HTML5 version of the game (dropping Flash)

[Salem_Warrior_1]

agreed doro, but we live with the lag today, as said, so again not viable to players comforts
To wit I say with this in mind, IMHO BB don't care to much for us as already shown, saying there maybe more going on in back ground may hold weight, but again 5 years of lag don't bode well with feed back being ignored, and saying its our hardware or browser causing lag is insultive to our intellect , some here do understand programing

In 2007, YouTube offered videos in HTML5 format to support the iPhone and iPad, which did not support Flash Player.[2] After a controversy with Apple, Adobe stopped developing Flash Player for Mobile, focussing its efforts on Adobe AIR applications and HTML5 animation.[2] In 2015, Google introduced Google Swiffy to convert Flash animation to HTML5, a tool Google would use to automatically convert Flash web ads for mobile devices.[7] In 2015, YouTube switched to HTML5 technology on all devices, however it will preserve the Flash-based video player for older web browsers.[8][9][10]

I'd say from adobe own pages there not running flash as a priority and will only keep as an back up for older browser, wont be here long IMO

Linking the life of Settlers with the life of Flash is nothing more than idle speculation in the absence of facts. is in my case incorrect

[lordloocan]

Would be interesting to have a dev do one of their extended reports on this issue so we know what is going on and to stop the speculation etc. As a gem buyer I am increasingly wary of spending any more cash with the possibility of not being able to login one day due to the demise of flash.

[Salem_Warrior_1]

+ 1

[TheVictorious]

Meh, I wrote very long reply and lost it somehow, I hate this.

Anyway, again I'll write it again hopefully not lost anything that I was about to say.

It is so long, sorry, but I'm trying to clarify things deeply from business and technician wise, also how I think BB will deal with this.

I agree with Salem, and Doro, BB actually seems risk to lose some of their reputation to get more players that not have a background about technical things, personally I'm developer, I really annoyed from support, but really, support most of times for most of companies meant to be like that! they deal with all people, regardless with who they are talking to, they mostly like a robots following instructions, they not have a big background about how to deal with products, as for example, this game, they don't know how to play it, or even how the developers made it, they got just a manual and some instructions!

Anyway, The flash player will die, the BB pushing themselves to the edge of flash player life, why?

Because:

If they want to get HTML5 version they need to do revamp for the front-end side (the flash player client) they need another team, and must be bigger team also, so the current team support the flash version, and new team do the new HTML5 version, the problem both teams must work with new features as well, the new version must write code of 5 years of experience of flash game! this need long time and big amount of money!

Also, BB bet on a win of battle of flash player, Adobe says flash will live, for long term at least, they says the investors growing and the flash will live! big companies (starting from Apple, Google, Microsoft) says flash MUST die, it is a battle that BB stands on the wrong side (as they wish they will win and they on correct side), the problem with this, the BB will stand until the edge of flash life, then they will find solutions, before that, BB will not listen to any calls that saying, FLASH IS DEAD!

This topic will become more active next months, will be more annoying for players, game will get less players, again why? Chrome already block the flash player in the background, Firefox will do very soon if they not did that already (they said in early of 2017) , not only that, both browsers very soon will block the flash player at all, fantastic! (adding also, Microsoft edge will block flash by default this April).

Now BB will provide many steps for players with how to activate flash players and so on, support team will get headache, the forum will be more fun for MODs and BB ! you will see !! so BB suppose you are a technician guy, oh wait since it is a pegi7, BB must provide a steps for a technician child standards, to fix the game, I have no idea why BB think that players will suffer with the headache of this game if the players have many alternatives around!

In very a few words, flash will die, yes, but slowly, oh wait surprise, it will die faster, because of ransomware so it is security matters at first place, BB you risk your player for the sake of your game , also, BB got the backup, the external client, if the browsers totally block the game, BB will ask you to use the external client, bad news for BB, there is a rumors that says Microsoft will block flash inside Windows as well.

So!!

