Some help for the new guy?

Hey all, I have a few questions. For the most part you won't see me asking for codes etc. but I also would like an opinion on something.

I don't have it yet, but I'm saving up for MX2004 and I want to know how good it is for higher level games (like a Super smash brothers remake, for example). I only want the program for game design so I have experience before I try to get a job in it after school.

The remake is my first big goal in Flash, so here's the rundown. Same concept of items and levels, to where they relate to characters, but encompasses characters from all companies and even manga/Shonen Jump. I want to know if you guys have a character idea that jumps out at you (Please not obvious ones like Naruto or Ichigo, but less obvious or side characters are perfectly fine).

Honto Arigato ( Thank you very much)

If you want to make a career in game development, then decide first what's going to be your forte. The field of game development is split mainly into programming, graphic/art design, music creation, and level design! Though you need knowledge on all these, you need to have your specialty in a single field to get a good job.

Anyway, I don't really recommend spending on mx2004, as it is quite obsolete when considering the future. I would suggest take the free route......
1) GIMP: for your sprites and arts.
2) FlashDevelop: To code and compile your game.
3) FlexSDK: to support your FlashDevelop.
4) Audacity/Wavosaur : for music creation, or you can get thousands of free music on the web, and most of us use those!

If you get the above, you won't have to spend a single yen, and you can learn perfectly. Also you can create the most powerful games possible with flash today, provided, you learn as3!



As for the idea, why don't you pull out "chopper" from one-piece! And there are enough weird characters, giants, e.t.c to make a cool game!

Thanks for the info! About an hour before that message I was freaking out because a 14 year-old can't afford that even with my giant allowance (15 a month and 20 for yardwork, bless those pines :). If I might ask, I have the dummies book for Flash, but that's where I need Flash MX2004...Do you know a reliable place to learn AS3? I could only find a bunch of classes that cost a lot and I'm not made of money, especially if it's online.

Thanks for the chopper idea, I hadn't thought of One Piece! As a side note, if you like manga or need some interesting characters for a fighting game I suggest Mahou Negima-Sensei. Very cool.

hmm, thanks, i will look into it, but at the moment I am like onizuka from GTO!

Anyway, to learn as3, you can look at senoculars site and google! It's basically not that much different from as2, just try to get started using online tutorials(there are millions available online for free), if you get stuck, ask here! But if you are planning on spending some cash online, get http://www.amazon.com/ActionScript-3.../dp/0789737027 , it has everything from the basics upto multiplayer! But still online tutorials are the best and free!

MX2004?! Where are you going to buy such an old version from? Not to mention, a TERRIBLE version, with bugs and horrible usability features that pissed off everybody. Everybody hated it when it came out, and that was a good 6+ years ago!

You don't want to use anything older than Flash 8. Trust me. Just because you got a Dummies book for a bargain bin price does not mean you have to stick to it.

PS: You're not gonna make Super Smash Brothers in Flash.

PSS: I loved mx2004, and hardly ever had bugs.

IP: You're forgetting that 2004 was the version where they ditched per-object UNDO, replacing it with that awful global "history" panel. Among other things... It's terrible.

He should use at least Flash 8 so he has the benefit of bitmap caching.

I think you should both stop suggesting as2 versions! as3 is more powerful and it will be better for him if he starts learning that right from the beginning!

Flash 8 really is the bare minimum as you can export assets with that which you can then use for as3 via the free alternatives out there.

Plus with F8 as Ray said you get all the bitmap, blendModes and filter goodness, and no matter what anyone says it's a million times easier to fine tune an effect, like a drop shadow, via the Flash IDE than via code.

Squize.

I never suggested he get mx2004, I was simply commenting to spite Ray. Personally, I opted for Flash CS4 IDE. It wasn't cheap, but it was nice to work with. Most dev's here say not to use the IDE, but I'm a rebel. :)

Going back to the original THREAD TOPIC, actually, I think senocular's site is good, but the best way to learn something in my opinion, is to have a goal, and learn the stuff you need to so that you can reach that goal. Say you wanted to make super flash bros (Sorry, but making that would be waaay more complex than you'd think) I think that the ideal route is to look up a tutorial on each piece.

First step: Make a character. So maybe a tutorial on how to draw mario.

Second: How to move a character with the arrow keys.

Etc etc.

Basically, I think you can't really learn something unless you have something that you can immediately apply it to.

Also, with tutorials, copy and pasting code is a NO-NO. You'll never learn that way.

Anyway, search "flash tutorials". As said with bluemagica's fist post, you really don't need to buy anything. Internet lessons are not useful. (In my opinion)

TUTORIALS ALL THE WAY!




@ Imprisoned Pride, Totally with you man! CS4 FTW!

I know perfectly well how difficult it will be to make the SSB remake that's good (if anyone has seen that cruddy remake with the loud music you can't turn off). Thank you all for the suggestions but I'm sorry, blue magica's suggestion is what I'm gonna follow. I repeat I'm 14 with a generous allowance but some unusual expenses, so I still don't have enough for CS4 or other "proffesional" programs.

I'm very innovative so when I get better at this I plan on trying to improvise a physics engine to run better, and I'm going to (If I can) make a demo on a PM to everyone here. Again, please suggest any characters while I'm still in the major planning phase. I plan on the remake being very simple in comparison like a light/heavy attack concept.

Ah, that would make it simpler. I'd suggest having a plain old basic field, like the one in final showdown. Also, I'd like to play boo as a character, I always thought that would be cool. And I don't think he'll be to hard to draw ^_^

You definitely need a Squize in there.

CS5 :shhh: