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.