Flash?

SLiDE · Post by **SLiDE** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 6:35 pm

Ok, I am not quite sure about how to go about doing this but I figured all of you might put your heads together and find a way.

There are some quality games out there that are Macromedia Flash and I was wondering if there was a way to emulate a Shockwave player of some sort of "Flash" port that would run on the DC. Flash games use keyboard and/or mouse, there could be a front end to handle converting to DC joystick. Games would be easier for more people to create new graphic intensive movies and intros--it is just an idea and I'm not so sure if it could even be done but I figured it was worth a post.

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Whoops--I had a problem with my browser, posted twice.

typoEDR · Post by **typoEDR** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:11 pm

In theory, it's a great idea, and I'm pretty sure it's an idea that has been explored before.

However, I don't think it's remotely feasble on the DC. Unless, of course, someone creates a jacked-up DC browser with Flash support in it, but I'm pretty sure that is not going to happen.

Wsttrollboy · Post by **Wsttrollboy** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:14 pm

Most people here dont feel like making something form scratch so unless there is an open source player that could work on dreamcast dont hold your breath

SLiDE · Post by **SLiDE** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:50 pm

If it's an open source player you want I think I know where to get one...there are quite a few out there now. If someone is interested I can dig a little.

ace · Post by **ace** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:53 pm

If I recall correctly, the lastest versions of PW support some flash, as does PSD, not sure just how the support is though, as I haven't used my Dreamcast in months.

SoldierBlade · Post by **SoldierBlade** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 9:49 pm

I use nothing but a dreamcast for internet. Heres how the browsers stack up in terms of flash ability.

DreamPassport 1.0 (none)
DreamPassport 2.0,2.1 and BBPP (some swf3 support)
DreamPassport 3.0 and 3.1x (swf3)
DreamPassport 3.2 Premier (some swf4 but I've seen some swf5 play fine)

Note: XDP is a modified DreamPassport 3.15 taken from PSO

Dreamkey 1.0 and 1.5 (see DP2)
Dreamkey 2.0 (i think its the same as DP3)
Dreamkey 3.0 (see DP 3.2)

Dreamkeys were english DreamPassports for the UK DC. Difference was that they had no IRC or ch@b. DP3 did have a hidden IM client much like ch@b though called Dream Notes. Servers never went online.... Back to the topic at hand....

Planetweb 1.x (from what I've heard, barely swf1 support)
Planetweb 2.0x, and 2.1x (manual says swf2)
Planetweb 2.606 and 2.62 (some swf3)
Planetweb 3.0 (specs say swf4, but i havent found any flash that works at all with this browser. does have limited Java applet ability with its Sun PJAVA)

The Planetweb made browsers were made for the US and were simply called Web Browser...

Dreamcast WebTV all versions (spec chart from official Japanese WebTV site says swf2)

Good luck gettin one of these puppies....

Hope that sheds some light on the browsers for you fellas. If you wanna learn more, check the dcbg archive database. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dreamcastbrowsers

SLiDE · Post by **SLiDE** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 10:09 pm

So can we safely say that if we obtained an open source "web browser" like program for the DC --it might be concievable to strip it down to the bear assentials so that some sort of *swf player could be compiled from it's remains?

See, what I'm trying to find out is if it's possible--not if anyone will create it, just so that I know that it's 70% possible. If I get at least that much I think I can persuade a few people to jump into it with some minor funding on my behalf. --call it a personal goal on my part.

--Thank you all for your help, I don't know much about programing but I do know when I see a good product with some life left.

BlackAura · Post by **BlackAura** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 11:22 pm

Possible? Maybe. However, I don't think there are any functional open-source Flash implementations, and Flash isn't exactly a trivial file format.

Warmachine · Post by **Warmachine** » Fri Apr 30, 2004 1:03 am

I remember Macromedia released the source code for Flash player 6 for porting purposes. I mosted it in the porting section of the forum a while back. Have to request the source code.

Alexvrb · Post by **Alexvrb** » Fri Apr 30, 2004 11:54 am

Yeah, if anyone here wanted to tackle it, they'd have to get approved for it first.

PrOfUnD Darkness · Post by **PrOfUnD Darkness** » Fri Apr 30, 2004 9:34 pm

I was planning to port this one, but I don't have the time to do it right now. Maybe someone wanna give it a try?

http://www.swift-tools.net/Flash/

sheng · Post by **sheng** » Sat May 01, 2004 11:08 am

It would be nice to run flash stuff on the DC......

SLiDE · Post by **SLiDE** » Sat May 01, 2004 4:26 pm

Thanx guys, that's all I needed to know...My Guys are going to start monday morning on it.

Thanx again for the link--I do have to wait for macromedia to call me back this week but that doesn't mean I can't get a jump on it.

SoldierBlade · Post by **SoldierBlade** » Tue May 04, 2004 7:39 pm

To be perfectly honest, I would rather see a good JVM (Java virtual machine). There are far more and far better Java applet games. Also, if you combine that with the new modem capabilities available with KOS, you could have messengers, irc clients, etc in addition to games. Just a thought. Yes I do realise that nobody has been able to get the new modem support to connect to an isp, but i figure that is just down the road, and a good JVM and KOS modem drivers could convince someone to take up making a homebrew web browser.

curt_grymala · Post by **curt_grymala** » Tue May 04, 2004 8:44 pm

The problem, again, though, is that there aren't any (AFAIK) open-source JVM's.

Strapping Scherzo · Post by **Strapping Scherzo** » Tue May 04, 2004 9:43 pm

There are a whole bunch of open source JVMs that find their home at sourceforge. Whether any of them are worth porting to DC is a different story. I think you could get a JVM to run on DC that interperates Java byte code pretty easily with one of these open source JVMs. The big task is implementing some of the standard Java packages to do something worth looking at on the DC. For instance, if your java class uses the awt package, you have better have a GUI system developed. It seems like there would be a lot to do. Here's a link to one of the well developed open source JVMs:

http://www.sablevm.org/

SoldierBlade · Post by **SoldierBlade** » Tue May 04, 2004 9:52 pm

Ya beat me to it Scherzo! LOL Oh well.

Heres another good one.

http://kaffe.org

Its under the GNU liscense, so its definitly open source.

Alexvrb · Post by **Alexvrb** » Wed May 05, 2004 3:26 pm

SoldierBlade wrote:...and a good JVM and KOS modem drivers could convince someone to take up making a homebrew web browser.

I don't think using a JVM is the right path at all in relation to developing a homebrew web browser.

SoldierBlade · Post by **SoldierBlade** » Wed May 05, 2004 8:56 pm

I never said it would be. What my point was, is that having one around would make it more attractive to make a homebrew browser because that feature could possibly be implemented. I know it would be a memory hog, but just like PW3, it could have an on/off switch.

greay · Post by **greay** » Sat May 08, 2004 10:58 pm

Though none of these are exactly what you're looking for, some of these links may help
http://flasm.sourceforge.net/ - a Flash bytecode assembler/disassembler
http://ming.sourceforge.net/ - "a SWF output library and PHP module"
http://www.openswf.org/ - discussion of the SWF file format
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flas ... t/faq.html - here's Macromedia's thoughts on the file format & licensing of their source code

And I have seen open-source flash players, and last I saw they weren't fully functional (as above), but I can't find them right now. :/