Question

where to begin ? i want to create multiplayer flash games using Union (any experience?)

but which IDE and prerequisites do i need to begin ?

also, what does Flex mean ?

thank you.

p.s. what is the best way to purchase Game assets ? ex) 2d sprites…i’ve given up trying to design my own. i need to outsource (any dedicated place for finding offshore artists?) or buy some package.

Answer 1

Next time, split up the questions. As general answer,
here’s what I recommend.

Flex
Flex is good for building application style interfaces and has a powerful
editor similar to Eclipse. Flash has a timeline for animation, but programmers
find the API crappy. We’re not going to get into which is better, that’s personal preference.

Game Development
If you just starting game development, which seems to
be what you’re saying, this book will give you an
idea of what’s involved.

Real-World Flash Game Development
Chris Griffith

Object Oriented Programming
You’ll need a book that gives an overview of AS3
and object oriented programming. From this and the
game development book, you can understand the scope
of a project like this.

Object Oriented ActionScript 3.0
Peter Elst, Sas Jacobs, Todd Yard

You’ll gather resources and find what you need as you learn. I’ve only done components, but I know it’s easy to get stuck halfway in to a project. Before getting in to game assets, you need to have a clear objective, and an understanding of what the architecture of the game is going to be. I hope this helps.