[RESOLVED] [Help] [AS3]: Point and click shooting game... a better way?

[CVO Chris]

Hi everyone. I have some AS3 experience but I'm no expert, probably just reaching intermediate.

I'm creating my first game which is a standard point and click shooter but with additional elements like pressing space will throw a petrol bomb (like a smart bomb in the old spectrum shooters).

Currently I'm using event listeners to hear for when the user clicks on an enemy or a pick up. Is this the best way to go? I can foresee a whole lot of instances and wondering about flash's performance. The game will run along the timeline as it's more of an interactive movie/animation than a single scene with random enemies popping out to be shot at.

// sample of enemy getting shot at code:
enemy14.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,enemyHit);

function enemyHit(event:MouseEvent):void
{
    event.target.gotoAndPlay("hit");
} 

My main problem though is how would I code in the bomb function. Since this will not have a target movieclip it would need to apply to all enemy movieclips on stage. I envisage each enemy movieclip having a "hit" frame label and a "bomb" frame label which will differentiate between the enemy getting shot or bombed. Again, is this (frame labels) the best way to go?

// sample of user using bomb code:
stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN, onKeyPress);
function onKeyPress(e:KeyboardEvent):void{
    if (e.keyCode == Keyboard.SPACE) {
    ALL ENEMY MOVIE CLIPS??? .gotoAndPlay("bomb");
    }
} 

I have no OOP experience so I'm stuck with procedural programming techniques for now so classes etc are out of the question for me.

EDIT - I've thought of 2 ways of doing the bomb. Upon creating an enemy add it's instance name to an array (and remove it from the array if the enemy dies). If user uses a bomb then cycle through the instance names in the array.
The other way, if it's possible, is get all instances on stage and check for instances that begin with "enemy" then apply gotoAndPlay("bomb") to those instances. But again, is this the best way or am I missing something obvious?

[CVO Chris]

Anyone know what do with this?

function onKeyPress(e:KeyboardEvent):void{
// THROW BOMB UPON PRESSING SPACE BAR
    if (e.keyCode == Keyboard.SPACE) {
    for (var i:int = 0; i < bombArray.length; i++) {
               enemy14.gotoAndPlay("bomb"); // this works
               bombArray[i].gotoAndPlay("bomb"); // this doesn't
               }
    }
} 

When I trace bombArray I get enemy14. For some reason the code works if I use enemy14.gotoAndPlay("bomb"); but not if I use bombArray[i].gotoAndPlay("bomb"); (getting the error "TypeError: Error #1006: value is not a function.
at Untitled_fla::MainTimeline/onKeyPress()")

[CVO Chris]

Nevermind, got it. I was adding items to the array using:
MovieClip(this.root).bombArray.push(this.name);
Taking out the .name fixed the issue:
MovieClip(this.root).bombArray.push(this);

Tracing the Array I get [object_Enemy_1] rather than the instance name. For some reason you can write the instance name in the code and it works but not reference it through the array.

As long as it works!

[brickhouse420]

Was that all the help you needed? (that happens to me sometimes, you solve your problem quicker then you get a reply!)