Project 5

Interactive games

Timing: 23 to 30 hours

Project overview

In this project, students, working in teams, begin using Adobe Flash Professional CS6 to create a simple interactive game with basic ActionScript 3.0. When the games are complete, the class will hold a game fair, with each team presenting a game. Students discover ways to use rich media and animation created with Flash for gaming. They develop skills evaluating effective uses of Flash on the web and in gaming, learn about game design, and design and build an interactive game.
The focus of this project is building Flash skills, understanding how professionals use those skills to strengthen communication with interaction and animation, and using Flash to create an interactive experience.

Student product: Interactive game

Note: Portions of the Interactive games project align to the Adobe Certified Associate, Rich Media Communication objectives. Within the instruction steps and technical guides, the specific learning objectives for the exam are referenced with the following format: 1.1

Project objectives

At the completion of the project, students will have developed the following skills:

Project management skills

• Determining game purpose, audience, and goal
• Determining available resources and skill level for game development
• Writing a proposal for the game, with attention to scenarios and audience characterization

Design skills

• Designing a custom experience
• Making screen sketches for interactive experiences

Research and communication skills

• Researching, evaluating and analyzing the use of Flash in online gaming
• Evaluating and analyzing various game types
• Researching audience and overall gaming landscape
• Researching currently available games
• Researching appropriate uses of multimedia in gaming
• Assessing team’s technological developer skill level
• Connecting goals of the game with user interaction and experience
• Communicating and presenting design decisions
• Critiquing designs
• Communicating purpose and goals
• Writing scripts for a game narrative

Technical skills

Flash

• Understanding the Flash workspace
• Using drawing tools
• Working with layers
• Organizing layers and libraries

• Using animation methods
• Creating interactive buttons
• Working with bitmaps
• Using basic ActionScript
• Using animation methods
• Creating and modifying text
• Creating Timeline effects
• Creating transparent buttons
• Saving and using motion presets
• Publishing Flash documents

Project materials

• Adobe Flash Professional CS6 installed on all machines
• Flash guide: Overview of the Adobe Flash
Professional CS6 workspace
• Electronic file: sample_animated_face.fla
• Electronic file: sample_animated_face.swf
• Presentation: Introduction to Flash animation
• Guide and worksheet: How to analyze Flash content
• Presentation: Introduction to game design
• Guide: Introduction to game design
• Worksheet: Game design planning document
• Flash guide: Understanding Flash graphic file types
• Flash guide: How to draw and create shapes
• Flash guide: How to apply colors and gradients
• Flash guide: How to create masks
• Electronic file: mask_sample.fla
• Electronic file: mask_sample.swf
• Flash guide: How to organize content
• Flash guide: Symbols, instances, and the
Library
• Flash guide: How to create a button symbol
• Flash guide: How to use transparent or invisible buttons
• Flash guide: How to use rulers and guides
• Flash guide: Understanding frames and keyframes
• Flash guide: How to create animations
• Flash guide: How to ease tweens
• Flash guide: How to use a motion guide with a motion tween animation
• Flash guide: How to create character animations
• Flash guide: How to use sprite sheets
• Electronic file: path_anim_sample.fla
• Electronic file: path_anim_sample.swf
• Electronic file: ease_sample_classic.fla
• Electronic file: ease_sample_classic.swf
• Electronic file: ease_sample_motion.fla
• Electronic file: ease_sample_motion.swf
• Electronic file: character_anim_sample.fla
• Electronic file: character_anim_sample.swf
• Flash guide: How to get started with
ActionScript
• Flash guide: ActionScript for basic gaming
• Flash guide: How to publish a Flash document
• Flash guide: How to work with text
• Guide: Peer review
• Guide: Review and redesign

Background preparation resources

• Technical and content information
• Key terms
• ISTE NETS*S Standard for Students
• Adobe Certified Associate, Rich Media Communication objectives

Project steps

1. Introduce students to the goals of the project.

• Introduce Flash animation principles.
• Analyze uses of Flash.
• Analyze existing games and introduce game design principles.
• Design a simple Flash-based game.
• Create and test a Flash-based game.
• Publish and present a game in a game fair.

