Finally. After a missed comic on Monday and about 30-40 hours logged on this project, I present a special, 200th Edition of Reclaimer. This is my maiden voyage with Flash, and I spent most of the weekend poring over reference manuals in an attempt to learn how to bend Flash to my will. I’m relatively pleased with the final product, and I hope that you’ll enjoy this format, as well. A number of webcomics writers out there are experimenting with Flash as a presentation model, and I wanted to see what a Reclaimer comic would look and feel like in this format. Please let me know your thoughts and opinions, as well.
What I love about this format is the way the canvas opens up a new mode of presentation. I gave myself a 750px by 500px canvas, and as you can see, I let the story sort of wander all over it. I like the pacing, as each button click allows the reader to experience the story at his or her leisure. I do apologize for the lack of a ‘Back’ button, however. I never was able to get that part working, and by the time I got done putting together the story, I was tired, sore, and out of time. Maybe next time (if there is a next time), I’ll figure out how create a deeper level of navigation. For now, a simple refresh of the page should start the Flash file over.
On the downside, this was an extremely time-consuming project—and not just because I devoted quite a bit of time to figuring out how Flash CS4 works. The mere act of setting up the various layers, buttons, transitions, animations, and Actionscript 3.0 code, plus setting up the images in Photoshop the way I wanted and putting all the dialogue in, well, there’s just no way I can devote that kind of time to this three times a week. Friday’s comic will show a return back to the regular image format. I will, however, include my original Flash file here for download. I am, by no means, convinced that the way I built this file is the best or most efficient way. If someone more Flash-savvy than I wants to download it and take a look and provide me with some tips and pointers for making this process easier—and faster—then I’ll be more than happy to consider a return trip to Reclaimer comics in Flash format.
In the meantime, however, enjoy this edition, and thanks for making this so much fun to do. I’m looking forward a long and continuing ride with our favorite hero.
EDIT: I’ve just uploaded a new version of the SWF file with typo corrections, a Restart button at the end, and strategically placed Back buttons along the way. It’s still perhaps not quite perfect, but it’s definitely closer to what I’d originally visualized.