Author: itvbadmin

  • Moving From Flash AS2 To Flash AS3: MovieClip Buttons In MovieClip Classes

    (Note: I’m converting my Flash game “Spin City” from AS2 to AS3 so it can be re-skinned for another project. I’ve decided to document this activity in a series of tutorials so they might benefit anyone else who is going through the same development process) OK, this one drove me…

  • Moving From Flash AS2 To Flash AS3: GetURL()

    (Note: I’m converting my Flash game “Spin City” from AS2 to AS3 so it can be re-skinned for another project. I’ve decided to document this activity in a series of tutorials so they might benefit anyone else who is going through the same development process)   Flash AS2 One of…

  • Moving From Flash AS2 To Flash AS3: Update

    This is just a quick update to say that the Moving From Flash AS2 To Flash AS3 series will continue this week. I had to spend some time implementing the things I learned last week, and work on a few more changes. I’ve now tackled adding movie clips to the…

  • Trading Games The Easy Way : Goozex + Scotch Size 0, + APC

    If you are like me (and Lord help you if you are) you have been buying and playing video games for the past 25 years and have amassed quite a collection of , PC, PS1, PS2, GBA, DS, Wii, etc titles that you no longer play. In your personal phantasie…

  • Flash Game Programming Inter-Web Round up

    I like to search the inter-web for juicy nuggets of Flash Game programming wisdom in my free time (what a boring date I must be). Here are some essential new and recent blog entries for Flash Game Programmers and Developers. Interactive Crap has a pretty recent entry called Common Problems…

  • Planet Source Code For Flash Game Development

    Recently, I needed to find possible methods to create accurate movement for a maze-chase Pacman variant that I am working on (Pumpkin Man). I have been working on perfecting the method of animating my main character while he turns to an adjacent tile. It may sound simple at first thought,…

  • Moving From Flash AS2 To Flash AS3: Numerical Types Rules Of Use

    (Note: I’m converting my Flash game “Spin City” from AS2 to AS3 so it can be re-skinned for another project. I’ve decided to document this activity in a series of tutorials so they might benefit anyone else who is going through the same development process) This seems like a very…

  • Moving From Flash AS2 To Flash AS3: Static vs. Const

    (Note: I’m converting my Flash game “Spin City” from AS2 to AS3 so it can be reskinned for another project. I’ve decided to document this activity in a series of tutorials so they might benefit anyone else who is going through the same development process) Constant Variables In Flash AS1…

  • Moving From Flash AS2 To Flash AS3: Packages

    (Note: I’m converting my Flash game “Spin City” from AS2 to AS3 so it can be reskinned for another project. I’ve decided to document this activity in a series of tutorials so they might benefit anyone else who is going through the same development process) I’ve never been a huge…

  • The Role Of A “Story”: My Time In The Wilderness Of Japanese-style RPGs

    A few years back I was aching for new RPG to play, but I wanted something would remind me of the classics I played in the 80s.  I had just finished Star Wars:Knights Of The Old Republic, and while that was a very good game, it’s linear nature (past the…

  • To Coin A Phrase?

    It looks like Jeff’s blog yesterday about being a “Mid-Core” gamer has struck a chord with a few people.  We had one of our best days ever yesterday (traffic-wise) and we got some good placements on sites like Gamesetwatch.com, Destrucoid.com and GoNintendo.com.  Some people even seem to like the new…

  • Am I a MID-CORE gamer?

    I hear the term GAMER all the time. Usually it is used with disgust as someone asks if I am one. By GAMER, they mean a sweaty teen in his parent’s basement, or a sweaty 40 year old in his mother’s basement. They really are referring to a biased term…

  • Good Game Code v. Optimized Game Code

    I have to admit it, I like good code. By good code, I mean event models, design patterns, Hungarian Notation and all that assorted zarjazz (a Jeff Minterism for all you old schoolers). I like it especially as it applies to game programming. I wasn’t always like this, and I…

  • Merry Christmas From 8bitrocket.com!

