With more and more developers turning to flash games as a viable source of income, the way flash games are being made is starting to change. With multiple contracts and limited time frames, most professional flash developers have within their arsenal a secret bag of tricks for getting their games finished more efficiently.  Today, I’m going to share some of them with you.

Work From the Ground Up

While it may be obvious, it’s a tip most flash developers will ignore. I know I’ve started quite a few games that never really got off the ground because I aimed my sights too high. Before you start going crazy developing awesome concept art and complex upgrade systems, code your game engine.

It’s really that simple. If your game engine is fun without all the upgrades and art, then you know you have an amazing game on your hand. If not, perhaps it’s back to the drawing board for some more tweaking.

Organize your Code

Although it may take some extra time while writing your code, organizing it will save you so much more time in the long run when you are searching through your code trying to find out why lever 38b wouldn’t close the hatch. Comment that code, name your variables with something memorable, and keep your code neat and tidy. You’ll thank yourself when you go back to it.

Reuse Code

Speaking of going back to code, get into the habit of reusing your actionscript. Build your game in pieces so that next time you have to create a game you can spend less time on the nuts and bolts of the game and more time focusing on what’s important: the gameplay. Create functions for common tasks such as character movement, enemy A.I. movement, firing objects, collision tests, and more.