Create a Flash game like Gold Miner – step 2

// boulders are stored in an array
// [0] is x pos
// [1] is y pos
// [2] is the width
// don't make boulders too large (<50) or the rewind won't work
// until you change slowdown formula
boulders = [[100, 100, 30], [200, 100, 40], [300, 100, 40], [400, 100, 30], [100, 200, 30], [200, 200, 40], [300, 200, 40], [400, 200, 30], [100, 300, 30], [200, 300, 40], [300, 300, 40], [400, 300, 30]];
for (x=0; x<boulders.length; x++) {
	// creating the boulders
	bould = _root.attachMovie("boulder", "boulder_"+_root.getNextHighestDepth(), _root.getNextHighestDepth());
	// placing them in random positions and with random dimensions
	bould._x = boulders[x][0];
	bould._y = boulders[x][1];
	bould._width = boulders[x][2];
	bould._height = boulders[x][2];
	// setting picked attribute as false
	// picked = false => the boulder has not been picked by the hook
	// picked = true => the boulder has been picked
	bould.picked = false;
	// function to be executed at every frame for the boulder
	bould.onEnterFrame = function() {
		// if it's not been picked...
		if (!this.picked) {
			// check if the hook is in shoot mode and touched the boulder
			// you'll see later what do hot_spot_x and hot_spot_y mean
			if (pod_status == "shoot" and this.hitTest(hot_spot_x, hot_spot_y, true)) {
				// set the hook on rewind mode
				pod_status = "rewind";
				// mark this boulder as picked
				this.picked = true;
				// determining the slowdown according to boulder size
				slowdown = Math.floor(this._width/5);
			}
		} else {
			// the boulder has been picked, so move it as the hook moves
			this._x = hot_spot_x;
			this._y = hot_spot_y;
			// if the hook status changed to rotate
			// (this means: if the hook took a boulder and pulled it out to surface...
			if (pod_status == "rotate") {
				// remove the boulder
				this.removeMovieClip();
			}
		}
	};
}
// placing the hook on stage
_root.attachMovie("pod", "pod", _root.getNextHighestDepth(), {_x:250});
// creating an empty movie clip to draw the rope
_root.createEmptyMovieClip("rod", _root.getNextHighestDepth());
// this is the rotation direction and speed
rotation_dir = 2;
// hook initial status
pod_status = "rotate";
// slowdown malus
slowdown = 0;
// hook movement speed
pod_speed = 4;
// function the hook will execute at every frame
pod.onEnterFrame = function() {
	// getting pod status
	switch (pod_status) {
	case "rotate" :
		// moving the hook to the left if player presses left
		if (Key.isDown(Key.LEFT)) {
			this._x -= pod_speed;
			if (this._x<20) {
				this._x = 20;
			}
		}
		// moving the hook to the right if player presses left   
		if (Key.isDown(Key.RIGHT)) {
			this._x += pod_speed;
			if (this._x>480) {
				this._x = 480;
			}
		}
		// if the status is rotate, just rotate the hook according to rotation_dir      
		this._rotation += rotation_dir;
		if (this._rotation == 80 or this._rotation == -80) {
			// invert rotation_dir if the hook reaches its minimum (or maximum) rotation allowed
			rotation_dir *= -1;
		}
		break;
	case "shoot" :
		// the hook has ben shoot
		// (re)set slowdown malus to zero
		slowdown = 0;
		// moving the hook using trigonometry
		this._x += 10*Math.cos(dir);
		this._y += 10*Math.sin(dir);
		// determining the hot spot of the hook
		// the hot spot is the lowest corner of the hook (that acts like an harpoon in this case)
		hot_spot_x = this._x+40*Math.cos(dir);
		hot_spot_y = this._y+40*Math.sin(dir);
		// if the hot spot goes off the stage
		if (hot_spot_y>400 or hot_spot_x<0 or hot_spot_x>500) {
			// then rewind the hook
			pod_status = "rewind";
		}
		// draw a line from the hook starting position to its actual position       
		// this will simulate the rope
		rod.clear();
		rod.lineStyle(1, 0x000000);
		// once it started from (250,0), now that hook can move I am starting from (start_rope_x, 0)
		rod.moveTo(start_rope_x, 0);
		rod.lineTo(this._x, this._y);
		break;
	case "rewind" :
		// clearing the rope
		rod.clear();
		// rewinding the hook...
		// it may seem a nonsense determining the hot spot now, but I need id
		// to move the boulder (if I have any boulder attached to the hook)
		hot_spot_x = this._x+40*Math.cos(dir);
		hot_spot_y = this._y+40*Math.sin(dir);
		// moving the hook with slowdown malus (if any)
		this._x -= (10-slowdown)*Math.cos(dir);
		this._y -= (10-slowdown)*Math.sin(dir);
		// if the hook returns in its initial position...
		if (this._y<0) {
			// then reset its position and set its status to rotate
			this._y = 0;
			this._x = start_rope_x;
			pod_status = "rotate";
		} else {
			// drawing a line as seen in shoot status, but only if the hook is still in the air   
			rod.lineStyle(1, 0x000000);
			rod.moveTo(start_rope_x, 0);
			rod.lineTo(this._x, this._y);
		}
		break;
	}
};
// when the mouse is clicked...
_root.onMouseDown = function() {
	// if the status is rotate...
	if (pod_status == "rotate") {
		// save hook heading and convert it to radians
		dir = (pod._rotation+90)*0.0174532925;
		// setting rope start position... the last hook position
		start_rope_x = pod._x;
		// set pod status to shoot
		pod_status = "shoot";
	}
};