Re: FLASH: CD Rom production - Director is so bogus --how doyoudefine the end of this thread?

[Michael Greenberg]

Laura & Barry,

I guess I come from more Barry's world kinda sorta. I have used Flash since

FutureSplash Animator and Director since MovieWorks. What I am saying is

that both have been part of my toolbox so many years now. I upgrade my

versions everytime there is in update because I MUST have current versions

of them both because I use both programs almost everyday.I do admit I use

Flash alot more than I used to,but that is due to functionality and the

viral affect of the Flash plug-in.


I look at it like this and for you Laura it may different. Yes cost is a

huge factor,but for me my copy of Director doesn't take me through one

project it takes me through several and I guess for you it is a different

case. For me I get my return on my investment of my copy of Director no

problem whatsoever.


Anyways,Barry pretty much stole my thunder on this one:)


Thanks,

Michael


>

From: "Barry Swan" <barryre-animate [dot] com>

>

Reply-To: flasherchinwag [dot] com

> Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 10:25:52 +0100

>

To: <flasherchinwag [dot] com>

> Subject: Re: FLASH: CD Rom production - Director is so bogus --how do

> youdefine  the end of this thread?

> 

> Hi Laura,

> 

> I'm basically a Director guy, I just joined this list because my boss told

> me to 'learn' Flash :)

> 

> I still think you are somewhat missing Michael's point. From a company view

> the return on investment taking into account the price of the software

> doesn't make sense. They aren't priced because Flash is for the smaller jobs

> while Director is for the larger one, but for their flexibility. Flash does

> what it does very well indeed. It's proliferation on the web is a testament

> to that.

> 

> But it currently is nowhere near Director in terms of flexibility, and hence

> why if I need to do something even moderatly tricky (IE some decent coding)

> I use Director. Of course I'm biased. But we does use Flash here as well,

> and in fact we are moving towards doing Flash in director much more to get

> the benefits of both worlds.

> 

> For any project you should choose the best tools. Cost IS a factor, but it's

> a one off (bar the natural urge to upgrade :) and 'should' be consumed in

> the overall profit margin of numerous projects that use it. Your example of

> a company buying in the tools makes no sense. To buy the software and use it

> only once (as your case implies) would seriously undersell both tools, and

> you'd never get anywhere near the potential of either if you picked it up

> for just one project. In that case you probably ARE better using Powerpoint

> (ack).

> 

> If you intend to use it more and really push it, then either piece of

> software represents good value for money, and in fact most places I know of

> have both anyway.

> 

> Thing is, Director is not for larger projects at all, in the same way you

> can use Flash for large ones. It's a matter of content. I would not consider

> writing an internet game in Flash, for example, and these have to be small

> projects. I know some people have, but it seems to me to be a bit of a

> torturous exercise to just show how clever you are. Similarly you don't find

> many (any?) websites with a Director-based UI.

> 

> There are numerous examples of sites using Flash that couldn't be done using

> Director, so here's some web examples of my own work that I am reasonably

> confident you couldn't do in Flash (as in, no way could you :)

> 

> www.theburrow.co.uk/games/lavrace - A 3D shockwave game

> www.theburrow.co.uk/t3dtesters/general/resources.htm - A 3D engine written

> in lingo.

> 

> In general terms, pick the best tools as we've suggested earlier. On the

> internet I kind of see a clearer boundary. Flash is more UI, Director is

> more content based (I AM aware that Flash can do a lot of stuff, but I am

> talking about things like my game above etc.)

> 

> And as for MM creating a bit of software that is somewhere between Flash and

> Director? I seriously doubt it, because it would not be clearly enough

> defined, and so would simply eat into sales of Flash and Director as opposed

> to creating a new market.

> 

> As it is I am curious as to how MM will go. They've started introducing

> vectors into Director, but done som in an extremely limiting fashion to not

> undercut Flash. Flash's actionscripts are getting more and more powerful,

> but still limited and basically rubbish compared to Lingo to prevent it

> undercutting Director. Hasn't anyone else noticed how MM has made the whole

> ActionScript thing (in essence, you are writing code) as far removed from

> simply typing in code as possible so people don't realise that in fact they

> are getting short-changed with a limited and convoluted programming

> language? For that is what it is. But while people don't think of it in

> those terms they will be happy.

> 

> MM is playing a careful game, and I for one will be interested to see how

> much more similar Flash 5 and Director 9 are. My guess is they'll try and

> head them off in different directions since they are beginning to infringe

> on each other's territories as it is.

> 

> Barry Swan

>

gerbiltheburrow [dot] co [dot] uk

> 

> 

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