Saturday, March 22, 2008
It pays to learn Flash
Learning Flash can be fun, stressful, challenging...many things. But most important, I think, is the fact that learning Flash can help lead to job placement. From my experience, I've noticed employers get excited at the mention of anything Flash-related. That's not to say that you shouldn't learn other things...but let's face it...Flash is pretty cool! Look around on the Web. There's some pretty amazing Flash design work out there. While knowing Flash may not get you the job, it will definitely help.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Note to self: create comprehensive tutorials links
While there are many excellent books and disks out there which will teach you Flash, consider this: it's not free...but there are several bits and pieces floating around the Web that are free. For this reason, I am creating a comprehensive tutorials list. When I'm finished I hope to have everything categorized so it's easy to reference. Many people use delicious.com to tag all relevant links and that has been a good reference for me, but I'm also compiling a list outside of delicious for a quick and more visually appealing reference. I personally get tired of logging on to delicious from a public terminal because I have to access the information in a less convenient way. For me, I think the best approach is listing the info on a wiki page or personal site. Anyway, that's just some food for thought. I will post my list on this blog once it becomes comprehensive enough.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Retention is essential--second time learning better than the first
As I've noted before Flash is a dynamic program and, therefore, it's probably a good idea revisit the basics after a while...or just never stop using Flash. A few days ago, I noticed myself getting unfamiliar with some novice practices in Flash. So, I revisited the simple stuff. I noticed that I had an easier time learning the second time, and learned many new things as I dabbled with button creation, motion guides, rendering text, etc.
Though you may think you have a stranglehold on some elementary tasks in Flash, the program often surprises me. Just like with Photoshop and many other complex software programs, new Flash techniques can creep up on you at the least expecting times. My advice: try to master the small stuff, and even if you think you know it---revisit it. If I stay away from anything for too long I begin to forget pieces of the puzzle. Learning Flash is no different than learning a language. If you want to learn Spanish you have to practice it. If you want to learn Flash the same holds true.
Though you may think you have a stranglehold on some elementary tasks in Flash, the program often surprises me. Just like with Photoshop and many other complex software programs, new Flash techniques can creep up on you at the least expecting times. My advice: try to master the small stuff, and even if you think you know it---revisit it. If I stay away from anything for too long I begin to forget pieces of the puzzle. Learning Flash is no different than learning a language. If you want to learn Spanish you have to practice it. If you want to learn Flash the same holds true.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Game creationism--Part I
Hello Anyone,
It's been a while since I've posted anything, but keep in mind that doesn't mean I'm not working. I've been particularly busy with the intention of helping complete the Adventure WV game, which is still in progress.
If you're clueless as to what I'm talking about here's a little history--I am taking a Flash gaming class at the Marshall University Community and Technical College. The game is part of a group effort and focuses on WV's many tourism attributes. For now, my class is creating two games and setting up an interface which will allow users to play the games OR learn more about "adventure" areas. I am responsible for creating the interface which will host these games, and allow users to read and watch videos and slideshows associated with these areas. I am also creating preloaders for the interface and games.
If you are reading this, you may be interested in the game creation process. So...let me explain some of the key aspects of game creation, and address some of the difficulties we are having as a class. My objective here is to offer some guidance to anyone or any group planning to create a game.
Some tips:
1) First, have a clear objective--make a prototype.
As a class, I feel we struggled to get the game off the ground early because everyone may have had a different vision of our final product and goals. Once we etched out a game prototype, things began to come together.
2) Divvy up the responsibilities, but monitor progress, struggles.
My group divided responsibilities into categories, like Animation, Sound, Background, Interface, Research, etc. This is a good approach as long as individuals occasionally communicate about their progress. I feel our group has mostly worked in isolation and this has prevented us from meeting time demands and achieving a signature style.
Also, while responsibilities should be divided based on the talents of individuals, do not overwhelm a single member, and allow the chain of responsibility to sway. If you monitor group progress as a whole, you can make changes to the chain of command as needed.
3) To the individual: Find your way of learning and learn the essentials
First, use all available resources. There are many ways to learn Flash--many many resources exist. I would guess that most of you have access to different tools to help you learn Flash (books, videos, online tutorials, some are free, some are not, etc.). I spent the first half of the game creation process going through various tutorials, each unique in their own way. My recommendation is to learn how you know to learn best. That's right...find the one that's right for you.
FYI: learning Flash does not happen over night...and like with anything else, it's good to get the basics down first. But, once you find a good resource it can really help to exploit it for all it is worth.
That's it for now. I feel like I've written a term paper and you're probably tired of reading...and ready to create your own game. Good luck!
It's been a while since I've posted anything, but keep in mind that doesn't mean I'm not working. I've been particularly busy with the intention of helping complete the Adventure WV game, which is still in progress.
If you're clueless as to what I'm talking about here's a little history--I am taking a Flash gaming class at the Marshall University Community and Technical College. The game is part of a group effort and focuses on WV's many tourism attributes. For now, my class is creating two games and setting up an interface which will allow users to play the games OR learn more about "adventure" areas. I am responsible for creating the interface which will host these games, and allow users to read and watch videos and slideshows associated with these areas. I am also creating preloaders for the interface and games.
If you are reading this, you may be interested in the game creation process. So...let me explain some of the key aspects of game creation, and address some of the difficulties we are having as a class. My objective here is to offer some guidance to anyone or any group planning to create a game.
Some tips:
1) First, have a clear objective--make a prototype.
As a class, I feel we struggled to get the game off the ground early because everyone may have had a different vision of our final product and goals. Once we etched out a game prototype, things began to come together.
2) Divvy up the responsibilities, but monitor progress, struggles.
My group divided responsibilities into categories, like Animation, Sound, Background, Interface, Research, etc. This is a good approach as long as individuals occasionally communicate about their progress. I feel our group has mostly worked in isolation and this has prevented us from meeting time demands and achieving a signature style.
Also, while responsibilities should be divided based on the talents of individuals, do not overwhelm a single member, and allow the chain of responsibility to sway. If you monitor group progress as a whole, you can make changes to the chain of command as needed.
3) To the individual: Find your way of learning and learn the essentials
First, use all available resources. There are many ways to learn Flash--many many resources exist. I would guess that most of you have access to different tools to help you learn Flash (books, videos, online tutorials, some are free, some are not, etc.). I spent the first half of the game creation process going through various tutorials, each unique in their own way. My recommendation is to learn how you know to learn best. That's right...find the one that's right for you.
FYI: learning Flash does not happen over night...and like with anything else, it's good to get the basics down first. But, once you find a good resource it can really help to exploit it for all it is worth.
That's it for now. I feel like I've written a term paper and you're probably tired of reading...and ready to create your own game. Good luck!
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