Analyzing Flash

(Suggested time: 150–250 minutes)

2. Show students websites that use Flash elements. Discuss how designers use Flash to enhance the user experience. Some elements to discuss include:

• Navigation systems
• Integrated user interface
• Animated screen elements
• Rich media
• Interactive games

Note: Rich media consists of a combination of graphics with video, audio, or animation.

3. Discuss the purposes for implementing content as rich media.1.2, 2.1 You might include the following:
• Incorporating audio and video
• Providing transitions
• Providing consistency
• Illustrating change over time
• Getting multiple layers of information from one part of the display
• Enriching graphics representations
• Visualizing three-dimensional structures
• Attracting attention

4. Introduce students to the interface, terminology, and basic panels in Flash. You may want to use the sample_animated_face.fla file to explain the following elements:

• Flash document: Where you create your Flash content. You save a Flash document as a file with a
.fla extension. When you open Flash, the Welcome screen gives you a choice of Flash file formats: ActionScript 3.0, ActionScript 2.0, AIR, AIR for Android, AIR for iOS, and Flash Lite 4. The format you choose depends on the platform on which you plan to publish your Flash movie. Demonstrate and discuss document properties and settings (and how to change the document
properties within the Properties panel and Document Settings dialog box).3.7
• Workspaces: Use preset and custom workspaces. Demonstrate how to access a preset workspace and how to create, modify, and delete custom workspaces.3.1

• Tools panel: Tools for drawing, painting, writing, selecting, moving, modifying, viewing, and coloring.
• Panels: Additional tools for modifying and creating objects. Demonstrate various ways to open, close, expand, and collapse panels.
• Properties panel: Set or change the most commonly used attributes of objects in a Flash document in the Properties panel.
• Stage: Compose the content of a Flash document on the Stage. Discuss the Stage size and its relationship to screen resolution.
• Timeline: Organize and control the content of a Flash document over time, using layers and frames. Discuss how the Timeline is used in animation and how to preview a document.3.3
• Edit bar: Indicates the current scene. On the right side, you can select the scene to open on the
Stage or change the magnification for viewing the Stage.
• Library: Store and organize symbols in the Library.4.7
• Movie: A published Flash document. Explain the difference between FLA files and SWF files.3.7
• XFL file: XFL is an XML representation of a FLA document. It is a declarative file format. In Flash Professional CS6, a document uses the .fla extension but functions more like a container of compressed files (much like a ZIP file). It contains all of the individual files that make up the
project, offering improved cross-product integration and workflow productivity.3.7
• Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP): You can include XMP data such as title, author, description, copyright, and more in your FLA files. XMP is a metadata format that certain other Adobe applications can understand. Embedding XMP data in your Flash document improves the ability of
web-based search engines to return meaningful search results for Flash content.3.7

Flash guide: Overview of the Adobe Flash Professional CS6 workspace 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.2

Electronic file: sample_animated_face.fla

Electronic file: sample_animated_face.swf

5. Using the presentation, introduce students to the principles of Flash animation. You may want to use the sample_animated_face.fla file to explain and demonstrate the following elements:

• Frame: A single picture in a series that form the content of a Flash document. Discuss the frame rate and timing and the effect of frame rate on file size. The default frame rate in Flash is 24 frames per second. You may want to change the frame rate to show students its effect on an animation.3.3
• Keyframe: A frame where a new symbol instance appears in the Timeline. A keyframe can also be a frame in which you define a change to an object’s properties for a classic tween animation. Keyframes can also include ActionScript code to control some aspect of your document.
• Property keyframe: A frame in which you define a change to an object’s properties for an animation. Discuss the differences between keyframes, property keyframes, and regular frames.
• Layers: Where you organize the various content elements in a Flash document. Discuss and demonstrate how non-symbol shapes merge when you place one over the other in the same layer. Demonstrate how to add, delete, rename, and organize layers and how to lock and unlock layers to
protect objects.3.3
• Scene: Each document can contain multiple scenes, each with its own Timeline and Stage. Scenes can be placed within other scenes.
• Symbol: An element stored in a library for reuse in a Flash document. Discuss the editing modes, such as editing an object on the Stage versus editing a symbol.

