[Flash8] - slowdown problem with removeMovieClip?

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Ok I’ve got a really weird problem that I can’t figure out, and it’s driving me crazy! I’m fairly new to the use of loadMovie, unloadMovie, and removeMovieClip for external swfs, but anyways, let me summarize the problem as simply as I can.

I have a shell.fla file that is currently loading in external swfs, one at a time, for a game. Here is an outline of how my shell works:

  1. first part of game gets loaded in an empty movieclip (container_mc)
  2. a listener is created that will listen to an event broadcaster that exists within the external swf.
  3. when the listener receives the “done” message, I run container_mc.removeMovieClip() and then load part 2 of the game in a new empty clip called container2_mc.

At this point, I get really severe slowdown for some reason, and I don’t know why!! Part 2 of the game is a tile based maze game which is not optimized 100%, but when I run that swf on its own (i.e. not inside the shell) it runs perfectly smooth. But when it is loaded after part 1, it goes really slow.

Things that make this especially confusing:

-if I load part 2 first (the tile based maze), it runs fine

-if I DO NOT use removeMovieClip on part 1, and let it run in the background and load part 2 into a new movieclip, part 2 does not have the slowdown problem!!! Why is that?? I really want to remove part 1 (it has sounds and other things going on), and in fact I thought that removing/unloading part 1 would SPEED up the game rather than slow it down!

I have tried using a very small test movie as “part 1” and I don’t get the slowdown. So it seems to be that something I am doing in part 1 is slowing down part 2… but shouldn’t removeMovieClip get rid of part 1, so why should it matter?

To summarize: if I load part 2 over part 1 (in the same container movieclip) or if I remove/unload part 1… I get slowdown. If I let part 1 remain in container movieclip and load part 2 in a different movieclip, there is no slowdown.

I can’t figure it out!

Any help would be greatly greatly appreciated! I could send code but it’s a bit messy, but if you have any idea where the problem might be I can try and send that part of the code, or send fla’s, or whatever.

Thanks!