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Linux support in Flashpoint is currently experimental due to a lack of maintainers. This page describes the current state of our Linux support.
Linux support in Flashpoint is currently experimental due to a lack of maintainers. This page describes the current state of our Linux support. If you need assistance with installing or playing, visit us at #flashpoint-mac-linux-help.


= Important note about Wine =
As it stands, the Docker version of Flashpoint for Linux supports Flash, HTML5, Shockwave, Unity and Java. The exceptions are content that uses the Chromium browser, and Shockwave content that plays in-browser.
If you want support for the other platforms that are Windows-exclusive, there are a few options to get the Windows version of Flashpoint running on Linux:
* [https://bluemaxima.org/flashpoint/downloads/ Download the Windows version of Flashpoint] and run it in a Windows virtual machine. This is the recommended non-native option.
* Run the Windows version of Flashpoint with [[#Wine|Wine]]. This works well on some computers, but does not work consistently.


As of Wine 5.22, the Shockwave wrappers are no longer launching. Avoid updating Wine until a fix is found.
Otherwise, download the [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zgBrmyiMpSfW9xsZ9A4ejvR0lktWlTRR/view?usp=sharing latest Docker Flashpoint package] and [[#Manual Installation|install it]].


= Release =
== Manual Installation ==


These are experimental packages for specific Linux distros. If you don't see a package for your system here, '''please use the [[#Latest_Stand-Alone_Package|stand-alone package]] instead!''' If you can help update these packages, please visit the Discord server and join #development-chat. If you need assistance with installing or playing, visit us at #flashpoint-mac-linux-help.
=== Dependencies ===
First, install Flashpoint's dependencies.
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="9"|Dependency package names on various distros
|-
!Library/command name
!Docker
!PulseAudio<span style="color:#0000ff">*</span>
!X11<span style="color:#0000ff">**</span>
!XHost
!PHP
!bash
|-
!Debian-like<span style="color:#0000ff"><small><sup>a</sup></small></span>
|(see [https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/ this page])
|pulseaudio
|xserver-xorg-core
|x11-xserver-utils
|php
|bash
|-
!Ubuntu-like<span style="color:#0000ff"><small><sup>b</sup></small></span>
|(see [https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/ubuntu/ this page])
|pulseaudio
|xserver-xorg-core
|x11-xserver-utils
|php
|bash
|-
!Fedora-like
|(see [https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/fedora/ this page])
|pulseaudio
|xorg-x11-server-Xorg
|xhost
|php
|bash
|-
!Arch-like<span style="color:#0000ff"><small><sup>c</sup></small></span>
|docker
|pulseaudio
|xorg-server
|xorg-xhost
|php
|bash
|}
<small><span style="color:#0000ff">a</span> : E.g. ChromeOS Terminal, MX Linux | <span style="color:#0000ff">b</span> : E.g. Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin OS | <span style="color:#0000ff">c</span> : E.g. Manjaro, SteamOS >=3.0</small>


* '''Flashpoint Infinity 8.2-2 .deb (Debian / Ubuntu):
'''Note:''' Chances are that Docker and PHP will be the only packages that you'll need to install, as most distributions come with the rest of the packages already pre-installed.
https://bluepload.unstable.life/flashpoint-infinity-8-2-2-amd64-deb.7z
* PPA Repository - In Consideration.
* AUR package currently not available - '''please use the [[#Latest_Stand-Alone_Package|stand-alone package]] instead'''


== Debian Installation Procedure ==
<span style="color:#0000ff">*</span> : PipeWire can also be used in place of PulseAudio by installing the <code>pipewire-pulse</code> package on Ubuntu-like and Arch-like distros, or <code>pipewire-pulseaudio</code> on Fedora-like distros. For Debian-like distros, see [https://wiki.debian.org/PipeWire#Using_as_a_substitute_for_PulseAudio.2FJACK.2FALSA this link].


