Very disappointed in MX 2004

[cwflash]

Originally posted by Immulsifier
I have not experienced any problems at all on Flash MX2004 Pro. I have opened and resaved about 20 MX fla files without a single hitch. And from a developer not a designer MX2004 is streets ahead.

No offense but as a developer/designer working for a huge software company I am not imagining the problems I am having. I really dont understand why anyone takes the time to respond to an issue that they are not experiencing. So your not having the same problems. So? The point is? Your a developer not a designer. I am both. So? None of it make sense. No one here is opening up MX04, using it for 5 minutes and then criticizing the software for its issues. Many, many hours have been spent to come to these conclusions. Surely as a developer you understand that not all FLA are the same? they are content dependent. Some of the new features are great your right. How do those of us who are having compatibility issues get excited about new features? I stated above that I am sure Macromedia will address and fix these issues in the mean time they are no going to go away because you are not having them.

[FPChris]

...I stated above that I am sure Macromedia will address and fix these issues...


I hope so as I really want to use MX2004 but MM doesn't
release patches for Flash, only the player.

Chris

[cwflash]

But i dont remember these sorts of serious problems occurring in any other release.

The video tools are great. One thing that I wish they would have done is allow the use of PS plugins. Use a little Fireworks code to rasterize text and shapes for use with plugins.

[Arkasi]

Eeep.
My caompany has been developing in flash 5 untill now, reason is bugs in MX that made certain code no longer work, This last few days ive been considering getting upgrade to MX2004, however you guys just scared the sh**t out of me.
Both the undo "bug",
The interface bugs,
and Mostly the fact that mx2004/player aint backwards compatible with flash5 content.
Ill test the trial when i get home though to see how serious it is, dont wanna mess up my dev computer here.

[Immulsifier]

Originally posted by cwflash
I stated above that I am sure Macromedia will address and fix these issues in the mean time they are no going to go away because you are not having them.

They have never patched the Flash authoring environment ever so what makes you think they will start now?

[senocular]

Originally posted by Immulsifier
They have never patched the Flash authoring environment ever so what makes you think they will start now?

Because its worse now than ever. I think with the flak they're getting, they'd be stupid not to. They've patched DW, Jrun, CF, Director etc. in the past. Whos to say they cant start now with Flash? And technically they have 'patched' flash with mac 4a and 5a and have had the documentation updater for MX.

It's not like they don't know the problems people are having. They don't want to piss people off or they'll go under. Though they seem like a huge player in the bigger scheme of things, they've had their financial problems. They need the support of their customers. Unhappy customers are not supportive ones.

[cwflash]

Originally posted by senocular
It's not like they don't know the problems people are having. They don't want to piss people off or they'll go under. Though they seem like a huge player in the bigger scheme of things, they've had their financial problems. They need the support of their customers. Unhappy customers are not supportive ones.

I have always admired Macromedia for understanding what the user truly needs. Bigger software companies have a hard time doing this. Apple comes to mind as another large company that listens. I've always thought they must really listen to their beta team and user base. Somewhere there was a breakdown in communication for this version of Flash. They need the revenue from upgrades your right. A ton of money is spent on development ,they have to recoup that cash.

The latest thing I hate is the Starting Page. Sometimes documents dont even load from a double click instead the Start Page pops up. It may be controllable via the preferences I dont know. I am using MX04 about 5% of the time at this point.


PS There are some odd changes to Dreamweaver too

[circle282]

Just hit the "Don't show this again" button on the page. Man that is "odd"

[cwflash]

I like the idea of having all my templates and recently open docs right there its a solid idea but it seem unwieldy at best. It should pop up when you start the app. and no other time. Ive noticed that it pops up when you close all documents too which is annoying. It needs to be fully configurable not just Show or Dont Show.

[epowder]

has anybody tried skinning the new components yet ???

holy **** !!!

According to the help file:

Select File > Open and open the Theme FLA file that you want to use as a template.

Select File > Save As and select a unique name such as MyTheme.fla.
Select the skin or skins that you want to edit (in this example, RadioTrueUp).

The skins are located in the Themes > MMDefault > Component Assets folder (in this example, Themes > MMDefault > RadioButton Assets > States).

Select Duplicate from the Library Options menu (or by right-clicking on the symbol), and give the symbol a unique name like MyRadioTrueUp.

Select the Advanced button in the Symbol Properties dialog and select Export for ActionScript.
A Linkage Identifier that matches the symbol name is entered automatically.

Double-click the new skin in the library to open it in edit symbol mode.

Modify the movie clip or delete it and create a new one.
You may need to select View > Zoom In to increase the magnification. When you edit a skin, you must maintain the registration point in order for the skin to be displayed correctly. The upper left corner of all edited symbols must be at (0,0).

When you have finished editing the skin symbol, click the Back button at the left side of the information bar at the top of the Stage to return to edit document mode.
Select File > Save but don't close MyTheme.fla. Now you must create a new document in which to apply the edited skin to a component.


and then


Drag components from the Components panel to the Stage, including the component whose skin you edited (in this example, RadioButton).
Drag MyRadioTrueUp and any other symbols you customized from MyTheme.fla to the Stage of ManualSkinning.fla and delete them.
This adds the symbols to the document's library, but doesn't make them visible in the document.

