How Flashpoint Works - Revision history

Nosamu at 20:00, 18 February 2022

2022-02-18T20:00:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:00, 18 February 2022
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	** The fake internet (really the web server) looks inside its local files for the web address in question. This is in Flashpoint's "Legacy/htdocs" directory, with subfolders for web addresses and files further along in more folders.		** The fake internet (really the web server) looks inside its local files for the web address in question. This is in Flashpoint's "Legacy/htdocs" directory, with subfolders for web addresses and files further along in more folders.
	*** If we're talking about Flashpoint Ultimate, the file will already be there, and it'll pass the file along to the projector.		*** If we're talking about Flashpoint Ultimate, the file will already be there, and it'll pass the file along to the projector.
	*** If we're talking about Flashpoint Infinity, our fake internet will check if the file is there, and pass it along if it already is, or download it if it isn't, then pass it along.		*** If we're talking about Flashpoint Infinity, our fake internet will check if the file is there, and pass it along if it already is, or download it from our Infinity server if it isn't, then pass it along.
	** The projector loads the file, and you can play it. Hooray!		** The projector loads the file, and you can play it. Hooray!
	*** In the case of a game that has a sitelock, as long as it is on the right address, the fake internet looks no different to it than the real internet. Therefore, if you put it in the exact right spot that it thinks it needs to be, it'll bypass the sitelock without a fuss. It's the same deal with extra resources; as long as the files are on the fake internet where the game expects them to be on the internet, it'll just work.		*** In the case of a game that has a sitelock, as long as it is on the right address, the fake internet looks no different to it than the real internet. Therefore, if you put it in the exact right spot that it thinks it needs to be, it'll bypass the sitelock without a fuss. It's the same deal with extra resources; as long as the files are on the fake internet where the game expects them to be on the internet, it'll just work.

MusikB: Undo revision 5935 by Ghaler69 (talk) hell yes i am

2021-09-02T21:27:32Z

Undo revision 5935 by Ghaler69 (talk) hell yes i am

Can't load revision 5946

Ghaler69 at 20:36, 2 September 2021

2021-09-02T20:36:54Z

Replaced content with "MusikB IS A NIGGER"

Can't load revision 5935

Prostagma at 15:42, 29 January 2021

2021-01-29T15:42:56Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:42, 29 January 2021
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	To summarize, we're hosting a fake internet inside our Flashpoint file directory on our own computer, and using a combination of all the software at hand, the software used to play games by talking to the internet is redirected to our fake internet hosted from our hard drive, and loads games from there.		To summarize, we're hosting a fake internet inside our Flashpoint file directory on our own computer, and using a combination of all the software at hand, the software used to play games by talking to the internet is redirected to our fake internet hosted from our hard drive, and loads games from there.

	<noinclude>[[Category:~~Launcher Documentation~~]]</noinclude>		<noinclude>
			[[Category:Curation Guides]]
			</noinclude>

Prostagma at 18:23, 19 January 2021

2021-01-19T18:23:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:23, 19 January 2021
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	To summarize, we're hosting a fake internet inside our Flashpoint file directory on our own computer, and using a combination of all the software at hand, the software used to play games by talking to the internet is redirected to our fake internet hosted from our hard drive, and loads games from there.		To summarize, we're hosting a fake internet inside our Flashpoint file directory on our own computer, and using a combination of all the software at hand, the software used to play games by talking to the internet is redirected to our fake internet hosted from our hard drive, and loads games from there.

	[[Category:Launcher Documentation]]		<noinclude>[[Category:Launcher Documentation]]</noinclude>

