Forums → Programming Forum → The eternal truth of what you can use to make flash games

After seeing yet another thread asking "how do I make a flash game?" and yet another person saying "Adobe Flash CS3/4 is the only way," I have come to make this thread to clear the confusion once and for all.

Flash applications need to be in .swf format. Adobe Flash CS3/4 exports to .swf files, so yes, it works. There are many other existing applications that can export to .swf files as well, such as Flex Builder (another adobe program), Flex SDK (yet another adobe program), FlashDevelop, SWiSH Max, etc.

Flex SDK and FlashDevelop are free, and SWiSH Max and Flex Builder cost significantly less that Adobe Flash.

In general, if you can find something that exports to .swf files, flash games you make with it will work with this site. If you are really 1337 enough, you could actually download the .swf file format specification
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/swf/pdf/swf_file_format_spec_v10.pdf
and make your own .swf compiler in c++ or something (though I doubt many people here would be able to do that).

So please, no more new threads or even posts asking "will this work?" or "what can I use to make flash games." I have listed some free programs here so hopefully anyone who wants to try their hand at flash can do so, but if you've found a different one and want to be sure that it works, again, just see if it exports to a .swf file. If you still don't believe it will work, you can always right-click->open with-> and then select a web browser.

Thanks for reading, if I'm not clear, thorough, or accurate about anything, please post below.