Announcements & News

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=ann&id=1376354][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/communityupdate.png[/img][/url][/center] We wanted to take the time to follow-up on some items we discussed in our first 2015 quarterly edition of [i]Words on the Wind[/i] to let you know how things are coming along. We recognize that it has been a little while since that issue came out and would like to share with you our progress on some of those initiatives. [b][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=ann&id=1376354]Click here to read more.[/url][/b] [more] [size=5][b] Engineering Update: Forum[/b][/size] [size=4]Status: [color=black][b]Testing[/b][/color][/size] We understand that the word "optimization" is starting to lose some meaning to you; we've been mentioning it a lot, and the process itself has been taking a long time to get through. There has been some confusion as to what's being optimized and what exactly is being done, and we wanted to throw some clarity on that. [b]To put it simply, we are undergoing the process of completely rewriting [i]Flight Rising[/i], part-by-part, from the ground up, as the way in which it was first developed was and is not adequate for continued growth[/b]. Many parts are inefficient and heavy and slow down when we reach a certain threshold of traffic. In order for the site to be able to scale and meet the demands of a growing userbase, we have had to fundamentally break down what we originally created, and piece it back together in a much stronger, smarter, and more robust way. The portions of the site that have already been redesigned are under the [b]www1[/b] subdomain, and those that are not are operating on older code. While we have moved several pieces of the site over, there is still a lot of work to do, and it is very time-consuming. If you have not heard from us in awhile, this is the general reason. We apologize for that, and are doing our best to evolve [i]Flight Rising[/i] so that it can truly support the userbase it has, and the growing one that we know you would love it to have. Our next optimization piece is forum posts themselves. We are deep in testing for this piece, but it should be ready fairly soon. We will, of course, provide you an update before this occurs so that you can be on the lookout for any potential issues. The team will be monitoring the site heavily during that transition. Some things that will be happening with this optimization: [LIST] [*]Clicking a ping alert will take you [b]directly to the post[/b] in which you were pinged! [*]We are going to be disabling the functionality for Forum Subscriptions; it hasn't been working correctly or efficiently, so we'd like to disable it until we can get it working in a pleasing and performance-friendly way. [/LIST] [br][br] [size=5][b]Site Status Box[/b][/size] [size=4]Status: [color=black][b]In Development[/b][/color][/size] We mentioned [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=ann&id=1329753&page=1][b]in [i]Words on the Wind[/i][/b][/url] that we would like to provide better, more rapid communication channels for our players aside from just our content update posts. One of the ways we'd like to start accomplishing that is through a new front-page update area we're calling our [b]Site Status Box[/b]. This box will house our smaller non-content-related updates: things like bug fixes, minor optimization changes, unscheduled maintenance, policy updates, and performance issue notifications. An icon in the top right corner of the box will also instantly tell you whether the site is open for play or down for maintenance. This will take some of the guesswork out of trying to log in when the site is in maintenance mode. The [b]Site Status Box[/b] will display about 4-5 of the most recent minor updates, but you will be able to see a full archive of them all if you missed some. Below is a current mock-up of the layout we're currently going with. As all things, it's subject to change, but this is what we're working on right now: [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/mockup_sitestatusbox.jpg[/img][/center] This feature is very far along in its development, and will be going into testing soon. Thank you for your patience! [br][br] [size=5][b]Dev Tracker[/b][/size] [size=4]Status: [color=black][b]In Development[/b][/color][/size] Kind of in the same vein as the Site Status Box, we also wanted our players to have instant access to all developer and administrative forum posts in chronological order. As it stands right now, it can be very difficult to locate red posts in the forums, and this tool is being developed to alleviate that. We've received tons of great feedback about how when we provide answers to questions in announcement posts, it can be hard to keep up with and reference those posts later. Below is a current rough mock-up of how we'd like the Dev Tracker to appear to players: [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/mockup_devtracker.jpg[/img][/center] This feature is in early development. [br][br] [size=5][b]MVPs[/b][/size] [size=4]Status: [color=black][b]In Progress[/b][/color][/size] We are currently reviewing our first