Posted in: Comics, Indie Comics | Tagged: andrew hussie, flash animation, homestuck, The Unofficial Homestuck Collection, webcomics

Homestuck: Unofficial Collection is Free Offline Browser Experience

Homestuck, one of the truly unique webcomics that came out of the launch of the internet, is in danger of going away because much of it was animated using Adobe Flash, which is getting phased out by browsers by the end of this year. That means that the series might go away with it. A fan with the nickname Bambosh has created an offline archive of the series that preserves its Flash animation. Bambosh put the offline browser and content up for free download on their github page.

They also explained how and why they did it:

"Let me tell you a story about a webcomic called Homestuck. The fourth in a series of "MS Paint Adventures" authored by Andrew Hussie from 2006 to 2016, it became wildly successful, in part because of its eclectic use of web technology like Adobe Flash and GIF animations.

However, with Flash finally being phased out at the end of 2020, Homestuck is in a precarious state. While there have been official attempts to preserve aspects of the original experience by VIZ Media (who have published Homestuck since 2018), the results have been mixed. With extra content scattered around the web in various states of decay, a solution was needed to preserve Homestuck's one-of-a-kind presentation and flair for both returning readers and those new to the story.

The Unofficial Homestuck Collection is a heavily customised browser built from the ground up to support Homestuck and its related works. Flashes? We got 'em. The collection runs Flash content natively, providing the most authentic Homestuck experience possible.

Don't get it twisted, though, because "browser" in this context doesn't mean "online." The Unofficial Homestuck Collection is completely self-contained and never has to connect to the internet once you have it downloaded."

"The Unofficial Homestuck Collection contains a complete database of the Homestuck Bandcamp, up to the most recent album as of 10/25/2020. Want to know more about the crazy song you just heard in that Flash animation? Follow the link and see what's up! If you so choose, you can even enable an inline media player that legally streams the music directly from the source. You can try not to get lost exploring the twisted web of Homestuck's discography, but it's inevitable."

"Homestuck is suffering with the decline of Flash, and as long as it exists on the internet, these problems will be inherent to it. The ideal outcome for this collection is that it keeps Homestuck alive for people who may otherwise have given up on it, so they can continue to support all the official channels going forward. If this project results in even one new fan hopping on-board who otherwise wouldn't have, I would consider that a success."

"The new age of Homestuck is going strong, and it needs your support to continue. I consider the Epilogues, HS^2, and the various games released over the past few years to be under active maintenance and an ongoing source of income for the creators. Including those in the collection would feel scummy. The main reason it exists is to prevent the technological decay of Homestuck, not to "stick one to the man" or some garbage. Need to read the Epilogues offline? They made a book for that! It's literally just text! And speaking of books, go and check out Viz's line of deluxe Homestuck hardcovers. They have tons of author commentary you won't find in the collection because, again, I'm really not about harming these guys financially."

Go to Bambosh's github page to download the archive and read the detailed explanations and faq.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!