For some developers this dream could become true because MochiMedia created the Mochi GAME Developer Fund: a $10 million fund that will help promising Flash and social game developers support their games through sponsorship, licensing and publishing deals.

The fund will assist small Flash game development studios and independent game developers worldwide in building world-class games and businesses.

You will find the details in the official page, with some FAQs. Here’s the four more interesting:

Q: What is the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: The Mochi GAME Developer Fund $10 million USD fund for investing in promising Flash and social game developers through sponsorship, licensing, and publishing. The goal of the Fund is to assist developers in launching and building rockstar premium games on the Mochi platform, and to cultivate long term relationships with Flash and social game developers looking to build world-class games and businesses.

Q: What is the target deal size for the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: The Mochi GAME Developer Fund intends to partner with Flash and social game developers on a sponsorship, licensing or publishing basis anywhere from $1,000 to $100,000. Additional consideration may be given to other types of relationships on a case-by-case basis. Generally, the funds will be given upon the achievement of certain milestones of the game development process. The specific milestones can be discussed with the Mochi GAME Developer Fund team.

Q: What types of games is the Mochi GAME Developer Fund seeking?
A: We are open to Flash and social games of all genres and gameplay types targeting all kinds of audiences. Particular attention will be given to games that have high potential to monetize via MochiCoins microtransactions, include social elements that may be enhanced via MochiSocial or are particularly great games.

Q: I don’t live in the United States. Can I still work with the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: Absolutely! Flash and social game developers are located all across the world. We care less about where you live and care more about helping you build great games using the Mochi platform.

According to these FAQs, it looks like an exclusive sponsorship, but I hope to give you more information as I’m running to submit the form and ask for some millions for my next game.

Now it’s time to write eight more lines to add two important features:

The first, as suggested in a comment, is allowing to set a delay before the ad appears.

The second is using a cookie to let the ad appear only once in a session. This means if you refresh the page, the ad won’t appear again, until you close the browser window and open it again.

This is what we’ll get… the ad appears after three seconds, and only once in a session.

Now let’s see the new lines added:

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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
$.delay = function(time,ret_function){
	var ret = {timer:setTimeout(ret_function,time)}
	return ret;
};
$(document).ready(function(){
	var delayed_start = 3000;
	var path_to_dynamic_file = 'ajax.php';
	if(document.cookie.indexOf("triqui_ad")==-1){
		document.cookie="triqui_ad=1";
		$.ajaxSetup({cache:false});
		$('#triqui_ad').wrap('<div id="triqui_container"></div>');
		var delayed_start = $.delay(delayed_start,function(){
			$('#triqui_ad').load(path_to_dynamic_file,function(){
				$('#triqui_ad').css('display','block');
				$('#triqui_container').hide().slideDown('slow');
				$('#triqui_ad').append(' &bull; <a id="triqui_ad_close">Close</a>');
				$('#triqui_ad_close').click(function(){ 
		   			$('#triqui_container').slideUp('slow'); 
		  		}); 
			});
		});
	} 
});
</script>

Lines 3-6: Declaring a new jQuery function called delay, that’s just a callback after a given amount of milliseconds.

Line 8: Variable storing the number of milliseconds to wait before showing the ad

Line 9: Variable storing the path to the dynamic file

Line 10: Checking if I have a cookie called triqui_ad. The statement is true if I don’t have it.

Line 11: Creating a cookie called triqui_ad. Since there is not an expiration date, it will expire when the user will close the browser.

Line 14: The entire function explained in part 1 is executed only after the preset delay.

And that’s it… any idea for additional features?

FOG is looking for any game, no matter how old it is or how wide spread it is already, as long as it’s a decent game. In this case FOG will buy you a site locked version of your game, or even the .fla source code.

What happens when FOG buys a site locked version of your game

* The game is sitelocked to FOG
* You have to interface your game with their API
* You have to remove all external branding and ads

What happens when FOG buys the source code of your game

* FOG retains the rights to re-release, resell, re-use, delete, make more version and all in all everything with your code
* All branding, ads and credits will be removed

Note: if your game is already sponsored, you may no longer have the right to sell your source code. Check with your sponsor as FOG is not responsible for your previous deals

My experience

I am currently managing the latest small details about BarBalance. I’m selling the source code. Working with Neil is a pleasure as he’s very kind, professional and will support you through the entire process. Just consider FOG’s HQ is located in United Kingdom when your plan to chat with him.

His email, as well as his Skype, Messenger, ICQ, Yahoo and GTalk ids is Neil[at]FOG[dot]COM

I asked him a couple of questions just to give you as much information as possible

Are you really buying ANY kind of game .flas?

