Thursday, July 7, 2011

Getting to grips with college projects and Flash

This has been a tough week for the project. Finding time to concentrate on the project has really been difficult. When I finally do sit down and to work there are so many distractions its very hard to stay sitting down for more than 20 minutes. This whole week reminds me very much of the weeks leading up to my leaving certificate. I would lock myself away for hours with the intention of doing some hardcore study, only to emerge some hours later with my notes covered in graffiti and a half read games magazine on my desk. I really need to find a place where I can concentrate on working a little better. My upcoming internship in the Digital Hub should hopefully provide me with an opportunity to find somewhere to work in a more productive environment.

In terms of my Flash learning it has been another slow week. Actionscript is a complicated beast and my lack of usable coding knowledge is proving to be a major obstacle. Oh how I wish now I had taken the Flash module last semester... However it is not all bad news, I have been looking at different game blogs and tutorials, several of which have proven useful. There is also some interesting game making software available that may be worth a look. Despite the setbacks and seemingly insurmountable challenge of Flash coding, I feel I will be able to get through this stage of development. Once Iv got the core gameplay mechanics working, I can put together a functional alpha prototype for submission in September.

Iv also been working on creating the sprites and animations for Mendel Strone. This has proved difficult. Creating smooth sprites is very tricky and time consuming. So far all efforts haven't been up to a good enough standard to be included in the game. More experimentation needs to be done before a viable method and look can be found.

Next week will involve some dedicated tutorials and learning so I can get to grips with the Flash and begin the primary game coding.

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