New Curation Format

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about putting together a curation and submitting it to Flashpoint. If this is your first time contributing, be sure to follow our step-by-step tutorial.

What is a Curation?

Flashpoint is not just a collection of files; it is a museum of playable web games. As in any other museum, each item needs to be curated before it can be put on display. Curating for Flashpoint is more than downloading an SWF, dropping it off in the Discord and expecting it to appear in the next update. You'll need a specific folder setup, screenshots, and a text file, all packaged in an archive called a curation. All of this will be explained as you read further.

Before You Start

Checking the Master List

Often times, somebody will request a game or animation that's already been added to the project, better yet waste time curating it themselves. To make sure this doesn't happen to you, please check the Game Master List (and for animations, the Animation Master List) before possibly taking time out of your day to save something that's already been saved. Use CTRL+F to search the list of titles.

Barred Games

These are games/animations not allowed in Flashpoint for any reason. You can make an effort to get them working in Flashpoint if you want, but you may not request or submit them.

• Games/animations that are still on sale, we will not distribute currently paid content. (Don't forget that some games start in web browsers for free then get paid versions later, the web browser version would be allowed in Flashpoint in this case; be sure to check the history before you archive.)
• Any outright emulation of a commercial game (Such as a swf of Contra which contains the Contra ROM image). Ports of games are absolutely fine, but games that are a ROM wrapped in an emulator are not allowed unless they contain only non-commercial games and/or allow you to load your own.
  • While not emulation, fan remakes/conversions of Nintendo projects like Full Screen Mario are too risky to add if they were taken down by Nintendo. Not all remakes/conversions are risky though, if you are unsure just ask in #curators.
• Videos embedded in SWF files:
  • If the SWF has nothing on it other than it requiring a separate FLV to run the SWF file properly (and if the FLV works perfectly fine on VLC), then it won't be allowed on Flashpoint and it should rather be uploaded through Archive.org
  • If it uses any Flash elements like ui, special effects, loop etc., it can be curated.
  • This means that your curation can't be only a video embedded in a SWF.
  • Games, animations and websites that use video are allowed, and you should include the video files and/or SWFs containing video in the curation.
• Animations using the HTML5 platform have to include animated components and make use of HTML5-specific tags, CSS, and/or Javascript.
• Games/animations with cub, shotacon or lolicon content.

• The following are not allowed at developer request:
  • Any game from XForm Games that is not already in the database
  • Windows 93
  • Dragon Ball Devolution, and other games from www.txori.com
  • Any game developed by Nitrome
  • Flash Flash Revolution
  • Any game developed by Farrago Fiction
  • Any game/animation developed by Anonymous-Frog
  • Non-classic versions of Cookie Clicker

It should go without saying that blatantly illegal games/animations are not allowed, either.

Overview

A curation is a compressed folder (any common archive format like ZIP or 7Z is fine). To make a curation, you'll be making a folder, adding all of the required files to it, and finally zipping it up. First, create a new folder with the name of the game you'd like to save. (Windows won't let you create a folder name with certain special characters; you'll need to remove them from the folder name if that happens.) Inside your curation folder, you'll adding a screenshot and logo, a text file containing metadata about the game, and a content folder containing all of the files required to run the game. The next sections will explain each of these required items in detail. Be sure to download our complete example curation ZIP file and follow along.

• 

  A sample of what a completed curation folder looks like.

Content

All content must be placed inside a content folder, then arranged in the same way that they would be placed in Flashpoint proper from the htdocs folder - the best practice is to try and recreate the same structure that the game had on the internet. For example, if a game was hosted at 'http://uploads.ungrounded.net/59000/59593_alien_booya202c.swf' you would do the folders in this example like the image below. If that is not working for some reason, a secondary format is acceptable - a domain folder, a folder with the game's name, then the game files, displayed as the second example.

You might notice that some games in Flashpoint use a domain called localflash instead of a website domain. This is a legacy practice, and it is not used anymore unless the source files come from a CD, ZIP file, or other offline location.

Examples

• 

  This is assuming you've already tested the game with Flashpoint Core. Don't forget the folder with the game's name!

Logo

Logos must be in PNG format, and have the entire title of a game, or something that is representative of the game. To be named 'logo.png' in all cases.

Recommended tools include Snipping Tool and Paint, both included in Windows 10 by default. You're free to use other tools, just remember, always use PNG.

Examples

• 

  Bad example. Crop it down to just the logo.

• 

  Good example. Logo is sufficiently cropped.

• 

  Good example. Can show off a bit of the artist's work, but no menu options or other things to get in the way.

• 

  Good example. If no title is available, a decent shot of the focal point of the game will do instead.

Screenshot

Screenshots must be in PNG format, and have a credible 'action shot' of the game (no menus or obvious tutorials). To be named 'ss.png' in all cases.

Recommended tools include Snipping Tool and Paint, both included in Windows 10 by default. You're free to use other tools, just remember, always use PNG.

Examples

• 

  Bad example. Don't show obvious tutorials.

• 

  Bad example. Don't show menus, unless the entire point of the game is menus. Work your way to a battle in an RPG or strategy game.

• 

  Good example. Shows some action. Dying is sometimes unavoidable - don't feel bad if the screenshot is otherwise good.

• 

  Great example. Shows a lot of action and what the game's big draw is.

Metadata

The metadata must be included in a file named meta.txt. The table below shows all of the fields that you can include in your meta.txt files. All fields should be included if they are applicable. Pay special attention to fields marked with * - they are required at least some of the time. If a field is not applicable and not required for your curation, either omit it or leave it blank.

Many fields allow multiple values. If they do, separate each value with a ; (semicolon).