# Download and extract the .7z file above into any folder - /Downloads is fine.
<span style="color:#0000ff">**</span> : X11 can also be used within Wayland by installing the <code>xwayland</code> package on Debian-like and Ubuntu-like distros, <code>xorg-x11-server-Xwayland</code> on Fedora-like distros, or <code>xorg-xwayland</code> on Arch-like distros.
# It's recommended to run the .deb from the command line so the install progress is clear. From the folder where the .deb is: <code>sudo apt install ./flashpoint-infinity_8.2-2_amd64.deb</code> and it will install. The install can take a while as it has wine and php as dependencies. Graphical installer (from just double-clicking in the .deb) might not show much info as dependencies are being installed and so it might appear frozen.


== First Run Procedure ==
After installation, start Flashpoint Infinity either from the command line as <code>flashpoint-infinity</code> or from your desktop environment (it should be listed in Games). At first run you'll get two popups: click 'Yes' on 'You must install the Upgrade on the home screen', and then 'yes' again to 'The Flashpoint folder is not set or is invalid. Do you want to choose a folder?'. Anywhere in your home directory is fine to install it (you need write access to it). Click 'yes' again to 'Is this correct?' if the directory is correct. You should see the download/extract progress, and then a prompt to restart. When it comes back up after restart all (60k!) games should be visible.
It's recommended to use the native Basilisk for HTML5. To enable this change go to the config tab and in the Native Platforms drop-down, select the box for HTML5. For Flash it's still recommended to go through Wine (this is the default), though native Flash projectors can be enabled in the Native Platforms drop-down too if desired.


On the first time using Wine to launch a game, it does some configuration so it could take some time.  
To install them, use your distro's package manager:
{|class="wikitable"
!Distro
!Package manager install command
|-
!Debian-like
|<code>sudo apt-get install {PACKAGE}</code>
|-
!Ubuntu-like
|<code>sudo apt-get install {PACKAGE}</code>
|-
!Fedora-like
|<code>sudo dnf install {PACKAGE}</code>
|-
!Fedora-like (old)
|<code>sudo yum install {PACKAGE}</code>
|-
!Arch-like
|<code>sudo pacman -S {PACKAGE}</code>
|}
=== Installation ===
Before you start, you need to [https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/linux-postinstall/#manage-docker-as-a-non-root-user configure Docker to be managed by a non-root user], then reboot your computer.


Flash, HTML5, and Shockwave games run well generally. More about other platforms below.
If you have an Nvidia GPU and use a distro that isn't Arch-like, you will need to add Nvidia's repository and install the <code>nvidia-docker2</code> package. Follow the "Setting up NVIDIA Container Toolkit" instructions under the heading corresponding to your distro [https://docs.nvidia.com/datacenter/cloud-native/container-toolkit/install-guide.html#docker here]. If you use an Arch-like distro, install either [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nvidia-container-toolkit <code>nvidia-container-toolkit</code>] or [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nvidia-docker <code>nvidia-docker</code>] from the AUR if you did or didn't already install Docker respectively.


== Debian Update Procedure ==
Then, download the [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zgBrmyiMpSfW9xsZ9A4ejvR0lktWlTRR/view?usp=sharing latest Docker Flashpoint package] if you haven't already and extract it somewhere.
If you are updating the Debian package from a previous version, first back up your favorites and save data if you'd like to keep them.
Then run the .deb file same as above. Once the update is completed, open the launcher and click on Download, which will install the new Flashpoint folder.
Once it restarts the update is complete and all features of this version should be available.


== Notes about the Debian package ==
Go to the place where you extracted it, and pull the docker images by running <code>./pull.sh</code>. They'll take ~3.5 GB.
* The 'Flashpoint folder' above can go anywhere the user can write to - home is a convenient place for it
* It installs binaries into /usr/lib/flashpoint-infinity/, and /usr/bin/flashpoint-infinity links to the launcher
* Extreme games are disabled by default in version 8.2-1 which was up from October 23, 2020 until November 7, 2020. To enable them or change other configuration options, edit <code>config.json</code> in the <code>/usr/lib/flashpoint-infinity/</code> folder.
* Debian source package: https://bluepload.unstable.life/flashpoint-infinity82-2debsrc.7z. The source lives as a branch 'debian' off of Launcher's /master (on one of Launcher's forks). This is the commit that is tagged "Infinity-8.2-2"


= Latest Stand-Alone Package =
Finally, run the <code>./flashpoint</code> executable script to start the launcher.
'''Download''': https://bluepload.unstable.life/flashpoint81infinitylinux.7z
* This is the latest experimental stand-alone package of Flashpoint Infinity (8.1) for Linux, created on July 4, 2020. Currently everything is going through Wine.


