.53 is here.. What an oddball of an update
.53 has finally shown it’s ugly head after a few weeks of struggle with it. Here are the short details on what has been changed. Again many thanks go out to gabbababbahey for his help on the database work.
* Completely new database structure
* New Php code to control the database
* Over 6 holes and exploits uncovered thanks to numerous people including Spazzbite who did a bit of research
* All of these found holes patched 
* Version checking to make sure you are running the most current version
* Nothing visually new for you to see yet.. Some suprises for the next version though
Thats it for now. More to come soon.
Cheers,
Synthlight
*NOTE* – if you are getting the version out of date screen.. go to Tools –> Internet Options –> Delete Files. This will delete your temporary internet cache and let your browser grab a fresh version of FFR. The method for clearing cache is somehwat similiar in all browsers. Check your options.
Score!
Well, Thanks to the help of a great guy by the screen name of “Gabbababbahey” we were able to get the site stable and working again. He almost singlehanded redesigned the entire database scoring structure and php files that query to it. He was quick and efficient and was able to put up with me. 
Feel free to stop by his site http://d0x.codesociety.com/ and thank him for saving the scoring on FFR. He very much deserves it.The game should be entirely back to normal again and running without a hitch. If anyone encounters any bugs just leave a PM. From our tests it seems to be working the same as always.
Thanks again to everyone
Cheers,
Synthlight
FFR Scoring Database Redesign
You may notice some strange behavior today concerning the scores, names or other portions of the database when playing FFR. The game should for the most part still work but we are resdesigning the database and the php files that control it from the ground up. It is possible that your high scores may not be recorded for the next 24 hours. I will let you know when the scoring end is 100%
Many Many MANY thanks to guy that is helping me with the database work. I will give him public credit once I get permission to use his nick/name. He has been incredibly helpful and iz ain’t tu stoopid either. lol He will be completely redesigning the tables in the database and the php code that controls them. Don’t fear though, nobody will lose their scores or data. It will all be converted into the new format.
Cheeeeers, (notice the extra e’s)
Synthlight
Need something to keep you busy in the meantime?
Listen to FFRRADIO
Socialize in the FFRCHAT
Postwhore in the FFRFORUM
*EDIT SYNTHLIGHT* – Game is down for a bit but the site is up.. had to take it down to work on it. Everything will return to normal again later
*EDIT SYNTHLIGHT* – Game is back up for testing to make sure the database stuff works ok.
Hitting Random Keys
Just a couple things to announce really quick.
Every once in awhile we have something a little bit fun/goofy going on here at FFR that really has nothing to do with the game. Recently Lightdarkness joined a project called “Project Dolphin” that simply records your keystrokes and sends them back to the project dolphin server. You can then see how you, your team and your country compare to other countries in keystrokes. You basically sign up at http://www.project-dolphin.nl/register.php , join the “Flash Flash Revolution” team on the website and then download the client which runs in your system tray. It then records your keystrokes and reports them back to the server. It is basically a non-profit project that is up for the fun of it.
At the time of this post we are currently in 220th place worldwide and have over 10 million keystrokes recorded from 70 members that have joined up here from FFR over the last 1-2 weeks. We are well on our way to first place and will easily make it there as time goes on. I think I am currently in 40th place within our own team (damn you all!).
Secondly I wanted to talk about the FFR contest that went on a few weeks ago.
IcyStaticBlast has received his pads and game from RedOctane.
The secondary winner has not contacted me yet and I will have to pick another winner for the prize or choose another way of giving away the prize. Any ideas?
All people who have successfully reported hacks or holes in the system will indeed get a prize of some sorts. You know who you are, contact me via PM if you don’t hear from me soon.
Cheers,
Synthlight
Vacation Good, Stress Bad
Well. Without most people knowing, I took a vacation and drove my family to pittsburgh this past week to just chill and relax for a bit. I have checked in periodically from a laptop but that has been the extent of it. I am currently writing to you from a dialup connection at my sister-in-laws house in the Squirrel Hill subdivision of Pittsburgh, PA. I will be back in about 1-2 days and will be back on the ball keeping the server in top condition again. This was my first vacation in almost 5 years. A much needed one.
Other things to note.
