Announcements & News

[center][permalink][img]https://flightrising.com/dropbox/updates/devupdate.png[/img][/permalink][/center] It's time for a [b]Developer Update[/b]! In today's post, we'll give you all the details for our new [b]Pinglists[/b] feature, give you a glimpse of a major rehaul to our [b]Custom Skins submission system[/b], and catch you up with where we're at with [b]Coliseum PVP[/b]. [center][permalink][b]Click here to read more.[/b][/permalink][/center] [more] The dust from the launch of the [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/ann/3244799][b]Achievements system[/b][/url] and our first round of [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/ann/3267222][b]accessibility updates[/b][/url] has settled, so the engineering team is once again moving to tackle multiple projects at once. Below, we'll give you some details on how things are going! ------ [size=5][b]Pinglists[/b][/size] As of this post, we've launched a new [i]Flight Rising[/i] forum feature called [b]Pinglists[/b]. We've been reading and considering your [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/sug/3166738/1][b]thoughtful discussions[/b][/url] and [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/sug/3277866/1#post_3277866][b]feedback[/b][/url] regarding better built-in support for [b]notifying large groups of players[/b] in forum threads. The name is borrowed from the colloquial [i]"Ping lists/Pinglists"[/i] term—there are [b]over a million[/b] references in our forums alone—that players have been utilizing as a common method for thread authors to notify their readers of updates. These lists are essentially just long blocks of "@" commands and are very popular for community interactions like player-run events, hatcheries, and selling custom skins, just to name a few. One of the biggest reasons we received this kind of suggestion from you centered largely around the fact that the act of building and maintaining these lists often happened outside/off the [i]Flight Rising[/i] website, such as chat platforms, open collaborative documents like Google Sheets, etc. To complicate things further, not all [i]Flight Rising[/i] players used those types of external applications and methods to begin with, so list organizers would need to handle inclusion of those players on their lists [b]manually[/b]. We came to find that constructing lists like this, and with some of them being massive in size, in a public space was (and is!) both a headache and a security risk. We needed to find a solution that would fit the needs of our players that [b]provided a safe environment for curating and managing those communities[/b]. Enter "pinglists" proper! The concept is fairly simple: Players can [b]create[/b] their own distinct pinglists directly on [i]Flight Rising[/i], [b]share[/b] them with other players, and those players can [b]voluntarily subscribe[/b] to the pinglist—without ever leaving the website! The process is, by design, entirely [b]in-house[/b] [i]and[/i] [b]opt-in[/b]. [size=4][b]Isn't this just the same thing as starring a thread to add it to your Forum Subscriptions?[/b][/size] Pinglists are intentionally designed to run [i]alongside[/i] forum subscriptions as [b]another way[/b] to more flexibly control your notifications. For instance, with today's launch, the following scenarios are now possible: [LIST] [*]You are [b]unsubscribed[/b] from a thread because you're not interested in receiving a notification [i]every[/i] time that thread is updated, but you do want to be notified when the thread author [i]chooses[/i] to ping about [b]specific updates[/b]. [*]You have forum pings entirely [b]disabled[/b], but still [i]want[/i] to receive alerts from a pinglist or even multiple pinglists. [*]You have forum pings, subscribed thread alerts, and pinglist pings all [b]enabled[/b]. [*]You have forum pings, subscribed thread alerts, and pinglist pings all [b]disabled[/b], effectively turning off notifications for anything forum-related. [/LIST] This additional level of agency is something that we know many of you would appreciate, so we took extra care in making sure it was included. The power is yours! [size=4][b]Creating Pinglists[/b][/size] Let's say that you run a forum thread talking about how much you love puppies. You would like to be able to notify a group of players who share that same interest whenever you make an update to your puppies thread, or perhaps even another thread where puppies are being discussed. A pinglist is perfect for that! [b]To make a pinglist:[/b] [LIST=1] [*]Tap the following [b]button[/b] at the top of the [i]Flight Rising[/i] forums: [img alt="A screenshot depicting three buttons along the top of the Flight Rising discussion forums, in order from left to right: Subscribe to Thread (Star), Pinglists, Search"]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/prev_pinglists_button.png[/img] [*]This will take you to your [b]Pinglists management page[/b], which allows you access to creating or editing new lists, as well as listing every pinglist you're already subscribed to. [*]In the top right corner of the page, click the [b]Create a New Pinglist[/b] button. [*]From here, you can give your pinglist a [b]name[/b] and designate an [b]icon[/b] to give it some extra flair. [*]When you're finished, click [b]Create Pinglist[/b] in the top right, and you're ready to start sharing and/or using it! [/LIST] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/dropbox/prev_pinglists_create.png][img alt="A screenshot depicting the Create Pinglist page, which contains a text field for the pinglist name and all available emoji that can be used to add flair to a pinglist. There is also a preview on the right side of how the new pinglist's widget will display if included in a forum post."]