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Flash Critique (Click here for eye candy) EDIT: NOW WITH 'CPU HOG' DISABLER ACTION, AMONG OTHER THINGS!

C

CasioTech

Diamond Member
Please be patient as it loads... Read my post in the meantime.

I revamped this design, some of you may have already seen this under my hedonism thread. I basically changed a few things in it and cleaned it up a lot. The things I changed are as follows.

-Loading screen. A very basic one, just to see if the code works. I don't know if it does because I am on such a fast connection that it always loads instantaneously on my pc so I can't know if the loading screen code works correctly. You guys tell me if you are on a slow connection.

-12 beautiful backgrounds. Click the 'BACKGROUND' scroll button on the top right. This is my main feature. I wanted to make a site that has cool backgrounds that could be selected by the user.

-4 changable mouse cursors. I think the main one is the pimpest, but people say that it is annoying. Now you have the option of 2 other annoying ones and a plain finger pointing option, which you can't complain about... I know I can't. They're not the greatest pointers in the world but they are just there to show off my programming abilities to switch in and out of a variety of cursors.

-Changable far backgrounds. The default is Dark Gray. If you want to change it to another color, whatever fruity color that may be; what you need to do is in the 'INPUT #'s' box, clear that text and enter up to a 16 digit, number combination. Any numbers (Flash based it on the Hexidecimal system), then press the red button underneath to the right to display your new background color. Nice colors to try...Enter '004878646' (diarrhea green) or '443344' or '000044. Colors not to try...'ffffff'.

-Scrolling text box for the front. Tells you about the site and has my blog down below if you read far enough to get to it. Talks about my up and coming 21st birthday on July 3rd.

I think this is a great new slick interface. Just in need of content and a little tweaking. Knowing many of the jealous ATOT kids, it will get ripped on. I don't care.

One reason I don't care is because i'm so thrilled I got the backgrounds sub-program working. In one of my usual 3am programming sessions, I figured out how to make the drop down menu work seamlessly. It was a stroke of genius, (those who program Flash would appreciate it). I don't d/l anything I make, I do it all from scratch, with my handy JAVA reference book. This handy reference book, which is from like 1999, doesn't explain sh*t correctly, so I reallllllllly have to bend the rules. I need new reference books. When I thought that it would be impossible, against all odds, I figured out a way to make it work. So if you just plain say it sucks, I will laugh in your face.

Critism is encouraged, harsh or nice. But please, make it constructive. I am open to changing lots of things and some cool ideas. If you are a Flash designer, you know what I made here is no mean feat. If you are not a Flash designer, this stuff is hard as hell to create.

Things I already know about. My trademark orbital effect, does take up loads of CPU power. I didn't do this intentionally. I think someone should tell Macromedia how to better allocate system resources. At any rate, Computers need something to test their processing power. This animation is action-packed with scripts so don't tell me how slow your computer ran on it. To that I say, get a new pc. It's capped at 60fps. My POS computer gets like 10fps when all windows are open. I think 2ghz is optimal for this animation. Today everyone is on that speed or far greater probably. Come on, this is AT! The menu is simple, but I don't have any content so I don't even really need a menu for right now. I'm thinking of making this site my blog, if nothing else, it's a super cool screen saver. If you want a screensaver version, PM me i'll send you it.

I also made a timestamp, and OS function. If you are on a MAC, let me know if the OS displays 'MAC'. I am on WIN, so it displays 'WIN' for me.

If you do decide to open the menu, close the 'WELCOME' box first, as it will overlap other windows if not closed.

Ok, i'm done here.

ps. Some AT members asked me to post stuff like this on Flash Kit forums I did and 2 visitors a day might view it, with no feedback. Flash Kit forum's isn't what it used to be with the great designers. It's members are for the most part, stupid teens. I own 97% of Flash Kit members.

Thanks in advance. And as always, all of CasioTech's designs are for sale and fully customizable, dirt cheap (I am a college boy who needs food.)




HERE...
 
Still clunky and in need of polish. Little things like scroll bars would help. The main window disappearing when you click on something else would help. I would probably change the menu system to go across the top then down the side since that's how people naturally view the web nowdays. Backgrounds are fine, but certain ones make the text hard to read, either in the copy or on other menus like the background menu. Very few people will ever customize a webpage with different backgrounds or colors. It seems to be some tricks you learned and wanted to use that just becomes wasted fluff. It doesn't remember preference settings which really makes that stuff pointless. You seem to be getting a handle on flash, but I'm not sure you have a good idea of design principles at this point. The beauty of the internet is quick information fast. People don't really care what something looks like all that much if they can't find what they need. Your current design philosophy makes getting around and finding info difficult and time consuming. Just trying to offer constructive critism.
 
50-60% CPU usage on a 3.8Ghz P4.

It's a fvcking WEBPAGE, not HL2. It's still a peice of trash, like it was before you updated it.
 
