Announcements & News

[center][permalink][img alt="The overlaid text reads - Limited Event - Unfathomable Odyssey. The red wing elements of the Flight Rising logo surround text that reads 11 years. Merrigan, the aquatic fathom dragon in shades of blue wears a nautical hat filled with coral seaweed, pearls, and shells, and holds a telescope in front of the surface of a vast ocean, full of waves."]http://flightrising.com/dropbox/updates/unfathomable.png[/img][/permalink][/center] [b][i]Flight Rising's[/i] eleventh year in operation[/b] kicks off with a splash of adventure! The Fathom dragons have returned from their decades-long circuit around the oceans, only to learn of the Tidelord's mysterious disappearance. Working in conjunction with the Water flight, they have launched an expedition to search for clues. [center][permalink][b]Click here to learn more about today's update.[/b][/permalink][/center] [more] --------- [size=5][b]How Far We've Come[/b][/size] [b]Eleven years[/b]! An auspicious occasion for a world with [b]eleven flights[/b] of dragons! When [b]Flight Rising[/b] launched, we never could have imagined all these years of getting to celebrate, decorate, create, laugh, and tell stories together. We continue to be humbled by each of you who has chosen to spend a little of your time enjoying the site and helped it grow and improve. Whether you've just begun to explore Sornieth recently, showed up to kick in the doors from day one, or anything between, [b]thank you[/b]. This community would not be what it is without [b]you[/b]! Let’s take a look back at some of the awesome things that happened over the last year! [size=5][b]A Year in Summary:[/b][/size] [LIST] [*]We launched [b]3[/b] new ancient breeds: [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/wiki/wiki/article/sandsurge-dragons]Sandsurge[/url][/b], [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/wiki/wiki/article/auraboa-dragons]Auraboa[/url][/b], and [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/wiki/wiki/article/dusthide-dragons]Dusthide[/url][/b]! [*][b]Arlo’s Ancient Artifacts[/b] opened up the [b]Ice Age[/b] digsite, full of [b]18[/b] new frozen curiosities. [*]Our existing ancient breeds got a slew of expansive [b]new gene options[/b]: [list] [*][b]Gaoler Dragons[/b] received [b]11[/b] new genes [*][b]Banescale Dragons[/b] received [b]12[/b] new genes [*][b]Veilspun Dragons[/b] received [b]12[/b] new genes [*][b]Aberration Dragons[/b] received [b]42[/b] new genes [*][b]Undertide Dragons[/b] received [b]64[/b] new genes [*][b]Aether Dragons[/b] received [b]8[/b] new genes [/list] [*]We incorporated your feedback into a bevy of [b]Quality of Life[/b] improvements and [b]adjustments[/b]: [list] [*][b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/trading/baldwin]Baldwin's Bubbling Brew[/url][/b] Levels 1-14 were rebalanced to allow for a smoother leveling experience and reduced material components. [*]We made excellent headway on our efforts to make the site more accessible to screen readers and keyboard navigation. This is an ongoing task and we will continue to work to expand the accessibility of our site. [*]Support for [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/ann/3282852]Pinglists [/url][/b]and subscriptions to them were added. [*]The [b]Grand Exchange[/b] continued its sprawl by welcoming [b]1[/b] new shop: [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/exchange/g-and-g-genuine-genes]Glass and Gloss' Genuine Genes.[/url] This update helped to consolidate ancient genes earned through site activities in one location. [*]Headway was made to combat the large amount of gene parchments presented with so many Ancient breeds! [b]Ancient Gene parchments[/b] were introduced, further expanding the capabilities of Glass and Gloss. New [b]naming schemes[/b] were introduced to make genes more searchable. The [b]marketplace[/b] received separate tabs, stocking logic, and increased stocking capacity for genes. [*]The [b]Skin and Accent [/b]system received a complete overhaul to make approving skins easier and more automated for our moderators, allowed players to make their own thumbnails, provided coverage checks, and allowed for instant reorders! [*][b]Hatchling Skins[/b] were introduced, allowing all dragons, no matter their age, to enjoy the expressiveness of customization! [/list] [*][b]276 new pieces of apparel[/b] were created. Among them we added the stunning new Chickens, Beekeeping Outfits, Achievement Shop Rewards, Butterfly