I primarily buy site locks of games, however if the source is available then we do try and purchase that too. I’m not out to purchase things left right and centre, all the games that are offered we review meticulously to see if it meets our standards, and at the moment, the majority of submissions are being rejected.

What’s the meaning of buying source codes? Don’t you think in most cases the sources would be hard to understand (i.e variable names in foreign languages, no optimization and so on…)

Sources in other languages aren’t too much of a concern as we have a multilingual staff base here at fog, if the code is not optimised then our in house programmer will go over it and see what can be done

Do you already have an example of a bought and republished game?

We have plenty of site locked games on our site. for games that we have bought source codes of and redone as fog games, and our own developed games can be seen at www.freegamesforyourwebsite.com

a few examples of site locks are

Pizza Pronto
Tank In Action
Mountain Rescue Driver
Perfect Balance 2

How much can a developer earn from FOG?

Generally prices range from $100-$500 for site locks, source code can be anything from $100-$1000 or more depending on the quality… I don’t feel that there is a limit on what a developer can earn for a
decent game, if it is really that good and someone wants it they’ll lay the money on the table to get it.

Hope this will help you to further monetize your games.

** edit **

BarBalance source code sold :)

Its a flash application that has the same vectors and almost certainly the same AS code. Is there anything I can do? I’m in the UK – they’re in Brazil. »

The guy who opened this thread looks quite desperate… now imagine this happening to your latest Flash game.

That’s why you must protect your code. You don’t want someone else stealing your work.

I am going to review DCOM Soft’s SWF Protector.

SWF Protector

SWF Protector is an swf protector software working through actionscript encryption to secure your actionscript content. This means decompilers won’t be able to read your actionscript.

The most interesting SWF Protector features are:

* Inexpensive: only $59.95 for a Business License. You can earn twice in just one day with a single game.

* Simple and fast. You can encrypt your SWF with a couple of clicks.

* Cross-platform. Available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

* Mass protection. You can protect several SWFs at once.

This is the interface you’ll see when you are about to secure your flash content:

I am testing the software on the file created on Box2D Flash game creation tutorial – part 2 tutorial.

This is the original content of the custom_contact_listener.as file:

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package {
	import Box2D.Dynamics.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.Shapes.*;
	import Box2D.Dynamics.Joints.*;
	import Box2D.Dynamics.Contacts.*;
	import Box2D.Common.*;
	import Box2D.Common.Math.*;
	class custom_contact_listener extends b2ContactListener {
		override public function BeginContact(contact:b2Contact):void {
			// getting the fixtures that collided
			var fixtureA:b2Fixture=contact.GetFixtureA();
			var fixtureB:b2Fixture=contact.GetFixtureB();
			// if the fixture is a sensor, mark the parent body to be removed
			if (fixtureB.IsSensor()) {
				fixtureB.GetBody().SetUserData("remove");
			}
			if (fixtureA.IsSensor()) {
				fixtureA.GetBody().SetUserData("remove");
			}
		}
	}
}

Now, I will use a Flash decompiler to extract the same file from an unprotected version of the swf… here it is:

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//class custom_contact_listener
package 
{
    import Box2D.Dynamics.*;
    import Box2D.Dynamics.Contacts.*;
 
    internal class custom_contact_listener extends Box2D.Dynamics.b2ContactListener
    {
        public function custom_contact_listener()
        {
            super();
            return;
        }
 
        public override function BeginContact(arg1:Box2D.Dynamics.Contacts.b2Contact):void
        {
            var loc1:*=arg1.GetFixtureA();
            var loc2:*=arg1.GetFixtureB();
            if (loc2.IsSensor()) 
            {
                loc2.GetBody().SetUserData("remove");
            }
            if (loc1.IsSensor()) 
            {
                loc1.GetBody().SetUserData("remove");
            }
            return;
        }
    }
}

The code is amost more polished… and obviously it works.

Now let’s try to do the same on the obfuscated swf made by SWF Protector… that’s what I got (sorry for the italian screenshot: I’m currently running an italian version of Windows7)

The decompiler crashed… probably the amount of weird characters inserted by the flash obfuscator made it crash.

In the end, SWF Protector is simple to use and very fast. It has shown lightning-fast speeds of SWF files loading, processing and saving and uses four reliable protection algorithms.

You can download a trial version on the official site or win one of three business licenses I am giving away being the first to reply “I want one” when this post will be published on my Facebook Fanpage. This is a special giveaway for three of my Facebook fans. And won’t be the only one.

Moreover, with this script you will need to add just one line to your site to display the ad.

Just to make it easier to understand, I am showing you for free the principles some “companies” sell at more than $40. According to such sites, ads like the one we are about to make should increase your conversions, have more readers sign up to your newsletter, and make you live in harmony. All in one-

Unfortunately, I am only showing you how to create such ad in a bunch of jQuery lines.