'''Installation instructions''':
# Download and extract the .7z file.
# Install PHP and the 32-bit version of Wine if you do not have them. See [[#Wine|Wine installation instructions]] below.
# Change to the Launcher folder and run the flashpoint-launcher binary


''Previous link''
Config files can be found in <code>./LinuxConf/</code> and <code>./FPSoftware/FSPConfigs/</code>.
# Still needed if you want to make some of the platforms native
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eai0nFWe0XNc8WbsIg-koOzLc7jk_b_k/view?usp=sharing


'''Changelog''':
Save data is stored in <code>./SaveData</code>. Java save data isn't persistent, because there's no standardized location for it.


2020-11-07
== Troubleshooting ==
* Updated .deb to Flashpoint 8.2-2 Infinity
* Added native executables for Flash and HTML5
* Replaced modified Flash Projectors with the unmodified ones
* Fixed extreme games option being disabled in config.json


2020-10-23
=== proxy.sh: "Permission denied" error ===
* Updated .deb to Flashpoint 8.2-1 Infinity


2020-07-04:
Depending on your system's permissions, the <code>proxy.sh</code> script may throw a "permission denied" error in the launcher logs when launching a game, causing it to fail to start. To fix this, follow these steps:
* Updated to Flashpoint 8.1 Infinity
# Close the Flashpoint launcher.
* Updated to Flashpoint Launcher 9.0.2
# Open <code>./LinuxConf/proxy.sh</code> in a text editor.
# Change <code>/var/lock/flashpoint-networking.lock</code> to <code>/tmp/flashpoint-networking.lock</code> and save the file.
# Relaunch Flashpoint.


2019-09-28:
== Technologies ==
* Updated to Flashpoint 6.3
* Bundled WIP Launcher with better Multi-Platform Support
** Proper linux argument escaping (Supersonic RC works now, yay!)
** SPR games automatically use port 22500 (Hacky, may be removed later)
** Wine will always (and only) be used for running .exe files (even if use Wine is turned off in Config)
** .bat files will always run their .sh equivalents (even if use Wine is turned on in Config)
** Windows execs are mapped to native execs (if existing), so Windows game XMLs should work out the box. (See execs.json)
** Can mark a platform as 'native' in Config, will force native execs to be used instead of Windows execs even if use Wine is turned on.
*** If no native execs are available (like Shockwave) then it will fallback to running the Windows exec with Wine.
* Added native Basilisk support files
* Updated SPR files
* Updated router.php


2019-09-18:
Flashpoint Infinity, like its Windows counterpart, uses <code>router.php</code> as a proxy server. But unlike Windows, Linux provides native ways to set per-application proxy settings, so no equivalent to the [https://github.com/FlashpointProject/FlashpointProxy Flashpoint Proxy library] is used. On Linux, each application is simply told via environment variables to use <code>localhost:22500</code> as a proxy server. For example, before Flashpoint Launcher opens the Flash projector, it sets the <code>http_proxy</code> environment variable to <code>http://localhost:22500/</code> in the docker container.
* Added new SPR version (see update-spr.sh) and Shockwave XMLs
* Added interim Launcher hack to make Shockwave games that use SPR work properly
* Made the save manager scripts use a valid interpreter (/bin/sh)
** TODO: they still need further work/testing
 