This game will die, BB will care? I'm not sure, they are a company after all and looking for profit, if they see the game is no more worth, it will die then, that easy! guess how BB will defend themselves? they will say, it is a Flash-based game, and Microsoft, Google, and most companies killed it not our fault, especially that Adobe still support it!
But if it is giving BB a good income and got a bright future, then you will hear a good news, the game will live yay

Just to not get my words wrong, I'm not attacking BB in anyway, they are a company looking for a profit, this is not bad point, as all the people in the world looking for Money they do, but I just trying to clarify everything, I'm a developer, soon hopefully, I'll be a CTO, if you know what CTO means, you can research (because CTO involved with matters like this), if I were in BB, I'll look exactly like this, but also with a big long discussions in the back rooms.

You are here a players love the game, so I am, we want to this game to live, and BB as well, but the key problem is Money here

If BB lost money and got broken, not this game only fall, but all the games that BB develop.

As a player, I really hope BB just give as any feedback on this matter, as for example (what do think, are you looking for long term life for this game, what the backup for this issue?) .. just to respect our technical background, and to feel that our sounds is heard.

Edit: if BB allow me to post one link about flash + Microsoft here, I can post it, but you can search in Google about the "Microsoft To Add Flash Blocking in Windows 10", interesting article, which clearly says, zero-day is very very soon for the flash.

[Salem_Warrior_1]

+1 , ty someone who understands development and the issue's

[Solzar]

Just some thoughts for whatever it's worth...

Much older versions of Flash going years back work perfectly and in some cases better with Settlers Online than the latest versions do. This constant compromise that's been going on for years where your TSO game client is also the same program you upgrade to use for general browsing, banking, etc. is the cause of a lot of problems. Dare I say, by them staying with Flash things could get better? One approach they may simply take is to force us to use a specific program (browser, call it what you will) that supports the Flash version of their choice and stay with that for the games last days. The same way many MMO's force you to download their custom client program, TSO in future may do the same with a specific Flash version which doesn't need to be upgraded ever as the back engine. TSO has never leaped into any kind of new ways with software technology that require anything more than it has been doing for the past 5 years.

A TSO survival approach could be an improvement as soon as they break free from different browsers, different versions of, and versions of Flash. And instead pick a final Flash version of choice and either a custom front end or a hybrid browser/custom approach and more is then in BB's control. Less "out of their control" variances. A rewrite for a game this old? Perhaps, if there was a strong player base growth all of a sudden and/or some fancy 3D technology demanded by players. Otherwise they could easily keep going with Flash and more reliably as the years go by with hopefully performance improvements made as they look at how things are organized in code.

Some good points were made in this thread though. When it comes to risky things like blocks etc. while playing, by me living in Canada and logging into the UK server there is no lag at all. It's usually around 2am to 5am UK time that I'm playing. But as far as this game surviving under Flash it can be done and I'm guessing they will continue to do so. If BB does decide to do a rewrite it would be a very amazing choice and I give big respects for them doing so.

[Mannerheim]

In the past BB has said in few places like German and Polish forums that there will be no HTML5 version. Its been also said that the solution to the Flash is dead issue was already made over a year ago and it is the downloadable version which is based on the open source Chromium and has multiplatform support. They have full control on the behavior, security, etc. and it does not matter if an operating system or the browsers bans Flash.

[qawpaw]

+1

would be nice with bb response though-

[BB_Saqui]

Thanks all for your concerns. Flash isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The news that many of you are referencing is in regards to Flash being active by default on those browsers mentioned. This means that when you reach some Flash-enabled content, it will ask your permission before activating it; this is only a good thing because it gives you a choice. Since you guys play "The Settlers Online", you've made the choice to show that content to play the game.

We don't plan on stopping development with Flash. Remember that if Flash was somehow ever going to go away permanently, we would be the first to take action and inform our community accordingly.

Until that happens, you have nothing to worry about.

[DataMinmatar]

It seems BB has for now no plans to convert to html5 after also reading BB response on the German forum.

And they started there years back with asking.
http://forum.diesiedleronline.de/thr...cht-DSO/page35

I just fear we gone lose allot of players while allot are not that good with manual installing plug-ins and changing settings, and for the players that play from there work will almost be sure have no admin rights on there computer to do those things.

I have had friends that stopped playing while you have to press refresh page after giving in your password (long in screen of TSO) else it takes forever to log in. (they thought the game just was broken) this is after 2 years still there this problem, if some already stop cause of that, then changing of giving permission for plug-ins that others don't advice will scare those off.

I hope I'm wrong and that we get allot new players that are willing to install and enable flash to be able to play this game, I'm just very skeptic.