    Merry Christmas from 8bitrocket.com!  We hope you get (and give) all the great games that you and everyone you know wants this year.  Have a peaceful and safe holiday season (no matter what you celebrate), and be sure to tune-in in 2008 for more games, more tutorials, and more gaming memories…

  • Flash AS3 Speed Tests: Rendering and Update Models

    About a week ago I jumped into a discussion on Flashkit about AS3 sprite sheets, rendering, etc. There were a lot of good ideas being thrown around, and I put in my 2 cents on how my current engine works. Originally, back in the AS2 days (and early days of…

  • 8bitrocket.com One Year Anniversary

    Our one year anniversary has come and gone, and I just wanted to mark the occasion with a list of the significant stats for our humble little retro game programming and appreciation site. From December 14 2006 until Dec 14 2007: 1. Page Views: 129,911 2.Visits: 64,702 3. Alexa Ranking:…

  • Pollypocket.com Soccer Kid

    When you make marketing based web games it is very tough to know if people like them or not.  There is very little feed back, and even if someone wanted to tell you they liked your game, they would have no way to find you.   However, today  I found this…

  • Pumpkin Man Mid-Mortem

    Games take a long time to make. Seriously, games are a bitch to make. I started my latest game as a supposed month long project to update Pacman into the semi-modern (circa 1990) age. I figured that Pacman would be a pretty easy game to make, and I also wanted…

  • Another Person’s Game: Vector Runner

    Vector Runner is a fast paced classic wire frame vector game in the style of the Tempest and Battle Zone. I found the game on the Congregate.com web site in my weekly search for classic style games. I can’t find any information on the actual developer (it could very well…

  • Atari VCS Xmas Tree Decorate & Email (2007)

    Design a Christmas tree, send it to a friend.

  • 10 Lines Of Silence For Evel Knievel

    … … … … … … … … … … The legend of my childhood, Evel Knievel died today at the age of 69.  Sure, he has not had the highest profile for past 30 or so years, and sure he did beat that journalist with a baseball bat, but…

  • Anatomy of a Flash Game: Lesson 1 – Setting up the game

    My newest Flash game tutorial is up at Mochiland.  Anatomy of a Flash Game: Lesson 1 – Setting up the game is the first in a series of articles that will show, in fine detail, how to construct a Flash game using basic object oriented methodology.   The game constructed during the…

  • JoytoKey: A Joy to Use With Flash Games

    We here at 8bitrocket.com try to give our support to anything that makes the Flash Game experience better: From optimized bitmap rendering engine tutorials, to using Mochi Ads to help pay developers to keep on making innovative games, we appreciate all things that make the games and the developers better.…

  • Required Playing: Atari ST Games

    Title: Lethal XcessYear: 1991Publisher: EclipseDeveloper: X-TrollGame Design: Marc Rosocha, Heinz Rudolph, Claus FrienGraphics: Heinz RudolphProgramming: Claus Frien, Heinz RudolphMusic: Jochen Hippel Sifting through my huge collection of vintage games and roms, I have selected a few I have never played to test out. First up is an Atari ST /…

  • Where Is My Must Have, Retro Game Collection For The Holidays?

    Every Christmas for at least the past decade, my brother Jeff and I have traded retro game collections for Christmas. It started in 1998 when I discovered MAME and Dave’s Video Game Classics. I collected a CD of ROMS and Emulators, printed a fancy CD label, and gifted it to…

  • 8bitrocket.com Finally Gets An Alexa.com Ranking!

    I know that Alexa.com is not the best source for traffic rankings (hey, neither is Neilson, so there!), but I just wanted to share a bit of info about 8bitrocket.com’s traffic ranking.    Obviously we are not a “destination” site, and our appeal is limited to web game devs and old…

  • Pixel Chix Flippin’ Kitchen Goes Live!