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/prev_pinglists_create.png[/img][/url][/center] [size=4][b]Sharing Pinglists[/b][/size] To make the process of [b]subscribing[/b] to pinglists as easy as possible, we've implemented a brand new [b]BBcode forum widget[/b] that will help you share it with prospective subscribers. Once you've created a pinglist using the steps above, you'll you have the option to copy the [b]widget command[/b] to your clipboard. When this command is formatted into a forum post, it will render a cute little widget showing the name of your pinglist, the icon you've chosen, and how many players are subscribed to it. Would-be followers can simply [b]click the widget to sign up[/b]—it's that simple! If you click the widget for a pinglist you've already subscribed to, it will take you that pinglist's page, where you can [b]unsubscribe[/b] if you don't want or need updates from it any longer. You can also tap the [b]flag emoji[/b] in the bottom right corner of the widget to easily unsubscribe without navigating away from the thread. [i]Side note: these widgets fit really well in forum signatures![/i] [url=http://flightrising.com/dropbox/prev_pinglists_bbcode.png][img alt=" A screenshot depicting the text commands to use a pinglist and to embed a pinglist widget into a post."]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/prev_pinglists_bbcode.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/dropbox/prev_pinglists_forumpost.png][img alt="A screenshot depicting a post in the Flight Rising forums where a player has both executed a pinglist ping as well as having embedded a subscription widget for their pinglist."]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/prev_pinglists_forumpost.png[/img][/url] [size=4][b]Using Pinglists[/b][/size] Once you've created your pinglist, you can use its unique [b]ping command[/b] (appears right next to the widget command mentioned above) within a forum post to notify its subscribers. Like individual pings, [b]this will generate an alert for every player on that pinglist[/b], so use it wisely! [info][b]IMPORTANT NOTE[/b]: The ping command can [b]only[/b] be used by the pinglist's creator, so no one can co-opt your pinglist to annoy other players.[/info] [size=4][b]Summing Up & Sunsetting Mass Pings[/b][/size] [b]One final note[/b]: In the near future, [b]we will be removing the option to send "mass pings"[/b]. Simply put, this means the method of pinging multiple users that has existed until now. Among the other good reasons we had for implementing pinglists, cutting down on large blocks of individual ping commands is in itself an optimization and could help improve the browsing experience in the forums especially. While we have yet to determine [b]when[/b] we will turn that forum functionality off, we want you to know that the "mass-pings" threshold will be 12 pings, or '@' commands. Please note, that we reserve the right to evaluate this cap after its implementation and adjust it based on how the permitted 12 pings are used, or mis-used. We will communicate the "mass-ping" end date to you several times before pings are capped. [b]This is a transition period[/b] and we want to make sure you and your fellow players have time to adjust to this new system. That being said: [b]we encourage all players that curate these lists—especially the large ones—to start moving over to the integrated Pinglist system now so that when the time comes, you will have all your communities covered[/b]. This is not just feature adoption, it will actively make your [i]Flight Rising[/i] experience more secure by removing the need to leverage other platforms where we're unable to investigate, identify, and action bad-faith or malicious third-parties. We want to thank our community for not only finding new and interesting ways to keep in touch with one another directly on [i]Flight Rising[/i], but for sharing the desire for us to create and improve those channels. We're constantly reviewing your thoughts and discussions and happy to provide tools where we feel it will genuinely benefit all players. [b]We hope you really enjoy creating and sharing pinglists with one another![/b] [center]@pinglist-1[/center] [size=5][b]Custom Skins[/b][/size] [b]Custom skins & accents[/b] have been a hallmark feature of [i]Flight Rising[/i] since it launched, and in that time, we've made a few small changes here and there to try and help accommodate creators and offer a better turnaround time for repeat orders, or "reprints". The custom skins system has been so popular, in fact, that we're struggling a bit to keep pace with all the wonderful creations coming in. Over the past couple months, we have been starting work on [b]a rehaul to the entire system[/b], and we wanted to share a few of the early concepts with you today. [info][b]NOTE[/b]: What we are sharing below is from a [b]development process[/b] that is still in its [b]early stages[/b]. The screenshots are from a [b]UI prototype[/b], which is put together with barebones wireframes and intended to help the engineering team understand the design intent. Details below [b]can[/b] and [b]probably will change[/b] before the final implementation.