Hey:

I am creating a whack-a-mole type game and have run into an issue with a pause functionality i am adding.

There will be a bonus round in the middle of the game if the player gets enough of a certain type of item. The pause works fine in the regular round, but when you enter the bonus round, i can't seem to grasp the logic of what i'm doing.

Here are the init and start functions:

function initLighteningRound(evt:MouseEvent=null):void{
	timeHolder = time;
	isLighteningRound = true;
	display_mc.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, initLighteningRound);
	startMonitorAnim();
	addChild(score_lightening);
	/*var paramsArray = new Array(lighteningRound);
	TweenLite.to(display_mc, 1, {alpha:0, onComplete:removeText, onCompleteParams:[paramsArray]});*/
	display_mc.buttonMode = false;
	
	if(lighteningRound_1 == true){
		var removeDisplayObj2:DisplayObject = display_mc.getChildByName("lightening2") as MovieClip;
		display_mc.removeChild(removeDisplayObj2);
	} else {
		var removeDisplayObj1:DisplayObject = display_mc.getChildByName("lightening1") as MovieClip;
		display_mc.removeChild(removeDisplayObj1);
		lighteningRound_1 = true;
	}
	
	elevator.gotoAndPlay(3);
	time = 0;
	timeLimit_lighteningRound = 10;
	totalEmployeeNum = 21;
	availableEmployee = [];
	
	//timer for employees
	employeeMaker1 = new Timer(300, timeLimit);
	//timer for clock
	timer = new Timer(1000, timeLimit_lighteningRound);
	//timer for pizza
	//pizzaTimer = new Timer(1000, timeLimit_lighteningRound);
	
	//build the employee and available employee arrays
	for(var j:uint = 0; j < totalEmployeeNum; j++){
		var employee:MovieClip;
		var employeeName:String = "employee"+j;
		employee = this[employeeName];
		
		employeeArray.push(employee);
		availableEmployee.push(employeeName);
	}
	
	//start the timers
	employeeMaker1.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, startLighteningRound);
	employeeMaker1.start();
	timer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, timeLimitHandler);
	timer.start();
	//pizzaTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, pizzaTimeLimitHandler);
	//pizzaTimer.start();
}

function startLighteningRound(event:TimerEvent):void{
	//trace("lightening round");
	
	Mouse.hide();
	stage.addChild(cursor_mc);
	
	var randomEmployeeNum:int = Math.random() * availableEmployee.length;
	//create a string
	var employee_str:String = availableEmployee[randomEmployeeNum];
	//cast the string as a mc
	var employee_obj:Object = getDefinitionByName(employee_str);
	//instantiate mc
	var employee_mc:MovieClip = new employee_obj();
	
	var cubicle_mc:MovieClip;
	//calculate random cubicle #
	var randomCubicleNum:uint = Math.random() * availableCubicle.length;
	var cubicle_str:String = availableCubicle[randomCubicleNum];
	cubicle_mc = this[cubicle_str];
	
	//add employee to cubicle
	cubicle_mc.empty_mc.addChild(employee_mc);
	//animate employee
	cubicle_mc.empty_mc.addChild(employee_mc).animateEmployee_lighteningRound();
	//delete current employee and cubicle from the array
	employee_mc.spliced_cubicle = availableCubicle.splice(randomCubicleNum, 1);
	employee_mc.spliced_employee = availableEmployee.splice(randomEmployeeNum, 1);
}

and here is some of the Class i am referencing:

var isPaused_up1:TweenLite;
		var isPaused_down1:TweenLite;
		var isPaused_up2:TweenLite;
		var isPaused_down2:TweenLite;
		var isPaused_lr:TweenLite;;
		var isPaused_out:TweenLite;
		var animOut:Boolean = false;
		var lighteningRound:Boolean = false;

public function animateEmployee_lighteningRound():void{
			lighteningRound = true;
			trace("lightengingRound = "+lighteningRound);
			isPaused_lr = new TweenLite(this, .5, {y:-109, ease:Elastic.easeInOut, paused:false});
			TweenLite.delayedCall(1.8, animateOutEmployee);
		}

