Blog Post

Merry Christmas, YSFlight Headquarters!

I hope you are enjoying the virtual snow, as well as the Santa hat on the YSFHQ logo on the homepage. We wish you all the best.

Now, Christmas would not be complete without gift-giving, and as we are continuously giving gifts – addons, feedback, each other’s company on the forums – I thought it would be fitting for YSFHQ itself to give a gift to the YSFlight community.

Today, I am proud to officially launch YSFlight Headquarters 4.0. This project has been in development for quite some time, and is long overdue for a proper release to the community. Today is the day all the hard work from Project Kaizen pays off.

Here are some of the features in the new website since 3.0:

• An expanded YSFlight section, offering lots of multimedia and promotional information to showcase the potential of YSFlight
• Greater access to information for beginners
• A completely redesigned theme, with support for mobile devices
• Easy-to-use administrative panel for adding content
• Dedicated sections for the different categories of YSFlight (Civilian, Combat, Aerobatic)
• Much faster load times on a brand-new server
• Links to the YSFlight Wiki
• A revamped blog with guest-posting features
• A redesigned and reorganized discussion forum, with a welcome message for new members
• And much, much more!

There are more features and upgrades in the works, as Kaizen relates to continuous improvement. Your support is required if these features are to be developed, so when a staff member asks for help think about volunteering. This is a community project that was successful with the time and effort the community put in.

On Feburary 1st, 2011, YSFlight Headquarters 1.0 was launched. Iceman had a few words to say about this special occasion:

Welcome, one and all, to the brand spanking new YSFHQ! This forum aims to be a forum dedicated to the English speaking community for YSFlight. I know that many people from other YSFlight communities (KZS, Oranleed’s board, 2CH) have grown to dislike the English YSFlight community.

I aim to change all that.

What I want this forum to be will be what YSFlight has potential to be. We have plans for leagues, boardwide competitions, and virtual airlines. We want to be the largest and most extensive YSFlight modding tutorial database known to the internet. And we want to be the prime example of a community dedicated to it’s game.

As Iceman said, “What I want this forum to be will be what YSFlight has potential to be. And we want to be the prime example of a community dedicated to it’s game.” Today, I have officially defined the mission and vision of YSFlight Headquarters. We will use these statements to guide further community development as YSFlight emerges from it’s indie niche to become one of the best flight simulators of all time.

Our Mission:

We strive to enhance the experience of those playing YSFlight by creating a fun, inviting atmosphere. We aim to sustain the growth of the community through promoting YSFlight and demonstrating the potential of the game.

Our Vision:

We help players of YSFlight make the most out of the game by allowing them to interact and enjoy the community surrounding it. To do this, we offer discussion forums, educational resources, addons, multiplayer features, and other services to make the YSFlight experience the best possible.

To carry out this mission, I am announcing a brand-new YSFlight marketing campaign, one which emphasizes the possibilities of the game to players young and old, who have been discouraged by the complexity and requirements of other sims, or reluctant to try out a flying game at all. We are in a unique position, and we should use this to our advantage. This campaign will be carried out through social media, posting on other forums, talking to potential players, running search engine advertisements, and other means to spur growth of the community.

When new players visit this new website, they will be greeted with a range of content for beginners, as well as features to get them flying online and earning points. With the Member’s Lounge and Leaderboard currently under development, players from all skill levels will be able to compete in a fun and engaging manner towards greatness.

Now, I ask you to think of your fellow community members, staff, and Soji “Captain YS” Yamakawa on this special occasion. If you feel compelled to give back to the community, I urge you to join the Project Kaizen team and get the word out about YSFlight. A community needs multiple hardworking individuals to be successful. We can be “the prime example of a community dedicated to its game.”

As you sit down with family and friends on this very special day, I wish you great happiness and much luck in the future. On behalf of the Project Kaizen team and the YSFHQ staff, I present to you YSFlight Headquarters 4.0. Have a very Merry Christmas.

Thank you,
Eric Tendian
Chief Technology Officer & Head Administrator,
YSFlight Headquarters – YSFHQ.com