[/info] [size=4][b]Better Flow, Better Feedback[/b][/size] One of the most challenging parts about the current system is that [b]there's not much in the way of feedback[/b] as you are setting up and submitting your order request. Because custom skins have to follow a fairly [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/wiki/skins/1][b]strict set of rules[/b][/url], we understand that it can be hard to remember them all when creating your art, and even more discouraging if your submission is sent back for required edits, especially when that turnaround time can be a few days or longer. Our current plans are to [b]break the submission process into a few more steps[/b] that will provide skin creators with critical feedback earlier. If implemented correctly, an artist will know if their art meets the [b]image size[/b], [b]coverage[/b], and [b]formatting requirements[/b] long before the submission even takes place. This should allow the player submitting the design a chance to make any necessary fixes and alterations before the skin is reviewed by our team, which in turn will hopefully improve the fulfillment time for skin item creation. Here are a few (but not all) of the [b]systemic checks[/b] we are hoping to build directly into the submission process: [LIST] [*]The system will ensure your image file is the [b]proper size[/b] in pixels. [*]The system will ensure your image file is of the correct document [b]format[/b] (.png) [*]The system will evaluate whether your art [b]extends beyond permitted sections[/b] on the selected dragon sprite. [*]The system will provide you with a percentage estimation of [b]how much of the dragon sprite your art covers[/b], which determines whether the design is a skin or an accent. [/LIST] The reasons listed above are the [b]most common reasons that skin submissions are rejected and sent back[/b]—barring rule-violating content drawn right into the artwork—so we're hopeful that changes like this will improve turnaround time, reduce confusion, and make the skin and accent submission system experience more pleasant and streamlined for everyone. Below is a [b]mockup[/b] of what this interface might look like: [url=http://flightrising.com/dropbox/mockup_coverageeval.png][img alt="A UI prototype depicting a conceptual step in a skin submission system. The interface displays a vertical list of checks where some are marked with checkmarks and some are marked with error icons."]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/mockup_coverageeval.png[/img][/url] [size=4][b]Your Skin, Your Icon[/b][/size] Another improvement we're hoping to include is allowing the author of a skin submission to [b]design their own item icon[/b]. This concept bears fruit in [b]two major ways[/b]: [LIST] [*]Artists get to choose which part of their skin they want to highlight in the actual item's icon, which is what all other players see. [*]It entirely removes a manual and time-consuming process from our skin moderation team. [/LIST] [b]The goal is[/b]: once your artwork has made it through the [b]evaluation checks[/b] (mentioned in the section above this), you'll be presented with an interface where your skin art will be layered beneath the skin or accent icon template, and that template having a transparent cut-out to directly represent how the final item icon will display. [b]Easy-to-use controls[/b] on this page would enable you to [b]pan[/b] and [b]zoom[/b] that artwork around so that you can showcase what you believe to be the best representative section of your skin's artwork. Below is a mockup of what this interface might look like: [url=http://flightrising.com/dropbox/mockup_iconeditor.png][img alt="A UI prototype depicting a conceptual step in a skin submission system. The interface displays the player's skin artwork set behind a mostly white translucent overlay, except for a hole cut out in the center of the accent icon template."]