2024-05-18

Dear FLAGHUNTER,

A lot has happened and we want to bring you up to date:

A major bugfixing took place to fix the streaks as well as to correct the Team Battles and to better configure the servers. According to feedback from the volunteer community, there are still some bugs, so we are continuing to work on them. You can find the current bugs and their status in the FAQ under the first question: https://flagstack.help/support/

We have received several requests to restore accounts that did not agree to the move. After a thorough legal and technical review, this is unfortunately not possible. What we can do, however, is restore the old points balance from 12/2023 and activate a personal voucher if we are informed of the old player name. So: If you have lost your account due to the move, please write us your old and possibly different new player name as well as the old and new user ID to info@flagstack.net, we will check it and get back to you with a personal voucher. You can find the old user ID on invoices, for example, if you have made purchases from Flagstack in the past.

The Flagstack.help site was unexpectedly unavailable for a short period of time due to a domain move. If you tried to access the site during this time, we are sorry for the inconvenience, the site is now back online and is being updated by Flagstack volunteers.

It was reported back that the extension of the jumper event did not work. We are very sorry about this and as compensation the jumper event will be reactivated for a full week. We will announce the exact period in advance so that you can take full advantage of it!

As in previous years, no GPS faking will be tolerated or accepted in Flagstack. We have received various reports that GPS faking was being carried out on a large scale by a few players and several accounts have been banned as a result. If you notice anything like this, please report it to the volunteers in the messenger groups or write to info@flagstack.net.

Volunteers now communicate with OESA via Nextcloud Talk in compliance with data protection regulations, both web-based and mobile via the app. If you would like to participate as a volunteer, write to us at info@flagstack.net.

Over the next three months, the volunteers will work closely with the support team that has accompanied Flagstack over the last few years. The aim is to optimize workflows and work together on documentation by the end of July so that Flagstack can be further developed and organized by the community.

We wish you continued happy flaghunting!

Your OESA Team & Flagstack Volunteers

2024-02-24

Farewell and new beginnings: FLAGSTACK's future begins

Dear Community,
Dear FLAGHUNTERs!

Monday will be an important day for FLAGSTACK: We, Rabea and Erik from FLAGSTACK Headquarters, are handing over FLAGSTACK to OESA and the community as a future open-source project.

The past few years with FLAGSTACK have been an incredibly enriching time. We have achieved a lot together and made FLAGSTACK what it is today:
A strong community committed to an open and innovative game, interacting worldwide, creating friendships, realizing regional and global support for in-game projects, and always striving to bring out the best for FLAGSTACK.

We have fond memories of many events where we met and got to know each other in person. We often spent hours together walking through beautiful forests on power trails (LABs = Local Area Badges), admiring lake landscapes and getting to know cities and their highlights thanks to FLAGSTACK. Some of you probably remember delicious event ice cream just as fondly as we do :)
Larger round trips (COBs = Country Badges) have served as destinations for short breaks, and again likeminded people have got to know each other and had a good time with the shared hobby of FLAGSTACK.

We would like to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts:
To all our Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers (TEAMLKN, Lednimedvidek, PappaPad, Heisenberg, Cbsassy, Borghuis and Sim1, asp_fan_cb and CacheKidsCB, DTas and thwe16) for their tireless efforts and time over many years.
To Schrauberkind and Jedi68 for their courage and encouragement to start FLAGSTACK in 2015.
To our players for your trust and the resulting community for your loyalty, support, and commitment.

We are grateful our path has crossed the path of the OESA association, that we have agreed to pass on FLAGSTACK and that FLAGSTACK can continue to exist and be used. We are convinced that FLAGSTACK has a bright future ahead of it under the new leadership of OESA. The team brings a lot of energy, a lot of experience with open-source projects and new perspectives to further develop FLAGSTACK and reach the next self-imposed milestones together with the community.

The future of FLAGSTACK as an open-source project is now in your hands. If we, Rabea and Erik, could wish for anything, it would be that the community continues to actively contribute and stay engaged. Create new great opportunities for memories! Make FLAGSTACK the best FLAGSTACK it can be! The commitment of everyone is important to achieve the common goal.

