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| Introduction | |
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| Getting Started | |
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| First Steps | |
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| Inspirational Kick-Start | |
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| Terminology | |
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| Game Views | |
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| General Terms | |
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| Game Genres | |
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| Flash Limitations | |
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| Flash vs. Non-Flash Games | |
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| Infeasible Game Features | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| The Plan: From Idea to Design | |
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| The Design Process | |
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| Find an Idea | |
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| Identify Your Audience | |
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| Decide on a Look and Feel | |
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| Identify Your Weaknesses | |
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| Cut Back | |
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| Build the Game | |
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| Quality Assurance | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Examining the Nuts and Bolts | |
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| Trigonometry 101 | |
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| Why Learn Trigonometry? | |
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| The Flash Coordinate System | |
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| Cartesian Coordinates | |
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| Angles | |
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| Anatomy of a Triangle | |
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| The Pythagorean Theorem | |
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| The Heart of Trig | |
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| Sine, Cosine, and Tangent | |
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| Projection | |
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| Vectors | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Basic Physics | |
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| Introduction to Physics | |
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| Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration | |
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| Speed and Velocity | |
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| Acceleration | |
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| Newton's Three Laws of Motion | |
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| Newton's First Law | |
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| Newton's Second Law | |
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| Newton's Third Law | |
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| Gravity | |
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| Real Gravity | |
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| Good-Enough Gravity | |
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| Friction | |
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| Real Friction | |
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| Good-Enough Friction | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Collision Detection | |
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| What Is a Collision? | |
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| Detection Using hitTest() | |
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| Movie Clip-Movie Clip Collisions | |
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| Movie Clip-Point Collisions | |
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| Shape-Point Collisions | |
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| Detection Using Math | |
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| Point-Circle Collision Detection | |
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| Circle-Circle Collision Detection | |
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| Line-Line Collision Detection | |
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| Circle-Line Collision Detection | |
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| Point-Rectangle Collision Detection | |
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| Rectangle-Rectangle Collision Detection | |
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| Collision Detection with Advanced Shapes | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Collision Reactions | |
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| Bouncing Off the Walls | |
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| Object-Wall Reactions | |
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| Circle-Line Reactions | |
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| Conservation of Momentum and Energy | |
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| Review: What Are Momentum and Energy? | |
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| The Conservation Laws | |
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| Applying the Conservation Laws | |
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| Rectangle-Rectangle Reactions | |
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| Circle-Circle (Billiard-Ball) Reactions | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Tile-Based Worlds | |
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| Introduction to Tiles | |
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| Top-Down Tile Creation and Management | |
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| Creating the Grid and Storing Information | |
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| Precision Detection | |
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| Adding a Character to the World | |
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| Externalizing the World Data | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| The Isometric Worldview | |
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| Introduction to Isometrics | |
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| A Technical Look at Isometrics | |
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| The Orientation of the Isometric World | |
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| Placing an Object in the Isometric World | |
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| Z-sorting | |
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| Deconstruction of a Simple World | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Artificial Intelligence | |
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| Types of AI | |
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| Homegrown AI | |
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| Rules for Controlling Characters | |
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| Drawbacks and Solutions | |
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| Enemy ActionScript | |
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| The Perfect Maze | |
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| Rules for the Perfect Maze | |
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| Using ActionScript to Create the Perfect Maze | |
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| Visual Implementation of the Perfect Maze | |
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| Pathfinding Algorithms | |
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| The A* Algorithm | |
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| Variations on A* | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Using a High Score List | |
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| Administration of the High Score Lists | |
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| The List in Action | |
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| Configuring the User-Interface Frames | |
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| Configuring the ActionScript | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Graphics in Games | |
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| Taking a Graphic Approach | |
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| Different Types of Graphics | |
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| Identify Your Tools | |
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| Graphic Preparation | |
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| Stages of Graphic Development | |
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| Brainstorm | |
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| Focus | |
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| Produce | |
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| Trouble-Free Techniques | |
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| Light and Shadow | |
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| Adding Depth | |
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| Drop Shadows | |
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| User-Interface Lighting | |
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| Putting Text in Perspective | |
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| Tint Change | |
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| Tiling | |
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| Game Animations | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| The Sound of Games | |
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| Why Sound Is Important | |
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| Managing Sound Effects | |
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| Sound Placed on Frames | |
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| Sound Controlled with ActionScript | |
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| Creating Sound Effects | |
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| Setting Up | |
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| Recording | |
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| "That's not the right sound!" | |
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| Creating Music Loops | |
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| Drum Loops | |
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| Editing and Preparing Audio Loops | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Dissecting a Chat | |
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| Introduction to the Chat | |
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| Hands-On Tour of the Chat | |
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| The Features | |
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| The File Structure | |
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| The ActionScript | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| The Games | |
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| Word Search | |
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| Game Overview | |
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| Game Logic | |
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| Choosing a Category | |
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| Generating the Grid | |
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| Detecting a Choice | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Ice World: A Platform Game | |
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| Game Overview | |
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| The XML and the Level Editor | |
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| The XML Format | |
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| The Level Editor | |
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| Game Structure and Resource Files | |
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| The Game Structure | |
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| Supporting Movie Clips | |
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| Game Code | |
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| ActionScript Not Found in a Function | |
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| levelLoaded() | |
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| The onEnterFrame Event | |
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| listenForKeys() | |
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| platformDetect() | |
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| baddyDetection() | |
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| collectableDetect() | |
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| Possible Game Enhancements | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Pinball | |
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| Game Overview | |
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| Game Code | |
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| ActionScript Not Found in a Function | |
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| The onEnterFrame Event | |
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| buildMap() | |
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| createFlipper() | |
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| initializeShot() | |
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| flip() | |
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| checkCollision() | |
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| Possible Game Enhancements | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Tic-Tac-Toe: Your First Multiplayer Game | |
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| Game Overview | |
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| The Multiplayer Aspect | |
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| Game Code | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| 9-Ball | |
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| Game Overview | |
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| Multiplayer Aspects of the Game | |
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| Synchronization: A Multiplayer Problem and Solution | |
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| The Multiplayer Actions | |
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| Game Code | |
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| General Overview | |
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| Who's on First? | |
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| The Functions | |
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| Possible Game Enhancements | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Don't Fall! | |
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| Game Overview | |
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| Multiplayer Actions | |
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| Game Actions | |
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| ActionScript Not Found in a Function | |
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| onEnterFrame | |
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| buildWorld() | |
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| buildCharacter() | |
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| startGame() | |
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| worldClicked() | |
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| determineFall() | |
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| fall() | |
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| checkTile() | |
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| Possible Game Enhancements | |
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| Points to Remember | |
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| Appendixes | |
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| Protecting Your Games | |
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| Theft and Antitheft | |
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| So You Found Your Game on Another Web Site? | |
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| Multiuser Servers | |
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| What Is a Socket Server? | |
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| Introducing ElectroServer | |
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| The ElectroServerAS Object | |
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| Click-and-Drag Actions | |
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| Methods and Properties of ElectroServerAS | |
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| XML Basics in Flash | |
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| Learning XML Basics | |
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| Using the XML Object | |
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| Introducing Socket Servers | |
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| Using the XML Socket Object | |
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| Developer Resources | |
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| General Game Resources | |
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| Flash Resource Sites | |
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| AI | |
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| Isometric | |
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| Math | |
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| Physics | |
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| Audio | |
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| Other Games | |
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| Index | |