BlueMaxima's Flashpoint

Last updated
Flashpoint Archive
Developer(s) Community contributors
Initial releaseJanuary 15, 2018;5 years ago (2018-01-15) [1]
Stable release
12 (Axolotl) / July 10, 2023;2 months ago (2023-07-10) [1]
Repository github.com/FlashpointProject/launcher/
Operating system Microsoft Windows
License MIT (launcher), [2] proprietary (engines, games)
Website flashpointarchive.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Flashpoint Archive (formerly BlueMaxima's Flashpoint) is a Flash game and animation preservation project that allows for the usage of more than 100,000 rich web applications that are no longer possible to play online after all major browsers removed native support for NPAPI-enabled plugins, most notably Adobe Flash. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

History

The project was initiated by Australian Ben Latimore in 2018, initially as part of a separate project called Archive Team. [6] [7] [8] The project has developed a launcher for playing the archived games and animations, which when including all games and media takes up about 1.42 terabytes. It works by simulating the Internet, "tricking" the files into thinking that they are being played on the original site, so they can be loaded and experienced. [9] [10] He stepped down as leader of the project in 2023 in order to move on to other projects. [11]

Non-Flash media

While named after and mostly focused on Flash content, media using other discontinued web plugins are also preserved, such as Shockwave, [12] Silverlight, Java, and Unity Web Player, [13] as well as deprecated software frameworks such as ActiveX. 91 distinct web technologies are currently listed as being preserved. [14]

Legality

The legality of the project has been described as "unclear" but creators who do not want their games included can ask for their removal. [3]

Versions

There are two versions of Flashpoint: Infinity and Ultimate. Infinity downloads files on-demand, while Ultimate contains all games and animations pre-downloaded. Until Flashpoint 12 there was also Core, created for preservation and thus only featuring a limited selection of content. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adobe Flash</span> Deprecated multimedia platform used to add animation and interactivity to websites

Adobe Flash is a multimedia software platform used for production of animations, rich internet applications, desktop applications, mobile apps, mobile games, and embedded web browser video players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Archive</span> American non-profit digital archive

The Internet Archive is an American digital library founded on May 10, 1996, and chaired by free information advocate Brewster Kahle. It provides free access to collections of digitized materials including websites, software applications, music, audiovisual and print materials. The Archive is also an activist organization, advocating a free and open Internet. As of January 1, 2023, the Internet Archive holds more than 39 million print materials, 11.6 million pieces of audiovisual content, 2.6 million software programs, 15 million audio files, 4.7 million images, 251,000 concerts, and over 832 billion web pages in its Wayback Machine. Their mission is to provide "universal access to all knowledge."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Browser game</span> Video game played in a web browser

A browser game is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Alternative names for the browser game genre reference their software platform used, with common examples being Flash games, and HTML5 games.

Newgrounds is a company and entertainment website founded by Tom Fulp in 1995. It hosts user-generated content such as games, films, audio, and artwork. Fulp produces in-house content at the headquarters and offices in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

SWF is an Adobe Flash file format used for multimedia, vector graphics and ActionScript. Originating with FutureWave Software, then transferred to Macromedia, and then coming under the control of Adobe, SWF files can contain animations or applets of varying degrees of interactivity and function. They may also occur in programs, commonly browser games, using ActionScript.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital obsolescence</span>

Digital obsolescence is the risk of data loss because of inabilities to access digital assets, due to the hardware or software required for information retrieval being repeatedly replaced by newer devices and systems, resulting in increasingly incompatible formats. While the threat of an eventual "digital dark age" was initially met with little concern until the 1990s, modern digital preservation efforts in the information and archival fields have implemented protocols and strategies such as data migration and technical audits, while the salvage and emulation of antiquated hardware and software address digital obsolescence to limit the potential damage to long-term information access.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stick figure</span> Simplistic drawing of a person

A stick figure, or stick man, is a very simple drawing of a man or a woman composed of a few lines and a circle. Often drawn by children, stick figures are known for their simplistic style. The head is most often represented by a circle, which can be a solid color or embellished with details such as eyes, a mouth, or hair. The arms, legs, torso, and abdomen are usually represented with straight lines. Details such as hands, feet, and a neck may be present or absent; simpler stick figures often display an ambiguous emotional expression or disproportionate limbs.

Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) was an application programming interface (API) of the web browsers that allows plugins to be integrated.

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Flashpoint or flash point may refer to:

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References

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  2. Flashpoint Launcher, FlashpointProject, 2021-12-09, archived from the original on 2021-12-11, retrieved 2021-12-11
  3. 1 2 "Ontwikkelaars maken tool om 38.000 oude Flash-games te archiveren en te spelen". Tweakers (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  4. "You Can Now Play 36,000 Saved Flash Games Offline Ahead of Flash Browser Support End". HYPEBEAST. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  5. Morton, Lauren (31 January 2020). "Flashpoint launcher is saving Flash games from extinction". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  6. "Flash Games As We Know Them Will Die Forever In 2020. One Guy Is Trying To Save Them All". Kotaku Australia. 5 May 2018. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  7. Prescott, Shaun (3 February 2020). "Thousands of old Flash games have been saved from obsolescence". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  8. Kidwell, Emma (2 May 2018). "Flashpoint is archiving Flash games before they disappear forever". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  9. Hoon Chan, Khee (18 March 2021). "Tracing the Sprawling Roots of Flash Preservation". VICE. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  10. Grosso, Robert (24 December 2018). "Flashpoint Preserves over 10,000 Web-Based Flash Games; Playable With New Launcher". TechRaptor. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  11. "BlueMaxima on Twitter: "Flashpoint 11.1 is out, and with it, I'm announcing my retirement from the project."". Twitter. 12 January 2023. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  12. "Flash is Dead, but Its Culture Should Live on". 25 October 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  13. "How to Play Old Flash Games in 2020, and Beyond". 29 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  14. "Statistics". flashpointproject.github.io. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  15. "Downloads – BlueMaxima's Flashpoint". bluemaxima.org. Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-08.