Getting started with Adobe Game Developer Tools
Step 1 - Download
Flash Builder 4.7: Write code
Flash Builder 4.7 is the cross-platform ActionScript editor that supports Adobe Scout and includes the new ActionScript 3 Compiler (ASC 2.0). It also supports ActionScript workers, the iOS simulator, and iOS USB deployment, testing and debugging. Flash Builder 4.7 is required to use Adobe Scout.
Flash Professional CS6: Create assets
Use Flash Professional to create game assets, animations, sprite sheets, and more. If you create assets in Photoshop and Illustrator, you can import and work with them in Flash Professional.
Adobe Scout: Profile and optimize
Adobe Scout is the new profiling and optimization tool for your content running in either Flash Player or Adobe AIR. For the first time, you have access to very granular information about CPU and GPU rendering, network or the ActionScript stack.
Adobe Scout works automatically, without changes to your code, with the released versions of Flash Player and AIR. As a result, you can profile content in-context with very little effort.
Flash Builder 4.7 is required to use Adobe Scout.
Download Adobe Scout from Creative Cloud
To profile mobile games, you also need to download the Scout Companion apps for iOS, Android, and Kindle.
Adobe Gaming SDK: Useful tools and frameworks
The Adobe Gaming SDK includes the following tools, frameworks, and resources to help you develop great games:
- Compiler/Packager - Contains the compiler and packager to compile your mobile (AIR) and web (Flash Player) based games.
- Stage3D open-source frameworks - Starling, a 2D framework, Feathers, a 2D UI component framework, and Away3D, a 3D framework.
- Native extensions for iOS - Native extensions provide easy access to device-specific libraries and features that are not available in the built-in ActionScript classes. To get started, we provide the following ANEs: Game Center, Product Store, Social, StageAd, and BetaTesting. Note: These extensions are provided as beta. Please provide your feedback if you encounter any issues or bugs.
- Sample projects - Hungry Hero, Invawayders, Feathers components, and projects using the native extensions.
- Adobe Texture Format Tools - Command-line utilities to create compresssed textures (ATFs) for Stage3D.
Download Adobe Gaming SDK from Creative Cloud
May 8, 2013 Gaming SDK 1.1 update
- AIR SDK and Compiler - updated to 3.7.
- DragonBones - a visual editor for skeleton animation editing.
- OUYA controller library for ActionScript developers
- Flash Player 11.7 and AIR 3.7 release notes
March 22, 2013 Gaming SDK 1.0.2 update
- AIR SDK and Compiler - updated to 3.6.0.6090.
- Feathers updated to Feathers 1.0.1.
- Flash Player 11.6 and AIR 3.6 release notes
January 15, 2013 Gaming SDK 1.0.1 update
- AIR SDK (including ASC 2.0 Preview 5) updated to 3.5.0.1060.
- Starling updated to Starling 1.3.
- Feathers updated to Feathers 1.0.
- Flash Player 11.5 and AIR 3.5 release notes
Step 2 - Setup
Copy the Adobe Gaming SDK Samples folder
The Samples folder is read-only. If you would like to edit the code, copy the Samples folder to any location on your computer.
Overlay AIR SDK 3.7 in Flash Builder 4.7
Flash Builder 4.7 comes with the Adobe AIR 3.4 SDK bundled. The Gaming SDK includes latest Adobe AIR SDK (3.7). To use it, you need to manually overlay it in Flash Builder. See Overlay AIR SDK on Flex SDK in Flash Builder for step by step directions.
Step 3 - Learn
Whether you are new to game development or just new to the Adobe Game Developer Tools, the sample games and projects included in the Gaming SDK will help you learn how to use the tools. With all of the source code, you can see how Hungry Hero was built using Starling and Invawayders using Away3D. You can demo the Feathers UI components. The native extension sample projects demonstrate how to use the native extensions in your games.
Follow these steps to import the sample games and projects.
- In Flash Builder 4.7, choose File > Import Flash Builder Project
- Select Project folder
- Browse to the copy you created of the Samples folder and select the project you would like to import
- Click Open
- Click Finish
*Note: For the Feathers UI demo, the ComponentsExplorer folder inside Feathers UI Components contains the Flash Builder Project.
Learn more about using the Game Developer Tools
Step 4 - Build
That's it. You're ready to start buliding your game!
Continue learning about creating great games or finding answers to your questions.
- In the game development guide, you can learn the basics of writing ActionScript, advanced techniques for optimizing your code, how to improve the performance of your game, and more.
- In the game art, business, and design guide, you can learn about graphic effects, monetizing your game, accessibility design and more.
- Starling documentation | Starling API reference
- Feathers documentation | Feathers API reference
- Away3D API reference and documentation
- DragonBones documentation | DragonBones API reference
Questions
Step 5 - Profile and optimize
Once your game is running, you can begin to profile and optimize it using Adobe Scout. For detailed information on how to setup and use Adobe Scout, please read Getting Started with Adobe Scout.
Step 6 - Play!