelines can be accessed as well as understood by all-tutorials, articles, as well as blogs. * The size of the gamefile remains small as the vector graphics and sound files arecompressed. * Learning Flash language is easy. * Permitscopy-paste to test components
There are traps one must be wary of and a few cons. Know thesystem well to maximize its use. There are plenty of tutorialsinline that can be used as guides. Flash interface is ideallysuited to both designer as well as developer, you can have funwhile creating the game.
Flash is simple to use and a game can be developed in a fewhours in a packaged form that can run on a PC, Mac, or Linux.One can make use of a browser or run the game as a stand alone.
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