This is what we are going to make: Watch the example.

Ready for the recipe? Here we go:

A web page

Obviously, you need a webpage. Any webpage will fit, as long as you include

<div id="triqui_ad"></div>

just before the </body> tag.

jQuery

Then it’s time to add the power of jQuery to the page: insert this script between <head> and </head>

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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
$(document).ready(function(){
	$.ajaxSetup({cache:false});
	$('#triqui_ad').wrap('<div id="triqui_container"></div>');
	$('#triqui_ad').load('ajax.php',function(){
		$('#triqui_ad').css('display','block');
		$('#triqui_container').hide().slideDown('slow');
		$('#triqui_ad').append(' &bull; <a id="triqui_ad_close">Close</a> ');
		$('#triqui_ad_close').click(function(){ 
   			$('#triqui_container').slideUp('slow'); 
  		}); 
	}); 
});
</script>

Line 1: loading the latest jQuery version. I am loading it directly from Google to get the latest stable version with no stress for my server.

Line 3: Function to be executed when the document DOM is fully loaded.

Line 4: Disabling the cache when using Ajax calls. That’s why when you reload the page in the example, you always get the current timestamp

Line 5: I had to add this line because I wanted the final user to type in as less code as possible, so at the moment you just have to add

<div id="triqui_ad"></div>

while the “real” code should be

<div id = "triqui_container"><div id="triqui_ad"></div></div>

Using wrap you will (guess what?) wrap an HTML structure around the selected element.

Line 6: This is the most important line. I am loading the result of the Ajax call made on the ajax.php file. This means I am printing inside the div everything ajax.php will echo. In my case, it will print the current date since this is the code:

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<?php
 
echo "Hello, I am a dynamic content created on ".date('l jS \of F Y h:i:s A');
 
?>

As you can imagine, load loads data from the server and place the returned HTML into the matched element. The only issue is it caches the result, that’s why I disabled it at line 4

Line 7: Here I am showing the content of the div containing the ad. When you’ll look at the css, you’ll find there was a display:none to keep it hidden until the script is ready to work.

Line 8: Time to slide in the ad

Line 9: Appending a link to close the ad

Line 10: Triggering the link used to close the ad

Line 11: Sliding away the ad when the user clicks on the link

CSS

And finally it’s time to stylize the ad.

#triqui_container {
	width: 100%;
	position: fixed;
	bottom: 0;
}
 
#triqui_ad{
	background-color:#e5e5e5;
	border-top:1px solid black;
	height: 100px;
	text-align:center;
	display:none;
}
 
#triqui_ad_close {
	cursor: pointer;
	text-decoration: underline;
}

You can custom the stylesheet as you want as long as you set display:none to the ad and position:fixed and bottom:0 to the container.

Have fun… would you like more options?

This can be made thanks to a function called before the contact is processed… something like “hey, two bodies are about to collide, what should I do?”… so you can decide to disable the contact for every collision you want.

The function used to do this task is PreSolve, working for all awake bodies that aren’t sensors.

If you don’t know what is a Box2D sensor, check Box2D Flash game creation tutorial – part 2.

So the concept is: listen for collisions, if a collision involves the cloud wall and the player, then check if the player is higher or lower than the cloud. If it’s lower, don’t process the collision and let the player fly through the cloud.

Let’s see the script, directly taken from Box2D Flash game creation tutorial – part 2:

