Announcements & News

[center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/words_on_wind_005.png[/img][/center] Welcome to the June 2014 edition of [i]Words on the Wind[/i]! We have quite a bit to cover so let's get started! [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=ann&id=1117150&p=mb]Click here to read more about today's update.[/url][/center][more] [br][br] ---------- [br][br] [center][b][size=5]Community Updates[/size][/b][/center] [br][br] [center][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/amalythia.png[/img][/center] [br] Today we bid our Senior Moderator, @Amalythia, farewell from the mod squad. Amalythia is stepping down to pursue and focus on a creative passion. She will remain a part of our community but as a player, not a moderator. We would like to express our deep gratitude to Amalythia for all of her support, her leadership, her feedback, her contributions to the growth and guidance of the volunteer moderator team. She has been a joy to work with and while we will miss her presence on the squad, we wish her all the best in her pursuits. [br][br] ---------- [br][br] [center][b][size=5][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=cc&id=1113580&p=mb]Familiar Coloring Contest[/url][/b][/center] Always wanted to paint your own familiar? We've got the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=cc&id=1113580&p=mb]contest[/url] for you! We are running a familiar coloring contest from June until July 14th Winning entries will become treasure marketplace familiars - show us your color theory, and [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=cc&id=1113580&p=mb]click here for more information![/url][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/images/media_psd/buttersnake.zip][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/buttersnake_thumb.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/images/media_psd/leaf_kitty.zip][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/leaf_kitty_thumb.png[/img][/url][/center] [br][br] ---------- [br][br] [center][b][size=5]Marketplace[/size][/b][/center] In our last registration window, we had 20,000 new users join us. As many were correct in pointing out, this meant Marketplace items would sell out faster. We've made two adjustments to the stock rate and will continue to evaluate the supply v demand. We want [i]all[/i] of our players to have a fair chance to purchase Marketplace items at their intended price, and will continue to adjust as we monitor the situation. [br][br] ---------- [br][br] [center][b][size=5]Site Optimization[/size][/b][/center] Our last registration window brought to light several areas of the site that can continue to be streamlined. We hit a performance decrease around 5500 to 6000 concurrent users on all at once last registration - an amazing number, but one we need to prepare around for our next window so that [i]Flight Rising[/i] can continue to grow! We are addressing any bottlenecks we can find to improve and prepare the site for our next window. Hopefully for the next one the baby Snappers will stay in their nurseries so no wires are chewed or fans tied up. [br][br] ---------- [br][br] [center][b][size=5]Moderators[/size][/b][/center] We'd like to take a moment to address something we've noticed, something that is happening with greater frequency of late. The [i]Flight Rising[/i] moderator team is a [b]volunteer[/b] position. They are not staff, they are not Admin. We feel it's necessary to clarify this. Volunteer moderators are not able to respond to reimbursement requests, nor do they have access to the inner workings of account actions or development. Moderators do not set policy, they enforce it at Admin direction/request. If you are having an account-related issue, please use the [url=http://flightrising.com/index.php?p=contact]contact form[/url] rather than contacting a moderator, as this is the quickest route to staff who deals with these issues, and to a solution! A moderator can assist you with moving a thread belonging to you, stickying a thread in a Flight Forum that is relevant and active, diffusing or moderating threads that need it, or help you find the correct avenue for a query. [br][br] ---------- [br][br] [center][b][size=5][url=http://flightrising.com/index.php?p=contact]Reporting Security Concerns[/url][/b][/center] If you think you've found an exploit, cheat, or security concern, please send it directly to us through[url=http://flightrising.com/index.php?p=contact] Contact Us[/url]. An exploit is different than a bug, in that it is an issue or event that can be used to artificially gain an edge over players who are not abusing the problem, and exacerbates the situation. Posting security issues forums or social media can make resolution more complex and gives the problem a greater audience, risking the site's integrity. Please send security concerns through the contact form, where it will go directly and privately to the staff. [br][br] ---------- [br][br] [center][b][size=5]Community Spotlight[/size][/b][/center] This month's Spotlight is a little different! We've seen some truly interesting or hilarious community efforts this past month and we want to call your attention to them. [b]First up:[/b] Cosplay! @anarin, @setralynn, and @calhale posted a great cosplay on tumblr of the deities. We loved seeing their dedication and creativity and we hope to see more soon! Just look at that Stormcatcher cosplay! [url=http://setralynn.tumblr.com/post/88244668007/2014-06-08-happy-first-birthday-flight-rising]You can see more of their work here![/url] [br][br] [center][url=http://setralynn.tumblr.com/post/88244668007/2014-06-08-happy-first-birthday-flight-rising][img]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/cosplay.png[/img][/url] [/center] [br][br] [b]Second:[/b] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=frd&id=1091538&p=mb]So this happened...[/url] There are really no words to describe how we felt when we read through the thread. It is amazing and it can be summed like this: [br][br] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?board=frd&id=1091538&p=mb][img]http://i.imgur.com/lILR9BS.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][size=2][i]All hail the Toothy Tidelord.[/i][/size] [/center] [br][br] ---------- [br][br] [center][b][size=5]Additional Updates[/size][/b][/center] [LIST] [*]Links that contain ampersands are no longer being corrupted in Forum Signatures, Dragon Biographies, or Forum Posts. [*]Dragons obtained via the Crossroads, Auction House, or unhatched eggs now properly move to the back of the lair, and should hopefully stop rearranging your other clanmates. [*]Dragon "Gender" dropdowns now display the Mars/Venus symbol instead. [/LIST] Thank you for reading, we'll see you again in [i]Words on the Wind[/i], Volume 6!