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John5F86
Participant
November 28, 2020
Question

swf files in Flash Player Projector trying to force a connection to the internet?

  • November 28, 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 637 views

Hi all,

In light of Flash Player shutting down at the end of the year I'm trying to save some games from a site I used to play when I was a kid as .swf files while the option still exists to me. I have a Firefox extension which allows me to save swf files and I have pulled a few games from the site, but I can't seem to figure out a way to execute the content.

 

I downloaded the Flash Projector from Adobe's site but when I try to open the file, I just get a blank white page and a request for the file to communicate with the site, which feels kind of self-defeating as the games will likely no longer be accessible. In any case, no matter what setting I choose, it doesn't load the game. Each time I start the projector, I get the same prompt, and I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. As well, if I try to run the Projector as an admin, I get an error message: "Windows cannot access the specified path, device, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item."

 

if anyone would be able to advise me, that would be great. Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.

3 replies

Nancy OShea
Community Expert
Nancy OSheaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
December 2, 2020

Suggest you pursue other interests that don't require Flash Player.

 

SWF is just one piece in a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Without access to all the other project and asset files, you don't stand a chance of making this work so don't waste anymore time on it.

 

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
jeromiec83223024
jeromiec83223024
Inspiring
December 1, 2020

Yeah, depending on the game/application, it can be way more complicated than just grabbing a SWF off a page.  There's not a great way to just scrape games and use them forever in a generic way.  I know there are a couple active projects aimed at preserving classic Flash games, but don't remember them off the top of my head.  I assume they have the appropriate rights and permissions.

 

You downloaded a SWF, but that SWF can in turn load other stuff, and depending on how the game is built, it's not necessarily going to look at an adjacent local filesystem just because that's where you loaded it from.  It's totally dependent on how the game was written, and if the game developers were getting paid by the adviews on the hosting page, they probably didn't want you to be able to just save it once and run it locally without getting compensated.

 

The technology for the game developer to make this game available as a desktop application exists, and they own the rights to their work. 

 

The right answer here would be to ask them to make that content available (and to compensate them for that work).  You could drop them a note to tell them how much you appreciate their game, and ask them to publish it as an application.  If there's enough interest and people willing to pay, they might be interested.

 

For what it's worth, we announced in 2017 that Flash Player was ending, to give individual content publishers time to make the jump to another technology. 

 

Background:

https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-flash-update/

https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html

 

V
vehardy
Participant
December 1, 2020

I find myself behind the eight ball, with the End of Life for Adobe Flash Player what should I purchase to accomplish the same task that the program did?  Or do I need to find a similar program, can someone help I am confused.

T
Test Screen Name
Legend
December 1, 2020

There is nothing you can purchase to replace it. What needs Flash Player today will be soon dead and gone.

    T
    Test Screen Name
    Legend
    November 28, 2020

    But Flash Projector is reaching EOL and closing down too...

     

    Anyway, even if it wasn't, a game isn't likely to be self-contained in an SWF, except for the simplest ones. The gameplay is likely to be managed by software on the site itself. So... it isn't that Flash Projector needs to contact the internet, it's that the SWF file wants to do that.

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