Customer Reviews

Flash MX for Interactive Simulation (Macromedia Flash)

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FlashMX for Interactive Simulation by Jonathan Kaye and David Castillo is one of the most informative books I have read in quite a while. Don't expect this to be a light read however.

While the book was written primarily to teach you how to program Flash Device Simulations, it touches on many other facets of Flash design that are worthy of mention such as the use of Flash for educational instruction, usability testing, component design and much much more.

This book and the software provided on the CD ROM will allow you to add structure to your actionscript programming and will allow you to create complex applications that are predictable and easy to troubleshoot and maintain after the fact.

This book introduces UML state machine design into the Flash programming environment allowing complex applications to be easily developed that would otherwise have been very difficult.

Because the state machine provides a structured approach to your design, it is predictable and more important, maintainable. Documenting your design using state charts allows others to test your application which is great for large projects where many people are involved with the various phases of the project.

The state machine engine is provided on the CD ROM. This alone is worth the price of the book, not to mention all of the other goodies packed on the CD.

If you like to learn by example, the CD contains plenty of great working samples that show you how it is done. Each example is covered in detail in the book so you can either learn by doing from scratch or use the book and examples as a reference.

This is must have book if you are going to do any serious programming in Flash...

Larry Fortna, President
realatour.com - a division of Flash Solutions, LLC

Anyone who has a complex Flash project that involves more than a few `states' will find this book very interesting.

If you have a project that involves simulating something and you are thinking of using Macromedia Flash or even just wondering if Flash is up to the job, order this book now. It will save you days and I mean days of work on a simulation project and when the amends come in, it will again save you from ripping your hair out.

It doesn't come for free though, you will, unless your brain is very big, have to work at this book. Unlike many other IT books it's nearly all lean meat without the fat, miss a few vital paragraphs and you could find yourself confused further on. You will also probably find you will have to do some support reading to make sure you are up to speed on some of the topics that are assumed.

If you get stuck, don't fear, as there is an excellent support website for the book, if you post a question on the discussion board, you will most likely get an answer from the authors of the book in 24hrs.

Jonathan Kaye and his collaborators know simulations and simulation building, and it shows in this book. A thoughtful, very deep look at machine simulation building and the state engines which power any good machine simulation, "Flash MX for Interactive Simulation" is not a light read. Anyone designing educational simulations in Flash MX must read this book. You may not run out and start desiging all of your simulations with his state engine (because it's complex and resource intensive to integrate into your production practice), but you'll be a much better simulation developer -- or ActionScript developer, for that matter -- for having read the book.

This book is a real disappointment. I bought the book based on all the raved reviews given below. Even though the treatment on the subject is pretty exhaustive, the authors manage to turn an interesting and useful subject into a very dry and complicated one through their use of language and horrible code (does that remind you of college textbooks?). Speaking of code, who is the technical reviewere for this book? (maybe there isn't one, I can't find it in the book) The code is so hard to read because of the abbreviated naming in the functions and variables. Can you figure out what this function tries to do: model.irh = function(msg, val) { ... } or this: s0.entActs = function() {... }

I know negative review can sometimes garner negative reactions, and I refrain from giving one as much as possible because I can imagine the hardwork one has to put into writing a book, but I also think that a fair look at this book is necessary for the authors to improve. I urge that you take the time to read this book in the bookstore before you rush out to buy it, and my best hope is that I am wrong about everything I said here.

If you either plan to or are currently making a living off delivering web based content, you (or someone on your staff) should have this book.
The need for interactive and user-directed content is skyrocketing and Kaye and Castillo have again proven their reputations as being to Flash-based simulations what Julia Child is to cooking.

This book is a real disappointment. I bought the book based on all the raved reviews given below. Even though the treatment on the subject is pretty exhaustive, the authors manage to turn an interesting and useful subject into a very dry and complicated one through their use of language and horrible code (does that remind you of college textbooks?). Speaking of code, who is the technical reviewere for this book? (maybe there isn't one, I can't find it in the book) The code is so hard to read because of the abbreviated naming in the functions and variables. Can you figure out what this function tries to do: model.irh = function(msg, val) { ... } or this: s0.entActs = function() {... }

I know negative review can sometimes garner negative reactions, and I refrain from giving one as much as possible because I can imagine the hardwork one has to put into writing a book, but I also think that a fair look at this book is necessary for the authors to improve. I urge that you take the time to read this book in the bookstore before you rush out to buy it, and my best hope is that I am wrong about everything I said here.