2019-07-21 and prior:
* Configure Flash games to run using the Windows player, flashplayer_32_sa.exe
** The Linux flash player suffers from too many graphical glitches
** Requires Wine to be installed and enabled to play
* Updated JDK to version 8u212
** startJava.sh instructions and script updated
** Made startJava.sh executable
* Added support for Authorware Platform
* Adds Linux versions of the Save Manager scripts
* Adds a "Flashpoint" shortcut (replacing the Windows version)
* Adds Flashpoint 6.2 games
* Removed the game logos, as in Flashpoint Infinity 6.2 for Windows
* Removed the Wineprefix because it was not used
 
'''To-Do List'''
* Test Unity 2.x and 3.x games
* Fix startUnity.sh, since it modifies K-Meleon's config, which is no longer necessary
* AMF support for games like Neon Rider for the community levels
 
= Technologies =
 
Currently, only Flashpoint Infinity is available for Linux. Like its Windows counterpart, it uses <code>router.php</code> as a proxy server. But unlike Windows, Linux provides native ways to set per-application proxy settings, so no equivalent to the [https://github.com/FlashpointProject/FlashpointProxy Flashpoint Proxy library] is used. On Linux, each application is simply told via environment variables to use <code>localhost:22500</code> as a proxy server. For example, before Flashpoint Launcher opens the Flash projector, it sets the <code>http_proxy</code> environment variable to <code>http://localhost:22500/</code>.


The [http://bluemaxima.org/flashpoint/faq/ Flashpoint FAQ] contains a list of all web game technologies ("Platforms") supported in the Windows version of Flashpoint. The Linux version currently supports a subset of these platforms. This is explained in detail below.
The [http://bluemaxima.org/flashpoint/faq/ Flashpoint FAQ] contains a list of all web game technologies ("Platforms") supported in the Windows version of Flashpoint. The Linux version currently supports a subset of these platforms. This is explained in detail below.


== Supported Platforms ==
=== Supported Platforms ===
* Flash: Supported through Wine by default. Although a Linux Flash Projector exists, it suffers from graphical glitches on many systems. If you'd like to try your luck with the native projector, then either turn off use Wine, or tick it as a 'Native Platform' on the Config page.
* Flash: Supported through Wine by default. Although a Linux Flash Projector exists, it suffers from graphical glitches on many systems. If you'd like to try your luck with the native projector, then tick it as a 'Native Platform' on the Config page.
* Shockwave: Supported through Wine.
* Shockwave: Supported through Wine.
* HTML5: Supported natively through the Basilisk browser. To update Basilisk, download it from [http://us.basilisk-browser.org/release/basilisk-latest.linux64.tar.bz2 here] and extract it such that the executable is located at <code>FPSoftware/Basilisk-Portable/linux/basilisk</code>. By default, Basilisk will store its configuration in the location defined by <code>XDG_CONFIG_DIR</code>, so Flashpoint uses a shell script to set the configuration location. A pre-configured copy of Basilisk, along with the shell script, is packaged and also available [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y5Mgm9dCa4gCc6UF5WFPqQruzsO81xhf/view?usp=sharing here]. This [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/516027726851735632/612891261665411073/BasiliskSetup.txt text file] describes Basilisk's configuration.
* HTML5: Supported natively through the Basilisk browser.
* Java Applets: Supported natively using the JDK.
* Java Applets: Supported natively using the Oracle JDK.
* Unity Web Player: Supported through Wine. Unity 2.x and 3.x games may not work; this needs further testing.
* Unity Web Player: Supported through Pipelight.
* PopCap Plugin: Supported through Wine.
* Authorware Web Player: Supported through Wine.
* GoBit Plugin: Supported through Wine.
 