Necklaces, Segmented Armor, Nautical Apparel, Mushroom Outfits, Ice Age Pelts, Umbrellas, Haunting Accessories, Pastry Chef Uniforms, Cybernetic Enhancements, and apparel to celebrate the elemental holidays!. [*][b]15 vistas[/b] were added to the game, allowing players to showcase the places they've been and activities they've done in Sornieth [*][b]24 New Scenes[/b] were added for your dragons to visit. [*][b]112 New Familiars[/b] were added for you to befriend. [*][b]3 New Eye Types[/b] began catching our gaze. [*][b]11[/b] new [b]modern genes[/b] were introduced: [list] [*]Primary Gene: [b]Cinder[/b] [*]Secondary Gene: [b]Blaze[/b] [*]Primary Gene: [b]Boa[/b] [*]Secondary Gene: [b]Saddle[/b] [*]Primary Gene: [b]Chrysocolla[/b] [*]Secondary Gene: [b]Malachite[/b] [*]Primary Gene: [b]Orb[/b] [*]Secondary Gene: [b]Weaver[/b] [*]Tertiary Gene: [b]Firebreather[/b] [*]Tertiary Gene: [b]Polkadot[/b] [*]Tertiary Gene: [b]Wish[/b] [/list] [*]Maximum [b]Lair[/b] size was increased by 5 additional slots to unlock. [*]We expanded the [b]Hibernal Den[/b] by offering [b]22[/b] new slots, [b]19[/b] of which can be unlocked via tasks. [*]7 new [b]Achievements[/b] were added for your dragons to strive towards! [*]The [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/game-database/stage/23]Silk-strewn Wreckage[/url][/b] venue of the [b]Coliseum[/b] was introduced, full of new familiars, food, and trinkets. [*]The [b]Warrior’s Way[/b] yearly event expanded with 43 battle-tested items for the brave! [*]The [b]Pirate Week[/b] yearly event expanded with 9 new nautical items to add to your treasures! [*]The [b]Night of the Nocturne[/b] yearly event expanded with 31 new enchanted items to bespell you! [*]The [b]Love is in the Air[/b] yearly event expanded with 11 new sweet items for you to love! [/LIST] ----------- [size=5][b]Sitewide Effort: Unfathomable Odyssey[/b][/size] As the [b]main attraction[/b] for this year's festivities, we've kicked off a [b]limited sitewide event[/b] called the [b]Unfathomable Odyssey[/b]. Read on ahead to learn more about [b]how it works[/b]. [size=4][b]Premise[/b][/size] After decades spent circumnavigating the globe, a pod of [b]Fathom dragons[/b] has returned once more. They were shocked to learn of the maelstrom that struck the [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/world-map?poi=4&view=land&viewpin=true]Sea of a Thousand Currents[/url][/b] during their absence—and worse still, of [b][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=wiki&article=100]the Tidelord's mysterious disappearance[/url][/b]. Led by [b]Wayfinder Merrigan[/b] [i](they/he/she)[/i], an affable young Fathom, they have launched a series of dive expeditions to investigate in the hopes of uncovering any clues the deity may have left behind. [info]As a reminder, the [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/frd/3130790]full resolution of Tidelord's disappearance[/url][/b] is linked with our planned adventure/campaign feature. While this event [b]will not[/b] conclude with the Tidelord's return, it will offer progress on the story to complement the rest of this year's celebrations![/info] [size=4][b]How it Works[/b][/size] Working through a series of planned [b]milestones[/b] (phases), [i]Flight Rising[/i] players will be asked to [b]find and contribute vital supplies[/b] to help Merrigan, their pod of Fathoms, and the Water flight seers to launch several undersea dives. These supplies will [b]drop randomly any time players perform normal tasks on the site[/b]. Almost every feature has a chance to yield these important items, and the dive team will need vast amounts of them to make progress. Thankfully, there are a lot of you! [center][item=Teak Planks][item=Rigging][item=Sailcloth][item=Sour Kelp][/center] Here are the features that have a chance to yield event-related items: [LIST] [*]Starting a new nest by [b]breeding[/b] two dragons. [*][b]Hatching[/b] a fully-incubated nest. [*]Performing any type of [b]gathering[/b] skill. [*]Collecting a transmuted slime/goo at [b]Baldwin's Bubbling Brew[/b]. [*][b]Exalting[/b] dragons. [*]Performing swaps at [b]Swipp's Swap Stand[/b]. [*]Trading items for gold at [b]Crim's Collection Cart[/b]. [*]Answering trivia questions correctly at [b]Tomo's Trivia Tablet[/b]. [*][b]Bonding[/b] with familiars. [*]Claiming an item from [b]Pinkerton's Plundered Pile[/b]. [*]Battling monsters in the [b]Coliseum[/b]. [*]Mustering Resources at [b]Arlo's Ancient Artifacts[/b]. [/LIST] Once the requisite number of items have been turned in for the active milestone, it will be considered complete, and the dive team will take a much needed rest to prepare for the next phase. At that time, players who participated in the milestone will be able to [b]collect rewards[/b] for helping. [info]Note: You can identify when the event is accepting items by checking website's main page banner, which will indicate whether the dive is in an active state (ships during daytime) or a rest state (ships at nighttime with glowing lanterns).