Internal swf embedding issue (sponsor splash screen) (paid extension dev offer)

[MJK]

I have made a sponsorship deal that requires me to add the sponsor's splash screen to my game. Not a preloader, but a splash screen swf after the preloader. There are several extensions available in beta phase which I have tried, and which by the definition should be able to do it, but so far I haven't been able to reach 100% success, and now my deal is in trouble and may get cancelled by the sponsor due to the delay.

Here's what I have tried:

Flash Preloader extension (beta): works otherwise, but in certain cases (e.g. When on inactive browser tab after an url has been opened by the user, and when the frame changes in the game at the same time) the object fails to destroy and will somehow remain on the background even when the embedded swf has finished playing and doesn't show anymore, and when I have the proper events in place to destroy the preloader (destroy preloader and/or the object itself). This bug results in massive slowdown (in cases when the desroying fails) and renders the game unplayble. So it's close, but unusable, and I have tried millions of workarounds. One workaround is to require a mouse click to change the frame, so that when running on an inactive browser tab, the frame doesn't change automatically on the background (i.e. When the bug mostly occurs), but would require user input which sets the focus to the swf and then the preloader extension gets properly destroyed. However, my sponsor requires automatic transition from splash screen to main menu, so I can't wait for the user input. Also other apparent workarounds, like using a subapp to display the embedded swf, fail.

Flash External Files extension (old beta): this works perfectly with MMF's default html code which it generates when the swf is built. There's no issues like with Flash Preloader extension whatsoever. Howecer, the embedded swf fails to load completely when embedded differently to html, only a blank screen shows when the splash screen should play. The same happens also when the game is run from local hard disk.

Flash Images Plus extension (beta): doesn't work, can't get the embedded swf to show at all.

So i'm basically looking for help to get this thing finally working. If someone can help me out and provide a solution that works, i'm willing to pay some compensation for the effort. Please PM if you think you're able to help.

It's great that the community has active extension developers who have been kind enough to develop these beta extensions in the first place (without those i couldn't even get this far) but in my opinion, Clickteam should take care that these kind of vital solutions are available, out of beta, maintained and supported, if MMF2 is aimed to be a realistic and competitive alternative for commercial game development. Just a thought after a two weeks of mess trying to get this thing working..

[Stephen]

I sent you a PM.

[MJK]

Thanks to Stephen and some tedious trial and error testing by both of us, we were able to isolate the issue with the Flash Preloader extension.

With some swf's the Flash Preloader extension results in problems described in my post above. Most swf's play fine and don't cause any of these lagging issues. But in case you face this bug with the swf you're trying to embed, update your extension with the attached dat file (or wait for the official update of the extension which Stephen will release at some point), which fixes the issues:

Attachment 5890

With this update you don't need to use "destroy preloader" or "destroy" actions - instead, the extension will unload the embedded file automatically, which prevents it creating this massive slowdown and performance loss in cases when e.g. frame changes while the game is running on an inactive browser tab. It's worth noting, though, that with this update, IF you use the "destroy preloader" or "destroy" actions while changing frame in the same event, MMF2 may fail to change the frame, so there is this kind of bug which doesn't exist with the original version of the extension.

Another way to prevent the bug, which works with the original version of the extension, is a rather wild workaround involving making a small 10x10 pixels blank swf with MMF2, embed that as binary data to the game and load it with the Flash Preloader object after the actual splash screen has finished playing. This will also remove the possible destroying/lagging issues.

[Pharanygitis]

Flash Images Plus extension not work? O.o ?!?!?!

[Pharanygitis]

My Example works great with internal-swf file:
MMFFlashTest.zip

Here the steps:
1. Change the Flashplayer-Version to 11.0.0 (or 11.1.0.0)
step_1.jpg

2. Download the playerglobal.swc here : http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html
step_3.jpg

3. Create a new folder in \Multimedia Fusion Developer 2\Data\Runtime\Flash\Flex\frameworks\libs\player\
... and rename the new folder to "11"
step_4b.jpg

4. Copy the downloaded playergobal.swc to this folder.
5. Go back to MMF2-Dev and add your swf-file with Data-Elements
step_2.jpg

6. See the example-code

[MJK]

Flash Images Plus extension not work? O.o ?!?!?!

Not for me, at least, in this specific case of mine. Apparently it's also depending on the swf whether it works or not. Here's our previous discussion where I was waiting for your response: http://community.clickteam.com/showthread.php?t=62343&page=14&p=512423#post512423

Anyway, after some 3 weeks of struggling with this one issue, I'm now out of energy to test anything anymore haha. I'm happy that there is now one working solution in the form of Flash Preloader update which displays correctly (on all systems, all OS's, all browsers, active or inactive browser tab, etc, etc) the one specific swf that I was supposed to embed. I'm sure that for some other swf's, Flash Images Plus works fine.