Prostagma: category

2021-01-19T16:02:14Z

Ekulreklawyks at 06:12, 26 November 2020

2020-11-26T06:12:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:12, 26 November 2020
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	** When the projector opens, it loads our custom [https://github.com/FlashpointProject/FlashpointProxy Flashpoint Proxy] library. This library tells the projector to talk to the 'fake internet' on the server.		** When the projector opens, it loads our custom [https://github.com/FlashpointProject/FlashpointProxy Flashpoint Proxy] library. This library tells the projector to talk to the 'fake internet' on the server.
	** The projector agrees, and uses the fake internet. It says hello to our fake internet and asks for the web address.		** The projector agrees, and uses the fake internet. It says hello to our fake internet and asks for the web address.
	** The fake internet (really the web server) looks inside its local files for the web address in question. This is in Flashpoint's "~~Server~~/htdocs" directory, with subfolders for web addresses and files further along in more folders.		** The fake internet (really the web server) looks inside its local files for the web address in question. This is in Flashpoint's "Legacy/htdocs" directory, with subfolders for web addresses and files further along in more folders.
	*** If we're talking about Flashpoint Ultimate, the file will already be there, and it'll pass the file along to the projector.		*** If we're talking about Flashpoint Ultimate, the file will already be there, and it'll pass the file along to the projector.
	*** If we're talking about Flashpoint Infinity, our fake internet will check if the file is there, and pass it along if it already is, or download it if it isn't, then pass it along.		*** If we're talking about Flashpoint Infinity, our fake internet will check if the file is there, and pass it along if it already is, or download it if it isn't, then pass it along.

Nosamu: Updated for Redirectorless

2020-07-26T08:10:12Z

Updated for Redirectorless

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:10, 26 July 2020
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	~~[[File:HowFlashpointRedirects.png\|thumb\|A diagram showing how Flashpoint's technology works.]]~~

	Before you curate, it's worth understanding how Flashpoint works, as understanding what exactly Flashpoint does to play games will help you grasp curating later on.		Before you curate, it's worth understanding how Flashpoint works, as understanding what exactly Flashpoint does to play games will help you grasp curating later on.


	See, Flashpoint is more than just a file and a program to play it. Flashpoint's underlying tech is actually a combination of ~~three~~ programs working in ~~parallel~~ - a '''web server~~''', a '''redirector~~''' and a '''launcher'''. A web server is what the internet works on; computers around the world run web servers to host you when you visit a website. The entire internet runs on these web servers. When you open a page to, for example, YouTube, your computer is talking to a web server. Flashpoint runs a web server on your local computer. The second component is the '''redirector''', which allows us to change where the web traffic from a particular application goes. And, unless you've never used Flashpoint, you've already used our Flashpoint '''Launcher'''.		See, Flashpoint is more than just a file and a program to play it. Flashpoint's underlying tech is actually a combination of two main programs working in together - a '''web server''' and a '''launcher'''. A web server is what the internet works on; computers around the world run web servers to host you when you visit a website. The entire internet runs on these web servers. When you open a page to, for example, YouTube, your computer is talking to a web server. Flashpoint runs a web server on your local computer.


	These ~~three~~ techs work together in order to, in as basic terms as possible, '''pretend to be the internet'''. See, we need to do a lot of things to preserve Flash (and other kinds of) games:		These techs work together in order to, in as basic terms as possible, '''pretend to be the internet'''. See, we need to do a lot of things to preserve Flash (and other kinds of) games:

	* Pass sitelocks. Some games will only run properly if they can detect they're on the proper internet.		* Pass sitelocks. Some games will only run properly if they can detect they're on the proper internet.
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	You can hack SWFs on a case by case basis (though you should also keep the original file), but Flashpoint is a ''preservation project'' - we're trying to keep the games in as an intact state as possible, for historical and practical reasons. For this, we use this technique of pretending to be the internet. ~~A combination of our~~ '~~fake' internet and a program designed~~ to ~~redirect~~ our software to talk to this fake internet ~~is our approach;~~ we can keep copies of websites on the local hard drive, and point programs at this 'fake internet' to trick it into believing it's talking to the real internet. Using our fake internet to run web games from is the best approach, thanks to being able to naturally avoid all three of the problems above. With that said, I'm going to outline below, step by step, how it works.		You can hack SWFs on a case by case basis (though you should also keep the original file), but Flashpoint is a ''preservation project'' - we're trying to keep the games in as an intact state as possible, for historical and practical reasons. For this, we use this technique of pretending to be the internet. We use each program's proxy settings to tell our software to talk to this 'fake internet'. That way we can keep copies of websites on the local hard drive, and point programs at this 'fake internet' to trick it into believing it's talking to the real internet. Using our fake internet to run web games from is the best approach, thanks to being able to naturally avoid all three of the problems above. With that said, I'm going to outline below, step by step, how it works.