[/info] [size=4][b]Participation & Rewards[/b][/size] It is purposely very easy to participate in the event, and the Unfathomable Odyssey will reward players in [b]two ways[/b]: [LIST] [*][b]Per Milestone[/b]: If you turn in at least one (1) item during a milestone, you will receive rewards for participating in that milestone. There are three (3) milestones for this event, so if you turn in an item for each, you'll get three (3) sets of milestone rewards in all. [*][b]Event Conclusion[/b]: If you turn in at least one (1) item for at least one (1) milestone during the entire run of the event, you will receive rewards for participating in the event when it has fully concluded. We encourage all players to participate in at least one (1) milestone, because the event reward is [i]very special[/i]![/list] [info]Note: You may turn in items at any time while the event is active! Turning in any item(s) while the [b]dive team is resting[/b] won't advance the site-wide effort, but [b]will[/b] count for the purpose of [b]obtaining the rewards for that milestone and for the conclusion of the event[/b] ie: [i]If you missed the active phase of an event, but arrive in time for the rest phase, you can still turn in an item to immediately receive that phase's rewards.[/i][/info] [size=4][b]Event Pacing[/b][/size] Each [b]active phase[/b] will run until the sitewide goals for item turn-ins have been completed, at which point the divers will enter a [b]rest phase[/b]. If this milestone is reached [b]before 14:00 server time[/b], then the following active phase will kick off [b]the following morning[/b]. If the milestone is not reached until [b]after 14:00 server time[/b], then the rest phase will last through [b]the remainder of that day and the full following day[/b]. This is to permit everyone as much time as possible to participate and earn each milestone's rewards before moving forward. While milestones will update dynamically according to the number of items turned in, and milestones will conclude on their own, the act of kicking off new milestones is a [b]manual process[/b] that the development team of [i]Flight Rising[/i] will be controlling. This is primarily so that our team can be present for support, monitoring, and the fun of the event without necessitating any of our team members needing to stay up at odd-hours to watch milestones changeover. It also helps prevent the event from rapidly concluding. As we've said before, we don't exercise crunch at our company, and prefer our employees work fairly standard hours for their own well-being. This is part of upholding that promise. While we won't be able to give a definitive time that milestones will begin, you can expect that they'll likely be sometime early in the day when the majority of our team starts work and is present. [size=4][b]Unique Reward Opportunities[/b][/size] Unfathomable Odyssey has many unique rewards to be earned throughout the effort. [center][item=Dreadtooth Ravager][item=deepsea anchor][item=vista: unfathomable odyssey][item=scene: unfathomable odyssey][/center] [b]After players reach the event's conclusion, there will be one week to craft additional copies of these rewards before they retire. [/b]Players with an [b]alchemy skill of level 2+ [/b]will have the opportunity to craft additional copies of these rewards at [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/trading/baldwin]Baldwin's Bubbling Brew[/url]. These recipes are not available now, but will be for one week when the event concludes. [size=4][b]Worldbuilding Update[/b][/size] In 2013, the [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/world-map?poi=4&view=land&viewpin=true]Sea of a Thousand Currents[/url][/b] was labeled a body of fresh water. That shouldn't have happened and it's well past time to fix it. The Sea of a Thousand Currents is now [b]officially saltwater.[/b] Yes, this is a retcon. It should have been saltwater from the start, what with the coral and all. [emoji=guardian tongue size=2]