Some fields have a few possible values to choose from. If this is the case, they'll be shown in the table as a bulleted list, with the default value in italics. If you omit this type of field, it will take on its default value automatically.

List of Metadata Fields

Field	Explanation
Title*	Always required. The name of the game, in full. When in doubt, use the name indicated in the game's logo. We plan to allow multiple values to indicate alternate names, but this is not implemented yet.
Library*	Required if you are curating for Flashpoint Theatre. Possible values: Arcade: This is a game that should go in Flashpoint Arcade. Theatre: This is an animation that should go in Flashpoint Theatre.
Series	The franchise or game series.
Developer	The name of the developer, or developers. Separate multiple developers with the ; symbol. Make sure that each person or game studio actually developed the game; sponsorship does not count. Look for a Credits section!
Publisher	The site that published (sponsored/branded) the game. Look for a "More Games" link or prominent logo; it will probably lead to the Publisher's website.
Play Mode	One of the following, but up to three per game is possible: Single Player: A solo experience from start to finish. Cooperative: Like "Single Player", but with others being in the journey of finishing the game from start to finish. Multiplayer: Playing against someone else or multiple players in a session, competing to win.
Status*	One of the following: Playable: Fully playable from beginning to end. Not hacked or modified. Partial: Game is only partially playable, whether because of missing files or features that Flashpoint cannot properly implement. You'll need to elaborate further in the Notes. Hacked: Game has been hacked or modified to work in Flashpoint. Use the Notes field to explain what has been modified.
Release Date	The date that the game was first released. Use YYYY-MM-DD format, with whatever precision is available. For example, if you knew a game was released in January 2010, you could say 2010-01.
Version	The version number of the game. This is for revisions of the same game, not games in series.
Languages*	Required if you are curating a game that supports languages other than English. A list of all languages that the game supports. Use ISO 639-1 language codes and separate each code with ;. For example, if a game supports English and Spanish, you would say en; es.
Extreme*	Required if you are curating something unsuitable for minors. Possible values: Yes: Indicates that a game is unsuitable for minors because of excessive violence, sexual content, or other mature content. No: Indicates that a game is suitable for minors.
Tags	See Tags. Separate multiple tags with ;</code. The section headings (Action, Adventure, etc) may be used as tags as well.
Source	The URL of the webpage where you found the game. If you found the game on Wayback Machine, follow this format: Original URL (Via Wayback Machine). If you found the game somewhere other than a webpage, use whatever format you find appropriate to indicate the source.
Platform*	The web game technology that the game uses. See the appendix for a list of platforms supported. If your curation omits this field, the Platform is assumed to be Flash. This field is required for all non-Flash curations.
Application Path*	The path to the application to use to launch the game. This path is relative to the main Flashpoint folder. For example, the Application Path for most Flash games is FPSoftware\Flash\flashplayer_32_sa.exe. If the Application Path is omitted, it will be automatically chosen based on the game's Platform. See the appendix for a list of default Application Paths for each Platform. We recommend that you always use this field.
Launch Command*	The location of your file inside the content folder, replicating an internet URL. This is case-sensitive. Never have https:// at the beginning of a URL, it will eventually break something. ALWAYS use http://. If a URL has https:// at the beginning, it's wrong, end of story. This field is always required. If you're having trouble figuring out the correct launch command, see Curation Tutorial.
Notes	, then indent each line of the Notes. See the Examples section for more details.
Curation Notes	, then indent each line of the Notes. See the Examples section for more details.
Additional Applications	Use this section to add a message that pops up before a game runs, a link to an Extras folder, or an alternate version of a game. For more details, see the appendix.

A Good meta.txt

Title: Alien Hominid
Series: 
Developer: The Behemoth
Publisher:
Play Mode: Single Player 
Status: Playable
Extreme: No
Genre: Shooter
Source: Newgrounds.com
Launch Command: http://uploads.ungrounded.net/59000/59593_alien_booya202c.swf
Notes: 
Author Notes: Thanks for your work!

Blank meta.txt

Title: 
Series:
Developer: 
Publisher:
Play Mode: 
Status: Playable
Extreme: No
Genre: 
Source: 
Launch Command: 
Notes: 
Author Notes: 

Remember to place all 3 just outside the content folder.

Testing

You'll need Flashpoint Core to test your games in a lightweight copy of Flashpoint you can afford to break.

Place the files from inside your content folder within the Server\htdocs\ directory. Once you've done this, open the Core launcher, click the "New Game" button in the bottom right and mirror the info from your Meta.txt into the right panel. Click the checkmark and open your curation - if everything goes well, your game should open in a new window! If it doesn't, make sure you're copying the contents of your content folder and not the folder itself.

All games should be tested in Flashpoint, if not Core then at least the full version. Just opening the game in a projector or browser is not enough of a test.

Packing it up

You've finished your first curation! All of these files should now be packed into a single .ZIP file and submitted to our #curator-lounge on the Discord. If your curation is up to snuff, you'll be given Trial Curator status, which will let you submit curations through the curation channels. You can use Discord's own upload feature for files under 8MB, or our own file host for bigger files. This is also linked in the channel topics of our submission channels on Discord.

Here is the full example ZIP file. (This was also linked earlier, in the Overview section).

After Submitting

Editing Your Curations

If you notice a mistake with your curation after you've submitted it, just delete it and resubmit. (If you used our upload service, you might have to ask a Curator to delete your file for you.) If your curation has already been added to Flashpoint read our article on Metadata Edits and head over to the #metadata-edits channel in our Discord so you can make necessary changes. If you're wondering whether your curation has been added to Flashpoint yet, look for a :Tools: emoji reaction anywhere below your post in the Curations channel.

Having Problems?

Because we can't remind you enough already: Join our Discord and ask away in the #help-me-please channel.