    My first (as a developer) web+toy (Toys that interact with the web) project went live today: Pixel Chix Flippin’ Kitchen.   The game is “inspired” by the “Cooking Mama” DS and Wii game.  You use your mouse to mix, cut, fry in mini games trying to make multiple dishes.  Here is the…

  • History Of Atari 1971-1977

    My latest writing project, “Part 1” of the History Of Atari (1971-1977) went up today at Gamasutra. The series is culmination of nearly 5 years of research and include content from my own personal interviews with Nolan Bushnell, Chris Crawford, Ralph Baer, David Crane, and others.  You can read it here: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2000/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php

  • Great Article On The 50 Greatest Game Design Innovations

    Ernest Adams has written a fantastic article for http://www.next-gen.biz about the “50 Greatest Game Design Innovations”.   There is tons of good content here to get you thinking, mull over, and argue about.  Take a look at it here: http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7769&Itemid=2 Here are some of my comments about the entries: 3. Stealth…

  • Actionscript 3: Tutorial – BitmapData rotation with a matrix

    The bitmapData class has been a revelation for advanced Flash game programmers. With it, one can replicate the sprite sheet magic that 8-bit game wizards produced on machines such as the Atari 800, C=64 and Nintendo NES. I have covered the use of sprite sheets and BitmapData in a previous…

  • Hotwheels.com Spin City Game Goes Live!

    Finally, my newest game for Hotwheels.com has gone live!  “Hot Wheels Spin City Drive-Thru Dilemma” is my casual game “sequel” to “Hot Wheels Accelracers Track Mod“, released in 2005.   It is not really a “sequel” though, as it’s game-play is based on the “Diner Dash” model, not on the “Pipe…

  • Spooky Jack-o-Lantern Designer (2007)

    Design and print “spooky” jack-o-lanterns in this easy and fun activity for kids.

  • MochiAds Goes Public!

    It looks like MochiAds has gone public today!  Check themout over at http://www.mochiads.com.   Also, they something new called “Customoized Ads” that looks very interesting…We’ll report more later when we know the details.

  • Implementing MochiAds in a Flash AS3 Class

    MochiAds are still in beta, but we here at 8bitrocket are firm supporters of this system. Mochi seems to be one of the few systems that is looking out for the independent developer. You can read more in Steve’s entry from a few weeks back. I am designing a new…

  • Launching Pad: Redesigning a Retro Classic #1: Pacman

    The last retro classic I redesigned was Asteroids when I created the game Retro Blaster. While I love early classic games, I also completely understand and appreciate how Nintendo, Sega, and other late 80’s innovators built upon classic themes to re-ignite the video game industry. Not only did they create…

  • Mochiads: Maybe The Best Thing For Flash Game Developers Since…Well…Flash

    I’ve been experimenting with the beta version of MochiMedia’s Mochiads system for the past few weeks. My first impression is that, when Mochiads finally rolls out to the public, it will help revolutionize the viral/free Flash game landscape. Mochimedia have already been providing a very useful product named Mochibot for…

  • Flash CS3: Actionscript 3 (AS3) Game Primer #3: Bitmap Collision Detection

    Flash CS3: Actionscript 3 (AS3) Game Primer #3: Bitmap Collision detection One of the great features of Flash AS2 and AS3 is the ability to use the non-transparent colored pixels in a bitmapData object to accomplish pixel level hit detection. In this tutorial, we will build upon the last last…

  • “Free Fireworks” Flash Engine Launches

    Today we are launching our SECOND in a series of free, configurable game/activity engines for the web (following closely on the heels of “Free Jigsaw“).  This one a further evolution of our “fireworks show” engine that can now be configured for almost any purpose. You can watch fireworks launch, and/or…

  • Atari-infogrames, On The Ropes?

    “Retro Rogue” martyg, a frequent visitor to our fourms (“frequent” is a relative term on our forums) has written a very detailed and insightful article about the fate of the Atarinfogrames.    In the article, martyg writes: Atari management has had more changing faces and directions than a chameleon stuck in…

  • Flash CS3: Actionscript 3 (AS3) Game Primer #2: Asynchronous key detection for arcade games.

    In Adobe’s attempt to “improve” every aspect of Actionscript, they deleted some features that arcade game programmers have relied on for years. One of the most fundamental aspects in most arcade games is accurately timed user input detection. Sadly, this has been made much more difficult (but not impossible) in…