• Instance: A copy of a symbol when it is on the Stage. Each instance references the complete information stored in the corresponding library symbol, without duplicating that information. Using instances minimizes the file size of a Flash movie.3.8
• Tweens: An animation created by specifying a value for an object property in one frame and another value for that same property in another frame.
• Motion tweening: An automated way to create smooth movement and changes over time.
• Motion guide: A way to move an object along an editable and defined path.
• Classic tweening: A more complex form of creating smooth movement and changes over time.
Classic tweening provides certain capabilities that motion tweening does not.
• Shape tweening: An automated way to create shape changes over time.
• Inverse kinematics: A method for animating an object or set of objects in relation to each other by using an articulated structure of bones.
• Sounds: Music loops or sound effects that play during the movie or are triggered by an action.
• Actions: ActionScript statements that control an object or the Timeline when a movie is played.

Presentation: Introduction to Flash animation 2.1, 4.7, 4.10, 4.11

6. Ask students to open one or more websites, or other Flash content, to illustrate a variety of Flash techniques. (Alternatively, you could open such sites on the teacher workstation.) As a class, identify the following Flash techniques on the websites:

• Motion tweens
• Shape tweens
• Movie clips
• Buttons
• Sound (number of sounds used, number of times a sound is looped)
• Stop actions
• Go to and play actions
• Combinations of symbols (such as buttons that contain animated movie clips)

Guide and worksheet: How to analyze Flash content 1.1, 1.2

Game design

(Suggested time: 100–150 minutes)

7. Introduce and discuss game design. Explain that game design determines every detail of how the game will function, what win or loss criteria the game may include, how the user will be able to control the game, what information the game will communicate, and how hard the game will be. Some things to discuss include:

• Input: How the user controls the game (keyboard, mouse, gestures on mobile devices)
• Game elements: The visual elements on the screen, such as a spaceship in a flying game
• Sounds: How sounds can be used to enhance the game-playing experience
• Game play (also called game mechanics): The interactivity of the game and the choices a player
(or players) are able to make and what happens when they make each choice

Presentation: Introduction to game design

Guide: Introduction to game design

8. Show students both simple and complex games built with Flash. Discuss the type of game (for example, action or puzzle), the overall game design, the game rules, and the types or combinations of techniques that might be involved to create some of the more complicated effects they see.2.1

• Newgrounds games: www.newgrounds.com/games
• Addicting games: www.AddictingGames.com/
• Jumpman: www.maximized.co.uk/tutorials/games/jumpman/
• Escape the Room: www.ictlic.eq.edu.au/begintheadventure/etrgame1.html
9. Explain a typical game design workflow 1.5 and how it is similar to the phases of website production:
• Plan and design: Brainstorm an idea for your game with game-design planning documents, wireframes, design comps, storyboards, and so on.
• Develop: Combine your visual and audio assets in desired programming language (in this case, ActionScript 3.0).
• Test and optimize: Test your game to be sure it’s bug-free and fun to play. Improve the performance through optimization.
• Monetize and distribute: Determine how to get your game to your audience by offering free games or games that cost money to play. For Flash-based games, deploy via Flash Player and/or Adobe AIR. Games can be distributed through app stores, on the Internet, or through retail stores.
• Use analytics and update: Study the results of usability tests, user feedback, and such metrics as game plays, duration of game play, and more to improve on the game’s weaknesses. Continually try to polish your game and provide a better experience for the game players.

10. Explain that for this project they will be starting with very simple games with a small number of game plays, similar to the Jumpman and Escape the Room games you reviewed. Explain they can choose between a drag-and-drop or simple character-movement game and will use the included technical guides to customize their characters, game settings, and parameters.