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package {
	import flash.display.Sprite;
	import flash.events.Event;
	import flash.events.KeyboardEvent;
	import Box2D.Dynamics.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.Shapes.*;
	import Box2D.Common.Math.*;
	public class ball02 extends Sprite {
		// world creation
		public var world:b2World=new b2World(new b2Vec2(0,10.0),true);
		public var world_scale:int=30;
		// the player
		public var player:b2Body;
		// force to apply to the player
		public var force:b2Vec2;
		// variables to store whether the keys are pressed or not
		// true = pressed;
		// false = unpressed
		public var left,right,up,down:Boolean=false;
		// declaring my custom contact listener class
		public var contact_listener=new custom_contact_listener();
		public function ball02():void {
			// assigning the contact listener to the world
			world.SetContactListener(contact_listener);
			// calling debug draw function
			debug_draw();
			// drawing the boundaries
			draw_box(250,400,500,10,false,"ground");
			draw_box(0,200,10,400,false,"left");
			draw_box(500,200,10,400,false,"right");
			draw_box(250,0,500,10,false,"roof");
			draw_box(250,200,300,10,false,"middle");
			// adding the player at 250,200
			add_player(250,350);
			// adding some coins
			for (var i:int = 1; i<=5; i++) {
				draw_coin(Math.random()*400+50,Math.random()*150+25,Math.random()*3+2);
			}
			// listeners needed for the game to work
			addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, update);
			stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN,on_key_down);
			stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP,on_key_up);
		}
		// according to the key pressed, set the proper variable to "true"
		public function on_key_down(e:KeyboardEvent):void {
			switch (e.keyCode) {
				case 37 :
					left=true;
					break;
				case 38 :
					up=true;
					break;
				case 39 :
					right=true;
					break;
				case 40 :
					down=true;
					break;
			}
		}
		// according to the key released, set the proper variable to "false"
		public function on_key_up(e:KeyboardEvent):void {
			switch (e.keyCode) {
				case 37 :
					left=false;
					break;
				case 38 :
					up=false;
					break;
				case 39 :
					right=false;
					break;
				case 40 :
					down=false;
					break;
			}
		}
		// function to draw a coin
		public function draw_coin(px,py,r):void {
			var my_body:b2BodyDef= new b2BodyDef();
			my_body.position.Set(px/world_scale, py/world_scale);
			var my_circle:b2CircleShape=new b2CircleShape(r/world_scale);
			var my_fixture:b2FixtureDef = new b2FixtureDef();
			my_fixture.shape=my_circle;
			// look! it's a sensor!!
			my_fixture.isSensor=true;
			var world_body:b2Body=world.CreateBody(my_body);
			world_body.CreateFixture(my_fixture);
		}
		// simple function to draw a box
		public function draw_box(px,py,w,h,d,ud):void {
			var my_body:b2BodyDef= new b2BodyDef();
			my_body.position.Set(px/world_scale, py/world_scale);
			if (d) {
				my_body.type=b2Body.b2_dynamicBody;
			}
			var my_box:b2PolygonShape = new b2PolygonShape();
			my_box.SetAsBox(w/2/world_scale, h/2/world_scale);
			var my_fixture:b2FixtureDef = new b2FixtureDef();
			my_fixture.shape=my_box;
			var world_body:b2Body=world.CreateBody(my_body);
			world_body.SetUserData(ud);
			world_body.CreateFixture(my_fixture);
		}
		// function to add the player
		public function add_player(px,py):void {
			var my_body:b2BodyDef= new b2BodyDef();
			my_body.position.Set(px/world_scale, py/world_scale);
			my_body.type=b2Body.b2_dynamicBody;
			var my_circle:b2CircleShape=new b2CircleShape(10/world_scale);
			var my_fixture:b2FixtureDef = new b2FixtureDef();
			my_fixture.shape=my_circle;
			player=world.CreateBody(my_body);
			player.SetUserData("player");
			player.CreateFixture(my_fixture);
		}
		// debug draw
		public function debug_draw():void {
			var debug_draw:b2DebugDraw = new b2DebugDraw();
			var debug_sprite:Sprite = new Sprite();
			addChild(debug_sprite);
			debug_draw.SetSprite(debug_sprite);
			debug_draw.SetDrawScale(world_scale);
			debug_draw.SetFlags(b2DebugDraw.e_shapeBit);
			world.SetDebugDraw(debug_draw);
		}
		// function to be executed at every frame
		public function update(e:Event):void {
			// setting the force to null
			force=new b2Vec2(0,0);
			// according to the key(s) pressed, add the proper vector force
			if (left) {
				force.Add(new b2Vec2(-10,0));
			}
			if (right) {
				force.Add(new b2Vec2(10,0));
			}
			if (up) {
				force.Add(new b2Vec2(0,-20));
			}
			if (down) {
				force.Add(new b2Vec2(0,5));
			}
			// if there is any force, then apply it
			if (force.x||force.y) {
				player.ApplyForce(force,player.GetWorldCenter());
			}
			world.Step(1/30,10,10);
			world.ClearForces();
			// scanning through all bodies
			for (var worldbody:b2Body = world.GetBodyList(); worldbody; worldbody = worldbody.GetNext()) {
				// if a body is marked as "remove"...
				if (worldbody.GetUserData()=="remove") {
					// ... just remove it!!
					world.DestroyBody(worldbody);
				}
			}
			world.DrawDebugData();
		}
	}
}

Line 34: with the old function introduced at Understanding Box2D applicable forces I create a box marked as “middle”.

