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[roboprez]

Okay for a year or two i've messed around with Flash in Actionscript 2. I've been using a copy of Flash CS3/CS4 for that. Recently I started using AS3 and have finally got the hang of it (never going back!).
Now I looking around and found Adam Atomic's Flixel libary which was designed to be used in Flex (I think). So I downloaded Flashdevelop and tinkered around. I ditched Flixel as a lost cause (too hard ). In the time though I really fell in love with it as a better IDE with code completion and automatic import of classes. Now while I was playing with Papervision I saw that like all the tutorials were using the Adobe IDE with some features only in that.
This made me realize, am I handicapping myself by making programs in Flex instead of using Flash's timeline, stage and libary?

[Aquin]

I'd be curious to know this too, since I only started FlashDevelop recently.  I assume that tweening is still possible from the code point, but you don't really have direct control over the animation.

I wonder if it's possible to do all your animation-heavy work in the Adobe IDE and then use FlashDevelop for the AS3.  That might be a good solution.

[Triplefox]

The bigger your game gets the more you work with your own code and tools. Ergo, you want to use the best code editor(or editors) you can get as it lets you minimize time spent on "code janitor" tasks. That's the point of computer programming, in the end - to automate things.

The Flash IDE does let you get started quickly with certain things. I don't use it so I don't know what, exactly, but I assume it's related to the very standardized look+feel of simple Flash games. But it's definitely worthwhile to have for art+animation if you intend to use a process that is the "standard Flash way." If you want to use your own techniques, you are free to ignore it!

[Hideous]

I personally think that the Flash IDE is horrible to program in. Last time I tried it I ended up with null references pretty much everywhere.

[deathtotheweird]

I started with Flash Develop so I'm quite partial to it. Besides, it's free.

I wonder if it's possible to do all your animation-heavy work in the Adobe IDE and then use FlashDevelop for the AS3.  That might be a good solution.

I've never done it but I'm pretty sure it is. Someone correct me if I am mistaken.

[YagerX]

The flash IDE is nice for using movieclips created with gui or animations while in FD it is much easier to do it by code using images.

[deathtotheweird]

I started with Flash Develop so I'm quite partial to it. Besides, it's free.

I wonder if it's possible to do all your animation-heavy work in the Adobe IDE and then use FlashDevelop for the AS3.  That might be a good solution.

I've never done it but I'm pretty sure it is. Someone correct me if I am mistaken.

I guess I was right:
http://www.joeflash.ca/blog/2009/04/converting-flash-projects-into-flex.html

[Glaiel-Gamer]

I'm a flash IDE man myself but I agree that it's text editor is absolutely horrendous. They seem to be addressing some issues in it with CS5 to bring it up to like 2002 level.

I use the IDE out of convenience though, makes integrating art and laying out GUI stuff really easy and I use it as a simple level editor at times too.

[EchoP]

I am using FlashDevelop for AS3 and enjoying it, but it does have some bad points. Unless I am missing something obvious, the error handling is terrible.

I spent an hour tracking down a freezing bug that was caused by a multi dimension array being called using array[,] instead of array[][]. Having come from Visual Studio, I presumed that something like that would be caught out at compilation, and throw an error, and was looking for something more sinister. I miss my red squiggly lines. 

[st33d]

I get red squiggly lines in FlashDevelop. You using the latest version?

We use FlashDevelop at work to manage all the files and do all the programming and then compile it as an IDE project - jumping over to CS3 for the compile. This allows us to manage the art side quickly and at a glance. There's also a lot of cheap tricks you can do with invisible movieclips that would take a lot of code in just pure Flex.

At home I'm trying a hybrid approach. All of the assets are bundled into a SWF and then imported by the Flex application. This allows me to use CS3 to compress the sound effects and also use invisible movieclips to track positions on animations. It also means animations are very fast to put together.

[Farbs]

I use SciTE for text editing and compile on the commandline. No bells, no whistles, just sweet sweet code.

[mirosurabu]

What kind of stuff you want to make?

My set-up is like this:

Flex
FlashDevelop
Flixel
Box2D

Construct as map/layout editor

And I'm perfectly happy.

[ChevyRay]

I use SciTE for text editing and compile on the commandline. No bells, no whistles, just sweet sweet code.

I don't know if I could live without FlashDevelop's sexy autofinish. That's my favorite whistle.

[EchoP]

I get red squiggly lines in FlashDevelop. You using the latest version?

Yeah, should have been more clear. I actually do get red lines for syntax and the like, but it does not seem to pick up on errors like mistyped arrays. It also doesn't handle errors well, if you get one, instead of breaking and going to the line, it just freezes up. It is entirely possible that it was just a one off situation, and that it normally handles it better.

[roboprez]

The main problem I have with FlashDevelop is when I just want to make a quick UI. In flash If I wanted to display some text on screen I would make a text box then in the code write to it every frame. Now in FlashDevelop I need to create it find out where I need to put it via trial and error, and just make a chunk of code to display 1 varible. Does anyone know the pros and cons of Flex builder? (soon to be called Flash builder) it seems focused on code but has a drag and drop thingy

[bateleur]

I have Flash CS4 but I virtually never use the IDE.

Everything I do is classes anyway (separate .as files) so I can do it all in emacs without having to use either Flashdevelop or the Flash CS4 IDE.

[BorisTheBrave]

Yeah, stop treating it like it's either or. If you have more than 200 lines, you should use FlashDevelop (or basically anything other than Flash) for the code. If you are using vector/animated assests, you should use Flash to manage those (like you have a choice).

And make a distinction between editor and compiler. Using FlashDevelop doesn't prevent you using Flash instead of Flex as your compiler. It in fact works quite well. Similarly using Flash doesn't stop you using Flex to compile (you can Embed() .swf assets).

Peronally, I write code in FlashDevelop, compile in Flex, and hop over to Flash for debugging (and occasionally level design).

[Titch]

I ditched Flixel as a lost cause (too hard ).

Wha...?

I guess I must come from planet crazy cos I found it much easier than coding strait AS3 OR trying to get a library made in Flash to place nice with FlashDevelop.

I've used both, I like using FlashDevelop because it doesn't bog my processor and ram down a ton of resources with an ugly interface that doesn't work well and is mostly useless for coding. Doing GUI's/Interface stuff is a pain, I've been thinking I need to write a little something something in Adobe AIR to help with that.

[Aquin]

Yeah flixel is pretty damn awesome so far.  I only hope I produce a game of merit sometime soon using it. 

[agj]

I am using FlashDevelop for AS3 and enjoying it, but it does have some bad points. Unless I am missing something obvious, the error handling is terrible.

You don't seem to have FlashDevelop setup the optimal way. Follow these instructions.