11. Divide your students into teams of two or three and allow them time to brainstorm their game ideas, reminding them of the parameters. When they are happy with their ideas, ask them to complete their game design documents. Explain that each team will submit their planning documents to you for approval.

Worksheet: Game design planning document 1.5, 2.4

Creating a game

(Suggested time: 450–550 minutes)

12. After you have approved each team’s game-design planning documents, explain that students will now learn about graphics in Flash, which will become the component assets for the game they will build. Review the kinds of graphics files available in Flash. Discuss and demonstrate the following:

• The difference between bitmap images and vector images in Flash
• The definition of shape in Flash
• Drawing tools, such as shapes, lines, and brushes
• Selection tools, such as marquee, lasso, and magic wand

Flash guide: Understanding Flash graphic file types 4.2, 4.3

Flash guide: How to draw and create shapes 4.2

13. Using the “I do, we do, you do” method, demonstrate the following skills to help them refine their graphics. You can use the mask_sample.fla file to illustrate these skills:

• How to work with colors and gradients 4.2
• How to break graphics apart 3.8, 4.3
• How to trace and swap bitmaps 4.3
• How to use adaptive scaling
• How to create a masking effect 4.9

Flash guide: How to apply colors and gradients 4.2

Flash guide: How to create masks 4.9

Electronic file: mask_sample.fla

Electronic file: mask_sample.swf

14. Allow each student group time to develop the necessary graphics for their games, including characters.

15. Introduce symbols, instances, and the Library to help your students organize their projects.

Demonstrate how to organize content with the Library, layers, and labeling. Ask students to add assets to their library and demonstrate how to move assets between the Stage and the Library.

Flash guide: How to organize content 2.5, 3.3, 4.7, 4.10

Flash guide: Symbols, instances, and the Library 4.6, 4.7

16. Demonstrate how to turn graphics into buttons, symbols, instances, and movie clips. Remind them to create new layers and labels for each graphics symbol and instance.

Flash guide: How to create a button symbol 4.6, 4.7, 4.8

Flash guide: How to use transparent or invisible buttons 4.6

17. Demonstrate how teams can use guides and rulers to help place their graphics on the Stage where they want them to be to achieve the overall game look.

Flash guide: How to use rulers and guides 3.5

18. Introduce masking, path animation, eases, and character animation by showing students some sites that use these specific techniques, such as the following simple Flash games:

• Games in a Flash – Galactic Goobers: www.gamesinaflash.com/game/Invasion-of-the-Galactic- Goobers.html.
• PBS Kids show Fetch! Face-Off game: http://pbskids.org/fetch/games/faceoff/game.html
• PBS Kids show Caillou Dinosaur game: http://pbskids.org/caillou/immersivegames/?gameID=4
• Visionlearning’s Three States of Matter: http://web.visionlearning.com/custom/chemistry/

animations/CHE1.1-an-threestates.shtml

19. As you go through the games in the previous step, point out the animation techniques used in each game (drag-and-drop, shooting, jumping, timing, and so on). Additionally, to introduce basic animation skills, discuss and demonstrate Flash animation techniques by using the electronic files:

Flash guide: Understanding frames and keyframes 4.10

Flash guide: How to create animations 3.6, 4.10

Flash guide: How to ease tweens 3.6, 4.10

Flash guide: How to use a motion guide with a motion tween animation 4.10

Flash guide: How to create character animations 4.10

Flash guide: How to use sprite sheets Electronic file: path_anim_sample.fla Electronic file: path_anim_sample.swf Electronic file: ease_sample_classic.fla Electronic file: ease_sample_classis.swf Electronic file: ease_sample_motion.fla Electronic file: ease_sample_motion.swf Electronic file: character_anim_sample.fla Electronic file: character_anim_sample.swf

Note: If students are preparing for the Adobe Certified Associate, Rich Media Communication exam, their games should include an animated character so they learn how to use the Bone tool for inverse kinematics animations.