No other changes on the main file, now let’s see the custom_contact_listener.as file

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package {
	import Box2D.Dynamics.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.Shapes.*;
	import Box2D.Dynamics.Joints.*;
	import Box2D.Dynamics.Contacts.*;
	import Box2D.Common.*;
	import Box2D.Common.Math.*;
	class custom_contact_listener extends b2ContactListener {
		override public function BeginContact(contact:b2Contact):void {
			// getting the fixtures that collided
			var fixtureA:b2Fixture=contact.GetFixtureA();
			var fixtureB:b2Fixture=contact.GetFixtureB();
			// if the fixture is a sensor, mark the parent body to be removed
			if (fixtureB.IsSensor()) {
				fixtureB.GetBody().SetUserData("remove");
			}
			if (fixtureA.IsSensor()) {
				fixtureA.GetBody().SetUserData("remove");
			}
		}
		override public function PreSolve(contact:b2Contact, oldManifold:b2Manifold):void {
			// getting the fixtures that collided
			var fixtureA:b2Fixture=contact.GetFixtureA();
			var fixtureB:b2Fixture=contact.GetFixtureB();
			// variable to handle bodies y position
			var player_y_position:Number;
			var platform_y_position:Number;
			// checking if the collision bodies are the ones marked as "middle" and "player"
			if ((fixtureA.GetBody().GetUserData()=="middle" && fixtureB.GetBody().GetUserData()=="player")||(fixtureA.GetBody().GetUserData()=="player" && fixtureB.GetBody().GetUserData()=="middle")) {
				// determining if the fixtureA represents the platform ("middle") or the player
				switch (fixtureA.GetBody().GetUserData()) {
					case "middle" :
						// determining y positions
						player_y_position=fixtureB.GetBody().GetPosition().y*30;
						platform_y_position=fixtureA.GetBody().GetPosition().y*30;
						break;
					case "player" :
						// determining y positions
						player_y_position=fixtureA.GetBody().GetPosition().y*30;
						platform_y_position=fixtureB.GetBody().GetPosition().y*30;
<strong>						break;
				}
				// checking distance between bodies
				var distance = player_y_position-platform_y_position;
				// if the distance is greater than player radius + half of the platform height...
				if (distance>-14.5) {
					// don't manage the contact
					contact.SetEnabled(false);
				}
			}
		}
	}
}

Line 22: beginning of the PreSolve function, the core of this example

Lines 24-25: getting the fixtures that generated the contact

Lines 27-28: declaring two variables to store y position of both bodies

Line 30: here I am checking if the fixtures are the one associated to the player and the one associated to the cloud

Lines 32-43: according to the fixture associated to the player and the one associated to the cloud, I am saving in the variables declared at lines 27-28 the y position of both bodies. I am multiplying directly by 30 without passing the right world_scale value declared at line 13 of the main class because it’s not the purpose of this tutorial.

Line 45: Determining the vertical distance from the player and the cloud

Lines 47-50: If the player is not at least 14.5 pixels higher than the cloud, then disable the contact. Why 14.5? It’s the sum of the ball radius (10) and half the cloud height (5)… and I am not using 15 because I found sometimes the distance when the ball falls on the cloud is 14.93, so the cloud won’t “hold” the ball, letting it fall down. With 14.5, I am sure this won’t happen.

And this is the result…

Move the ball by tapping arrow keys and watch the static object in the center of the stage act as a cloud… you can fly through it from bottom to top, but you can’t do it from top to bottom.

Download the source code.

So I am releasing the new version, compatible with the new feed and tested with WordPress 2.9.2. You can find it at the official page.

Talking about plugins, I am developing a new theme/plugin using crontables that automatically feeds the games, fixes the tables if MochiMedia updates the feed, and chooses the best games to publish.

Everything without any interaction from the user. The ultimate “forget about it and make money with your arcade site” plugin.

Stay tuned.

This process will involve some interesting Box2D features, like sensors and custom collision management.

I would suggest to read the basics of sensors at Erase Box: the tutorial and custom collision management at Creation of a Flash Stabilize! clone using Box2D – part 4.

Although they are both referred to an older Box2D version, they’ll introduce you to sensor and collisions.

Now the concept is simple: we are placing some circular sensors around the stage (the coins), then we’ll create a custom contact listener class to check whether the player is over a coin or not. If it’s over, we’ll remove the coin.

So this is the main script:

