Announcements & News

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=ann&id=1034930][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/words_on_wind_002.png[/img][/url][/center] Hello, how are you? We're sorry it's been so long since we last posted [i]Words on the Wind[/i]. Going forward, [i]Words on the Wind[/i] will be going up once a month to address overall concerns or highlights from one month to the next. We have a lot to cover, questions to answer, business to attend to, and even a sneak peek or two! [more] [br] [center][b][size=4]Communication[/size][/b][/center] We have additional communication threads available on the forums to highlight offsite communication as well as a Q&A thread. [LIST][*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=frd&id=1028513&p=mb]Off-site Communication Summary[/url] - this where information not posted on the FR site but on places like reddit, tumblr, and Facebook will be linked. [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=frd&id=1028094&p=mb]Questions? Concerns? Discuss![/url] -- This thread will be regularly monitored to address or make note of any concerns and questions players may have. [b]This thread will also be updated in the OP and in thread with on-site links or questions I create for the community.[/b][/LIST] [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Registration + Site Stability + the Festival of Lag[/size][/b][/center] We've seen concerns about registration opening when the site is still not at optimal performance and slowing down during the Festivals. We will not be opening the site up for registrations until after the site optimizations have been pushed and we've taken steps to address the Festival-related hit to site performance. We want the next registration wave to be a smooth, enjoyable transition for old and new players. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Scamming + Dragon Names + Harrassment [/size][/b][/center] [LIST][*][b]Scamming[/b] - As per our [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=tos]Terms of Use[/url]: item trades, dragon 'studding,' and nest lending are unsupported transactions, as we have the Crossroads and Auction House to facilitate the movement of dragons; in the event of a bad faith trade, we will be unable to reimburse lost funds, items, or dragons. That being said, however, we also do not support people taking advantage of this to intentionally or continually scam players making trades in good faith. It's not the type of behavior we want or condone, and it will be considered as a form of harassment. If you believe you have fallen into this type of situation, please still report the incident through [url=http://flightrising.com/index.php?p=contact]Contact Us[/url] and we will investigate the report regardless. [/LIST] [LIST][*][b]Dragon names[/b] made with the intent to get around the filter, create shock value, or otherwise violate the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=tos]ToU[/url] and [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=frd&id=749441&p=mb]Site Rules & Guidelines[/url] will be investigated and actioned on a case by case basis. If you find a dragon with a name that meets the above criteria, please report it via [url=http://flightrising.com/index.php?p=contact]Contact Us.[/url][/LIST] [LIST][*][b]Spiteful Exalting,[/b] or buying someone's dragon and naming them something offensive or intended to harass a specific player, [b]constitutes targeted harassment and is actionable.[/b] Even if the name is within naming guidelines, if the perceived intent of the act is to bother/upset/harass the previous dragon owner, that is not something that will be tolerated. If this happens to you, please report it through [url=http://flightrising.com/index.php?p=contact]Contact Us[/url] and in your report include the dragon ID#(s) for the Exalted dragon(s).[/LIST] [LIST][*]Conversely, using this stance to [b]maliciously report players[/b] will be investigated and actioned accordingly.[/LIST] [LIST][*][b]Player Disagreements[/b] are expected to be resolved either through respectful discourse and/or use of the Report and Ignore features. Using gameplay features to harass and punish a player you disagree with is not acceptable behavior. [/LIST] To clarify: Players are free to name their Dragons as they see fit as long as they are within the ToU/Site Rules & Guidelines, but we did want to be clear on our official stance: We do not support the use of gameplay features to make the game an uncomfortable experience for the community at large. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Flight sub-forums for sales[/size][/b][/center] We know this is getting out of control for some of the Flights and are evaluating the situation. We are aware of the need for something different and will be looking into it, but it may take some time. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Spoiler Discussions[/size][/b][/center] We've seen this topic come up a few times in discussions on and off the site and we'd like to clarify where we stand. The administration team is small and our developers have full-time jobs. Site updates and releases are a coordinated effort around these schedules. This means that sometimes items/familiars/etc may be uploaded to the site prior to their official announcement. When this happens, it is to ensure that when we post the announcement the new content is available to you right away. Sometimes content will be [b]uploaded and released[/b] into the game prior to the announcement about it. If it is actively appearing in the game, please feel free to discuss it! However, if it is [b]uploaded and not released[/b]--and is found by means the administrators did not intend for players to use--spoiler discussions may be removed without warning by members of our moderator team. This is what they have been instructed to do. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Moderators[/size][/b][/center] First of all, another huge thank you to you guys. You are an immensely positive part of how this site works! Our moderators are members of the community who volunteer their time for the benefit of the site. They help the forums by locking derailed or argumentative threads, answering questions, and moving misplaced threads to their appropriate subforums. Our moderators are all players who we feel can and will provide the community with leadership and a level-headed influence. The mod team is in constant contact and participate in regular meetings. [b]What you can expect from the moderators:[/b] [LIST] [*]In the event of a thread lock: a prior warning or, in the case of General and threads completely run into the ground, a message noting the reason why the thread was locked. [/LIST] [LIST] [*]In the event of a thread removal: The OP will be messaged privately explaining why the thread was removed. [/LIST] [LIST] [*]In the event of a thread move: The OP will either be privately messaged with the new link and/or pinged in the moved thread. [/LIST] If any of the above do not happen, please use [url=http://flightrising.com/index.php?p=contact]Contact Us[/url] with your feedback and title it Moderator Feedback/Comment/Concern (whichever applicable). Please do not "call out" the mods on the forums. The volunteer moderators are also players and extended the same protections as everyone else. Note: [b]Moderators are expected to remove content that violates the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=tos]ToU[/url] and [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=frd&id=749441&p=mb]Site Rules & Guidelines[/url] on sight.