Originally posted by: royaldank
Still clunky and in need of polish. Little things like scroll bars would help. The main window disappearing when you click on something else would help. I would probably change the menu system to go across the top then down the side since that's how people naturally view the web nowdays. Backgrounds are fine, but certain ones make the text hard to read, either in the copy or on other menus like the background menu. Very few people will ever customize a webpage with different backgrounds or colors. It seems to be some tricks you learned and wanted to use that just becomes wasted fluff. It doesn't remember preference settings which really makes that stuff pointless. You seem to be getting a handle on flash, but I'm not sure you have a good idea of design principles at this point. The beauty of the internet is quick information fast. People don't really care what something looks like all that much if they can't find what they need. Your current design philosophy makes getting around and finding info difficult and time consuming. Just trying to offer constructive critism.
Click to expand...




Well, all flash sites offer fluff. Flash=fluff. I was never much on DHTML. I want to learn preferences, etc. That is my dream goal now. Forms and preferences but that stuff needs server scripts that I do not know how to do, nor have the programs to do it in. Dreamweaver and all, requires some PHP stuff, and I don't know where to begin there.

 
Originally posted by: notfred
50-60% CPU usage on a 3.8Ghz P4.

It's a fvcking WEBPAGE, not HL2. It's still a peice of trash, like it was before you updated it.
Click to expand...





hahahaha, it's way better than hl2.
 
Originally posted by: LoKe
Originally posted by: notfred
50-60% CPU usage on a 3.8Ghz P4.

It's a fvcking WEBPAGE, not HL2. It's still a peice of trash, like it was before you updated it.
Click to expand...

I'm on a 2.0 P4 with 512 RAM, I had no problems.
Click to expand...




That's what i'm saying. There is no way it wouldn't fly on a 3.8ghz pc, unless that guy's PC has some major issues.

 
Originally posted by: CasioTech
Originally posted by: royaldank
Still clunky and in need of polish. Little things like scroll bars would help. The main window disappearing when you click on something else would help. I would probably change the menu system to go across the top then down the side since that's how people naturally view the web nowdays. Backgrounds are fine, but certain ones make the text hard to read, either in the copy or on other menus like the background menu. Very few people will ever customize a webpage with different backgrounds or colors. It seems to be some tricks you learned and wanted to use that just becomes wasted fluff. It doesn't remember preference settings which really makes that stuff pointless. You seem to be getting a handle on flash, but I'm not sure you have a good idea of design principles at this point. The beauty of the internet is quick information fast. People don't really care what something looks like all that much if they can't find what they need. Your current design philosophy makes getting around and finding info difficult and time consuming. Just trying to offer constructive critism.
Click to expand...




Well, all flash sites offer fluff. Flash=fluff. I was never much on DHTML. I want to learn preferences, etc. That is my dream goal now. Forms and preferences but that stuff needs server scripts that I do not know how to do, nor have the programs to do it in. Dreamweaver and all, requires some PHP stuff, and I don't know where to begin there.
Click to expand...

So, since you don't know how to make good stuff, you're just going to keep making a bunch of useless CPU hogging crap forever?

If you don't know where to begin with PHP or whatever you want to learn, buy a frigging book.
 
Originally posted by: notfred
Originally posted by: CasioTech
Originally posted by: royaldank
Still clunky and in need of polish. Little things like scroll bars would help. The main window disappearing when you click on something else would help. I would probably change the menu system to go across the top then down the side since that's how people naturally view the web nowdays. Backgrounds are fine, but certain ones make the text hard to read, either in the copy or on other menus like the background menu. Very few people will ever customize a webpage with different backgrounds or colors. It seems to be some tricks you learned and wanted to use that just becomes wasted fluff. It doesn't remember preference settings which really makes that stuff pointless. You seem to be getting a handle on flash, but I'm not sure you have a good idea of design principles at this point. The beauty of the internet is quick information fast. People don't really care what something looks like all that much if they can't find what they need. Your current design philosophy makes getting around and finding info difficult and time consuming. Just trying to offer constructive critism.
Click to expand...




Well, all flash sites offer fluff. Flash=fluff. I was never much on DHTML. I want to learn preferences, etc. That is my dream goal now. Forms and preferences but that stuff needs server scripts that I do not know how to do, nor have the programs to do it in. Dreamweaver and all, requires some PHP stuff, and I don't know where to begin there.
Click to expand...

So, since you don't know how to make good stuff, you're just going to keep making a bunch of useless CPU hogging crap forever?

If you don't know where to begin with PHP or whatever you want to learn, buy a frigging book.
Click to expand...





Then you are the man i'm looking for! Personally, I do flash as a creative output. Web development with simple interfaces for simple solutions. I'd look into books, but I don't really want to buy SW. Could I learn PHP, by programming in html?
 
70% of a PIV 3ghz here. 65% on an AMD64 3000+ @ 2.65ghz... I dont think I should "look into a new PC"
Cursor movement is slow. Screws up my cursor in other tabs.
Design is way too busy and complicated for my tastes.... honestly I'm anti-flash sites going into it anyways so Im fairly opinionated already.

Its "cool" though.... some neat tricks and effects in there, but again, its 100% flash site so C- at best.