IcyStaticBlast has won the FFR contest. He was validated as the winner via a seperate test that I made him take. The prize has already been ordered and shipped to him. I wanted to take time out to congratulate him and the many hours of effort he put forth in trying to win the contest.
We solved alot of long needed exploits/holes in the FFR game that we didn’t know that exist. Many of the top 10 score holders brought these to my attention and for that I am grateful. This helps us better prepare for the next contest. Thanks again to everyone. It was well worth the $150 I forked out.
I wil be getting in touch with Nestlekwik as soon as I get back and will get those new songs from him. Bemaniruler and I tweaked the DWI –> FFR converter last week and I have been SOoooo pleased with the results. It is just working fantastically now. As a matter of fact I may go over some of the older songs and see if they convert anybetter (i.e. moonlight sonata).
I really miss my late night chats with everyone in the chatroom. THat has been the hardest part of being on vacation. I will definately resume when i get back.
See you all in a few days
Cheers,
Synthlight
Mark your calendars
We made a visit to Time Warner to sign up for our cable services and our appointment is scheduled next Friday for the installation. So, the new songs will be added probably sometime next weekend as long as everything goes well and I can get a hold of Synthlight in a timely manner (you should probably pm me sometime soon Synth). This also gives me another week to work on stepfiles, so the next expansion should bring some good surprises. Until then, have fun.
OMG NEW SONGS!!! (sorry, I just had to use caps lock)
Another day another story, another feature, another fix. That about sums up our work today on FFR.
We have had quite a few modifications to the FFRchat in recent days thanks to Jason Key and his crew over at NewFoundSystems. Big thanks go out to them for continuing to add features requested by the users here at FFR. Use the link above to stop in and chat with us sometime. There is usually always someone in there.
We also unleashed 3 songs that are FFR exclusives and included work from Bemaniruler, SuperGreenX, Banya and Spazzbite. They are as follows:
*Contradistinction from SupergreenX. This song is located in the new Dance3 section in FFR and is yet another fine tune from Mr. SuperGreenX. The stepfile (created by Bemaniruler himself) is a cool flowing piece for the moderate FFR player to enjoy. Thanks to SGX for another fine piece and the permission to use his work. You can check out his other songs at http://www.mp3.com/supergreenx
*Beethoven Virus by Banya. Yes, that is the same Banya that you see featured in many PIU tracks. He has attained permission to use this song on FFR. The stepfile on this one was also created by Bemaniruler and is a piece of art like the rest of his works. Again, this song is best for moderate players. Most will be able to pass it with no problem. Being placed in the top 50 is a whole nother story . I almost put this song in classical but it really has an electronic ring to it so I included it in Dance3. Banya, please message me if you want us to put up a link to your site. (do you have one? you should! )
*One Minute Waltz by Chopin. This is definately a classical tune and falls into the classical section as song #6. The stepfile (god have mercy on you all) is for those who like to torture themselves. The stepfile does have a flow to it but unless a miracle happens, I will never pass this level. The stepfile is Spazzbite’s first piece of work on FFR. He was nice enough to redit the stepfile to fall within compatibility with my converter. Maybe we will see more from him in the future?
Thanks to Bemaniruler, SuperGreenX, Banya and Spazzbite for their involvement in these levels. Look for more in the near future.
Cheers,
Synthlight
Winner For Mystery Level Has Been Decided
KEMEKEMEK has won the contest for the #1 score on a MYSTERY level with a score of 528,065 on Funk song “Too Tight” by Leroy Watkins Jr.
Kemekemek will win 1 soft Red Octane DDR dance pad. Shipping will be included. I just need Kemekemek to respond within 7 days of this message otherwise we will have to pick another random winner. CONGRATS!
Send me a PM Kemekemek!!!
P.S. The main winner is still undecided. It most likely will either be IcyStaticBlast or AlternateOblivion. They will need to both contact me for further verification.
Cheers,
Synthlight
Starting over
Alright, my girlfriend and I are finally moved into our apartment and it has been hard work but we are settled in now. We are not going to have Internet until at least the 30th, but I’m guessing it won’t be until early September. That will give some time to work on a few things. I have lots and lots of songs to do files for and the poll results have helped in pulling in a few more songs for me. I have many arcade/game, rock and dance songs available and those will be the majority of the next song batch released. Keep looking in early September for the next song expansion!
Nestlekwik
