Skins and Accents

Hello everyone! As you may have noticed, we've been removing links to some external sites. The reason for this is that these sites use URLs to automatically scrape data from the [i]Flight Rising[/i] servers in order to preview work-in-progress skins on a specific dragon from threads in this forum. And as noted at the time of removal, these removals are due to the way these specific tools function that are in violation of our [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/site/terms-use]Terms of Use:[/url][/b] [quote]13. The use of bots, scripts, or third party software that generate an excessive amount of concurrent connections or potentially damage site stability is not permitted. This can fall under the realm of using browser functions, add-ons, extensions, etc. to hit Company or Services’ server infrastructure in repetitive or disproportionate ways. These incidents will be reviewed thoroughly on a case-by-case basis.[/quote] The above has been a part of our Terms of Use since the early life of the site. This isn't a new rule and is why we are simply removing links to sites that break these terms without additional prior notice and, in most cases, without penalty. [br] ----- [b][size=4]Permitted External Tools[/size][/b] Since [I]Flight Rising[/I] opened in 2013, players have created supplemental sites and tools to cover needs we couldn't or didn't anticipate until the game launched with a live and interactive community. [b]And as long as those sites, tools, and previewers adhere to our Terms of Use, players were and still are welcome to share them with each other and on the [I]Flight Rising[/I] website.[/b] To help you protect your account and yourself from creating or sharing prohibited sites, we put together a short list of [b]what to look for[/b] in an [b]allowed supplemental[/b] site, previewer, or tool: [list=1][*] The site or tool [b]does not[/b] require you to log in using your [I]Flight Rising[/I] account credentials. [*] The site or tool credits and links back to flightrising.com. [*] The site or tool requires you to upload your dragon's image from your hard drive/device, not via URL. [*] The site or tool requires you to input your dragon's information manually. [/list] [b][size=4]Prohibited External Tools[/size][/b] This is a short list of red flags for you to look for when exploring supplemental websites, applications, or tools: [list=1][*] The site or tool requires you to use your [I]Flight Rising[/I] login credentials. [*] The site or tool claims our IP as their own, or they do not credit and link back. [*] The site or tool downloads or scrapes images from the [i]Flight Rising[/i] website, or asks a user to enter a [i]Flight Rising[/i] URL for it to fetch (download) images from our servers. [*] The site or tool downloads or scrapes data from the [i]Flight Rising[/i] website, or asks a user to enter a [i]Flight Rising[/i] URL for it to fetch (download) data from our servers. [*]The site encourages breaking or circumventing [i]Flight Rising[/i]’s Terms of Use. [/list] [b][I]Flight Rising[/I] does not currently offer a public API[/b], or Application Programming Interface, for developers to use in web-application development. Downloading images via url and scraping data via automated tools has been prohibited by websites since the early days of the internet, and is web development 101. [b]Why is this prohibited?[/b] Individual user behavior can be predicted and accommodated for, but third-party sites, tools, and applications can’t be, unless an API is provided by the primary site for that specific purpose. [b]What this means is:[/b] Any third-party website, application, or tool that makes calls to the [i]Flight Rising[/i] servers for the purpose of downloading—scraping—information or images is directly in violation of our Terms of Use. [br] ----- [b][size=4]Going Forward[/size][/b] We hope this information helps clarify any confusion over what is and isn't allowed. We will continue to remove links and directions posted on our website to other sites, applications, or tools that have the potential to cause harm to [i]Flight Rising’s[/i] stability as we find them. In most cases, the removal will be noted with an educational note and no action taken against the player. However, should we find players are using methods to circumvent detection or repeat violations after education, account suspensions will be issued. To close, we want to let you know that we are aware of the need for a better set of tools for skin and accent artists. Please know that [b]improving the efficiency of our skin queue[/b] and [b]improving on-site options for skin and accent creation[/b] is high on our to-do list, once the site refactor is complete.