Love creating animations and sites in Flash and scripting basic interactive actions? Then you're ready to take Flash to the next level by learning programming with ActionScript.

Unlike basic scripting, programming with ActionScript allows you to create highly interactive and entertaining applications that can be infinitely modified. You can build fully-featured interactive games and other dynamic applications that put your users in the driver's seat.

In this advanced course, you'll learn the history and basics of computer programming and write high-level ActionScript code that dynamically places, moves, and alters the elements of a design onscreen.

In six lessons, you will build a classic video game step-by-step, learning key ActionScript programming skills and methods, while building up a code base that you can employ in any other personal and professional Flash applications. You'll learn how to create interfaces, and generate and control the game flow, all with ActionScript!

Play a game scripted by student Kathy Brickweg

Instructor: Geoph Essex is a web and multimedia developer, programmer, animator, and educator.
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Developer: David Witt is a Brooklyn NYC based new media artist and multimedia designer... get bio

Write accurate, well-structured ActionScript code using dot syntax, event handlers, and other fundamental code elements, and troubleshoot code as needed.

Plan an interactive, Flash-based video game using sketches, pseudocode, and Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams.

Write code that conforms to object-oriented programming principles, and apply functions to code that accept and respond to user input from the mouse or keyboard.

Use ActionScript to dynamically place instances of objects at coordinates on the screen.

Apply variables and properties to modify the appearance and movement of dynamically-placed instances.

Use the hitTest() ActionScript method to detect a collision between two objects, and write code to present appropriate reactions when a collision is detected.

Properly code a "for loop" to remove a series of objects from the screen one by one.

Use ActionScript to create a graphical user interface (GUI) and a working set of user controls that start and pause a Flash game or movie.

Create interface controls that check the status of a Flash game or movie and call additional functions based on the status.

Create code that continually records a score based on user controls and game functions, and an interface that presents saved scores and other dynamic text information.

Apply a soundtrack and sound effects to events using ActionScript code.

Creatively use ActionScript to extend and enhance the existing Flash and code features of a game or movie.

Outline:

LESSON 1 The Basics of Programming The course begins with a look at the fundamentals of computer hardware, software, and programming, going below the surface to see how they interact and how they affect you as a programmer. You'll also learn the principles of object-oriented programming (OOP) and how they are key to flexible, powerful ActionScript programs. In your first exercise, you'll begin work on your Alien Invaders game, creating your hero ship and making him move around the screen with user control buttons.

LESSON 2 Events, Actions, Functions, and Classes Lesson Two focuses on the key components of all ActionScript programs. You'll learn the hierarchy of ActionScript code and the Movie Clip symbol properties that you can manipulate with code. This lesson also covers ActionScript syntax and resources so you can keep your code clean and free of errors. You'll continue working on your game in the exercise, using dynamic programming techniques and encapsulation to load and place your visual objects.

LESSON 3 Variables and Dynamic Programming The topic of dynamism continues along with more work on your game in Lesson Three. Here you'll learn to use dynamic programming and several variables to create a grid of animated aliens that aim to destroy your fair hero. Through variables, you'll learn to make your applications flexible and easily modified. In the exercise, you'll make your alien grid march towards the hero with more dynamic programming and give your hero some defense with shooting capabilities that your user can control.

LESSON 4 Actions and Reactions In this action-packed lesson and exercise, you will learn to create advanced interactivity with ActionScript. To enable your hero to "kill" his foes, you'll learn to use collision detection, a crucial component of all video games and many other interactive applications. You'll continue your hard work in the exercise, writing ActionScript code that triggers the "death" of the hero, and cleaning up your code for better organization.

LESSON 5 More Programming Concepts No advanced look at programming would be complete without a close look at methods of debugging — and you'll even learn about the first known computer bug. You'll also gain a better understanding of the interaction between the graphical interface and underlying programming. In the exercise, you will add a number of key interface components to your game and implement game scoring.

LESSON 6 The Big Picture The final lesson wraps up your exploration of ActionScript with a broad look at the world of programming, important foundations, and how ActionScript fits into this world. Then you'll get some helpful rules of thumb for newbie programmers, and examine an ActionScript case study of the project development process. Finally, in the exercise, you'll put the finishing touches on your game with high score screens using dynamic and user-inputted text, and space-age sound effects.

Tuition: $829 US