Flash Tuts

Interested in game design? This weekend, we feature a set of four interactive lectures: games that are about game design, by Pixelate.

Play the Games

Bub and Bob, two little 8-bit guys, will talk you through the basic concepts of video games. The games themselves are more like interactive tutorials, with smaller games interspersed throughout to help make certain points, and great bit tunes throughout.

Episode 1

Click to play.

The first episode deals with rules, interactivity, representation, and simulation in games.

Episode 2

Click to play.

The second episode is about...

It can be tricky to sit down and practise new coding techniques, so here’s a fun exercise to encourage you to play with collision detection and reaction, as covered by Kah Shiu.

Update: I’ve added an HTML5 version to go alongside the existing Flash version – enjoy!

The Challenge

This breakout game is broken!

Flash version:

To play the HTML5 version (using canvas and JavaScript), click here.

Oh sure, some of the basics are there; the paddle can be controlled by the left and right arrow keys, the ball moves, and all the objects are drawn to the stage correctly....

New versions of the Adobe AIR SDK are often released between Flash Professional release cycles, using this tutorial, you’ll be able to always use the latest Adobe AIR version in your IDE. This will allow you to enable Stage3D development within Flash Professional for both AIR and SWF projects.

Flash Professional CS5.5 Guide

(Flash Pro CS6 users, please skip to the next section.)

Step 1: Download the Latest SDK

• Download the AIR 3.2 SDK from the following link: http://www.adobe.com/products/air/sdk/
• Extract the downloaded file into a separate folder on your desktop

Step 2: Backup Your Current SDK Folder

• Go to the Adobe Flash CS5.5 installation...

Ian Yates of Webdesigntuts+ has posted a great Quick Tip explaining how you can use Dropbox or Google Drive as a simple, automated version control system. It’s worth checking out for web app and game developers too, so check it out below.

Introduction

Having a version history of your graphics documents may save you from that awful moment when you realize you’ve scrubbed over a crucial stage of the design process. Thanks to Dropbox, you may already be storing versions of your work without even having noticed…

Dropbox is like a time machine. It keeps snapshots of every change in...

This week, Matt Porter critiques another recently released game: Nuclear Outrun, developed by Nerdook Productions.

Play the Game

Click to play Nuclear Outrun on Kongregate

Overview

With 2012 moving along, it’s no surprise that we’re starting to see more and more “end of the world”-themed games. Nuclear Outrun is one such game, and while it’s not perfect, it’s quite enjoyable. It combines physics, zombies, distance, and upgrades, in a simple, yet enjoyable blend. With only one goal – get to the goal before the nuke hits – players really...