MSGhero 2013-10-11 14:47:00

Every other thread in the flash forum.

milchreis.newgrounds.com has a good list of some basic stuff, but stuff like this gets asked a lot in the forum, so you might find some other good links.

Coft 2013-10-11 20:34:54

Starting with a book would be great as you need to know basics of programming and the language itself. In the beginning just copy pieces of code and try to understand them. Functions and algorithms you know are like tools that you gather. I recommend that you always set yourself a difficult goal and then try to get as close to it as possible. Tutorials will help you with this. Just focus on what you find interesting or what could make your program more awesome. I think this is far more important than anything - play and experiment. It doesn't matter that you don't proceed in any specific order, you'll sometimes read a tutorial even after 2 or 4 years.

When you need to know more about a class, type its name and "livedocs" into google. The Adobe reference is brilliant:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/FlashPlatform/reference/actionscript/3/index.html

Getting inspired by random examples helps too:
http://hub.tutsplus.com/browse?utf8=%E2%9C%93&id=development&sections%5B%5D=Tutorials&tags%5B%5D=ActionScript

kkots 2013-10-12 08:36:44

Self-taught?! What do you mean? You mean, like, pummeling your face into the monitor screen until you type brilliant & complex code?

Rustygames 2013-10-12 14:01:30

Get a book. Something aimed at someone who has never programmed before. Doesn't have to be AS3

kkots 2013-10-12 15:17:26

Youtube series:
Top-down shooter (AS2):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMfgWwOkKmc
FPS (AS3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsavoX9EH4Y

Flash forum for all questions related to Flash or making Flash games:
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/forum/2

A book about ActionScript programming, and making Flash games:
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596526948.do

lagemanngui 2013-10-12 18:29:50

My suggestion is to start with the basics of AS3 (or any other language you choose) and - depending what type of games you want to make and how you want to make it - pick a framework. I recommend the Flixel Framework for 2D flash games, it's easy to learn and you will not get frustrated and flip the table. You can know more about Flixel at http://flixel.org/ . Also take time to read this http://supermeatboy.com/134/How_do_I_get_started_programming_games___/#b . Hope it help you. Good luck!

Cyberdevil 2013-10-14 15:39:49

AS3 is a complicated language, completely different from the previous version. Unless you need the features it offers, I'd say stick to AS2... if you know AS2. It's much easier to do simple things like stop a frame, go to a frame, open a link, etc.