Reddit reviews Essential ActionScript 3.0: ActionScript 3.0 Programming Fundamentals
We found 8 Reddit comments about Essential ActionScript 3.0: ActionScript 3.0 Programming Fundamentals. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Programming Flash (Actionscript) is no different than programming in any other language. Sure, some things are a lot easier, and some a a little bit harder, but the principals are the same.
I'd advise you to read up on basic programming first, and then start reading up on programming in actionscript, otherwise the chances of you ending up as another timeline coder, are fairly high.
Also, don't bother reading guides for anything other than actionscript 3. They'll end up crippling you.
For learning actionscript 3, I can reccomend the following books:
Which Colin Moock wrote (that's a good thing). When you've read that one, and still wanna learn more, you could look into these:
P.S.
The answer to the question "Should I place this code in the timeline" is always no, for actions other than "stop() or play()".
I ended up writing a novel... sorry about that.
Well I'm Web Design but I can give you a peek into your next year of classes.
First, you can and should take DIG 2030, 2109 and 2500 at the same time as DIG 2000. You may know this but I actually ran into a few students that didn't and waited an extra semester. In these classes you'll be learning Photoshop (2109), Video and Video Editing with Premier (2030) and Flash (2500) unless they finally change Flash with HTML5 or another equivalent. You'll be using Adobe programs a lot during this year. You have access to them using your lab computers but you can get Adobe CC (all the programs) for $20.00 a month if you register as a student.
For Photoshop you don't really need much else, though it could be beneficial to dip your feet into the program before you start the class to help yourself out with the first few assignments. I took this with Dombroski and I highly recommend him if you can take it with him and also the lab section with him.
For 2030 you should have professor Snow and he's fantastic. You'll be doing a huge group project (making your own short film) with people in your lab section, specifically make sure you have one person who's very organized and hard working to be your director, the group won't work if you don't have someone good for that part. You'll also be doing some editing using Adobe Premiere Pro. Snow also teaches Evolution of Video Games, take it it's fantastic. If Snow's not teaching it, don't take it and wait until he's teaching it again. I took it with Ware and it was awful. He made a class about video games one of the hardest classes I ever took... that's just mean.
For 2500, Interactive Design, I had Novatnik and we were using Flash. I don't think he teaches that class anymore and I don't know if they're still using Flash, but we had to do a lot of coding with ActionScript - I highly suggest reading up on actionscript and having some practice with it if you're not very good with coding. If you do have Novatnik read the books, he tests out of them, the other professors not so much. A TA I have currently has a set of books he uses for various languages and this is one of them.
book
From here you'll be taking Modeling for Real Time Systems (4780) and Computer as a Medium (3480). (You'll be taking two other classes but there's nothing noteworthy about them). I think you'll have 4780 with Theen, and this is his site. He posts everything there so you can take a look. In his class you'll be using Maya which you can get for free as a student. This class is more important for Game Designers and if you're interested in designing your own game characters really pay attention to this class and take the elective Modeling for Real Time Systems 2. Also, Theen made his own DVD that contains tutorials you'll be following during the semester. You also have the option to use a book. You learn more from his DVD but he sometimes wastes your time and tends to re-do some modeling during his tutorial causing you to also re-do it while following him. These tutorials take several ~20 hours, so excess time adds up fast.
For Computer as a Medium I really hope you don't have Dannleigh. I had him as a TA and he was one of the worst I had. In this class you learn JavaScript and Processing. Again, if coding's not your thing read up on JavaScript beforehand. You can try this book. Use DIVs, not tables - you'll know what I mean if it comes up.
From there I heard the C++ is a good language to learn for Game Design as well as Java. A computer science minor won't be too difficult as you already take intro to C for game design and being good at coding is very beneficial in Digital Media. You'll also have many, many, many group projects in your upper level classes.
[Read this for a light intro to AS3] (http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-ActionScript-3-0-Animation-Making/dp/1590597915)
Read this for a more practical and in-depth look at more advanced programming / software design in Actionscript
Read this for a good idea on how to specifically develop a game
And the fighter is actually easier to code.
Good luck!
Good info there. Since you are looking to make games however, I think just Flash should do you fine, as it mixes the graphics side with the code side acceptably (you can still use external editors to write the code with if you wish).
I can highly recommend Essential Actionscript 3.0 as a learning book for programming - that is, if you really want to dig your fingers into it.
It depends a lot on the scope of the game you want to make. A simple game can be done without delving into code that is too complex (though you still need to learn quite a bit if you use AS3.0).
That book will teach you a LOT about Actionscript 3.0, but it is geared more toward the programmers than designers, so it does not skimp on technical stuff. This is great if you want to know your shit with AS and Flash in general; not so good if you are not technically minded, and just want to make things move/appear/etc, in which case you may want to look at more designer-orientated AS books. HOWEVER, the mentioned book IS the bible for AS 3.0, and while it is full of information, it is not necessarily complex, and the narrative is quite pleasant.
You only need to do two things: read this book from cover to cover, and code a lot.
If you have Java experience you should consider learning ActionScript 3, since it is very similar to Java. If I remember correctly, Flash 8 only has AS2, which is more like JavaScript syntax.
If you are strapped for cash, there are some cheap/free tools out there for AS3 development such as FlashDevelop.
Depending on whether you go with AS2 or AS3, I would recommend Essential ActionScript 2.0 or Essential ActionScript 3.0. These aren't really game-oriented books, but they are indispensable for language reference.
I have no idea about Steam greenlight, but if you do want to build a game in flash learn as3. There are a bunch of decent frameworks for game dev, most popular now seems to be starling.
Resources to get you going:
http://www.gotoandlearn.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-ActionScript-3-0-Colin-Moock/dp/0596526946
Flash is great, I personally love it. That being said, depending on what you want to do, working in javascript might be better. ImpactJS seems to be awesome, unfortunately it's not free, but neither is flashbuilder/flash so whatever. Also you can work in Unity in javascript.
You already know AS2, so for AS3 all you need is a good transitional book. I've heard good things about Essential Actionscript. Haven't read this one specifically, but supposed to be good.
I read Design Patterns for AS3 in hopes of nailing both AS3 and design patterns but it's mediocre at best for both.