Extracting Flash Games: Difference between revisions

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==SWF Playback==
==SWF Playback==
Macromedia's Flash Player 8 is of course a way to load the swf files. Web browsers still allow opening Flash swf file for now, but that might not be the case anymore by 2020 or even before when support for the format is dropped. Some fixes (TBA):
 
Use the official Adobe Flash Player Projector, available here: https://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/debug_downloads.html
 
Some fixes for browsers (TBA):
* Firefox: Type <code>about:config</code> and change <code>plugins.http_https_only</code> to <code>false</code>
* Firefox: Type <code>about:config</code> and change <code>plugins.http_https_only</code> to <code>false</code>


==Convert SWF to EXE==
==Convert SWF to EXE==
Flash swf files can be converted to autonomous executables that will always work. Macromedia's Flash Player 8 can do that from File/Create Projector.
Flash swf files can be converted to autonomous executables that will always work.  
 
* Macromedia's Flash Player 8 can do that from File/Create Projector.
* BlueMaxima can confirm that this tool works as expected, although you'll want to replace the included projector with the newest version: http://swftools.sourceforge.net/swf-to-exe.html

Revision as of 09:40, 10 May 2018

This page is intended as reference for anyone who wants to extract Flash games on their own. Things to know:

  • SWF: The compiled Flash application. Can only run on browsers or Macromedia's Flash Player. Browser support is set to end soon.
  • EXE: Projector executables that have the Flash application working without needing a browser.
  • FLA: The project file of the Flash application. The source file the author used to generate the SWF, can be freely edited with Flash.
  • ActionScript: Programming scripting language for Flash applications.


Extracting

  • Use a dedicated browser extension. Some recommendations: (TODO)
  • Use the Developer Tools in either Firefox or Chrome to find the swfs. Sometimes it's as simple as copy pasting a direct link to a file with the swf extension from the page's source. But sometimes the search will be more involved and require combing through the browser cache for files with content type /x.shockwave.
  • JPEXS-Decompiler can download swf files already loaded into browser memory.

Some websites require specific methods:

SWF Modding

Many SWF files will run once extracted, however some have DRM to run always online, from specific sites, and/or making use of external files. Those won't work directly or will only extract partially. Those will need modding to extract in full and to be made to work offline.

JPEXS-Decompiler can:

  • Convert SWF to FLA
  • Decompile ActionScript
  • Extract sound/image/misc assets from the SWF

This isn't always straightforward because of some obfusciation methods used.

SWF Playback

Use the official Adobe Flash Player Projector, available here: https://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/debug_downloads.html

Some fixes for browsers (TBA):

  • Firefox: Type about:config and change plugins.http_https_only to false

Convert SWF to EXE

Flash swf files can be converted to autonomous executables that will always work.

  • Macromedia's Flash Player 8 can do that from File/Create Projector.
  • BlueMaxima can confirm that this tool works as expected, although you'll want to replace the included projector with the newest version: http://swftools.sourceforge.net/swf-to-exe.html