Static Image w/Mouseovers

[scotty588]

Hi,
I am very new to flash and don't know much about it at all. I am trying to learn it in an attempt to make this type of page http://planetbattlefield.gamespy.com...&id=239&game=8
except all in flash. Previously I have been using Photoshop with Image Ready to splice the image up and then use Javascript for the mouseovers. Updating this is a real pain since the image numbers change everytime. I am sure this is possible to do in flash but how hard do you think it would be for a newbie and where would I even start? Thanks

-Scott

[Ask The Geezer]

First off, Flash is not a beginners program. You'd have to know how to make and use buttons, movie clips, actionscript, how to make it all work. Put it this way, if you built that page, how long did it take you to learn everything you'd have to know to build it?

[scotty588]

Yes, I see what you’re saying. I did build it and it did take a while. To make it simpler instead of mouseovers I could just make all the items buttons. Then when they are clicked all the information about them could show below the whole tree itself. Although I might be able to do that with some type of DHTML script but flash might look better.

[Ask The Geezer]

Well, you could do it in flash, although, a flash movie that big would take forever to load. Generally they are made to fit in the working area of a browser window with no scrolling. That means it's going to look all different than that layout. You can make roll over tooltips, those are fairly easy, you can use radio buttons, but search is all but impossible.

On the other hand, you can use flash sections inside an otherwise html or php page. Use the flash for the flashy stuff, use html for the rest.

[scotty588]

What I am using right now are pretty much javascript tooltips. You think all those images in a flash file would take a long time to load?

[Ask The Geezer]

They will take longer, I think, than html embedded images, since those can load progressively. A flash movie could do that, but you'd have to design for it. That's why flash movies use preloaders. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm saying with no previous Flash experience, your going to to have to learn flash first.

[scotty588]

Yeah, this is going to be tricky. Thanks for the info.