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package {
	import flash.display.Sprite;
	import flash.events.Event;
	import flash.events.KeyboardEvent;
	import Box2D.Dynamics.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.Shapes.*;
	import Box2D.Common.Math.*;
	public class ball02 extends Sprite {
		// world creation
		public var world:b2World=new b2World(new b2Vec2(0,10.0),true);
		public var world_scale:int=30;
		// the player
		public var player:b2Body;
		// force to apply to the player
		public var force:b2Vec2;
		// variables to store whether the keys are pressed or not
		// true = pressed;
		// false = unpressed
		public var left,right,up,down:Boolean=false;
		// declaring my custom contact listener class
		public var contact_listener=new custom_contact_listener();
		public function ball02():void {
			// assigning the contact listener to the world
			world.SetContactListener(contact_listener);
			// calling debug draw function
			debug_draw();
			// drawing the boundaries
			draw_box(250,400,500,10,false,"ground");
			draw_box(0,200,10,400,false,"left");
			draw_box(500,200,10,400,false,"right");
			draw_box(250,0,500,10,false,"roof");
			// adding the player at 250,200
			add_player(250,200);
			// adding some coins
			for (var i:int = 1; i<=5; i++) {
				draw_coin(Math.random()*400+50,Math.random()*300+50,Math.random()*3+2);
			}
			// listeners needed for the game to work
			addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, update);
			stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN,on_key_down);
			stage.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP,on_key_up);
		}
		// according to the key pressed, set the proper variable to "true"
		public function on_key_down(e:KeyboardEvent):void {
			switch (e.keyCode) {
				case 37 :
					left=true;
					break;
				case 38 :
					up=true;
					break;
				case 39 :
					right=true;
					break;
				case 40 :
					down=true;
					break;
			}
		}
		// according to the key released, set the proper variable to "false"
		public function on_key_up(e:KeyboardEvent):void {
			switch (e.keyCode) {
				case 37 :
					left=false;
					break;
				case 38 :
					up=false;
					break;
				case 39 :
					right=false;
					break;
				case 40 :
					down=false;
					break;
			}
		}
		// function to draw a coin
		public function draw_coin(px,py,r):void {
			var my_body:b2BodyDef= new b2BodyDef();
			my_body.position.Set(px/world_scale, py/world_scale);
			var my_circle:b2CircleShape=new b2CircleShape(r/world_scale);
			var my_fixture:b2FixtureDef = new b2FixtureDef();
			my_fixture.shape=my_circle;
			// look! it's a sensor!!
			my_fixture.isSensor=true;
			var world_body:b2Body=world.CreateBody(my_body);
			world_body.CreateFixture(my_fixture);
		}
		// simple function to draw a box
		public function draw_box(px,py,w,h,d,ud):void {
			var my_body:b2BodyDef= new b2BodyDef();
			my_body.position.Set(px/world_scale, py/world_scale);
			if (d) {
				my_body.type=b2Body.b2_dynamicBody;
			}
			var my_box:b2PolygonShape = new b2PolygonShape();
			my_box.SetAsBox(w/2/world_scale, h/2/world_scale);
			var my_fixture:b2FixtureDef = new b2FixtureDef();
			my_fixture.shape=my_box;
			var world_body:b2Body=world.CreateBody(my_body);
			world_body.SetUserData(ud);
			world_body.CreateFixture(my_fixture);
		}
		// function to add the player
		public function add_player(px,py):void {
			var my_body:b2BodyDef= new b2BodyDef();
			my_body.position.Set(px/world_scale, py/world_scale);
			my_body.type=b2Body.b2_dynamicBody;
			var my_circle:b2CircleShape=new b2CircleShape(10/world_scale);
			var my_fixture:b2FixtureDef = new b2FixtureDef();
			my_fixture.shape=my_circle;
			player=world.CreateBody(my_body);
			player.CreateFixture(my_fixture);
		}
		// debug draw
		public function debug_draw():void {
			var debug_draw:b2DebugDraw = new b2DebugDraw();
			var debug_sprite:Sprite = new Sprite();
			addChild(debug_sprite);
			debug_draw.SetSprite(debug_sprite);
			debug_draw.SetDrawScale(world_scale);
			debug_draw.SetFlags(b2DebugDraw.e_shapeBit);
			world.SetDebugDraw(debug_draw);
		}
		// function to be executed at every frame
		public function update(e:Event):void {
			// setting the force to null
			force=new b2Vec2(0,0);
			// according to the key(s) pressed, add the proper vector force
			if (left) {
				force.Add(new b2Vec2(-10,0));
			}
			if (right) {
				force.Add(new b2Vec2(10,0));
			}
			if (up) {
				force.Add(new b2Vec2(0,-20));
			}
			if (down) {
				force.Add(new b2Vec2(0,5));
			}
			// if there is any force, then apply it
			if (force.x||force.y) {
				player.ApplyForce(force,player.GetWorldCenter());
			}
			world.Step(1/30,10,10);
			world.ClearForces();
			// scanning through all bodies
			for (var worldbody:b2Body = world.GetBodyList(); worldbody; worldbody = worldbody.GetNext()) {
				// if a body is marked as "remove"...
				if (worldbody.GetUserData()=="remove") {
					// ... just remove it!!
					world.DestroyBody(worldbody);
				}
			}
			world.DrawDebugData();
		}
	}
}

Let’s see the interesting lines:

Line 22: declaring my contact_listener variable, as custom_contact_listener type

Line 25: assigning my custom contact listener class to Box2D world

Lines 36-38: calling five times the draw_coin function passing three parameters: x position, y position and radius.

