MatthewDoyleArt.com Blog

As preparation to take on my new job role, I wrote a small flash game using ActionScript 3 and OOP (object oriented programming) to brush up on my flash scripting skillz.

So far, so good.  It is still a work in progress, and there are many known issues:

• the enemy you shoot isn’t always the one that is removed from the game
• player may leave the screen (need to add screen limits)
• placeholder art asset for explosion & torpedoes
• no enemy AI beyond basic movement
• enemies pop into view rather ugly sometimes
• ship heading is suffers from rounding errors
• torpedo heading suffers from the same rounding errors
• …and lots more

Features to add:

• radar
• lasers
• shields
• enemy combat AI
• pick-ups
• scrolling background
• …and whatever else I find time to add

The game is composed of several class files which can easily be reused for other 2D space shooters:

• Main.as (main game loop)
• PlayerShip.as
• EnemyShip.as
• Torpedo.as
• Explosion.as
• UserInterface.as
• Collision.as (code thanks to gSkinner)

You may download a full source code zip file, or play the game from here (World Building).

I recently flew into the D.C. area to interview and hang out with the guys and gals at Scaleform. I had a great time, and ended up getting the job. I’m very excited to get started, and have been spending my days refreshing my Action Script skills.

I start on Dec. 1. The company is full of talented and passionate people, and the Scaleform product is an impressive UI solution.  The most appealing part of the job for me is the knowledge that I’ll be able to travel around to some of the biggest studios in the business to help them develop UIs for their games.

Please accept my apologies for not posting in quite a while.  Times have been a bit tough, and I’m sure the rest of you out there will probably agree.  I’ve had several contracts and a few jobs over the past few months, most of which have fallen through for one reason or another (funding, bad timing, etc.)  And I’m sure the economic situation we all find ourselves in right now isn’t helping things out.  I’ve heard of several studios laying off large numbers of developers in Austin and Canada (those two places I can confirm anyway).  Finding a job right now is becoming increasingly difficult.  Many studios are freezing hiring until next year.  On the plus side, my drawing tablet issues have finally been rectified.  I got a new one thanks to an unexpected and greatly appreciated gift.  Same size and everything.

I’ve been concentrating on updating my portfolio for perspective employers and contract work.  I have a few possible jobs on the horizon, and am waiting to hear back from them.  Regardless of where I end up, I plan to plant my flag firmly in the ground and hopefully, despite the way things are, buy a house to raise my family in.

I’ll have some new artwork, and hopefully complete some of the old stuff this month and post it.  Be on the look out for links to design docs and an Unreal 3 test map as well.  I also plan to post screenshots from my old game Cleric and a few other items from my older stuff.

I just wrapped up my first round of contract work for a group of up and comming guys out of San Francisco - Shattered Reality Interactive. These guys have a ton of heart and energy, and they’re working on a unique next-gen MMO called Kaos War. My first round of design work was to help them develop a few key design documents, among them a PvP doc.

I really like what these guys are doing, and things are going very well for them. If things pan out, I may move back to good ol’ Cali’. I went to SF once to interview at Lucas Arts, just before coming to AZ. It is a beautiful city and matches my personality. The guys at SR Interactive are considering me for the lead designer position as soon as their next round of funding comes in. It would be an honor to work with Damon and the guys there.

Check out their site here: www.kaoswar.com

Taking up some advice from Brian Green of Meridian 59, I bought some Python books (targeted towards game development) and started reading up on this relatively easy to learn language. I am still learning C++ as well, but it is good to know more than one language, and Python is being used more and more by commercial games (including Eve Online and even Stargate Worlds).

I am amazed at just how simple it is to program in Python. It is a language that is much closer to approximating the English language than say C++, no compiling to test (its an interpreted language), and things such as no need to declare variables, etc.

I have installed the latest version of Python (2.5.1 as of this writing) along with the latest version of PyGame, which includes SDL - an open source graphics library, and I am already writing little programs that can move sprites around the screen.

I would like to recommend an excellent book - Game Programming - The Express Line to Learning from Wiley. This book is an excellently written tome that will have you writing games in Python in no time. No previous programming knowledge is required. Even with what I know, I still find this book informative. It is easy to follow and gets you into the meat of 2D game programming very quickly. You can pick up a copy here:

Game Programming - The Express Line to Learning