Edit: Just read this: " I'd look into books, but I don't really want to buy SW. Could I learn PHP, by programming in html?"

That makes NO SENSE what-so-ever.
 
Originally posted by: notfred
Originally posted by: CasioTech
Originally posted by: royaldank
Still clunky and in need of polish. Little things like scroll bars would help. The main window disappearing when you click on something else would help. I would probably change the menu system to go across the top then down the side since that's how people naturally view the web nowdays. Backgrounds are fine, but certain ones make the text hard to read, either in the copy or on other menus like the background menu. Very few people will ever customize a webpage with different backgrounds or colors. It seems to be some tricks you learned and wanted to use that just becomes wasted fluff. It doesn't remember preference settings which really makes that stuff pointless. You seem to be getting a handle on flash, but I'm not sure you have a good idea of design principles at this point. The beauty of the internet is quick information fast. People don't really care what something looks like all that much if they can't find what they need. Your current design philosophy makes getting around and finding info difficult and time consuming. Just trying to offer constructive critism.
Click to expand...




Well, all flash sites offer fluff. Flash=fluff. I was never much on DHTML. I want to learn preferences, etc. That is my dream goal now. Forms and preferences but that stuff needs server scripts that I do not know how to do, nor have the programs to do it in. Dreamweaver and all, requires some PHP stuff, and I don't know where to begin there.
Click to expand...

So, since you don't know how to make good stuff, you're just going to keep making a bunch of useless CPU hogging crap forever?

If you don't know where to begin with PHP or whatever you want to learn, buy a frigging book.
Click to expand...




I also don't get really involved because it's very time consuming, and not really appreciated. There is hardly money to be made, so I don't want to become obsessed in it. As a cool hobby, I do it. Making pointless useless stuff is really the only point of it all if it's your hobby. If i'm going to make a business site, with preference scripts and all, then who needs Flash anyways?

 
Originally posted by: CasioTech
Well, all flash sites offer fluff. Flash=fluff. I was never much on DHTML. I want to learn preferences, etc. That is my dream goal now. Forms and preferences but that stuff needs server scripts that I do not know how to do, nor have the programs to do it in. Dreamweaver and all, requires some PHP stuff, and I don't know where to begin there.
Click to expand...

I would suggest focusing more on design techniques and principles. Right now, you've created something that is neat in a "hey, that's cool looking" way but very ineffecient at delivering a rewarding experience for the user. It's a fight to get to information and it's surrounded by junk that will probably never be used outside of someone going "hmm, background changes, ok."

You seem like you want to learn some web design but might not be a programmer or want to do backend stuff. That's all fine and dandy for making mom or your friend a webpage, but if you want to do something professional and profitable, you should really look at tightening up the user experience to where it's a breeze to go from page to page and find information. I'm sure you've heard the saying of KISS - Keep it simple stupid. This really applies to the web nowdays.

Flash can be used in productive ways. But, it can certainly be abused and implemented in completely devistating ways on a web page. Waiting for menu buttons to fly on a page is just boring nowdays. Waiting for a menu to pop up and a color to splash is just boring.

Making an entire website in flash is probably not a great idea to begin with. Remember, someone hits your site because they want some kind of information. Maybe it's just mom looking at your vacation pics. Maybe it's a customer wanting info a product you're selling. Either way, you want it so that they can with hopefully 1 click, get to the info they desire.

Again, your flash work as a functioning program is fine. You can obviously implement flash techniques. But, I think your vision of creating a whole site in flash is either inexperience as a web designer or lack of knowledge of other ways to design a page. Again, for a personal page from family and friends, do whatever you like. But, it sounds like you might be interested in working in this field and this sort of stuff just wouldn't cut it on a professional level.

Really, just trying to help. I think most folks that do design and/or web programming will tell you they've been through this stage before. It's like the top of a moutain then you realize that the outer shell isn't nearly as important as the design priniciples underneath that drive the website and flow of information.

 
Not sound like a complete ass, but it's trash, and useless, and takes up 86% of my CPU... terrible, if I EVER saw a site with that, I'd leave quickly so as to avoid such inefficient programming. Then again nothing against you, or your design personally, but Flash is the biggest piece of crap on the net, so pointless and damn annoying.

Actually, I don't even think San Andreas uses that much CPU power.

--Mark
 
Originally posted by: Homerboy
70% of a PIV 3ghz here. 65% on an AMD64 3000+ @ 2.65ghz... I dont think I should "look into a new PC"
Cursor movement is slow. Screws up my cursor in other tabs.
Design is way too busy and complicated for my tastes.... honestly I'm anti-flash sites going into it anyways so Im fairly opinionated already.

Its "cool" though.... some neat tricks and effects in there, but again, its 100% flash site so C-
Click to expand...




sure it hogs CPU but atleast it runs fast. Why do you all care if it hogs cpu? You view it, then close it. Use your cpu, I know daily tasks use 10%. So here's a good benchmarking thing. If you leave it running and run HL2, then you might have problems.

 
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