	* Flashpoint starts, including our ~~three~~ apps:		* Flashpoint starts, including our two main apps:
	** The launcher, for the player to interact with.		** The launcher, for the player to interact with.
	** The server, which is hosting our fake internet.		** The server, which is hosting our fake internet.
	** The redirector, which can point programs at our fake internet.
	** (It is also worth noting that our software changes ''proxy settings'' so that we can check all the computer's traffic; we can't redirect if we can't check all traffic for the apps we want to redirect.)
	* The player picks a game to launch.		* The player picks a game to launch.
	** The launcher starts up the program to play the Flash game (in this case, we'll say it's the Adobe Flash Player Projector - a single window to run an SWF file, hereafter referred to as the ''projector'') and it passes along a web address; this is where we're hosting the game on our fake internet.		** The launcher starts up the program to play the Flash game (in this case, we'll say it's the Adobe Flash Player Projector - a single window to run an SWF file, hereafter referred to as the ''projector'') and it passes along a web address; this is where we're hosting the game on our fake internet.
	** ~~The~~ projector ~~tries~~ to talk to the ~~real~~ internet~~, but the redirector catches it in~~ the ~~act, and says "hey, use our fake internet instead~~."		** When the projector opens, it loads our custom [https://github.com/FlashpointProject/FlashpointProxy Flashpoint Proxy] library. This library tells the projector to talk to the 'fake internet' on the server.
	** The projector agrees, and uses the fake internet. It says hello to our fake internet and asks for the web address.		** The projector agrees, and uses the fake internet. It says hello to our fake internet and asks for the web address.
	** The fake internet (really the web server) looks inside its local files for the web address in question. This is in Flashpoint's "Server/htdocs" directory, with subfolders for web addresses and files further along in more folders.		** The fake internet (really the web server) looks inside its local files for the web address in question. This is in Flashpoint's "Server/htdocs" directory, with subfolders for web addresses and files further along in more folders.

Nosamu: added note about keeping the original file when hacking games

2019-12-19T06:33:01Z

added note about keeping the original file when hacking games

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:33, 19 December 2019
Line 14:		Line 14:


	You can hack SWFs on a case by case basis if you ~~want~~, but Flashpoint is a ''preservation project'' - we're trying to keep the games in as an intact state as possible, for historical and practical reasons. For this, we use this technique of pretending to be the internet. A combination of our 'fake' internet and a program designed to redirect our software to talk to this fake internet is our approach; we can keep copies of websites on the local hard drive, and point programs at this 'fake internet' to trick it into believing it's talking to the real internet. Using our fake internet to run web games from is the best approach, thanks to being able to naturally avoid all three of the problems above. With that said, I'm going to outline below, step by step, how it works.		You can hack SWFs on a case by case basis (though you should also keep the original file), but Flashpoint is a ''preservation project'' - we're trying to keep the games in as an intact state as possible, for historical and practical reasons. For this, we use this technique of pretending to be the internet. A combination of our 'fake' internet and a program designed to redirect our software to talk to this fake internet is our approach; we can keep copies of websites on the local hard drive, and point programs at this 'fake internet' to trick it into believing it's talking to the real internet. Using our fake internet to run web games from is the best approach, thanks to being able to naturally avoid all three of the problems above. With that said, I'm going to outline below, step by step, how it works.

	* Flashpoint starts, including our three apps:		* Flashpoint starts, including our three apps:

Vera: added extra line breaks between paragraphs

2019-12-12T02:11:47Z

added extra line breaks between paragraphs

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:11, 12 December 2019
Line 2:		Line 2:

	Before you curate, it's worth understanding how Flashpoint works, as understanding what exactly Flashpoint does to play games will help you grasp curating later on.		Before you curate, it's worth understanding how Flashpoint works, as understanding what exactly Flashpoint does to play games will help you grasp curating later on.


