How to use hitTest in a simple game

Using a simple hitTest

Most people unfamiliar with using hitTest assume that it's hard. But it's not! They can be used easily to add another element to your game or movie. I'm going to show you how to use them, along with some free character moving code!

The character

Start up your version of Flash (This tutorial used Flash 8, although I'm sure that the code can be used in Flash MX (2004). Start a new document and draw either a character from a top-down view or just a circle. Then convert it to a movie clip. Call it "player". Then give it an instance name of "player_mc". Open the Actions panel and paste or type in this Actionscript:

onClipEvent (enterFrame) { speed = 8; //sets the speed of the player if (Key.isDown(Key.RIGHT)) { //checks to see if the player is pressing or holding right this._x += speed; //adds whatever the value of the variable "speed" is to the players x position } } onClipEvent (enterFrame) { if (Key.isDown(Key.LEFT)) { this._x -= speed; } } onClipEvent (enterFrame) { if (Key.isDown(Key.DOWN)) { this._y += speed; } } onClipEvent (enterFrame) { if (Key.isDown(Key.UP)) { this._y -= speed; } }

This code allows our player to move your character around the screen.