Publishing your Game

The best moment I experienced while creating my game was finally getting dynamically spawned enemies to despawn and splice from my enemy array. The worst moment was trying to figure out how to complete previous statement.

Debugging

When I actually think of how many times I've had to debug my code, it boggles my mind. Trace has to be one of the biggest helps so far, and I've also learned how to interpret compiler errors pretty well.

Coding "Enemies"

Coding enemies is something I have waited to do since I joined the gaming program. It's the first time since my compsci classes that I've been able to make (although somewhat basic) AI, and it's something I can interact with via a game.

Running, Jumping, etc.

This topic was a capstone of sorts for my platforms game. Now the hero in my game can accelerate slowly, jump onto a platform I've created, and even slowly fall from it.

Platforms

The Platforms topic was interesting for me, to say the least. Ever since the days of Mario, I have wondered how Mario has been able to stand on a platform, sometimes even jumping through it. Maybe my game will have a secret flute, too?

Drag and Drop

This topic will also prove helpful. Drag and Drop can be applied to lots of things in my game, namely my inventory. Drag an inventory item to either the player or an NPC, and drop it for an effect.

Character Effects

When we touched on this topic, I was very please. Parts of my game are gonna have duel-like sequences, and this topic covered how to do things like fade in and fade out.

Timer

This topic will come in handy when I'm making my final game, and have to add timers to my cast bar code. Eventually the use will hit space, and only have a few seconds to perform an action because the opportunity is gone. A timer may also come in handy if I decide to add time restraint in which the player has to complete the level/map, of if I add some minigames.

Sound Effects

This topic was a little challenging for me, but fun nonetheless. It's cool to understand how sites like www.pandora.com work, since I now know how to start/pause/restart/stop sound clips. My final game will probably include sound effects, if not whole background tracks, that will need controllers to start/stop/etc.

Preloader

The preloader topic was pretty interesting. While I may not use one in my game (at this point), it's nice to know how to do it for the future.

Collision Detection

Because my game is going to be an RPG, picking up items and being able to fight enemies will be a must. This is where collision detection comes in. I have been able to code picking an item up already, and the ability to fight enemies will come in the final version of my game.

Score Keeping

Score keeping will be very beneficial to my game, because eventually I will add a health bar for my main character, enemies, and other things like money to the final version.

Scrolling Background

This topic has to be the one that I have enjoyed the most. I came in to class the day we covered this wondering how to make the lines of code I had already work, and then we discussed it. While I did mine a little different than what was covered, it was still fun. I will definitely use a scrolling background in my final game.

Special Effects

While I'm not sure I'll be using any of these anytime soon, I will definitely have one or two of them in my final game. Being able to make a movieclip fade or expand/explode will come in handy near the end of the school term.

Moving on a Path

Moving on a path helped me with a few things in my game. If I plan on re-using my intro, or making a new one for that matter, I'll be able to add some flare instead of having the title and other things move on a straight line.

Navigating the Timeline

This topic was somewhat of a refresher for me, but it was still great nonetheless. I'm sure I had forgotten some things over Christmas break.

Finding Solutions

This topic was also very helpful, because I use the internet constantly when I have questions that can't be answered by someone I know, because I'm at home or for some other reason. Using Google instead of trying different code is time saving.

Learning from Others

This topic was extremely helpful. Eventually I had to copy some code that our teacher had sent me, (detecting when a key was released), that saved me much time trying to figure it out by myself.