Lines 79-89: the draw_coin function… just a basic function that draw a circle… just notice at line 86 how I am declaring the circle as a sensor. This way the circle exists in the world but won’t physically collide with anything. Also, a sensor should be a static body, or it will fall down outside the stage as it won’t collide with anything.

Lines 150-156: scanning through all bodies to find, and eventually remove, bodies marked with remove. Such marker is handled by the custom contact listener class, located in the custom_contact_listener.as file:

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package {
	import Box2D.Dynamics.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.*;
	import Box2D.Collision.Shapes.*;
	import Box2D.Dynamics.Joints.*;
	import Box2D.Dynamics.Contacts.*;
	import Box2D.Common.*;
	import Box2D.Common.Math.*;
	class custom_contact_listener extends b2ContactListener {
		override public function BeginContact(contact:b2Contact):void {
			// getting the fixtures that collided
			var fixtureA:b2Fixture=contact.GetFixtureA();
			var fixtureB:b2Fixture=contact.GetFixtureB();
			// if the fixture is a sensor, mark the parent body to be removed
			if (fixtureB.IsSensor()) {
				fixtureB.GetBody().SetUserData("remove");
			}
			if (fixtureA.IsSensor()) {
				fixtureA.GetBody().SetUserData("remove");
			}
		}
	}
}

BeginContact function will give us the fixtures involved in the collision. Then at lines 15-17 and 18-20 I am checking if the fixture is a sensor, then eventually mark its parent body to be removed.

Important: don’t try to remove the body inside this function, because bodies have a locked status while they are in the middle of a timestep, so you should remove a body only after you performed the Step (line 147 of the main file). This gave me a little headache, so you’ve been warned!

This is the result:

Pick up all little circles moving the player tapping on arrow keys.

Download the source code.

As you should know, isometric projection is a method of visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions, in which the three coordinate axes appear equally foreshortened and the angles between any two of them are 120 degrees. A great way to represent 3D worlds on old 8-bit computers since their CPUs did not handle a real 3D world, and a great way to create casual adventure games nowadays.

I am showing you a list of 11 Flash isometric engines, some of them are free, others are commercial, and some still unreleased. I am writing to all authors to have more info about their engines, meanwhile this the most complete list I was able to make.

Engines are listed in alphabetical order.

2D isometric engine – Free

http://code.google.com/p/2d-isometric-engine/

Open source, multilevel and multiplayer tilebased isometric engine, reviewed in this post

as3isolib – Free

http://as3isolib.wordpress.com/

As3isolib is an open-source ActionScript 3.0 Isometric Library developed to assist in creating isometrically projected content (such as games and graphics) targeted for the Flash player platform. As3isolib includes utilities, primitives and views. As3isolib was developed with simplicity, speed and performance in mind so that developers can focus on actual implementations rather than having to learn a complex API.

You can see latest project using this engine at http://apps.facebook.com/downtowngame/

FFilmation – Free

http://www.ffilmation.org/

The FFilmation Engine is an AS3 isometric programing engine, focused mainly on game development. The aim of the project is providing a robust development platform, where game designers can work on the game’s details and forget about the render engine. It is intended to be really usable from a “real production scenario” point of view.

See a demo playing My Name is Poncho

Flash 3D Isometric Game Engine – Unreleased

http://actionscripter.co.uk/blog/?page_id=76

Vector isometric engine allowing to zoom, rotate and pan the environment in a “real” 3D world. I’m asking the author more information, stay tuned

isoengineas3 – Free

http://isoengineas3.sourceforge.net/

2D Isometric Engine project build with Flash AS3. It is an open source, multilevel and multiplayer tilebased isometric engine. No more information.

Isometric Game Engine – Unreleased

http://www.davidworks.com/?id=int_iso

An isometric engine built from scratch for an online virtual campus. No more info.

The demo is quite interesting so I am going to contact the author for more information.

Isometric terrain engine – Free

http://yaief.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/isometric-terrain-engine/

This is an isometric terrain generator, actually an abandoned project but still an inspiration.

OpenSpace – Commercial – Trial version available

http://www.openspace-engine.com/

OpenSpace is a powerful Flash based isometric engine and framework for rapid development of multi-user virtual worlds and MMO communities.

Check Football Village to see it in action.

OpenSpace is licensed on a “per-seat” basis: a separate license is required for each user working with OpenSpace.