batch of MVP candidates, with hopes of getting vistas out to them soon. We have a large and fantastic community, and are looking forward to recognizing players for their contributions, leadership, and participation. [center][img]http://flightrising.com/images/cms/fvista/12.png[/img][/center] [br][br] ------------ [br][br] [size=5][b]Piebald[/b][/size] [size=4]Status: [color=black][b]Vote Complete, Gene In-Progress[/b][/color][/size] The vote on the piebald survey is complete, and it was an incredibly close one! One of the major reasons why we sought feedback was we could see it working equally well as a primary/secondary pair or a tertiary gene, and could see the colors on it working in variety of ways. It seems that you agreed with this, as the entire vote both choices were neck-and-neck. After over 10,000 responses, the results are in! Primary/Secondary vs Tertiary: [left][b] Primary/Secondary 50.08%[/b], Tertiary 49.92%[/left] Faded Fills vs White Fills: [left]Faded 48.52%, [b]White 51.48%%[/b][/left] [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/piebald_prim_sec2.png[/img][/center] The winner is a [b]primary/secondary pair with a white fill[/b] for the piebald pattern! Our artists will begin the work on recoloring the genes. In the meantime, we have several new genes that will release before the recolor work on piebald is complete, and we are pleased to preview two of them now: [br][br] [size=5][b]Preview: Vipera, Hypnotic[/b][/size] [size=4]Status: [color=black][b]In-Progress[/b][/color][/size] Vipera (P) and Hypnotic (S) are a new primary and secondary pair that will be our next set of gene releases. This gene applies a wavy pattern that bleeds into zig-zags and spots. In general the pattern is darker, while the fades tend to be lighter than the gene's base color. [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/viperahypnotic.png[/img][/center] [br][br] ------------ [br][br] While we only mentioned a few things in this update, please rest assured that the other items mentioned in our last [i]Words on the Wind[/i] are still in progress. We are working hard, but understand that sometimes not saying that can become frustrating for you guys. Thank you again for continuing to share your feedback with us, and for supporting Flight Rising through some pretty substantial changes! [br][br] ------------ [br][br] [size=5][b]Community Spotlights[/b][/size] [br][br] [b][size=4]Festival Events[/size][/b] To start, we want to focus on the amazing Flight Festival events from this year. The organization and coordination in each Flight to achieve these site wide parties is amazing to see. For this update, we're spotlighting the [b]Crystalline Gala[/b] and [b]Trickmurk Circus[/b] Festival hubs![br][br] [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/ice_contest.png[/img][/center][br] @CinnamonThief, representing [b]Ice Flight[/b], put together a [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=frd&id=1332815&page=1]beautifully themed thread[/url], showcasing the various events hosted by the members of Ice Flight: [LIST] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=cc&id=1330473][b]Art Contest[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1331605&page=1][b]Cooking Contest[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=cc&id=1332827&page=1&anchor=][b]Fanzine[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=drs&id=1332874&page=1][b]Fashion Contest[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1336671&page=1][b]Flight of the Hummingbird[/b][/url] [i](fan game/visual novel)[/i] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1333028&page=1][b]Manipulate the Icewarden[/b] [/url] [/LIST] [br][br] We'd like to share with you some of our favorites from the [i]Gala's cooking contest[/i]: [b]Xhaztol[/b]: @Eialyne's [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1331605&page=11#8952952][b]Tasty Tundra Treats[/b][/url] - "I dig a mean cucumber salad." [b]Aequorin[/b]: Also an @Eialyne one! [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1331605&page=11#8952952][b]Snickerdoodle Snowballs[/b][/url] - "I [i]love[/i] Snickerdoodles, I love muffins, and I need all of them." [b]Undel[/b]: @Merellia 's [b][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1331605&page=7#8842188]Winter Roast Chicken with Aether Cherries and Winter's Delight[/url][/b] "Chicken and a sweet berry is always a win for me, and this looks great!" [br][br] [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/shadow_contest.png[/img][/center][br] @BeingofNature, representing [b]Shadow Flight[/b], with the help of[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=5151&tab=dragon&did=9395059] [b]Lucian the Nocturne[/b] [/url]hosted Shadow's Hub for the Trickmurk Circus! Their featured events: [LIST] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=raf&id=1341546&page=1][b]Art Contest[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1338681&page=1][b]Dining in the Dark[/b][/url] [i](cooking contest)[/i] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=raf&id=1335752&page=1][b]Story Contest[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1341571&page=1][b]Jellybean Guessing