Flash labs

Flash 5 & Flash MX, Flash 8 examples

New Site: ActionScript 3.0 (Flash 9) tutorials and examples, including rock-paper-scissors, bouncing ball, jigsaw, survey, video database, memory, shooter, spoof

These are projects to implement familiar games and other activities, such as surveys. Some are similar to those in the Visual Basic text & course. In addition, there are projects giving instructions for folding origami models. As indicated, some have tutorial material (instructions on how to build the game) suitable for self-study or a lab in a course. A discussion comparing Visual Basic and Flash, focusing on cannonball, is given in Comparison of Visual Basic and Flash for implementing a cannonball (ballistics) simulation . For JavaScript examples, including games, try JavaScript Labs .

Preparation: the assumption here is that you have some knowledge of Flash basics such as can be acquired by doing the built-in lessons. The ActionScript is done using the (so-called) Expert Mode, not the Normal Mode and not with Script Assist. To change to Expert Mode, click on the icon in the upper right corner of the Actions panel.

The practice of attaching code to instances on the Stage, such as on(Press),onClipEvent(enterframe), key events, etc., is now declared a bad practice. Instead, code is attached (that is, event handlers are specified) using code. While recognizing the problem in finding code, the old way had appeal. One advantage of the new way, however, is in avoiding creating objects just to 'listen'.
The following examples show the difference. These are two implementations of a silly simulation of birds pecking for worms. The birds jump around and if they collide with worms, the worm is eaten. You click on the key b to create a new bird and the key w to create a new worm. You click directly on a bird to change the size of the jump and directly on a worm to change the size of the worm. Birds that eat worms grow in size. Click the Help button to start (this gets the focus).
- Birds and worms, Flash source demonstrating old method of attaching event handlers
- Birds and worms, Flash source demonstrating procedural method for attaching event handlers, including Key.addlistener.
Rock-paper-scissors , with animated results , Tutorial, Flash source for start of rps project, Flash source for start of rps project using procedural style for setting event handlers
Instructions for simple origami model: wiggler , Draft introductory book chapter (uses wiggler)
Origami Captain's shirt, Flash source for directions to make origami Captain's shirt
Rock-paper-scissors in Flash MX , Draft book chapter on rps
Talking frog origami
Kissing birds origami
Dice game , Tutorial
Bouncing ball, modified for Flash 8 (change for input text fields), Tutorial
Basic cannonball (ballistics) application, Tutorial for basic cannonball (ballistics) game, Cannonball , modified for Flash 8 (input text fields and startdrag function in place of startdrag method), Tutorial for Flash ballistics (including notes on changes required for Flash 8), Note on making the ball an arrow
Psychic Mind reader trick, Flash source, and Flash Psychic mind reader tutorial
Hangman, Tutorial for Flash hangman
Memory/Concentration , Tutorial, Flash source for memory
Three skiing games: in the first one, you try to minimize hitting rocks and trees; in the second two, you must ski through gates and you try to minimize time. There are two implementations of the timed game. In the second one of these, there are 3 courses, randomly selected. The two implement gate checking differently.
- Skiing with rocks and trees , Tutorial, Flash source for skiing with trees and rocks
- Skiing with gates
- Skiing with gates, 3 courses , Tutorial, Flash source for skiing with gates
Sierpinski Triangle. Charts. Flash source file
Shooter game (some bugs), Shooter game tutorial
U.S. States game. Flash source for U.S. states game. Start of tutorial for programming U.S. states geography game using Flash
A stick-figure drawing system and Overview of code, including attention to Flash shared objects, components and loading jpg files
Flash Jigsaw puzzle, Another Flash jigsaw puzzle. Tutorial for Flash jigsaw puzzle, Tutorial for Flash jigsaw puzzle using procedural way to set up event handling, How to add a preloader for Flash application, Flash jigssaw with preloader
Flash source for articulated arm, Notes on producing jointed motion Articulated arm demonstration
Flash jigsaw with 'grabber'/'attractor'/'idle' feature for a kiosk type situation, Tutorial on adding grabber/attractor/idle to Flash game or application for a kiosk type situation
NOTE: THIS SITE/APPLICATION HAS BEEN HACKED. YOU CAN READ THE TUTORIAL, but it clearly needs attention to security. Very simple voting/survey/poll example, using some of the candidates for the presidential race (Richardson, Edwards, Clinton, Obama, Guiliani, McCain, Romney, etc.) Flash to and from php & MySql database, Notes/tutorial on how to make a Flash to server-side connection (php & MySql)
Prototype of health survey, radio buttons, slider, customized response created by Aviva Meyer for course at Columbia Graduate School of Public Health. Flash source for part 1 of survey. Flash source for part2 of survey.
Simplified (one-button) minesweeper, Tutorial for creating a simplified (one-button) minesweeper game using Flash
Work in progress: Sudoku solver: play yourself and/or get help: heuristics, backtracking, save and restore running program and to disk (using SharedObject). Application does not supply starting patterns. You enter a pattern and play game and/or use program features. The try... uses heuristics and, if there is no progress, guesses, with the possibility of backtracking. This is not fully tested. The small numbers represent the computed possibilities for each cell. Saving is done using SharedObject, a Flash facility similar to cookies.
Talk on work-in-progress on sudoku solving Flash program (heuristics, AI, development issues), given at math/computer science senior seminar and later amended.
Work in progress: Flash implementation of Set Game, provision for saving game using SharedObject, Flash source for Set Game, Notes/tutorial on creating a set game using Flash,Set game displaying patterns mostly in order: easy version used for implementation, Flash source for partially sorted set game
Notes/tutorial on elliptical orbit,Simple fixed orbit,Flash source for fixed orbit program,Flash orbit program, changing horizontal and vertical axes, Flash source for flexible orbit program

Comments appreciated: jeanine.meyer@purchase.edu or jeanine.meyer@verizon.net

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