So, for a while, I've been trying to make "anikomas" (animated interactive comics) a thing. And for the most part, I've worked out all the necessary kinks in the visual side, for the app that I've chosen to use.

https://www.newgrounds.com/projects/movies/4762701/preview

There remains one particular bugbear: Sound.

Not so much adding it, but controlling it once it's in there. Fading in to a specific volume, fading out/stopping, getting it to loop, changing out music, and not overlapping/overstaying when I need the panel to move on.

And it's only gotten harder, with the switch from the coding language actionscript 3 for Flash to Javascript for HTML5, to the point where I had to reformat my comic style to work with HTML, and Sound has gotten even more cumbersome to implement.

Plus, because of the nature of anikoma AND interactive entertainment development:

There aren't a lot of easily accessible resources or educators. This isn't like learning animation/3D, where there's just a high skill floor. Now there are barely any resources for self-ed.

Here's what I need to bounce off of you guys:

Do you think it would be cool to simply restrict Sound to the fully animated versions of the comics I intend to release, and leave the anikoma silent?

(at least temporarily, while I find a way to learn what I need to; more later)

Alt Fail Solution 1: Use a different software:

No creative app integrates visual art and interactive experience creation like Adobe Animate. It's also time lost learning a new software before learning how to make it do what I want.

Alt Fail Solution 2: Time out for Self-Ed:

As an independent artist trying trying to grow/maintain an engaged audience, I can't afford to disappear for an indeterminate amount of time to teach myself a minor addition to my repetoir.

Alt Fail Solution 3: just work in only animation/only comics:

Leaving my own passion aside, I do plan on releasing animated shorts/comic strips. But anikoma help bridge the gap between them, and it would be a shame to burn that bridge.

Note: I am working on self-ed for sound, just at a slower pace. I do think omitting sound is handicapping myself, but I can't dedicate the same kind of energy/resources as I did to 3D due to the wildly different learning mindsets.

So, what do you guys think?

Do I need need sound?

Can it wait?

Do you have/know any sources for learning HTML5/AS3 programming?

Do you know anybody still working in HTML5/AS3?

Sound off!