Read Part One of the article, it covers some of the basics, and explains a few things.

With the release of QuickBox2D 1.0 I figure I should update my game engine articles. I won't actually update the first one, but instead I will provide updated versions here, with links to download the files (source).

One of the best things about the new QuickBox2D is the addition of QuickContacts.

var contacts:QuickContacts = sim.addContactListener();
contacts.addEventListener(QuickContacts.ADD, onAdd);
contacts.addEventListener(QuickContacts.PERSIST, onPersist);
contacts.addEventListener(QuickContacts.REMOVE, onRemove);

function onAdd(evt:Event):void{
	if(contacts.currentPoint.shape1 == main.shape || contacts.currentPoint.shape2 == main.shape){
		if(contacts.currentPoint.normal.y >= -1 && contacts.currentPoint.normal.y < 0){
			grounded = true;
		}
	}
}
function onPersist(evt:Event):void{
	if(contacts.currentPoint.shape1 == main.shape || contacts.currentPoint.shape2 == main.shape){
		if(contacts.currentPoint.normal.y >= -1 && contacts.currentPoint.normal.y < 0){
			grounded = true;
		}
	}
}
function onRemove(evt:Event):void{
	grounded = false;
}

So you just made the best game ever, huh? Is that so? Before releasing your game into the wild, make sure you do these following this:

Add a Highscore Table

Highscores are a great way to get people to play your game more, and enjoy it. A highscore table in this day and age is becoming more of a standard for flash games than ever before. The player practically lives to be 'the best', so why not help them the best by letting them show it.

Add Achievements

This practically goes hand in hand with having a highscore a table. Users lately have been expecting a rewards for actions they perform in games. Major consoles have them, and if they have them, there's no doubt that Flash game players will be expecting them as well.

Have Good Audio

Some people totally skip this part. This is a vital part of creating a great game. Games that totally skimp out on taking the time to get audio that fits the game are only hurting themselves. I'm not saying throw a sound effect on every little thing in the game, I'm just saying don't be too intrusive on how it's played out. Menu's should have their own music, different locations in the game should have different music. Every viral and popular game has great audio that adds to feeling of the game. Imagine you're doing the final level of Halo to vivaldi, not very epic is it? Vivaldi would definetly ruin the mood.

Use less text!

One mistake that most developers make is that they use too much text. People going online looking to play some free flash games after a hard day aren't looking to read, they want to relax and have some fun. So, try to avoid lengthy instruction screens. Players are looking for simple intuitive controls. If you absolutely need to have directions in the game, so be it. But, add a skip button so they don't have to sit through it. Then, show a graphics, or something real quick to tell the controls. Just so they know.

Spend a day or two tweaking

I don't know how many developers skip this step and are just so eager to get they're game out there that they forget to bug check, and as a result lose fans. Let's say a developer gave the boss on level 12 too much health, resulting in half the people playing getting frustrated. Five minutes of adjustment could have made the game that much more enjoyable. Other things could be added to keep the players hooked are save games, cutscenes, special effects, and etc.

Making a great viral flash game can be a daunting task, but I hope this guide/outline will help make that task a little easier.

Please, don't hesitate to comment. Your opinions are always welcome.

-Tom

So, you wanna convert a uint to hex in AS3, huh? Well, this is how you do it:

function uintToHex(val:uint):String {
	var pref:String = "000000";
	var str:String = String(pref + val.toString(16));
	return "#" + str.substr(-6).toUpperCase();
}