Put the Video Back in “Video Game”

Video is probably used more than you might initially think in Flash games. Video is a great format for noninteractive cutscenes because the performance is consistently satisfactory (Adobe has put a great deal of effort into making sure that video plays smoothly in Flash), and it can be created and stored completely externally to a game. In this chapter, we'll see how it is also an excellent container for character animations, particle effects, and other small in-game animations. We'll also explore the Adobe Media Encoder that comes with Flash CS5 and the different settings to use for each type of video.