Submission Testing Instructions

Checking Metadata

This list contains the basic requirements for each metadata field, however this is not a complete list of all ways that the metadata can be correct or incorrect. If you're unsure whether something is allowed, you should ask in one of the staff channels.

Field	Requirements
Title and Alternate Title	Titles should: Roughly match the submission's logo (if it has one). Not have spelling errors. Along with the above, Alternate Titles should: Not be a shorter version of the Main Title. Not be the same text as the Main Title. For example, an Alternate Title which is the same as the Main Title but with different capitalization should be removed.
Library	The Library field should be: Games if the submission contains some interactive element beyond a start menu or play button. Animations if the submission contains no interactivity beyond a start menu or play button.
Series	The Series field should: Not be the franchise it relates to, a Franchise Tag should be added to the curation instead if it isn't already. - e.g. a Mario game should have the Super Mario tag and not "Super Mario" in the Series field.
Developer and Publisher	Changes should be requested for either of these two fields if: The field is wrong. There is nothing in the field despite Developer or Publisher is shown in an obvious place in the game/animation. There are significant spelling errors that would prevent the submission from being properly searched for. You don't need to request changes for differences in how the Developer or Publisher's name is written. For example Addicting Games, AddictingGames, and AddictingGames.com are different ways people could write the same Publisher. In the future Flashpoint may have a way to unify these spellings, but for now they don't matter.
Tags	Changes should be requested if: The tags are irrelevant to the curation. The curation is missing Content Warning or NSFW tags. There is a tag used which is not on the Tags wiki page. The curation has no Gameplay (or Animation) Tags or if the Gameplay tags it has are incorrect. The LEGACY-Extreme tag is used. This tag should not be added to any new submissions.
Play Mode	Changes should be requested if the Play Mode is missing supporting modes or if the listed mode is incorrect.
Status	Changes should be requested if: The Status is incorrect. The submission is labeled as Partial or Hacked and has no Note explaining why.
Version and Release Date	These fields are only incorrect if the information is wrong. The information being missing is not something that needs to have changes requested for.
Language	The Language field should: Include all language options present in the work, regardless of whether it's written or spoken. Use the two letter ISO 639-1 language codes, unless the language doesn't have a two letter code. In these cases the three letter code can be used. Works which have no text or spoken language in them should have either en or the language that the Title is, if not English. Either is correct.
Source	The Source field should: Be the full URL of where the curator found the game. If the curation was not sourced from a webpage, there will be some other way of indicating where it came from, e.g. a game from a CD should have the name of the CD.
Platform	Changes should be requested if this field is incorrect. For information specific to each Platform go to #Platform Specific Requirements.
Application Path	Changes should be requested if the Application Path: Is incorrect for the submission's Platform. Is invalid or otherwise not working.
Launch Command	Changes should be requested if the Launch Command: Is missing http:// or has https:// instead. Is written or formatted in a way which causes the curation to not launch.
Notes	Changes should be requested if: There are only Non-English Notes. Notes in a language other than English are fine as long as there is also an English translation of them. The Notes are irrelevant to the curation, for example saying who curated the game or listing information that should be in another metadata field. The curation opens in full screen, but there is no Note or Message about it. Having just a Note, just a Message, or both are all correct. The Notes contain instructions or walkthroughs that are explained in game or are easy to figure out without an explanation. The Notes are overly long or complex at explaining some information the player needs. The submission has an Extras Application, but no Note explaining what the Extras are.
Original Description	This field is only incorrect if what's in it is not an Original Description. This includes the curator making up their own description or the Notes or Curation Notes being in the wrong field.
Curation Notes	This field is only incorrect if the information in it should actually be in the Notes field. Since the Curation Notes are not kept when the submission is added to Flashpoint, unnecessary text is not an issue.
Alternate Applications	Changes should be requested if: The Application doesn't work. Any of the fields for the Application are empty. The Application is irrelevant to the Main Application. The Application Path or Launch Command is incorrect. All of the same requirements apply to these fields for Alternate Applications.
Extras	Changes should be requested if: The Extras are irrelevant to the curation. The Extras contain unnecessary videos, such as video walkthrough guides. The Extras folder contains only files that are already in the Content folder. The Extras folder is empty. The Extras folder is inside the Content folder. The Extras Folder field is empty or is something not specific to the curation such as "Extras" or "Game". This field should be roughly the name of the curation without spaces, but it doesn't need to be exact. The Extras Folder field contains spaces or punctuation. An Extras folder is included in the curation, but there is no Extras Application to go with it. There is more than one Extras Application.
Logo	Changes should be requested if the Logo: Is not from the game/animation, although there may be rare exceptions to this. Is animated. Is exactly the same as the Screenshot, with the exception of very simple games and animations where it may not be possible to make the two images look distinct. Is the whole title screen and/or shows menu buttons that can be easily cropped out. If buttons are present in the Logo, but removing them would require more editing than just cropping, it's fine for them to stay. Is switched with the Screenshot. Has noticeable white bars along the side(s) or other things included which are not part of the game.
Screenshot	Changes should be requested if the Screenshot: Is not from the game/animation. Is animated. Is the exact same as the Logo, with the exception of very simple games and animations where it may not be possible to make the two images look distinct. Is just the title screen, menu, or tutorial, unless the work is made up of only that. Is switched with the Logo. Has noticeable white bars along the side(s) or other things included which are not part of the game. Has a significant amount of the game window cropped out.
Content Files	Changes should be requested if: The curation doesn't work. The curation contains a large amount of unnecessary files or contains files for other games. Contains any DLL files. Contains EXE files in the Content folder. These files are allowed in the Extras folder only.

