Tag Archives: citrusengine

Finally using SWC for art in the Citrus Engine

Two days ago, I introduced a way to target iOS with the Citrus Engine using the metadata tag Embed. Forget that way, it is really painful.

Instead of using Embed everywhere and probably rewrite method for the CE’s ObjectMaker, we will use a SWC file. Refering to Wikipedia, an Adobe SWC file is a package of precompiled Flash symbols and ActionScript code that allows a Flash or Flex developer to distribute classes and assets, or to avoid recompiling symbols and code that will not change. SWC files can be generated by the Flash authoring tool, and by Flex. They are sometimes referred to as class libraries and cannot be directly executed by the Flash Player.

So in this file, there will be our level with all its graphics, animations, sounds… We will not have anymore external datas. Moreover our level in the flash IDE will not contain only rectangle shape like previously, but our graphics and animations :
Screenshot of the level
It’s more user friendly isn’t it ? My hero is always a rectangle shape because I’ve not the orignal fla right now.

So to do that just import your graphics and animations into your fla’s library. I recommend to create a movie clip named Level and put it on the stage, name it and add a simple trace code into it to inform what is your current level. We will add all our layers and objects in!
Then put the graphics inside your original Background movie clip for example. Next, inside the movie clip’s properties check export for ActionScript3 and set as class Background. Finally add this code into the movie clip :

var className = "com.citrusengine.objects.CitrusSprite";
var params = {
	view: Background
}

Before, we had a background.jpg now we have a class!

For animation it’s the same, but be careful : if you use it in code after it may have a problem of duplicate name, so in my case with the “Roseau” animation, my view is set up as RoseauAnimation. My library :
library screenshot

Now that your level is set up export it as SWC, then import it in your project. And finally to create your level in the Citrus Engine :

package {
 
	import com.citrusengine.core.CitrusEngine;
 
	import LevelA1_fla.Level_1;
 
	public class Main extends CitrusEngine {
 
		public function Main() {
 
			super();
 
			state = new GameState(new Level_1());
		}
	}
}

Et voilร ! You can download my zip. There is still the problem with hero deplacement coming from the new version, anyway if you start a new project from scratch with this one, all will work fine!

Now you just have to import sounds/videos in your SWC too…
Be careful if you use a SWC and target the Web, because the swf becomes heavy and if there isn’t an external preloader, people may leave before played your game!

Finally if you want to have great performance on your mobile game, you should take a look on CE blitting method. And you may use Embed metadata tags to add your assets to your game state. I recommend to add them directly in your class, don’t use the level editor. Programming is not always easy ๐Ÿ˜‰

Rugby game, AS3 – CE – haXe versions

Two weeks ago at school we made a simple rugby game with graphics provided.
I take this opportunity to compare how I develop the game if I use different framewok :

– in AS3 with linked list and object pooling (refers to this previous tutorial). Obviously it is a little game, and we don’t need complex optimization, but that was a good implementation exercice. Moreover I’ve updated my class ๐Ÿ˜‰

– with the Citrus Engine, managing Box2D. It was not easy to handle physics to have the same result that the basic AS3 version, and actually it is not the same (there is some inertia), but I really like how Box2d handle collision. We can manage before collision, the beginning and the ending. It is really more precise than a hitTestObject. Moreover we can separate art from physic body, and so change easily the “collision box”.

– last night, with lbineau we made a programming evening around haXe (and some beers ๐Ÿ™‚ ). The idea was really simple : make the same game, using existing AS3 classes with haXe. I have already given a chance to haXe previously and saw how powerful it is. This time, I see how easy it is to use previous AS3 code. I didn’t rewrite my Opponent and Player class! And I used the fla to link graphics without any trouble! However I’m a bit disappointed : I used most of the time original AS3 objects instead of haXe primary objects. What I need right now is FDT5 with its full haXe support! Can’t wait for it… Oh! If you’re interesting by haXe, you should take a look on NME, it seems to be amazing.

The zip with the three versions.

Introduction to Embed art in the Citrus Engine

Update : using metadata tag Embed is not the easiest path if you want to target iOS, take a look on this post using SWC.

Today this is a quick post based on an older one : Create objects and art in the citrus engine.

If you want to target iOS platform for your game, you must know that you can’t load swf at runtime. Indeed all your data must be “packaging” in one file an .ipa. So you are not able to load external data. To pass over that restriction, you need to use the metadata tag Embed properties. This is a blog post for Embedding Ressources with AS3.

So, what we will do today is to adapt the previous post to be able to target iOS. I don’t have enough time to do it entirely, so this will only be an introduction, sorry.

Let’s start now : on your level.fla add AS code to embed some assets :

[Embed(source="../../assets/grass.png")]
var GrassPic:Class;
Grass.picture = GrassPic;
 
[Embed(source="../../assets/elements.png")]
var BackgroundElementPic:Class;
BackgroundElement.picture = BackgroundElementPic;
 
[Embed(source="../../assets/background.png")]
var BackgroundPic:Class;
Background.picture = BackgroundPic;
 
[Embed(source="../../assets/objects/Roseau.swf")]
var RoseauAnim:Class;
Roseau.animation = RoseauAnim;

Here we are using the dynamic property of MovieClip, more information about it : Adobe doc. Don’t forget to name your stage MovieClip!
Then into your background MovieClip add this code :

var className = "com.citrusengine.objects.CitrusSprite";
var params = {
	view: this.picture
}

Don’t forget the this or it will not work! Now, your asset is embed ๐Ÿ˜‰
It is really easy to embed graphics, but what about SWF ? How can we handle animation on this ?