20. Tell students they will now animate their graphics. Explain the following, depending on the type of games they create:

• For a drag-and-drop game, students can decide to animate any of the movable items. For example, if they have a face, they can animate the eyes, nose, and mouth.
• For a simple character-movement game, they can animate jumping, climbing, or other movements.
• For all games, they can animate the background so it scrolls through the same or multiple scenes.

21. Now that they have created their graphics and animations, explain they will learn about ActionScript so they can add interactivity to their games. Using the “I do, we do, you do” method, introduce students to the basic concepts of using ActionScript. Explain how to use the Code Snippets panel to quickly apply ActionScript code to control Timeline navigation, actions, animation, audio/video playback, event handling, and loading and unloading assets. Following are some key terms you might want to define as you step students through this process:

• class
• object
• property
• variable
• method
• function

• event
• code snippet

Flash guide: How to get started with ActionScript 4.11

22. Building on the basic concepts of ActionScript, discuss and demonstrate some basic game features students can create by using ActionScript. As you go through the game features, have students identify how functions, event handlers, and listeners are used in the following examples:

• How to give a button an action such as stop or play again
• How to drag and drop items
• How to add point scoring
• How to add character movement
• How to move objects across the screen
• How to create a timer

Flash guide: ActionScript for basic gaming 4.11

23. Allow each team time to add ActionScript to their games.

Testing a game

(Suggested time: 250–350 minutes)

24. Once the teams have created the initial version of their games, pair teams and have them check each other’s FLA files. They should test and discuss the following: 5.1

• Select each keyframe and property keyframe and determine if more than one object is highlighted on the Stage. (Objects should be on separate layers if they are to be animated.)
• Select each keyframe and property keyframe and determine if an object is a shape or a symbol and if the correct type of tween has been applied. (Motion tweens animate symbols; shape tweens animate shapes.)
• In turn, select each keyframe and property keyframe along the Timeline and make sure the object is in the expected location on the Stage based on the point in the movie.
• Test the game against the game specifications outlined in the game-design planning document.

Note: Inform students that these techniques for checking that they have clean Flash documents will help later when they are looking for errors in more complex movies.

25. Once students have tested the FLA files, demonstrate how to set publishing settings and how to publish a preview of the game. Ask students to test their game previews to find any problems and revise the ActionScript as necessary.

Flash guide: How to publish a Flash document 4.14, 5.1

26. Allow students time to revise their games as necessary, testing their games after each revision to make sure any problems have been solved.

27. Once the game functions properly, explain that they will now create the opening screens for their games, including instructions and a play button. Explain they are doing this now so they don’t have to move through it each time they test the game, which could be frustrating. Using the “I do, we do, you do” method, demonstrate how to work with text in Flash.

Flash guide: How to work with text 4.4, 4.5

28. Pair teams once again and have them conduct peer reviews of each other’s games. Then allow teams time to review and redesign aspects of their games.

Guide: Peer review 1.6

Guide: Review and redesign

29. Have each team test their game by playing the movie and seeing if it is getting stuck anywhere. If they are getting stuck, make sure they review keyframes, instance names, and ActionScript.

Publishing and presenting a game

(Suggested time: 200–250 minutes)

30. Once each team has a properly functioning game, demonstrate how to publish their games as SWF

files or as desktop AIR applications.

Flash guide: How to publish a Flash document 4.14, 5.1

31. Explain that each team will create a booth for a class-wide game fair. Ask each team to create a basic poster advertising their game. Encourage students to reuse graphics from their games for their game posters.

32. Select a class period and ask each team to set up a game fair booth with their poster. Explain that teams can play each other’s games, taking notes on the games to provide feedback.

33. After the game fair, ask students to share feedback on the games they played. Remind them to be respectful in their critiques.

