Flash level editor beta

[illumin8d1]

Hey guys, check out me level editor beta. It's a work in progress, so tell me what you think. I think it'll be really cool when I'm done with it.
***sorry, but I took it down***
Thanks!


Known issues:
errors in returning to edit mode from play mode
processor intensive
hero intentionally moves tto fast- increased speed is for processor testing purposes.
[Edited by illumin8d1 on 10-25-2000 at 08:25 PM]

[planetspasm]

Cool... What do you do?

[illumin8d1]

1) enter the width and height of your world, in screens.
2)click next
3)choose your startng screen.
4) click next
5)place link(the elf)
6) click on a tile in the game tiles window, and then click on the tan area to place it.
7) to switch screens, move to a new screen in the map window, and press the "next button in the map window.
8) whenever you want to navigate the world you've just made, click the "next" button at the bottom of the screen. just make sure you've placed the elf somewhere 1st

[Mad-Sci]

illumin8d1, very nice. Question: I bet that you will export the snapped tiles as a txt file. Am I correct ? At least I had this idea but switched to another approach. I init an empty field with a Loop statement. From the Flash Library you can drag your tiles on the stage. Each tile calculates its coord and stuff and pushes the data in the empty array. Im fixing my comp. it crashed heavy and after this we can talk again.

Otherwize looks awesome. Make it happen man .
Mad_sci

[illumin8d1]

mad-sci: yes, I am consiering exporting as a .txt file. If you have any info on how to do that, let me know. and no, I don't have it calculate x/y position- if you look closely, you can see some nearly transparent buttons.

[FlashCat]

Wow. Grate work, illumin8d1!

In my flash 4 tile engine I was using the trace command to make my map files, then I cut and passed the output into a map.txt

Unfortunately I don’t know much about server side so that was my solution at the time. Currently I am learning XML so I can pass the data to and from a sever. XML seams to be the way to go but I think you could use any backend that you are familiar with.

Hay, illumin8d1 & Mad_Sci. I would like to post some of my work in progress, but I am concerned about security, what do you do to protect your files form theft (don’t say any thing that might compromise your protection, just explain about how).

Thanks!

[illumin8d1]

I just post my .swf's and hope that no one can reliably crack them. Also, I never post the final project, so there's no real value to the .swf, and almost never a .fla in any form- that protects the code. If there is a question with a specific piece of code, I isolate it in it's own .fla and post it for evaluation.

an idea with finished, or near-finished, swf's: if you want to place them for review, watermark them! I just thought of this idea, but it seems like it'd work well- just have a large graphic with about 50 percent alpha pop up every few seconds.

another idea: have the swf use the "get variables" command to post the current server path to a page your site, which feeds the info to your database. This would have two benefits: 1) you can see how many people are playing your game, and 2) you can see from where. (another idea I have just thought up, but not tested.)
[Edited by illumin8d1 on 10-24-2000 at 05:01 PM]

[Mad-Sci]

Hey guys, I give everithing for free....
Mad-sci

[illumin8d1]

i believe in helping my fellow man, mad-sci, but it's a lot harder to sell a game when you can get it for free. Coding ideas and concepts, even select snippets, I'm more than happy to give out.

[Mad-Sci]

Yea illumin, FlasCat if that is your buisness you should worry about piracy. For me its a good hobby and a lot of fun this is why I do it for free. I have no idea how to protect your games nothing is 100%....
Mad_sci

[illumin8d1]

well said, mad-sci. the bottom line is that nothing is ever 100%- if people can hack the FBI servers, what chance do we really have? the only measure of security I use is to keep the .fla off of my server. If someone can reverse-engineer my swf, then what can I do? No use stressing over it.

[daviddoull]

looking good - there seem to be a few people working on zelda style games -cool

anyway - Ive also been working on a tile based game with editor - see the beta here
http://www.artifactinteractive.com.au/games/



david

[Mad-Sci]

David hi,
excellent stuff. I like the paralax . the game plays smoot. I noticed few things:
1. when in level editor - i did not put any holes and I just kept running and jumpin and my score was goin up. May-be this is part of the game though I think will be nice if you get a score per hole.
2. there was a some sea creature which pushed me up I pressed the key a bit early and my guy was up to the neck in the ice still able to run. if you press jump it goes ok.
3. why dont you put some diamonds or ice cristals which one can collect. with a bonus stuff.

Those are minor things. the game is realy realy cool. Why dont you submit to the arcade section ?
Mad_sci

[FlashCat]

COOL!
Ice could!

Grate game daviddoull, keep up the good work!
-------------------

Mad-Sci, illumin8d1, I understand what you are saying and, although I basically trust every one here. I would prefer to be safe! I have put a lot of work in to my tbw engine and would not be happy to find some one profiting off my blood. It has happen to me before!

Game design is my hobby, I am happy to just do it, however some day I would like to see it become my profession. So I must protect my investments!

I do feel bad not being able to give back to the community in the way you do. I would be glad to help any one with their problems or explain how I am achieving specific effects even make some of my less intense codes public domain for learning. I hope you can understand.

I sorry…

[illumin8d1]

I agree, flashcat.
I don't really see anything wrong with posting swf's- if I thought there was much chance of theft, I wouldn't do it. I'd advise you to keep your .fla out of the public domain, but it would be cool to see what you're working on in .swf format. Logically speaking, you hold the exact same risk of someone pirating your beta swf's as someone pirating your finished product- except the finished product is a
lot more useful.
either way, you already do a lot to help out on the board, so no one can accuse you of being selfish.

[FlashCat]

Thanks illumin8d1, I am appreciative of your comments.

I will start work on some security precautions, “err well minor annoyances to deter most pirates… Rrrrr shiver my timber matey! LOL.”

I will keep you up dated! Thanks!

[daviddoull]

I was actually thinking of putting out the source of my game.

My biggest problem with putting out source files is that you then get 100's of emails of people asking you to explain the code - sigh.

Also I do believe that clients should pay for flash games - so I worry that giving a game out might make them think that all games are free.

david