Go back into our two older methods : roseauTouche & roseauFin. And change the code for :

private function _roseauTouche(cEvt:ContactEvent):void {
 
	if (cEvt.other.GetBody().GetUserData() is Hero) {
 
		 ((MovieClip(SpriteArt(view.getArt(cEvt.fixture.GetBody().GetUserData())).content).getChildAt(0) as DisplayObjectContainer).getChildAt(0) as MovieClip).gotoAndPlay("white");
	}
}
 
private function _roseauFin(cEvt:ContactEvent):void {
 
	if (cEvt.other.GetBody().GetUserData() is Hero) {
 
		var roseauMC:MovieClip = MovieClip(SpriteArt(view.getArt(cEvt.fixture.GetBody().GetUserData())).content);
		var loader:Loader = roseauMC.getChildAt(0) as Loader;
		var mc:MovieClip = (loader as DisplayObjectContainer).getChildAt(0) as MovieClip;
		mc.gotoAndPlay("black");
	}
}

Dammit!! It is the same code for this two functions, the first is just more condensed. I will not explain more, because I’m always surprised of those lines… ๐Ÿ˜€ However you can find informations here and there.

My zip. There is some problem with hero movement (jump and move to travel) due to the update on the last CE’s version. I don’t know where it comes from, but you can use it without problem. I made some test from scratch and it works ๐Ÿ˜‰

I know that there is lot of works to do from there, but that’s a good start. You need to put your level into an asset in your state finally, and see what happen. You would write a new function to ObjectMaker to enable that, probably.

I wouldn’t dig into it more, because I’m not sure it is the best way… It is a bit complex if you want to manage animation. The updateAnimation method of PhysicsObject class doesn’t work this way. And moreover there is an other method to embed data :
“Remember you can specify a MovieClip linkage ID as your view property rather than a path to a SWF/PNG. If you’re using Flash Develop, FDT or Flash Builder, you can embed your MovieClip graphics that you made in the Flash IDE using SWCs”.

Anyway that was a cool introduction to embed assets, isn’t it ?

Create a ladder for the Citrus Engine

Hi, today a quick post about how to create a ladder for the Citrus Engine.
It is a preview version, Michael Kerr requested me for his flash game scripting class !

I’m working with Eric to add it into the original package !!

So here is the result : the ladder in action

Continue reading Create a ladder for the Citrus Engine

Teleporter, treadmill and cannon

After my game school project (Kinessia), I’m still doing some experiments with the Citrus Engine.

On its latest update, there was some new objects :
– a powerful particle system.
– new objects : missile, reward and reward box.

In this tutorial, I wil explain how to create new specific object which extends a Citrus Engine object.
At the end, we will have : a teleporter, a treadmill and a cannon that fires missile !
An ugly example.

Continue reading Teleporter, treadmill and cannon

CitrusEngine flash extension

Hey there,

While improving my skills on the Flash Platform, I started to learn Flex and on an other way JSFL (using for Flash IDE extension).
So I mix them together, and I offer to the CE community my first Flash extension.

You can find it here : https://github.com/alamboley/CitrusEnginePanels
It requires Flash CS5.

On a project, you have always recurrent tasks. Using the CE for your game, you will create a hero and using the right labels for example. Adding a platform, baddy, cloud in the flash IDE to create a level required to create Movie Clip and specify their classname, their filepath (swf, png…) and some others options.

So what can you do with this extension ? In what way it will improve your productivity ?
I made it to be really simple to use, fast and efficient. Things that you can do with it :
– generate the correct labels for your hero, baddy, missile… such as idle, walk, jump… on a label layers !
– add to your level CE objects (hero, platform, coin, cloud…) on a specific layers with the same name and color, with some options (filepath, classname if not the original one), specific options too (oneWay for platform, parallax…).

Notice that you need to create only one time your object and duplicate them on your stage to add many. If you want to create a similar object too, just duplicate it in the library.

All of the CE objects are not in this extension, I will add them later. Before that, I would like to have your opinion about the plugin : how to improve it ? more options ?
I think that somes options for instance the endX and endY should not be included in the moving platform level fla, and be controlled by code…

Any idea is welcome ๐Ÿ™‚

Kinessia, game school project

Hey,

I’m happy to share with you my game school project made at the french Gobelins school, in Annecy.
It is now online : http://kinessia.aymericlamboley.fr/.

I worked with a graphic designer, Tiffany Francony, which made an amazing job !

For the exam we had high honours and the best rating !!

It is made with the Citrus Engine. The original version used a smartphone as a controller for the game, and all the HUD was displayed on this. I used a Java server to make the synchronization.

This is a simple web version, I can’t pay a Java server. The concept is more raw than the original one, there was a video at the beginning to explain the story, and our approach was on the website. But, that was all in french, so I cut off.

All the source code is available on GitHub.

A short video :

I hope you will enjoy the prototype ๐Ÿ™‚