Which one is better? Adobe Director or Flash?

Question

(My apologies if my keywords are wrong, I tried to find them in all different combinations but to no avail)

I think the title explains my situation but I'll elaborate a little.

I'd like to be able to create games, some simple but others more complex. Adobe Director can export to the Shockwave format and embed into the browser as can Flash. But which is more practical for being able to learn and apply?

I've looked around the internet for tutorials on learning both and the tutorials for Flash, from what I've seen, significantly outweigh the amount for Director.

So which one would be better to use? Buying books currently is not an option for me.

Answer 1

Flash is the way to go for sure!! Here is why:

• Flash games are the recent boom, you will find thousands of free resources all over. It's very easy to get started and have your first game published in less than a month.

• Adobe is pushing for Flash, and leaving Director behind (IMO).

• Flash, as a platform, is much easier to work with than Director. There are many free/cheap tools such as FlashDevelop, Adobe Flex, FDT .. etc. You are not stuck with a single tool.

• There are far more free libraries and source code for creating Flash games than director.

• The most important thing, the Flash player is available on more than 98% on PC connected to the internet, while shock-wave is at around 60%. More people will play your game if done on Flash than director.

• Flash SWF files are smaller in size than shockwave files.

• You will love ActionScript 3 :)

Answer 2

I would say it depends. If you want real time 3D, I would go for Director; Flash 3D (papervision) is very slow. Otherwise, the advantages of Flash (installed base, and online resources) lean the choice towards Flash.