ricardocabellov5.5

Spring Digital approached me again with an interesting project. Preparing a Class for their designers to explain a little bit the basics of Actionscripting. I never did something like this before, I mean being a teacher and doing a 4hours session about anything. So I didn't know how it was going to work.

The first idea I had about it was doing my own powerpoint/keynote thingie (I called it keydoob ;)) to prepare slides and keep a bit of structure for the class. Then I had to prepare all the contents and that's where I had some problems as I just didn't know how to prepare something and guess that will take 4 hours to explain answering the possible questions, so as I added a bit more of content just in case.

I had to do the same class twice, for 2 groups of designers, so after doing the first one I amended a bit the slides and I was able to explain everything a bit better.

Although the class was supposed to be about the basics of Actionscript I think I really said a lot of stuff, if I was totally new it would probably damage my mind ;) But I wanted to give a bit of info about everything and stuff that they will probably find at some point, and maybe whenever they test about something they will remember the class and me saying something about it, so they would have a bit of idea or they will feel that they're doing things properly.

So, for the non-attendants (you), I'm afraid I don't have a video or anything of me blabling and blabling but the good news are that I will share the slides, the source file of keydoob, and also the files I created in each class, with the source code (.fla) so you can check some actionscript code if you feel like doing it :)

Actionscript basics 1.1 presentation
(LEFT & RIGHT to change slide)

Actionscript basics 1.1 presentation - source files

Looks like the escena.org compos inspired me to finally improve my C++ & SDL skills.

The effect on the screenshot isn't optimised yet, but probably I'll get 30fps with it (I hope!).

I've been doing a couple of flash games these days, and there is always that request of having to add a high-score system on the background. Sounds simple to do, but you will get the high-scores hacked very easily if you don't do it carefully. This is the research I've done by now:

The first thing we need to know is that Flash+PHP is totally insecure, you got a program on your client requesting server information. You can always use a program like live http headers in between to check what is the flash asking to the server. Another problem is that you can decompile the .swf with a program like Sothink SWF Decompiler to check out the code and have more information. However I found out this encrypter which by now is doing the job very well.

Long time ago I did another game and my approach on that time was loading a game_loader.php (instead of the .swf itself), and then checking the referer on that .php. If the referer wasn't the one I was expecting, then the .php wasn't giving back the .swf. I thought It was a great idea, but after finding out about cURL it doesn't look any good as you can fake the referers with it.

So the next idea was to try hacking one of the famous games out there to see how do they do it. If you ask me about famous games out there, my first answer will be probably Orisinal. Orisinal have been famous for their cute games, and in the background also have been famous for having non-hacked high-scores list. So that's where I went. So yesterday I spent a couple of hours trying to hack the bugs game. That's as far as I got... to request the table of highscores you only have to access to this link. And then, if you want to submit your score you need to acces to this link. The problem was that the las link wasn't really working as expected. One guess maybe that he could have a code that if there is some IP trying to access to link and without having all the information correctly (like for example seding the Host), then the system adds the IP to a ban-list and from there you can't go anywhere (otherwise I've no idea why isn't working, feel free to push all this further, but keep it serious, please).

After my unsuccesful attemp to hack Orisinal then I moved to the Yeti game. I checked the code long time ago and seemed quite easy to hack, but checking the code this time, I've found that many things to take care of that I just didn't have time to spend that time. So I forgot about it.

So. I guess, a combination of encrypting the .SWF, using a PHP to give back the .SWF in case you're asking for it from the correct URL, then adding a security code on each action, and as the last thing adding a ban list for IPs trying to do weird stuff will do by now. Also, in this case I've a username/password system, so the game only submits the scores if the user is logged. But to be honest I don't think that helps at all.

And that's kind of it, if you have any experience with it, or any suggestion, you know that I want to hear it!! ;)

(More details about hacking Flash Games Scores here)

I've been just watching the latest screenshots of Windows Vista, and well, I guess they will go gold with their lack of taste. What's better than an Image to show what I mean?




Hey! I said I wasn't going to post more stuff like this, WTF?! :D

Anytime you want to copy paste the image you're working on Photoshop to Flash, don't do it by copy/pasteing, it will modify a bit the image sizes.. in instance, if the image is 700px of width, it will paste it as 699.7. And these kind of things make the final product very pixel non-perfect, specially when your flash needs to integrate with the html design.

So, to avoid that, save the image as PNG or something and then import in on flash. Very silly thing but it really means a lot!

A bit of history... Last year sole didn't want to help organising ifparty'06 because she wasn't up to it for a couple of reasons. Because that she wasn't able to understand why I was still helping in the org. At that point I guess I had the time for it and the only thing I had in mind was "Ok, it's going to be difficult this year, but we need to organise it, otherwise if we don't organise this one we won't have another one next year". I can tell you I put a lot of my time on it, a lot of my time desigining, coding, and the harder work was sending emails to everyone, keeping the communications, keeping the energy, good vibes, all that stuff. In fact, at some point I saw that I wasn't going to have time for it, so I said to the guys that if we wasn't able to achieve one milestone I would have to leave the orgo cos I didn't have time to do everything in a hurry at the last minute. And well, we wasn't able to do the milestone, however I still did the design/dev and everything for the party, tho I wasn't able to buy the plane tickets because they were quite expensive by that time (one month before the party).

This year we have the same problem, lack of motivation, and the main orgos already asked for some help on escena.org. But nobody said anything, and they still think that they are not able to do all the work they did the last year for the party. This time I put my milestone a bit earlier because I was going to do a big part of the organisation this year  (having another non-stop room/2ndstage like, and providing all the contents and stuff, lives, which requires a lot of rrpp with spaniard and foreigners to motivate them to do a participate, demoshows and all that stuff). And well, we missed it again. So, I'm off, I'm afraid I can't support the party anymore. Also, Sole which wanted to help this year is off too, and also another key guy.

Right now I can see that working on escena.org is helping much more than not all the work I did last year working on ifparty'06, so the decision is easey

So, well, if you can help, you have the time, and the motivation, please let them know, otherwise, I don't think we will have ifparty'07. A shame, because we already had the theme.

Proccesor



Apple, do it! Pleeeeease!!! :_(

This is mainly for personal use (some future projects), but feel free to use them if you want.

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Online projects and my works as a webdesigner/developer freelancer.

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Demoscene and VJ related feed. Posting about new demos / sessions, making of's or blabbling about the demoscene.

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Music/Audio related feed. Whenever I'm inspired and do some music stuff.

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This feed have all the other ones plus some personal stuff that I won't talk about using the other egos.

I hate when people post youtube videos.
I hate when people blog about other people work

But... This is just too great.

I discovered Nathan Fake and James Holden more than 1 year ago (maybe 2?). And I still love this track (the sky was pink). On the video you will first listen Nathan's original version, and then mixed (somehow) with Holden's remix. The video is also cool, nice old videos, nice explosions, but it's not really the important thing here :)



I knew then that these guys were going to get quite high, and I think they are doing so and they will keep going and going. Really good news for the electronic music, or atleast for the one that fits my taste :)