		public function animateOutEmployee():void{
			trace("this is "+this);
			//lighteningRound = false;
			//animOut = true;
			isPaused_out = new TweenLite(this, .5, {y:0, ease:Back.easeIn, onComplete:deleteEmployee, paused:false});
			this.gotoAndStop(2);
		}
		
		private function deleteEmployee():void{
			//trace("employee "+this+" has been deleted!");
			//trace(this);
			//trace(this.parent);
			//trace(this.parent.parent);
			animOut = false;
			MovieClip(this.parent.parent.parent).updateArray(this);
			this.parent.removeChild(this);
		}
		
		public function pauseAnim():void{
			trace("pauseAnim");
			if(lighteningRound == true){
				//trace("this is "+this);
				//MovieClip(this.parent.parent.parent).stopMonitorAnim();
				trace("lighteningRound pause");
				isPaused_lr.pause();
			} else if(animOut == true){
				trace("animOut pause");
				isPaused_out.pause();
			} else {
				trace("pause +"+lighteningRound);
				isPaused_down1.pause();
				isPaused_up1.pause();
				isPaused_down2.pause();
				isPaused_up2.pause();
			}
		}
		
		public function resumeAnim():void{
			trace("pauseAnim");
			if(lighteningRound == true){
				//trace("this is "+this);
				//MovieClip(this.parent.parent.parent).stopMonitorAnim();
				isPaused_lr.resume();
			} else if(animOut == true){
				isPaused_out.resume();
			} /*else { 
				isPaused_down1.resume();
				isPaused_up1.resume();
				isPaused_down2.resume();
				isPaused_up2.resume();
			}*/
		}

I can't seem to get lighteningRound to be true for the pauseAnim method.

Thanks

[trowley]

Well, I am confused about when things are listed in the DisplayList. It seems that the object returns a null error when i try to pause it. However, when i trace anything in the display list (before running the pause function) it seems to trace correctly:

trace("empty_mc = "+displayName);//this traces correctly(i think)
if(displayName !=null){
	MovieClip(displayName).pauseAnim();//this causes a null error
}

Any ideas?

[trowley]

So, still confused.

It seems that when i test, i can pause in both states (up or down), however, it only works on some of the mcs at a time. I guess they are (at the time when i hit the pause) not part of the display list.

When i just run a trace of the for loop i get (there are nine total mcs to run through):

displayName = null //1
displayName = [object employee5] //2
[object employee5] not null
displayName = [object employee25] //3
[object employee25] not null
displayName = [object employee23] //4
[object employee23] not null
displayName = null //5
displayName = [object employee23] //6
[object employee23] not null
displayName = [object employee13] //7
[object employee13] not null
displayName = [object employee0] //8
[object employee0] not null
displayName = null //9

So, why would the the pause method only work on a selected few at a time and ignore the others?!!

[trowley]

ok, very confused about DisplayObject and how that works:

var displayName:DisplayObject = cubicle_mc.empty_mc.getChildByName("employeeName") as MovieClip;
trace("displayName = "+displayName);
if(displayName !=null){
	//MovieClip(displayName).pauseAnim();
	trace(displayName+" not null");
}

Everything traces correctly (whatever is displaying at the time of the click, traces as not null)

displayName = [object employee17]
[object employee17] not null
displayName = [object employee23]
[object employee23] not null
displayName = [object employee11]
[object employee11] not null
displayName = [object employee15]
[object employee15] not null
displayName = [object employee8]
[object employee8] not null
displayName = [object employee1]
[object employee1] not null
displayName = [object employee4]
[object employee4] not null
displayName = null
displayName = [object employee25]
[object employee25] not null

However, if you run the commented code:

MovieClip(displayName).pauseAnim();

It starts tracing correctly but then displays:
TypeError: Error #1009: Cannot access a property or method of a null object reference.
and stops

Does that make sense?