Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Works with Flash
With UI, you can design it in Flash Professional (powerful 2D editor), export to swf file, use GAF convert swf file to gaf file, finnally, load gaf file to Starling. GAF can convert a lot of file swf to one atlas. Alway use same resource in design files (fla) to optimize atlas size, avoid duplicate asset in atlas.
You can use flash to create animation for starling.
Cons
Con Poor text/font support
It supports only 4 features for text rendering:
- bitmap font with batching.
1.1. basic distance fields with support for outline and filters via MeshStyle.
1.2 the new multichannel distance field, the ultimate solution for bitmap font rendering. - Draw and upload texture in runtime
So every new text field required texture uploads or vertex/idnex buffer uploads.
skipUnchanchagedFrames keep the backbuffer static for scenes without changes between frames, leveraging a good rendering optimization.
Con Engine supported mainly by one man
Its open source but in most cases community features or pull request are canceled.
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Con No dynamic batching
It has only static batching (put all vertices in one buffer and reupload in when vertices are changed).
Out of Date Pros + Cons
Con Poor performance
For stage3D starling has bad performance when compared to other engines like Genome2D or ND2DX.
This is caused by not using advanced optimization techniques like extended stage3D profiles or domainMemory.
Con Does not support extended features of Stage3D
It mostly supports base stage3D features of flash player 11.2 and almost nothing above: instanceDrawing, extended shader profiles, sampler states wia Stage3D 11.6 api, etc...