[/b] If players post content of a graphic sexual or violent nature, images/gifs with profanity, masked profanity, etc it will be removed without warning and the entire thread reminded to keep content within the ToU/Site Rules and Guidelines. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Mini-modding[/size][/b][/center] I've received many, many messages inquiring as to what exactly constitutes mini-modding. [br] [b]Mini-modding is [i]not[/i][/b] [LIST][*]Linking players to official sources and stickies [*]Linking players to tracking threads in Bugs [*]Answering questions [*]Privately alerting moderators to threads spiraling out of control[/LIST] [b]Mini-modding [i]is[/i] [/b] [LIST][*]Ordering fellow players to delete threads and post elsewhere, either in the thread or in private messages [*]Ordering fellow players to request their thread be moved [*]Messaging moderators ordering them to move threads not your own. [*]Chastising other players about threads in the incorrect forum [/LIST] If you are messaged by a fellow player about a thread of yours and it makes you uncomfortable or you feel you are being told what to do, please report it via the Report feature. If this is a repeat issue for you, please use [url=http://flightrising.com/index.php?p=contact]Contact Us[/url] to inform us of the repeat behavior. These definitions are subject to change and may be taken on a case-by-case basis. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Bugs[/size][/b][/center] We understand that many players would like to see a regular progress report on bug fixes but that is unfortunately not always possible. We know it can be frustrating and we apologize for that. We are working to be better and more forthcoming on that front. To combat that, I will be making sure that our [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=bug&id=20942&p=mb][b]Known Issues thread[/b][/url] is updated as regularly as possible. We can't promise a schedule or complete transparency on this, as bugs are fixed when they are fixed without breaking other features. Some are fixed in record time, some frustrate developers to the point their keyboards may fly out a window. In the meantime, please continue posting your bug reports either to the tracking threads or creating your own thread if another thread or tracking thread does not exist. To best help us and your fellow players, please check Known Issues and the first three pages of Bugs for any applicable tracking threads and review the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=bug&id=1912&p=mb]Guide[/url] for how to best post a bug report. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Fairgrounds/Coliseum[/size][/b][/center] Thank you to everyone who answered our questions last week about your experience with the Fairgrounds and Coliseum. We've taken your feedback seriously and are exploring several ways to adjust Play to make it a more satisfying, enjoyable experience for you without making it rain treasure and Familiars. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Community Spotlight: Flight Rising Legacy Challenge[/size][/b][/center] @justjasper's [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=frd&id=1021864&p=mb]Flight Rising Legacy Challenge[/url] (#flight rising legacy challenge for the tumblr community) The Legacy Challenge is detailed, well-thought out, and has set off a fascinating game for those of us watching. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Community Spotlight: Wish Rising[/size][/b][/center] We watched as this movement materialized on our tumblr tag before the holidays, and were overwhelmed by how much it grew in such a short period of time. It's even still going strong! For those that were not familiar, players would grant wishes for one another, through sharing, gifting, and trading. We are humbled by the generosity of our community and players. You are all amazing and make Flight Rising what it is! [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Community Spotlight: Theme Week[/size][/b][/center] [b]Dragon Share[/b] had its[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=drs&id=1033868&p=mb] first theme week: food![/url] It was a wonderful experience to see all the ways players have bred, attired, and gened their dragons to fit the theme. All of the dragons looked absolutely delicious. We've seen questions about Theme Week becoming a contest, but this is not likely something we will be pursuing. Theme Week is in Dragon Share because we want it to be a sharing experience, for players to come together, show off their hard work, maybe meet other like-minded players with similar goals. [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Fairgrounds Sneak Peek: [i]Tidal Trouble[/i][/size][/b][/center] We've been hard at work on our next Fairground game: [b][i]Tidal Trouble[/i][/b]! [i]Tidal Trouble[/i] is a game of precision, wherein you aim colored bubbles at groups of same-colored bubbles at the top of the board. If you connect three or more, they'll all pop! We originally debuted this game during our beta phase of the site, but have made several revisions and upgrades to the code since then. One of the main features we're excited to share is the addition of a Puzzle Editor. Not only will you be able to play [i]Tidal Trouble[/i] to earn treasure, you'll be able to design your own puzzles with the editor, name them, submit them, and if approved, play them if they randomly come up! The creativity of the[i] Flight Rising[/i] community has been so amazing so far, we really wanted to be able to leverage that in one of our site games, too. Here are some shots! [center][url=http://flightrising.com/dropbox/tt_preview.jpg][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/btn_gameplay.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/dropbox/tt_puzzleeditor.jpg][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/btn_puzzleeditor.png[/img][/url][/center] [br][br][br][br] [center][b][size=4]Gene Sneak Peek: [i]Bar and Daub[/i][/size][/b][/center] We're constantly working on new genes and goodies on the art-front. A recent pair our artists have been working on are the primary and secondary genes, Bar and Daub. These will place markings similar to those of a leopard shark across your dragon's body and wings! [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/bar.png[/img] [img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/daub.png[/img][/center] [br][br][br][br] That's it for now, we'll see you again next month with WotW Vol 3!