Dreaming Methods releases source-code

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Whoah! I never thought I’d see this happen. Dreaming Methods has released Flash source-code, including what I consider to be one of his best stories…

“Featuring the Flash source code of Capped, The Rut and Floppy, this digital download pack reveals how Dreaming Methods projects are assembled and contains a 9 page hints and tips document ‘Dream Building’ – highly useful for anyone wanting to produce similarly atmospheric and complex digital fiction.”

The pack includes the Capped .fla which uses “home-grown pseudo-3D code”, a short PDF guide to the software packages (no step-by-step tutorials), plus extra files such as environment.fla which is a core mouse-interactive constrained parallax effect with cut-out foreground elements…

It’s not free, at $29/£19. But it’s valuable stuff if you’re interested in the fine-art side of point-and-click storytelling — and can use Flash CS3 or CS4 [the files won’t open in Flash 8] and know where to find and tinker with the ActionScript 2. I couldn’t resist the pack and grabbed it quick, in case he changes his mind. PayPal payment takes you immediately to a 102Mb .zip download link for the pack. The server seems a bit unreliable. My first attempt to download stopped at 87Mb, then saved itself as an unopenable .zip file. I had to re-download again — so make sure you bookmark the download link.

Those into giant robot invasions should definitely investigate Dreaming Method’s very subtle and rather British ‘digital storytelling’ take on the story-type, in Capped. Stay to the end to get the full effect of the storyline.

Oh, and the pack is royalty-free…

“The graphics, material and source code in the Pack can be freely used or adapted for use in your own creations.”