Sean Cooper Isometric Engine – Commercial

http://www.games.seantcooper.com/IsometricEngine.aspx

Made by Sean “BoxHead” Cooper, the engine is based on some techniques used in the PC game Syndicate, which he wrote in 1993. The technique is simple and extremely fast, well suited to Flash and will run fast on most machines.

At the moment there isn’t any project showcase, just a demo in the official page, and no info about the license, but being developed by a PROgrammer like Sean makes this engine quite interesting.

TheoWorlds – Commercial

http://www.theoworlds.com/products.php

TheoWorlds Builder SDK v2 is a kit that will help you develop online virtual worlds much faster, without starting from scratch. At its core it contains the original Theo Isometric Engine™ that lets you create pseudo-3D maps, place on them objects and characters, and organize the interaction between them.

You can test the engine playing Treasure Hunter

TheoWorlds Builder SDK v2 is priced $3,200, while the light SDK v1 $799

T.I.L.E. (Tangerine Isometric Level Editor) – Commercial

http://www.tangerinepop.com/ then click on “tech”

According to the site, T.I.L.E. provides the ability to rapidly build a standard lock & key adventure game with hundreds of rooms. It also provides the primary software framework needed to build a quality MMO with numerous maps and new play modes via in increasing list of new game mechanics.

An example of a game developed with this technology is GraveShift

Prices range from (as said on the site) “half to less than half the costs of building it yourself”

Now he is explaining us a new way to monetize Flash games: GamesChart

« When I first saw the announcement on Flash Game Developers group on www.linkedIn.com about the GamesChart beta program I immediately thought to participate. It was a surprise to me to find that my game Haunted House was at first position for the entire 4 weeks of the beta program!

Actually also my Alice Memory game is also on the chart, even if never more than in the 6th position.

What GamesChart is about?

It’s another way to generate money from you Flash games. The nice thing is that it is not an alternative to the traditional banner you place during the loading of the game. But it goes together.
The main idea is to have publisher to “bid” for which game will be in the chart and this will generate extra revenue to the developer, to the publisher who correctly bid and of course to the GamesChart organization.

This is from Barry White directly from linkedIn group.

I thought I’d include some more information about how GamesChart can earn developers money:

+ Every game that has the GamesChart API embedded in it is tracked by GamesChart.

+ The developer can also choose to enable or disable a series of dynamic charts that actually display within the Flash game itself.

+ The most popular games each week make their way to the top of the charts.

+ Any gamers who click on a game listed in these charts is taken to play that game on another portal.

+ Publishers use an advanced pay per click bidding system to purchase this traffic and drive users back to their own sites to play the games they have bid on.

+ Games need to be uploaded to the Publishers portal before they can receive traffic. (great for seeding)

+ Developers receive up to a 50% revenue share of any outbound clicks generated from within their game should they choose to display the charts. (also full blacklisting available)

+ Publishers also receive 10% of total revenues generated from any GamesChart enabled games featured on their site.

I am going to explain the very easy steps to follow to have a game added to this GamesChart.

In order to do so I am going to provide my other game Tokyo Train with this service as well.

First thing you need to register as developer, if you don’t already. This is quite easy to do, just follow instruction on the site.

You then are prompted to add a game:

So do not hesitate: go to click the button and create the new game:

Instructions are easy and nice to follow: I have to admit they did a very good job on make your job easy.

You are now prompted with the game id that you need to put on the component property to have your game identified.
Of course first of all you need to download the API library from the “GamesChart Wiki” link.

You have the choice to get the component for Adobe Flash IDE or the complete API if you use FlashDevelop and for both choices you can choose between AS3 and AS2. My choice was for the component and AS3.

The very first time you download the zip pack, you need to double click on the GamesChartAPI-AS3.mpx:

This will install the component, and that’s the only thing you really need to install: brilliant.

Now open your FLA and browse for the components (Windows > Components menu): you will find the GamesChartAPI one.

Now, again it’s easy: drag and drop the component onto the stage (better if at the top layer):

Do not worry about the position: it will be hidden once the game starts. Do you remember the game id? Go to grab it and paste it in the component inspector:

That’s all! You can now publish the game: you will notice a small G icon on top right of the stage.

You can force to have this cute icon can be hidden or display when you want. Or you can also move it.

I would suggest you to leave it for the entire game and in that position: it’s the best position, just adjust your buttons if you have any conflict.

In this way a player can click on the icon anytime during the game. This will let him vote your game and show chart. In fact when the icon is clicked the chart will appear and will let you open a new window with the games on the list.

You need one more thing: to publish the game. You can get your SWF file or you can first upload on MochiAds with version control as I am doing. This is the best solution because your game will be updated all over the world with the cute G icon.
That’s all!
Enjoy!

PS.: I just discovered that Haunted House is no more on first position! So let’s go there and click the cute “G” icon!! »