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Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby SelfPossessed » June 29th, 2010, 5:00 am

Hi, new to Flash here. I actually found this place when searching for information regarding multiplayer synchronization. I really liked the guide and was even more pleasantly surprised when I found that Player.IO offered multiplayer services. I've been searching for a no startup cost newbie friendly entry into the world of multiplayer gaming for a while now and this seems perfect.

I'll be slooowly trying out the sample code in my spare time before I ask any conceptual questions regarding networking. I assume that most of my questions will be answered once I start looking through existing code. Nonetheless, I do have some beginner questions.

I'm looking to develop over an extended period of time and do not want to pay an inordinate amount after a temporary trial period. I've read that there are alternatives for ActionScript programming, such as Adobe Flex and Flash Develop. Any suggestions on which to use? Will they work properly with the sample code provided by Player.IO? Just in case, I'm comfortable with a non GUI editor.

Secondly, what about Flash 2D game engines? Flixel, FlashPunk, and PushButton seem to be popular. I've been looking into them, but I really have no clue as to which criteria matters the most when picking one. I am trying to make a top down view 1vs1 arena style game whereby users can create and attack each other with objects via semi-complex mouse movements. From my brief experience with a Java Applet 2D Game engine, which only had rectangular collision detection, I recognize that I need at the very least polygonal collision detection and a very accurate way to reset the positions of objects to right before collision. API for XmlSockets would be nice too (I believe PushButton charges for this). I have no experience with physics engines and just faked physics in the past for simple cases, but I'm worried about more complex cases such as bouncing against changing curved surfaces (ugh) as well. Beyond that, I have no clue as to the important criteria to use. Suggestions are more than welcome.

Thanks for the help in advance. This is going to be fun. :)
SelfPossessed
 
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Re: Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby Benjaminsen » June 29th, 2010, 12:27 pm

Hi and welcome to Player.IO

If you get stuck while trying to understand the example codes, feel free to post here in the forums. The general rule is that there is no stupid questions!

If you want a completely free development environment I can warmly recommend using FlashDevelop with the free FLEX SDK.

As for 2D game engines, I personally have experience with Flixel and PushButton, both are great, so choosing one is down to your personal preference. For both I suggest you join their IRC channels #pbengine and #flixel both on freenode. And while your at it, join #player.io as well.

Happy hacking!
Benjaminsen
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Re: Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby fox1980 » June 29th, 2010, 12:59 pm

About the IDE i would say you have 3 choices:

- Adobe Flash
- Adobe Flash Builder
- FlashDevelop + Flex SDK

They're all easy to use with PlayerIO tough the samples come in flash format. In Flash you get a timeline and get to draw shapes and vector images directly from the IDE. You can do many things without writing a single line of code, like animation and tweening making it a favourite IDE for designers.
In FlashDevelop you don't have a timeline, there's no drawing feature so you'll have to rely on external programs for that, and you'll do everything (or almost everything) in code, it's a programmers favourite. FlashDevelop + Flex SDK is the only truly free solution from those 3.
Flash Builder is my personal choice, it's similar to FlashDevelop but includes many more features wich can save you lots of time. It will pay for itself in a short amount of time. If you are a student or currently unemployed you can apply for a free license here : http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/free/index.html.

With that being said, i think you should try them all at least once. FlashDevelop can be downloaded for free, and there are trials versions for both Flash and Flash Builder.
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Re: Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby SelfPossessed » July 4th, 2010, 9:23 pm

EDIT:

Google tells me that projects tend to open with the framework they are created in. New projects default to 4.0, but I supposedly can manually change the XML of the csproj to an older one.

The issue then is that I don't have .Net Framework 3.5 on this computer. I downloaded it, but I'm afraid that installing it while 4.0 is on my computer could cause conflicts. Any advice on how to proceed?

==========

I plan on switching to Flex and Adobe Builder later. I will look into Flash game engines later too. For now, I'm trying to get through sample code.

Problems. Running Fridge Magnets locally.

First, opening the server code prompted a "conversion." It successfully converted, so I crossed my fingers.

According to the console displays, the client connects to the server. However, nothing shows up on the client. It's just a blank white screen, no magnets to move around. I did allow it through my firewall, but I could find no mention of a specific port that the server was listening on to open in my router. I read that it scans ports?

Hoping it was a router port issue, I tried uploading the dll only to find that I was using .Net Framework 4.0, not 3.5. The server only allows 3.5. How do I downgrade to 3.5? I'm currently using Microsoft Visual C# 2010 Express. Should I have clicked on another link, or perhaps installed differently?

Thanks for the help.
SelfPossessed
 
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Re: Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby fox1980 » July 5th, 2010, 12:37 am

C# 2008 is recommended and you can open any samples just fine with it. I can also confirm you can install c# 2010 side by side with c# 2008 and it won't mess anything. There shouldn't be any need to configure ports when running locally but in case your router requires it the default port is 8184.
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Re: Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby SelfPossessed » July 5th, 2010, 1:25 am

Where could I legally obtain a copy of the 2008 version? Microsoft's website seems to have taken it down. X_X

Alternatively, does anyone know if installing the .Net Framework 3.5 (which is available for download) when I have the 4.0 one already installed would cause any problems?

Thanks for the timely response.
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Re: Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby fox1980 » July 5th, 2010, 11:27 am

Microsoft own site is working for me, this is the link:

http://www.microsoft.com/express/Downloads/
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Re: Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby fox1980 » July 5th, 2010, 12:21 pm

By the way, there's also no problem in having different versions of the .NET framework installed. They all work happily side by side, but you don't have to install them manually. The needed .NET framework version will be automatically installed when you're installing any version of c# express.
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Re: Since this is the closest thing to an introduction forum...

Postby SelfPossessed » July 6th, 2010, 3:07 am

Trying to install .net framework 3.5 manually failed.

Then I noticed that there's a 2008 tab in the download link. I totally missed that the first time. X_X

EDIT: Fridge Magnets are working. Hurrah! Thanks for the help.
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