Director MX and a programming language.

[Antony52]

What other programming language would be helpful to learn and use in conjuction with Macromedia's Director MX?Apart from the integrated native language Director uses Lingo of course.Thanks.

 

[iGav]

Actionscript
XML

both handy to know...

 

[Antony52]

I was thinking of HTML.Is that a good choice?

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by Antony52
I was thinking of HTML.Is that a good choice?

Not really, although it's handy to know if you want to build conventional websites...

Director and Flash integrate very well together, hence why having a knowledge of ActionScript is vital if you really want to get the best out of Director, and to a degree Flash too.

 

[Antony52]

I dont want to get involved with Flash that much.I know that Director is good for websites but I want to use it even for game develpoment if possible,something the people at Macromedia says it is possible.
However,is it possible to build web sites only with Director?
What about Javascript?
In the end,do I really need to learn an additional language to use Director MX?

 

[bousozoku]

If I remember correctly, C is a good choice with Director. It's been used on occasion when Lingo was too slow to get the job done--Journeyman Project (Turbo), for instance.

 

[Rower_CPU]

HTML isn't a programming language exactly. It's a markup language for content and presentation.

If you're considering web design you should check out PHP.

 

[Megaquad]

I think you should start with Flash, it's much more easier to learn and more compatible (not everyone has shockwave plug-in).

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by Antony52
I dont want to get involved with Flash that much.I know that Director is good for websites but I want to use it even for game develpoment if possible,something the people at Macromedia says it is possible.
However,is it possible to build web sites only with Director?
What about Javascript?
In the end,do I really need to learn an additional language to use Director MX?

Yes Director can be used for game dev, more so now that it natively supports 3D, personally I believe it to be better suited to game dev than Flash. For a solid example of a DMX game...

http://www.specialmoves.com/portfolio/bomberman/

You can also build ShockWave only (Directors web format) websites with no worries, highly dynamic ones as well, personally I wouldn't be worried about the ShockWave plug-in, it has an installed user base of over 280 million, so it's well catered for.

Personally I would consider learning Flash simultaneously with Director, the two products integrate very, very well and you can produce some really stunning interactivity that just couldn't be achieved with just the one package.

Really the two packages aren't in direct competition as some people would have you believe, they work much better as a productivity suite.

If you don't want to learn Flash, maybe consider LiveMotion 2 (I prefer this over Flash), it's far easier to learn, and 1000x more intuitive, and once you have an understanding of this package, you have the fundamentals of After Effects as well because the app's share inherent functional similarities.

You can really produce some top-notch animations in After Effects, more than what can me achieved in Flash or LiveMotion, you can then export this as a SWF and intergrate into Director... it all interlinks hence why I'd advised against not learning other app's that would in the end improve you productivity!

However, if you're really against learning other app's, then really I'm sure Director will have enough power and depth to satisfy your programming and creative urges!

What exactly are you wanting to do??

G