Select the RadioButton component on the Stage and open the Actions panel.
Attach the following code to the RadioButton instance:

onClipEvent(initialize){
trueUpIcon = "MyRadioTrueUp";
}




this means
1. you will have to know all the names like 'trueUpIcon'
2. you have to duplicate like 25 assets and enable linkage for eg a scrollbar

and a bunch of other things



is this what Flash users wanted ??
then i am probably not one of them

what in the hell is going on ?

[FPChris]

what in the hell is going on ?

If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.

Chris

[circle282]

Is there a way to not get emailed when someone responds to this thread? You guys are acting like a bunch of babies. Suck it up, take your ball and go home.

[cwflash]

Originally posted by circle282
Is there a way to not get emailed when someone responds to this thread? You guys are acting like a bunch of babies. Suck it up, take your ball and go home.

I wish I was just being a baby that would be great. Go troll somewhere else and figure out your own board settings or are you too busy trying to figure out your MX04 settings ? HAHAHHaaaa!

[circle282]

I'm a troll now? Look who has been here longer and then call me a troll. Just spend the time you a wasting whining to learn and you won't have a problem. I'm not trying to start anything but come on now. 2004 has way more possibilities for the future of flash. We will start to see some really cool things happen once people learn all teh new features. I would just accept that 04 is different and move on. If you like MX then stick with it. Eventually you will HAVE to switch. Personally I can't wait to see what some people do with this software. If you notice, all of the giants in the industry love it. It's the people who don't have the same time or resource to learn it that don't. Every app has bugs, it's a part of life.

[FPChris]

circle282, I'm not saying your a troll, you can surely speak your
mind like the rest of us.

The problem with me is I do this for a living as a means to put
food on the table. I was excited about the features but the removal
of the symbol undos is major. This isn't something you work around.
The numerous bugs for version after version remain.
The documentation has never been complete, not now, not ever.

When you buy a product you pay for a FINISHED product, not
a product that never gets patches and the only updates
are mojor releases. Major release are for additions NOT patches.

If you're going to release an unfinished product you at least
need a strong track record of issueing quick follow-up patches.
MM never does this and has no such track record.

Call us crybabies but our gripes our legit.

Chris

[epowder]

1. it IS possible not to be emailed (apparently being here twice as long as me doesn't matter at all)

2. it is because of people like you who start picking on others that threads in here get useless

3. most things discussed in this particular thread are not about bugs (at least i don't think so), but about the way things are done in the new version. Quite some people are really not comfortable with this new way.


and yes, i am as weak to reply aswell to a post like yours

[circle282]

Originally posted by FPChris
circle282, I'm not saying your a troll, you can surely speak your
mind like the rest of us.

The problem with me is I do this for a living as a means to put
food on the table. I was excited about the features but the removal
of the symbol undos is major. This isn't something you work around.
The numerous bugs for version after version remain.
The documentation has never been complete, not now, not ever.

When you buy a product you pay for a FINISHED product, not
a product that never gets patches and the only updates
are mojor releases. Major release are for additions NOT patches.

If you're going to release an unfinished product you at least
need a strong track record of issueing quick follow-up patches.
MM never does this and has no such track record.

Call us crybabies but our gripes our legit.

Chris

But your being condesending by assuming I DON'T do this for a living. In fact I do and that is why I am so excited about this release. Like I said, every software has bugs. Every one! But the new features they have added in 04 give me the ability to offer even more to my clients. I have already finised 2 projects in 04 that would have taken much much longer in MX. I haven't had one issue with the software yet.

[circle282]

Originally posted by epowder
1. it IS possible not to be emailed (apparently being here twice as long as me doesn't matter at all)

2. it is because of people like you who start picking on others that threads in here get useless

3. most things discussed in this particular thread are not about bugs (at least i don't think so), but about the way things are done in the new version. Quite some people are really not comfortable with this new way.


and yes, i am as weak to reply aswell to a post like yours

Were you comfortable the first time you opened flash? Whatever version it was. For me it was 4. I sure as hell wasn't. there is a learning curve involved in any new software. They could have waited for the release until the proper documentation was ready but I would have missed out on an easy job. Now granted I didn't have some of the same issues. I am running Windows XP w/ a P4 processor. I have been able to open every file and save without a hitch. Like I said I wasn't trying to start anything... I'm just as excited as you are disappointed.

[epowder]

Originally posted by circle282
Like I said I wasn't trying to start anything...

Then what were you trying to do ?

Anyway, i think it's time to start a new thread clearly listing bugs, drawbacks, etc about 2004.
Without posts from people that don't have trouble.
Maybe Macromedia will notice it and try to do something about it.

I think there also should also be a thread stating all the advantages of the new version in a clear way (unlike the new features list in macromedia's website). I have noticed quite a lot of those advantages. People just don't know them yet.

regards

[circle282]

I agree. I said something because I saw that people were being influenced out of trying it because some people were having issues. I oculd have done that more diplomaticaly though. There are many many new features that will help us develop some great projects. There are also some bugs. So a collective my bad on starting trouble. I just didn't think it was getting it's fair share of praise in here.