Guide: Peer review

Extension activities

You can extend the project in the following ways:
• Technical Help in the Classroom: To encourage students to develop self-sufficiency, you can assign a small group or pair of students to research challenging skills and present their findings to the class. Ask them to define key terms (such as optimization) and to explain the relevance of these terms to the task at hand. Then ask students to give a three- to five-minute oral report at the beginning of class, demonstrating the skill and reporting their findings.
• Great uses of Flash: Ask students to look on the web for sites with Flash elements that inspire them.
They should write brief descriptions of impressive elements and how they think these elements were created in Flash.
• School game fair: In addition to, or instead of, a classroom game fair, conduct a school-wide game fair where students and parents can come on a dedicated day or night to learn about and play student- created games.
• Fast finishers: For students who finish early, ask them to redesign and develop their games for one or more mobile devices.
• Design for a client: Have students design a game for a client, such as a school sports team, teacher, or group, where they pitch their game-design planning documents to a client or panel.
• Interview: To help students better understand the game-design process, have students interview a game designer about the planning process.
• Collaborative assessment: Co-develop a rubric with your students during the design phase to be used for peer feedback and to promote discussion about game design and the importance of individual elements in the whole game. While developing the rubric, discuss and explore the essential features and elements of a successful game and the importance of each element of the game and how they work together. For example, when designing the rubric, a student may suggest that high-quality graphics are the most important thing in creating an excellent game. This could lead to discussions about whether a game can still be a great game with lower quality graphics but quality game play.

Assessment

• Project rubric

Background preparation resources

• Review the student step-by-step guides referenced in this project.
• To view video tutorials aligned with the skills required to complete this project, visit the Digital Design
CS6 show on Adobe TV: http://tv.adobe.com/show/digital-design-cs6/
• For more teaching and learning resources on teaching game design, Flash, and other topics in this project, search for resources from the community on the Adobe Education Exchange: http://edexchange.adobe.com
• For an overview of the interface and for more information on the technical aspects of Flash, see Flash
Help.
• Review Adobe TV – ActionScript 101: http://tv.adobe.com/show/actionscript-11-with-doug-winnie/
• Access tutorials, articles, and other resources in the Flash developer center:
www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/
• Visit the Flash Classroom – resources and tutorials for using Flash in the Primary/Secondary classroom: www.flashclassroom.com/

• On the Maximized website, study tutorials for teaching animation and game development:
http://maximized.co.uk/tutorials/
• Review principles of animation by Colin Maxwell: http://edexchange.adobe.com/posts/ef9de768bc
• See the Flash Showcase: www.adobe.com/cfusion/showcase/index.cfm?event=finder&
• Examples of masking and path animations; search for “mask effects” and “motion path”:
www.flashkit.com

Game design

• Adobe Developer Connection – Game Development: www.adobe.com/devnet/games.edu.html
• Flash Game Development by Example: www.flashgamedevbook.com/
• Adobe Education Exchange – Jumpman game and tutorial by Colin Maxwell:
http://edexchange.adobe.com/posts/a9a2119df5
• Adobe Education Exchange – Escape the Room game and tutorial by Kristine Kopelke:
http://edexchange.adobe.com/posts/6c222552c7
• Adobe Education Exchange – First Steps in Flash Mobile Development tutorial by Kristine Kopelke:
http://edexchange.adobe.com/posts/bc6739d213

Key terms

• ActionScript
• animation
• class
• code snippet
• event handling
• frame
• function
• game design
• game play
• graphic
• input
• instance
• inverse kinematics
• keyframe
• method
• object
• property
• scene
• symbol
• tween
• variable

ISTE NETS*S Standard for Students

This project is aligned to the ISTE NETS*S Technology Standards. Depending on the subject and content area the student selects you may research your own state content standards to see how this project aligns to your state requirements.
ISTE NETS*S: Curriculum and Content Area Standards – NETS for Students
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
3. Research and Information Retrieval
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
4. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students::
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.
5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
a. understand and use technology systems.
b. select and use applications effectively and productively.

