Utilizing your assets
What does this mean? Well, for me, it meant using all the software I can to achieve a desirable product. So that is FlashDevelop and Flash CS4. How could I combine these to make something useful. Well here is what I found.
- Flash Pro CS4 – Long compile times, but easier UI so I can work with it better
- FlashDevelop – Fast compile time, default strict typing, low end file size, because it only compiles the used library items. For some reason CS4 was doing that to me…
So what I did was make my entire game in CS4. Then I put the parts I wanted to test, to see how they would look in FlashDevelop. This allowed for a lightweight, speedy .swf which had only what I wanted in it.
My end products:
- Flash Pro CS4 – 1.3 megs, 1.5 minute compile time
- FlashDevelop – 180 kb, 25 second compile time
Now, those 65 seconds I am waiting for Flash Pro to compile could have been put working on my project, but no. I had to sit there waiting for it. For me, that just makes me get distracted. By moving to FlashDevelop for certain instances I have saved myself time, and made David and I really happy at such a low file size so he can do constant check ups and see what I need. (I need to mention how thankful I am toward him.)
Now, some of these figures may be incorrect had I configured some obscure option or done some sort of technique to allow Flash CS4 to perform better, but at this time, I do not have the time to dilly-dally with researching specific ways to improve that software. For this instance, FlashDevelop was the hero. Oh, and for those of you who have not heard of FlashDevelop, I might mention that it cost me $250 + tax less than my copy of Flash CS4, making it come out to a total of FREE!
So no matter how expensive or inexpensive a software, it usually has some benefits that can be utilized to some degree. You, as a developer(or maybe as a reader) need to use these to your advantage.
Cheers,
UGLabs
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