== Unsupported Platforms ==
* Silverlight: In the past, [http://www.webupd8.org/2013/08/pipelight-use-silverlight-in-your-linux.html Pipelight] allowed Linux users to use Silverlight, but the repository is no longer available for most Linux distros. [https://www.maketecheasier.com/install-and-run-silverlight-in-linux/ Moonlight] was another option, but is also no longer available. Attempts to use Silverlight in K-Meleon using Wine have failed.
* 3DVIA Player: A previous tester received this error, which crashed K-Meleon: <code>Error: Access was denied while trying to open files in your profile directory</code>. We need another tester to help us narrow this down.
* 3D Groove GX: When the http_proxy variable is set, Groove Player downloads but fails to load the file. Maybe the registry method described [https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#How_do_I_configure_a_proxy.3F here] would work better, but this needs to be tested. Two of our testers received the following set of errors: [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/496132309498724391/577330595609444352/unknown.png 1] [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/496132309498724391/577330680678055948/unknown.png 2] [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/496132309498724391/577330740396556309/unknown.png 3]
* ActiveX: The most promising method so far was to install Internet Explorer 8 and each ActiveX plugin into the Wine prefix, but this needs considerable work.
 
== Launcher Issues ==
A lot of work has been done to allow Flashpoint Launcher to support Linux, but there's a lot of room for improvement. This [https://trello.com/c/iriUET1L/51-path-rewriting-rules-for-multi-platform-support Trello post] outlines some potential improvements.
 
== Wine ==
Most games rely on technology only available on Windows. A lot of these however can be run through Wine. If there is no native executable, or you have the Native Platform option unticked for the game's platform then the launcher will run it through Wine.
 
You may choose to use the native versions, in which case tick the platform under Native Platforms in Config.
 
If you wish to play games that rely on Wine, be sure to install the 32-bit version of Wine. There are links below to distro specific install guides:
 
* Ubuntu - https://wiki.winehq.org/Ubuntu
* Debian - https://wiki.debian.org/Wine#Installation_on_Debian_Jessie_and_newer
* Arch Linux - https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine#Installation
 
== Pipelight ==
Some work has been done on getting Pipelight working with flashpoint. Currently the pipelight plugin itself is figured out and shockwave has been tested working, but every NPAPI plugin has it's quirks and they have to made into pipelight versions one at a time.
 
=== General Information ===
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipelight
 
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pipelight
 
https://web.archive.org/web/20161120025536/fds-team.de/cms/articles/2013-08/pipelight-using-silverlight-in-linux-browsers.html
 
=== Download Links ===
Source: https://github.com/keithbowes/pipelight
 
All in one package with instructions: https://mega.nz/file/38ZWBYQK#l-Wro8amBZ72iziegOFVOLrU_N2QwYFZQfsZ3m3naG0
 
=== Problems Encountered ===
Unity gives "Failed to update Unity Web Player"


== Next Version ==
<noinclude>[[Category:Technologies]]</noinclude>
WIP Changelog:
* New Launcher features from Master
** Splash Screen while loading (no half loaded XMLs when browsing anymore)
** Search Overhaul
** Background Services in Developer (Restart/stop/start the Router on the fly)
* Removed 'Use Wine' option, effectively enabled by default, use 'Native Platforms' to use native execs instead.
* Partial ActiveX support, requires heavy testing. '''ThwartPoker, Butterfly Escape, Big City Adventure, Astro Avengers 2 and HamsterBall''' do not work yet.
* Updated startJava.sh to support multiple command-line parameters: replace <code>"$1"</code> with <code>"$@"</code> on line 8

Revision as of 17:37, 8 October 2022

Linux support in Flashpoint is currently experimental due to a lack of maintainers. This page describes the current state of our Linux support. If you need assistance with installing or playing, visit us at #flashpoint-mac-linux-help.

As it stands, the Docker version of Flashpoint for Linux supports Flash, HTML5, Shockwave, Unity and Java. The exceptions are content that uses the Chromium browser, and Shockwave content that plays in-browser. If you want support for the other platforms that are Windows-exclusive, there are a few options to get the Windows version of Flashpoint running on Linux:

  • Download the Windows version of Flashpoint and run it in a Windows virtual machine. This is the recommended non-native option.
  • Run the Windows version of Flashpoint with Wine. This works well on some computers, but does not work consistently.

Otherwise, download the latest Docker Flashpoint package and install it.

Manual Installation

Dependencies

First, install Flashpoint's dependencies.