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/mockup_iconeditor.png[/img][/url] This part of the flow is really exciting to us, because it means custom skin orders can be fulfilled so much more more quickly than before. Beyond that, we are making a lot of technical improvements under the hood that will further aid our skin moderation team to more rapidly generate the in-game items themselves and ship them back to the players. There's a lot to look forward to! [size=4][b]Reprints[/b][/size] One thing that our team hadn't fully considered when we launched [i]Flight Rising[/i] was that players would later return to the Custom Skins system with the desire to make simple "reprints" of [b]skins they already ordered and had fulfilled[/b]. We did not build the tool to support this order type in the beginning. Obviously, we've learned a ton about the creators in our community since then, and it became clear: [b]a simplified reprint process was going to be essential[/b]. We're happy to say that full reprint support is a focal part of our work on the system revamp, and here is our current idea behind how it might work: [LIST=1] [*]You submit a skin or an accent order and have it fulfilled by our team. [*]The skins produced from that fulfillment (because they have passed evaluation and have been created) would be [b]flagged as eligible for reprints[/b]. [*]You visit a page showing every skin item you have submitted that are eligible for reprints and, as long as you have the appropriate blueprint(s) in your inventory, initiate an automated reprint on the skin of your choosing. [*]The really cool part? We want this to be [b]nearly instant[/b]. [/LIST] Now, there will be some [b]caveats and limitations[/b], at least at first. As much as we would like it, [b]reprint eligibility will not be fully retroactive[/b]. The technical changes are significant enough that we can't flag all previously-ordered skins as eligible for instant reprints. There are a few reasons for that: [LIST] [*]There are [b]thousands of custom skins[/b] and when you make a global data change to all of them, it is both [b]non-trivial[/b] and carries [b]data-related risks[/b]. [*]Over the 10 years [i]Flight Rising[/i] has been running, there have been changes and updates to the rules for player conduct and the skin system itself. [b]A skin that was ordered and fulfilled 7 years ago may not meet the qualifications of the system today.[/b] [/LIST] That being said, the reprint page will [b]communicate the reprint eligibility status of all your skins[/b], and it is our goal to allow you to re-submit older skin submissions through a truncated version of the new flow so that they can be reviewed again. Due to all of the changes discussed so far, we feel that even this process will be quicker, so as long as your skin meets the current version of our rules, it should make it through fulfillment and then be flagged for instant reprints going forward. Below is a mockup of what the reprint page might look like: [url=http://flightrising.com/dropbox/mockup_reprintpage.png][img alt="A UI prototype depicting a conceptual step in a skin submission system. The interface displays all of the player's submitted skins, with information blurbs below each one describing whether each skin is immediately eligible for reprints."]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/mockup_reprintpage.png[/img][/url] [size=5][b]Coliseum PVP[/b][/size] We know [b]it's been awhile since we provided an update on the revamp of the Coliseum PVP system[/b], so we wanted to say something briefly in this Dev Update. We apologize that it's taken awhile to roll this one out; much of the reason for that were other high-priority projects taking focus, namely the recent [b]Achievements system[/b], which was a [b]9-month full team effort[/b]. While we still don't have much in the way of concrete information for you today, we are happy to say that the feature is quickly approaching an important internal milestone and we will soon be conducting playtests as part of an [b]internal alpha[/b] within our team. We've made some modifications to the scope of that alpha so that we can truly target the important networking and infrastructure changes that needed to be built as the foundation for our future plans. If internal alpha testing is successful, we will make an update to the community on our plans for kicking off a [b]public beta[/b], which we hope you will be a part of! Our first goal is narrow and simple: [b]general stability[/b], [b]connectivity[/b], and [b]flexibility[/b]. The beta will focus on what we're calling [i]"Friend Battles"[/i], which are voluntary, invite-based 1v1 battles with no stakes. There will be no matchmaking systems or ratings as part of this first phase, so that we can focus solely on the system successfully accommodating many concurrent multiplayer instances. Another thing that this particular project is teaching us is how we can build a [b]robust and modern multiplayer framework[/b] for [i]Flight Rising[/i]. The successes and failures of Coliseum PVP testing will inform us how we might be able to implement the backbone of [b]other major features[/b] in our development plans. "Adventure" and "Dragonmeet" are terms that have been around for a long time, and while there isn't a lot we can say (yet), creating a stable multiplayer ecosystem will be integral in making sure those projects (or whatever name or form they end up taking) are set up for success. The Coliseum PVP system isn't just a rewrite, it's part of a [b]larger R & D initiative[/b] for the future of [i]Flight Rising![/i] --- Thanks again for taking this journey with us! We hope this peek inside our workshop was interesting, and we appreciate your patience while we're tinkering back here. We are looking forward to how the community interacts with the new [b]Pinglist[/b] system!