Adobe Flash - Create Flash Games the Hard Way

If you have checked out the other options here on my blog and found none of them "hardcore" enough, maybe it's time to be a professional Flash developer with Adobe's own software development tools.

You are more "hardcore" than I am, by the way, so please don't bully me on the beach.

For the price of admission, professional Flash developers can create Flash games in the authentic Adobe development environment and receive technical support straight from the horse's mouth. As I mentioned in the Swish post, some games could be easier to develop "from scratch" than others. For example, a point-and-click adventure designed on this platform would require minimal familiarity with ActionScript, Adobe's object-based scripting language integrated into the product.

There are several resources available online to get you started in the world of Flash game development using Adobe Flash. It is always beneficial to jump in and learn a new language, so if you're brave enough to explore the unknown and have a true passion for making Flash games, this could be the best option for you.

Price: $119

Pros: the most customization and distribution options, technical support from Adobe

Cons: the most difficult route, you will need to learn at least some coding skills to produce even simple games

Swish - Create Flash Games and Animations on Windows

Swish is a program that automates many of the common tasks for which the Flash platform is used, especially dynamic Flash animation. Although it's not expressly marketed as a game creation tool, their latest line of products, SwishMax, incorporates the Actionscript language which can absolutely be used to develop a Flash game.

I first noticed Swish around 10 years ago. At the time, I used Macromedia Flash to produce animations for websites. I was able to get by, but the learning curve seemed steep, and my workflow seemed cumbersome and overly technical. Swish was the perfect solution, and I had a blast playing with all the built-in effects. I eventually began to experiment with some of the advanced features and found that I could use Swish to easily create a "virtual tour" animation, which I used for a real estate website.

What does this have to do with creating Flash games? Well, for one there are many successful Flash games online that essentially amount to virtual tours with a few extra buttons. The spot-the-item games come to mind. For those of you in particular who are interested in building a game around Flash animation, such as a point-and-click adventure with lots of ambiance and cinematics, Swish could be the right tool. As mentioned earlier, SwishMax does support a scripting language, so if you took the time to learn how to use it, a process which would share some similarities to learning how to make Flash games from scratch, you could make arcade-style games as well.

Price: $69-$149

Pros: Excellent for animation, lots of built-in effects, you own the rights to any Flash game you export, easily create point-and-click Flash games, nice support community and templates.

Cons: Not built to be a Flash game maker, relatively steep learning curve for creating arcade style games, no automated publishing\monetization features

Sploder - Create Flash Games Online

For the absolute beginner, staring at a blank work environment can be scary. Instead of the hidden possibilities, they see the emptiness and wonder what they can do to turn it into a flash game. The online flash creation tool Sploder could prove to be just the thing for those of you interested in testing the game design waters without getting in over your head.

You can create an account on Sploder for free, which grants you publishing tools for your game. You can then save your game to their hosted arcade, or copy an html snippet to embed the game on your own website.

I recommend Sploder for people who want to see results fast. You can literally be playing your new game within minutes of joining their site. Those who want more customization options or rights/control over their flash games may need to keep looking. Either way, it's a great way to play with popular game design concepts in a fun environment.

Price: free
Pros: extremely easy to use, show off your games on your own website, no monetary investment
Cons: you cannot export to flash (.swf), so your game will always be hosted by Splodr, and they hold the rights to your game so you won't be able to monetize, customization options are limited in favor of usability

Stencyl - Create Flash Games on Windows

I first came upon Stencyl while searching for "gamesalad for windows". I was excited about the Mac-only game design tool Gamesalad, especially because the software offered an easy and relatively inexpensive way to develop a game and sell it on the Apple store. Coincidentally, Gamesalad does not support flash game creation. Stencyl, on the other hand, is available on both Mac and Windows platforms, and can make flash games as well as iOS (iPhone/iPad) games. The software has made a lot of progress and eventually plans to support html5 and Android platforms. I have a feeling Stencyl will be around for a while.

Because I have very little coding experience but want a high level of control over my game design concepts, Stencyl is my top recommendation for making flash (or iOS) games. For the beginner, there are pre-made games Stencyl calls "kits" that can be modified for quick and easy game development. Those who invest the time in Stencyl's approachable tutorials and helpful community will find that making their own game from scratch is relatively painless.

The other great selling point for Stencyl is that you can actually make money with your Flash games. There are ways to incorporate ads into your game, and for the cost of an Apple developers license and the Stencyl Pro upgrade, your creations can be sold on the Apple store. Please remember me when you've grown rich from the success of your Angry Birds-killer.

Price: free-$150 (Flash game creation is, and always will be free. The pro license is for selling iOS games on the Apple store)

Pros: drag-and-drop visual design environment, easily monetize your game, you maintain the rights to the game, easy to dig into the AI thanks to visual block/behavior coding, great support community and library of components.

Cons: setting up a developer's license with Apple and publishing using Stencyl will cost around $250 the first year and can be kind of a hassle (especially if you have no access to a Mac). This will not affect those who only use Stencyl to create Flash games.

Games in a Flash

Welcome to my blog, How To Create Flash Games. Here, I'll share with you everything I know about creating games on the Flash platform (as well as other platforms) the easy way, so you can focus on the fun aspects of game creation instead of the boring and difficult aspects.

All you need to use this site is a passion for games and the patience to familiarize yourself with some simple tools. The methods I use to easily create Flash games may differ from others on the web, but that's a given. The point is, today it's easier than ever to get into Flash game creation. It's an exciting time to be a beginner. I'm by no means an expert on Flash, but I am a lifelong video game enthusiast who has always dreamed of making my own games. I'm extremely excited about the opportunities out there to create the next great online game, and happy to share what I've learned with you. Please feel free to post questions and comments here so we can experience the wonderful world of flash game creation together!