Dependency package names on various distros
Library/command name Docker PulseAudio* X11** XHost PHP bash
Debian-likea (see this page) pulseaudio xserver-xorg-core x11-xserver-utils php bash
Ubuntu-likeb (see this page) pulseaudio xserver-xorg-core x11-xserver-utils php bash
Fedora-like (see this page) pulseaudio xorg-x11-server-Xorg xhost php bash
Arch-likec docker pulseaudio xorg-server xorg-xhost php bash

a : E.g. ChromeOS Terminal, MX Linux | b : E.g. Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin OS | c : E.g. Manjaro, SteamOS >=3.0

Note: Chances are that Docker and PHP will be the only packages that you'll need to install, as most distributions come with the rest of the packages already pre-installed.

* : PipeWire can also be used in place of PulseAudio by installing the pipewire-pulse package on Ubuntu-like and Arch-like distros, or pipewire-pulseaudio on Fedora-like distros. For Debian-like distros, see this link.

** : X11 can also be used within Wayland by installing the xwayland package on Debian-like and Ubuntu-like distros, xorg-x11-server-Xwayland on Fedora-like distros, or xorg-xwayland on Arch-like distros.


To install them, use your distro's package manager:

Distro Package manager install command
Debian-like sudo apt-get install {PACKAGE}
Ubuntu-like sudo apt-get install {PACKAGE}
Fedora-like sudo dnf install {PACKAGE}
Fedora-like (old) sudo yum install {PACKAGE}
Arch-like sudo pacman -S {PACKAGE}

Installation

Before you start, you need to configure Docker to be managed by a non-root user, then reboot your computer.

If you have an Nvidia GPU and use a distro that isn't Arch-like, you will need to add Nvidia's repository and install the nvidia-docker2 package. Follow the "Setting up NVIDIA Container Toolkit" instructions under the heading corresponding to your distro here. If you use an Arch-like distro, install either nvidia-container-toolkit or nvidia-docker from the AUR if you did or didn't already install Docker respectively.

Then, download the latest Docker Flashpoint package if you haven't already and extract it somewhere.

Go to the place where you extracted it, and pull the docker images by running ./pull.sh. They'll take ~3.5 GB.

Finally, run the ./flashpoint executable script to start the launcher.


Config files can be found in ./LinuxConf/ and ./FPSoftware/FSPConfigs/.

Save data is stored in ./SaveData. Java save data isn't persistent, because there's no standardized location for it.

Troubleshooting

proxy.sh: "Permission denied" error

Depending on your system's permissions, the proxy.sh script may throw a "permission denied" error in the launcher logs when launching a game, causing it to fail to start. To fix this, follow these steps:

  1. Close the Flashpoint launcher.
  2. Open ./LinuxConf/proxy.sh in a text editor.
  3. Change /var/lock/flashpoint-networking.lock to /tmp/flashpoint-networking.lock and save the file.
  4. Relaunch Flashpoint.

Technologies

Flashpoint Infinity, like its Windows counterpart, uses router.php as a proxy server. But unlike Windows, Linux provides native ways to set per-application proxy settings, so no equivalent to the Flashpoint Proxy library is used. On Linux, each application is simply told via environment variables to use localhost:22500 as a proxy server. For example, before Flashpoint Launcher opens the Flash projector, it sets the http_proxy environment variable to http://localhost:22500/ in the docker container.

The Flashpoint FAQ contains a list of all web game technologies ("Platforms") supported in the Windows version of Flashpoint. The Linux version currently supports a subset of these platforms. This is explained in detail below.

Supported Platforms

  • Flash: Supported through Wine by default. Although a Linux Flash Projector exists, it suffers from graphical glitches on many systems. If you'd like to try your luck with the native projector, then tick it as a 'Native Platform' on the Config page.
  • Shockwave: Supported through Wine.
  • HTML5: Supported natively through the Basilisk browser.
  • Java Applets: Supported natively using the Oracle JDK.
  • Unity Web Player: Supported through Pipelight.