Game[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1342183&page=1][b]Hall of Oddities[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=rp&id=1349360&page=1][b]Kissing Booth[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=rp&id=1342255][b]Never Ending Story[/b][/url] [*][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1345008][b]Tricky Word Chain[/b][/url] [/LIST] [br][br]From [i]Dining in the Dark[/i], some staff favorites: [b]Xhaztol[/b]: @Troubletail's [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1338681&page=7][b]Magical Mushroom Macaroni[/b][/url] - "I would eat literal pounds of that with my facemouth." [b]Aequorin[/b]: @sciencings' [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1338681&page=3][b]Shadowbinder and Lightweaver's Cookie Dough Truffles[/b][/url] - "Candied ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper? For dessert? Yes please!" [b]Undel[/b]: @Emberglo 's [b][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=forga&id=1338681&page=9#1338681]Bacon Pecan Stuff Mushroom Caps[/url][/b] "It combines all of my favorite flavors. I need to try this..." [br][br]We love seeing what every Flight does for their Festival, it's a testament to the creativity and passion of the [i]Flight Rising[/i] community. We know we haven't covered all of the Festivals in the past but going forward, we will be. If you haven't seen your Flight's festival spotlighted, you will in future Community updates! [br][br] [b][size=4]Player Events[/size][/b] One of our favorite events this year so far were the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=frd&id=1313789&page=1][b]Flight bombs of goodwill and love[/b][/url]. It started out small and grew to be a movement across multiple Flights. Logging into to amusing, kind notes and showered with Element related gifts put a smile on many faces, staff included! And, of course, the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=frd&id=1341489&page=1][b]Battle of the First Four[/b][/url]! This multi-Flight effort for [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=dominance][b]Dominance[/b][/url] saw[b] over 220,000 dragons Exalted in one week[/b]. While this number does include [i]all[/i] dragons Exalted, including those from non-participating Flights/players, so many dragons Exalted is impressive and the members of [b]Earth[/b], [b]Fire[/b], [b]Wind[/b], and [b]Water[/b] should be proud of themselves! [br][br] [b][size=4]Community Call: Fansite![/size][/b] Awhile back we put out a Community Call for fansites. Here's the first of many submissions: [br][br] [center][url=http://familiarmatchmaking.tumblr.com/][img]http://static.tumblr.com/bf53e092c5758c5a9f6737e438f87733/4wbx8m9/eeqn4jld9/tumblr_static_bxdrcemx7hw84ckwgw848cg4.png[/img][/url] [i][size=2]image by @mewhaku[/size][/i] [/center] [url=http://familiarmatchmaking.tumblr.com/][b]Familiar Matchmaking[/b][/url]! This is a popular theme in our Dragon Share Theme Weeks and it's only right we lead off our user submitted fan sites with a community favorite! The blog is run by @Naga and they would like their fellow players to know: [br][br] [quote]No tumblr account is needed to submit! We take submissions of dragon and familiar matches, dragons who need familiar advice, familiar headcanons, familiar art, tools to track familiars, and long as all submissions are Safe for Work. Submissions can be made at familiarmatchmaking.tumblr.com/submit. Tumblr is very finnicky, so try to keep your submission to a maximum of one image (for example, your dragon photoshopped next to your familiar) for it to display properly.[/quote] Naga also wants players to know that Familiar Matchmaking is looking for mods and someone who is able to help with coding. Thank you, @Naga, for being the first of many sites to be highlighted in our Community Updates! [br][br] If you are interested in submitting your fansite for a spotlight, please send us a message through [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/site/contact-us][b]Contact Us[/b][/url] using your registered email. Submissions must include the listed title and fall within the guidelines: [LIST] [*]Title: [b]"Fansite Community Call"[/b] [*]Content must be within the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=tos][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=tos][b]Terms[/b][/url][/url] and [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=wiki&article=50][b]Rules[/b][/url] [*]Site must be actively updated [*]Tell us a little bit about your fansite - this will be included in the feature [/LIST] [br][br] [b][size=4]Dragon Share Summary[/size][/b] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=drs&id=1318673][b]Nocturnes![/b][/url][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=34633&tab=dragon&did=8285452][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/82855/8285452.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=113878&tab=dragon&did=9426321][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/94264/9426321.