Adobe Certified Associate, Rich Media Communication objectives

1.1 Identify the purpose, audience, and audience needs for rich media content.
1.2 Identify rich media content that is relevant to the purpose of the media in which it will be used
(websites, mobile devices, and so on).
1.5 Understand project management tasks and responsibilities.
1.6 Communicate with others (such as peers and clients) about design and content plans.
2.1 Identify general and Flash-specific best practices for designing rich media content for the web, mobile apps, and AIR applications.
2.4 Use a storyboard to design rich media elements.
2.5 Organize a Flash document.
3.1 Identify elements of the Flash interface.
3.2 Use the Property inspector.
3.3 Use the Timeline.
3.4 Adjust document properties.
3.5 Use Flash guides and rulers.
3.6 Use the Motion Editor.
3.7 Understand Flash file types.
3.8 Identify best practices for managing file size of a published Flash document.
4.2 Use tools on the Tools panel to select, create, and manipulate graphics and text.
4.3 Import and modify graphics.
4.4 Create text.
4.5 Adjust text properties.
4.6 Create objects and convert them to symbols, including graphics, movie clips, and buttons.
4.7 Understand symbols and the Library.
4.8 Edit symbols and instances.
4.9 Create masks.
4.10 Create animations (changes in shape, position, size, color, and transparency).
4.11 Add simple controls through ActionScript 3.0.
4.14 Publish and export Flash documents.
5.1 Conduct basic technical tests.

Assessment

	0 - Does not meet expectations	3 - Meets expectations	5 - Exceeds expectations
Analyzing Flash	Absent or incomplete.	Students research rich media sites and can identify animation techniques. Students understand when the use of rich media elements is effective, especially for gaming.	Students research rich media sites and can identify animation techniques. Students understand and can clearly articulate when the use of rich media elements is effective and can identify when these elements are not effective, especially for gaming.
Game design planning document	Absent or incomplete.	Students create game- design planning documents that identify audience and goals of a drag-and-drop or character-movement game. The document describes game elements, rules of play, and game narrative. The document includes sketches of the game environment and a logical storyboard. Students identify technical considerations and game object symbols.	Students create game- design planning documents that provide detailed information on the audience and goals of a drag-and-drop or character-movement game. The document describes game elements, rules of play, and game narrative. The documents include detailed sketches of the game environment and a clear and logical storyboard. Students carefully identify all technical considerations and game object symbols.
Game assets	Absent or incomplete.	Students create necessary game graphics. Students determine the correct file type for graphics. Students create graphics that use a combination of drawing, shapes, color, and masking techniques. All necessary graphics are turned into symbols with instance names.	Students employ design principles to create all game graphics. Students determine the correct file type for graphics. Students create graphics that use a combination of drawing, shapes, color, and masking techniques. All necessary graphics are turned into symbols with appropriate instancenames.

0 - Does not meet expectations

3 - Meets expectations

5 - Exceeds expectations

Drag-and- drop Flash game

Absent or incomplete.

The drag-and-drop Flash game has clear audience, goals, rules, and outcomes. The game includes an introductory screen with a play button, a pause and stop button, a play again button, and five drag-and- drop objects.

The drag-and-drop Flash game has clearly defined audience, goals, rules, and outcomes. The game play and rules are intuitive and fun. The game includes a well-written introductory screen with a play button, a pause and stop button, a play again button, and six or more drag-and-drop objects. The game includes one or more optional features, such as scoring, timer, multiple players, or bonus features such as extra points or time.

Character- movement Flash game

Absent or incomplete.

The character-movement Flash game has clear audience, goals, rules and outcomes. The game includes an introductory screen with a play button, a pause and stop button, and a play again button. The game character navigates a course and needs to jump, climb, or avoid objects.

The character-movement Flash game has clearly defined audience, goals, rules and outcomes. The game play and rules are intuitive and fun. The game includes a well-

written introductory screen with a play button, a pause and stop button, and a play again button. The game character navigates a course and needs to jump, climb, or avoid objects. The game includes one or more optional features, such as scoring, timer, multiple players, or bonus features such as extra points, time, or lives.