I'm looking for references on how to learn ActionScript 3.0 and programming Flash games in general. I have a very basic knowledge of programming, enough to understand what's going on with most code but not enough to really do anything on my own. Can someone recommend good books on flash game development, or some tutorials? I'd prefer something that actually teaches you how to program rather than just having you copy and paste code. Thanks, and sorry if this question has come up before (I'm sure it has, but couldn't find anything good on it).
This is a very good first book. It explains the language very clearly in good detail, just the right amount for a novice. It concentrates on the language in genreral, not game development but is one of the best books out there.
Not university level. Not by a mile. This another book which only assumes basic knowledge of AS3 and teaches it applied to Flash games. This one is good because it gets you thinking on the game dev track by showing applied examples.
The bible of ActionScript 3.0, basically. Any problem, concept or language feature you're not sure about you look in here. This explains almost the entire language in depth. People say it's not a good book to start off with. Maybe they're right, but it is worth having it. Get this one once you've got a grip on the language and have started actually doing stuff.
Those three are the three I used to learn and I most certainly recommend them as the top 3 out there.
I recently bought the ActionScript 3.0 Game Programming University book, I've only skimmed it so far though it seems to be more helpful than other resources I've tried. The only reason that I haven't started going through it yet is because I was given advice to begin work on a simple tic-tac-toe game, and learn a bit by myself. Over the majority of the past day I've made a decent (working) game from scratch and it has helped a lot. Can anyone think of other simple game projects that I can work on by myself to help me learn?
Well, I'd suggest that instead of trying to make games entirely from scratch, you use the book and experiment with what you have learned. It'll go much faster since you will have concrete knowledge that you can apply. If you start off just by yourself you'll get to the point where you're doing thing in a very inefficient way because you have not learned any tools which are more useful for the problem.
That's true, I suppose I'll go through the book then hopefully have enough experience to begin a few projects on my own. If there are any other tips you might have I'd be grateful to hear them, appreciate the advice so far.
There's one crucial one. Don't try to make an "amazing" game at the start. Start out with something simple and fun. Cut down on features until you have completed a couple of projects. A large/complicated project is likely to demotivate you with the amount of work. It put me off making games for over a year.
Also try not to dive into the programming straight away. Plan the mechanics and a list of graphical assets you'll need(don't make them yet, just have a list). I've found it best to first describe your game in 1/2 sentences. For example for a tower defence game: "Defend your base against enemies by strategically placing towers on their path". This really makes an idea more concise and less 'there could be this, there could be that'.
Well, I'd suggest that instead of trying to make games entirely from scratch
I would recommend against that. The only way you really learn is doing things from the ground up so you understand the whole system. You should read through the book look at how they structure their games and make your own very very very simple game. Like think of a game now, slap your hand and make it simpler. Rinse and repeat till you have something you can make.
I recently made a post about getting into making game from ground zero in terms of knowledge.
