Customer Reviews

ActionScript 2.0 Essential Training

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm on my third time with this disc, you'll have to watch it at least that many times just to get clued in. This is basically Joey Lott's love letter to himself. He types and talks, types and talks, etc. He never tells the student what's coming or why. So.. you watch him type not knowing what to look for, where the project is going or how your own approach should be structured. Basically, he goes through the actionscript code lighting fast and the gives a shallow "quickie" summation at the end of each chapter of what you just saw, after you're already past it. Time and time again, chapter after chapter you'll watch Joey type. If you want to educate yourself on the "how" and "why" of actionscript and be able to formulate your own game plan for your Flash Projects, look elsewhere. The main thing you'll come away with in this DVD is the knowledge that the author knows it. (But, he just can't teach it to you.) I gave it a two, because it goes through quite a few chapters.

I only wish there were more products like this. While not delving deeply into the syntax of AS2 or the theory of OOP programming (doesn't cover authoring your own classes)it does cover the basics throughly. It walks you step by step through one useful example after another. Have ADD? No problem just load this puppy up plug in you ear phones and you're in the zone.

Honestly, before reviewing this CD, I was a little skeptical about using CDs to learn something like Actionscript. I felt that I would probably need to invest in some good reference books and take a class at a local training center.

I was very surprised how well put together I found the CD. I was familiar with Joey Lott's written work like the Macromedia Flash MX 2004 ActionScript Bible and Complete Flash Remoting MX. However, I had never used any other material from him before.

The CD interface was easy to navigate. You can rewind, fast forward, stop and other features. The most valuable feature I found though, was actually the pause feature.

Once I would watch the instruction, I would pause it, minimize (resize) and try it right then on Flash MX 2004. This helped reinforce my learning, as well as, prove to me I could do it.

Lott's examples and techniques were easy to understand and follow.

If you are not the "book learning-type person," or like me, you just don't always have the time to read a 1,000 page book, try the line of CDs from (...)

Loren is also the Group Manager of D-MAG.org, the Digital Media Artists Group in Lexington, KY.