	See, Flashpoint is more than just a file and a program to play it. Flashpoint's underlying tech is actually a combination of three programs working in parallel - a '''web server''', a '''redirector''' and a '''launcher'''. A web server is what the internet works on; computers around the world run web servers to host you when you visit a website. The entire internet runs on these web servers. When you open a page to, for example, YouTube, your computer is talking to a web server. Flashpoint runs a web server on your local computer. The second component is the '''redirector''', which allows us to change where the web traffic from a particular application goes. And, unless you've never used Flashpoint, you've already used our Flashpoint '''Launcher'''.		See, Flashpoint is more than just a file and a program to play it. Flashpoint's underlying tech is actually a combination of three programs working in parallel - a '''web server''', a '''redirector''' and a '''launcher'''. A web server is what the internet works on; computers around the world run web servers to host you when you visit a website. The entire internet runs on these web servers. When you open a page to, for example, YouTube, your computer is talking to a web server. Flashpoint runs a web server on your local computer. The second component is the '''redirector''', which allows us to change where the web traffic from a particular application goes. And, unless you've never used Flashpoint, you've already used our Flashpoint '''Launcher'''.


	These three techs work together in order to, in as basic terms as possible, '''pretend to be the internet'''. See, we need to do a lot of things to preserve Flash (and other kinds of) games:		These three techs work together in order to, in as basic terms as possible, '''pretend to be the internet'''. See, we need to do a lot of things to preserve Flash (and other kinds of) games:
Line 10:		Line 12:
	* Load resources. Some games will try to load resources directly from the internet, and fail if they can't.		* Load resources. Some games will try to load resources directly from the internet, and fail if they can't.
	* Emulate servers. Some games will try to talk to servers (an example is Happy Wheels loading custom levels). This is impossible to do without a proper server.		* Emulate servers. Some games will try to talk to servers (an example is Happy Wheels loading custom levels). This is impossible to do without a proper server.


	You can hack SWFs on a case by case basis if you want, but Flashpoint is a ''preservation project'' - we're trying to keep the games in as an intact state as possible, for historical and practical reasons. For this, we use this technique of pretending to be the internet. A combination of our 'fake' internet and a program designed to redirect our software to talk to this fake internet is our approach; we can keep copies of websites on the local hard drive, and point programs at this 'fake internet' to trick it into believing it's talking to the real internet. Using our fake internet to run web games from is the best approach, thanks to being able to naturally avoid all three of the problems above. With that said, I'm going to outline below, step by step, how it works.		You can hack SWFs on a case by case basis if you want, but Flashpoint is a ''preservation project'' - we're trying to keep the games in as an intact state as possible, for historical and practical reasons. For this, we use this technique of pretending to be the internet. A combination of our 'fake' internet and a program designed to redirect our software to talk to this fake internet is our approach; we can keep copies of websites on the local hard drive, and point programs at this 'fake internet' to trick it into believing it's talking to the real internet. Using our fake internet to run web games from is the best approach, thanks to being able to naturally avoid all three of the problems above. With that said, I'm going to outline below, step by step, how it works.
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	** The projector loads the file, and you can play it. Hooray!		** The projector loads the file, and you can play it. Hooray!
	*** In the case of a game that has a sitelock, as long as it is on the right address, the fake internet looks no different to it than the real internet. Therefore, if you put it in the exact right spot that it thinks it needs to be, it'll bypass the sitelock without a fuss. It's the same deal with extra resources; as long as the files are on the fake internet where the game expects them to be on the internet, it'll just work.		*** In the case of a game that has a sitelock, as long as it is on the right address, the fake internet looks no different to it than the real internet. Therefore, if you put it in the exact right spot that it thinks it needs to be, it'll bypass the sitelock without a fuss. It's the same deal with extra resources; as long as the files are on the fake internet where the game expects them to be on the internet, it'll just work.


	To summarize, we're hosting a fake internet inside our Flashpoint file directory on our own computer, and using a combination of all the software at hand, the software used to play games by talking to the internet is redirected to our fake internet hosted from our hard drive, and loads games from there.		To summarize, we're hosting a fake internet inside our Flashpoint file directory on our own computer, and using a combination of all the software at hand, the software used to play games by talking to the internet is redirected to our fake internet hosted from our hard drive, and loads games from there.

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:02, 19 January 2021
Line 29:		Line 29:

	To summarize, we're hosting a fake internet inside our Flashpoint file directory on our own computer, and using a combination of all the software at hand, the software used to play games by talking to the internet is redirected to our fake internet hosted from our hard drive, and loads games from there.		To summarize, we're hosting a fake internet inside our Flashpoint file directory on our own computer, and using a combination of all the software at hand, the software used to play games by talking to the internet is redirected to our fake internet hosted from our hard drive, and loads games from there.

			[[Category:Launcher Documentation]]