Platform Specific Requirements

Some Platforms have their own specific requirements for what makes a properly curated submission. These things will need to be checked when testing a game of that Platform. If a Platform is not listed in the sections below, it has no special requirements. For submissions of those Platforms, you will only need to check whether it works.

Common Platforms

Flash

Flash is the most common Platform you will come across while testing.

• Flash submissions must run in Flash Player or Basilisk. Which of the two a submission runs in, or what version of Flash Player is chosen, does not matter as long as the submission works as intended.
• Flash submissions cannot be run in Browser Mode.
• If the submission is set to run in Basilisk, it should typically have an HTML embed. Games that run properly in a full screen size may be fine without embed.
• Submissions running in Flash Player should not open tabs in the user's normal browser when run or when clicking buttons that aren't supposed to link to other websites. If a game has this issue, it should be run in Basilisk using an HTML embed. An exception is made for games which need an older version of Flash Player than Flash 32, as they cannot be run in Basilisk, however they do need a Note about the issue.

Shockwave

• Shockwave submissions must run in the Shockwave Projector or in Basilisk.
• If the submission is running in Basilisk, it must have an HTML embed. Unlike with Flash, there is no exception to this.
• Shockwave curations should not have Script Errors unless absolutely unavoidable and with a Note explaining the issue.
• Curations running in the Shockwave Projector should close by clicking the X button in the top right corner.
• Submissions running in the Shockwave Projector should not open tabs in the user's normal browser.

HTML5

Submissions with a QuotaExeededError will need to be run in a browser other than Basilisk.

• HTML5 submissions usually run in Basilisk, Browser Mode, or Chromium. In rare cases they will run in Flashpoint Secure Player or Netscape. Which of these browsers is chosen does not matter as long as the submission works as intended.
• If the submission gives a QuotaExeededError or any other error related to the browser it's running in, changes should be requested to have it run in a different browser, unless the error is unavoidable and a Note is included.
• HTML5 submissions should run as intended with the browser window at full size, unless otherwise Noted.
• HTML5 Alternate Applications cannot run in Browser Mode.

Unity

• Unity submissions must have an HTML embed, without exception.
• Unity submissions cannot contain a webplayer.unity3d.com folder with updater files inside.

Java

• If the submission is running in browser, it should have a Curation Note listing a domain that needs to be added to the Exceptions List.
• Before testing a Java submission that runs in browser, you will need to copy and paste that domain onto the end of the file FPSoftware\Java\JDK_1.8.0_181\jre\lib\exception.sites in your Core folder. If the domain is already on the list, then this is not needed.
• Java submissions instead running in AppletViewer should not have a Curation Note about an exception.

Less Common Platforms

ActiveX

ActiveX submissions will have a FPSoftware folder next to their Content folder. This folder will need to be merged with Core's FPSoftware folder before testing.

If this folder is missing, inside the Content folder, or is otherwise incorrect, the submission is not properly curated and changes will need to be requested.

BitPlayer

If you've never tested a BitPlayer submission before, you'll need to set up a Testing Curation in the Games tab of Core. In the Games tab, you will need to click the New Game button in the bottom right of the window. The only field you need to fill out is the Application Path, which needs to be FPSoftware\FlashpointSecurePlayer.exe. You can set any other fields however you want.

When testing a BitPlayer submission, you'll need to copy all of the files in the Content folder and move them into the Legacy/htdocs folder of Core. You'll then copy the submission's Launch Command and paste it into your Testing Curation's Launch Command field. You'll then run the submission using the Testing Curation's Play button.

Hyper-G and Hypercosm

If you get an error like this while testing Hypercosm, it means you didn't copy over the files.

Before you can test a Hyper-G or Hypercosm submission, you will need to copy all of the files in the Content folder and move them to Core's Legacy/htdocs folder. You can then test the submission as normal.

VRML

The majority of VRML submissions can be tested as normal with no special requirements. However, a small number of them will use the Application Path FPSoftware\startVRweb.bat. Submissions with this Application Path must have all of the files from the Content folder copied and moved to the Legacy/htdocs folder of Core before testing.