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=7156&tab=dragon&did=9124462][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/91245/9124462.png[/img][/url][/center] [br] [center][b]@Sphye's Lomenus, @Adrianne's Icicle, and @swiftriver's Fennicaster![/b][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=drs&id=1326566&page=1&anchor=][b]Winter![/b][/url][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=77049&tab=dragon&did=6406605][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/64067/6406605.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=76853&tab=dragon&did=8379850][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/83799/8379850.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=20604&tab=dragon&did=8340575][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/83406/8340575.png[/img][/url][/center] [br] [center][b]@Clocks' Snowfall, @SerpentineSage's McKinley, and @rainbowbarnacle's Aurora![/b][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=drs&id=1335327&page=1][b]Okapi![/b][/url][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9112743][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/91128/9112743.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=106376&tab=dragon&did=7288403][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/72885/7288403.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=3199&tab=dragon&did=10075073][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/100751/10075073.png[/img][/url][/center] [br] [center][b]@Cinnia's Selene, @Kassil's Khorinal, and @Kalineh's Gwyneira![/b][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=drs&id=1343218&page=1][b]Crystalline Gala![/b][/url][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=47668&tab=dragon&did=8593559][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/85936/8593559.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=81794&tab=dragon&did=10030785][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/100308/10030785.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=46560&tab=dragon&did=8565148][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/85652/8565148.png[/img][/url][/center] [br] [center][b]@thequeenofhearts' RainbowMoonstone, @Antrey's Gla, and @Maryxmisfits' Fafnir![/b][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=drs&id=1350368&page=1&anchor=][b]Candy![/b][/url][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=69299&tab=dragon&did=4580809][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/45809/4580809.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=62229&tab=dragon&did=4228588][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/42286/4228588.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=11316&tab=dragon&did=8354662][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/83547/8354662.png[/img][/url] [br][/center] [center][b]@jaqattaq's Cottoncandy, @Dask's Coolmynt, and @BatCrooks' Peppermint![/b][/center] [br][br] [center][b][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=drs&id=1356862&page=1]Basic Plentifuls![/url][/b][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=38541&tab=dragon&did=109288][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/1093/109288.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=55609&tab=dragon&did=2957665][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/29577/2957665.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=39132&tab=dragon&did=3823687][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/38237/3823687.png[/img][/url][/center] [br] [center][b]@Vhyxalas' Rajpuur, @pastelprincess' Morena, and @Flippant's War![/b][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=mb&board=drs&id=1362829&page=1][b]Accents![/b][/url][/center] [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=3825&tab=dragon&did=10309491][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/103095/10309491.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=22564&tab=dragon&did=3875069][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/38751/3875069.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=70569&tab=dragon&did=6097316][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/60974/6097316.png[/img][/url][/center] [br] [center][b]@Pterois' Imperial, @Calidragon's Felix, and @NotQuiteToxic's Clarke![/b][/center] [br][br] [size=5][b]Additional Updates[/b][/size] [LIST] [*][b]Forest Green Wing Wraps[/b] have had their art corrected for Nocturne females. [*][b]Black Linen Wing Wraps[/b] have had their art corrected for Nocturne females. [*][b]Brass Steampunk Spats[/b] have had their art corrected for Nocturne females. [*][b]Bronze Steampunk Vest[/b] has had its art corrected for Nocturne males. [*][b]Brass Steampunk Tail Bauble[/b] has had its art corrected for Nocturne females. [/LIST]

• Genes: they are not gem genes.

• With the rewrite happening, we are carefully choosing what features we implement as to not double the work that needs to be done.

• On the rewrite and what's been implemented.

• Further clarification on the rewrite

• On Festival coverage

• This is not Words on the Wind, this is a Community Update, providing updates on things promised and community projects/spotlights.

• On the drops between www1 and www

• Always clear your cache on BOTH urls, www1 and www

• We do not give ETAs.

• Yes, features like Baldwin are still planned but the rewrite comes first.