Flash – Case 1

First assignment in Adobe Flash.

On tuesday I got my first assignment in the Animation and Interaction course I am taking. By the end of this semester (December), I have to get through a pretty steep learning curve when it comes to Flash, I’ve never used the program itself nor taken much interest in animating vector-graphic. The assignment is pretty simple, or so it may seem – to create a typical sidescrolling platform game in Flash (with “help” from ActionScript 3.0, the language all the code is written in) – divided into 10 cases from week to week with more or less different things to learn in every case.

Case 1: Design a character in Flash, with vector-graphics and in 2d (side-view). Create a game-design, include the background story and environment for your main-character.

I’ve pretty much got the game-design figured out:

Concept 1:

• Humanoid main-character, some mixture between Indiana Jones and Super Mario (ish).
  • Attacks with a sword/stick.
• Background for the main-character: He’s lost in a threatening, ancient and old world, all alone without the key to find his way out, help him get back home to the world he lives in.
• Jungle/Ancient sort of environment with vines, palms, banana-trees, grass, sand, rocks, statues.
• One base platform at the ground-level where the character can walk around freely, no objects or enemies. Platforms and different objects that the MC has to get past laid out on his way to the end of the level.
• Enemies (key-keepers, let’s call them that for simplicity) that dies when jumped on or when being hit with weapon/punch/kick so they drop key fragments. Main-character dies if he walks into one of the enemies without killing it first.
  • Attacks/Kills the player by walking on him, if the player doesn’t kill it.
• Goal of the game: Main-character has to collect all the different key fragments to forge/assemble the mainkey so he can unlock the door, and complete the level.

Quick sketch for the game-design behind concept 1. Click the image for a larger version.

Concept 2:

• Ball/Abstract main-character, has to be able to spin/run quickly as the mission for the character is based on speed. (Include some bonuses like faster speed)
• Background for the main-character: The ball/abstract figure wants to show the world how good it is at collecting score-points and beating the annoying mass of horizontal lines wanting to kill it.
• Two vertical lines on each side of the level, constraining the player from jumping out of the level.
• Placed/Random horizontal lines that scrolls either upward or downward (haven’t decided) on the level.
• Navigate the main-character (a ball, or some type of abstract character) through holes in the horizontal lines, scrolling down in a set speed in regard to the score.
• As the game continues and the score goes up – enemies or objects will be placed throughout the horizontal lines to make it a bit more challenging for the player. The scrolling speed of the horizontal lines will also speed up.
• Goal of the game: Get the highest score and don’t let your main-character get squeezed by the scrolling floor/ceiling.

Quick sketch for the game-design behind concept 2. Click the image for a larger version.

Concept 3:

• Main-character (MC) is a hand.
  • Three arms (thumb, ring-finger, and pinky)
  • Two legs (index and middle-finger)
  • Has some sort of notebook with different expressions on it, flips the book when it’s sad/excited/tired/happy/afraid etc. (if that’s too hard I’ll go for the poster, or just the hand itself)
• Background story for the MC: The hand has by mysterious magical whatchabings been separated from its’ owner. The player has to guide the hand through an abstract and strange world in order to reunite the hand with the rightful owner. (I’ll read stories for your kids, I’m good, I tell you!)
• Typical platformer with different platforms here and there, in different angles and sizes. I’ll have to plan something out, but for now I just follow the criterias – I need to show some sort of jump-function, preferably with an animation to support the jumping and landing. (I can already picture the hand preparing for a massive summersault into the air, dropkicking one of the pesky scissor-enemies out of the stage!)
• Enemies
  • Rock (Not figured out a function for this enemy yet, but it’ll either jump and squash the player character (PC), or block the way to some extent) – PC has to avoid it, can’t be killed, it’ll just be a annoying rock, sorry.
  • Paper (This thingy will basically, as within the Rock-Paper-Scissor “game”, wrap around the hand and entangle it in a mess of paper!) – PC has to either attack it or avoid it.
  • Scissor (This one will.. Oh, you guessed right Mr.! It’ll cut the hand like any professional emo would.. Which makes me think of replacing the scissor with a razorblade – whaddy’a think?) – PC has to either attack it (I want to animate a slapping hand, bitchslap-style) or avoid it. Attacking it awards more points for über highscores!
• Alternative Gamestyle:
  • Rock – Player has to press a key to “morph” (the hand will pose as the “paper”) into a Paper.
  • Paper – Player has to press a key to “morph” (the hand will pose as the “scissor”) into a Scissor.
  • Scissor – Player has to press a key to “morph” (the hand will pose as the “rock”) into a Rock.
  • If the player fails to morph into the right pose for the enemy, he/she will lose one life.
• Goal of the game: PC has to guide the MC home and reunite it with its’ owner. Highest score keeps the first place on the scoreboard (kudos for that one, obviously!). I might put in some sort of counter that will check the score, when the score is on or above the set variable the level can be completed.

Quick sketch for the character design behind concept 3. Click on the image for a larger version.

I kinda changed my mind on which concept I like the best, I like concept 3 now!

That’s what I’ve done this far, it might not be that much, but oh well! I’m struggling with the design part, I don’t like the paint-tools (and general feel of vector-graphics) in Flash. If you have some tips or nifty how-to’s for creating a pixelated character in Flash I’d very much like to see a comment! :3