We look forward to following the further development of FLAGSTACK from afar and wish the entire team all the best for the future. The handover to OESA is a new beginning that is full of opportunities and possibilities.

Thank you for the wonderful time!
Rabea and Erik from Team FLAGSTACK

PS: Don't forget!

Next Monday, 26.02.2024, FLAGSTACK will be migrated to the OESA servers. Therefore, there will unfortunately be a downtime during the day. Of course, OESA will try to keep this as short as possible. However, the aim is to ensure that the data is migrated securely and with backups, which could take a little more time. We ask for your patience and understanding at this point. Please note that only the data of players and active accounts who have given their consent will be migrated. This has been requested several times since December.

PPS: In the meantime, you are welcome to get to know OESA, register as a member if you are interested or support us with a donation for the migration. As soon as the migration is completed, you will be notified and receive further information about what is coming up for the rest of the year.

2024-02-21

Here we go...the moving truck is at the door!

Dear FLAGHUNTER,

Next week FLAGSTACK will be migrated to the OESA servers. Therefore there will unfortunately be a downtime next Monday. Of course, we will try to keep this as short as possible. However, we want to make sure that all data is migrated securely and with backups, which might take a little more time. We ask for your patience and understanding at this point.

Please note that only the data of players who have given their consent will be migrated. This has been requested several times since December.

You can still play diligently over the weekend and the current event does not end until 28 April. In the meantime, you are welcome to get to know OESA, register as a member if you are interested or support us with a donation for the migration. As soon as the migration is completed, you will be notified and receive further information about what is coming up for the rest of the year.

We look forward to talking to you again, realising your ideas and wishes and seeing you on the new servers soon! Thank you for your trust and patience during the transition.

Your team from FLAGSTACK & OESA

2024-02-11

We're packing the moving boxes - will you join in?

Hello FLAGHUNTER,

the time has come: the legal framework for the move of FLAGSTACK under the umbrella of OESA e.V. is fixed! And now it's time for us to pack our things :)

OESA and its volunteers are preparing the background: new server structures, forming teams and finding responsibilities, creating a platform for organization and communication - everything has been initiated and is in progress by hard-working hands and our support.

What can you do to support the move and the launch of and for FLAGSTACK 2.0?

Firstly:

LAST CALL: Would you like to move your account to OESA to continue playing FLAGSTACK?

YES! For some reason, you did not manage to confirm this in the survey in December: Please answer the questions by February 18, 2024 at 23:59 at the latest (time zone FHQ/Europe/Berlin) if you want to play FLAGSTACK 2.0 with your current account. If you do not consent to the transfer of your data by answering the questions by this time, your data will not be transferred at a later date.

https://www.umfrageonline.com/c/flagstack2024

If you have already answered the questions, please do NOT fill out the questionnaire again. This will save you and us time and effort and will help us all to clearly evaluate and process the data - thank you for your understanding.

Secondly:

Not only a private move costs money, no - the move of FLAGSTACK also means financial expenditure.

Would you like to support OESA and the move of FLAGSTACK? Then grab your own set of moving boxes in the webshop at flagstack.de!

You can choose between the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Edition - and for the undecided, the Triple consisting of Bronze, Silver and Gold is available...

As usual, we are offering attractive jumper packages that will be jumping around on the FLAGSTACK map until April 28, 2024 at 23:59 (time zone FHQ/Europe/Berlin). The Silver and Gold Editions are particularly recommended, as these Jumper Flags can be collected again every 24 hours after a capture.

The revenue from these jumper packs will be given to OESA to help FLAGSTACK 2.0 get off to a good start. So, if you decide to buy a jumper pack, you are doing something good for the community, FLAGSTACK and OESA - and all good things come in threes :)

Thirdly:

Get involved with OESA and FLAGSTACK! Would you like to have more information about OESA? Visit the association's website and find out more https://oesa-ev.org/

Would you like to become a member of OESA? You can start right here: Membership – OESA (oesa-ev.org)

You can continue to play FLAGSTACK as usual until the final move to OESA! As soon as we know the exact date of the move (it looks like it will be in February 2024), we will let you know!

Thank you for your trust in FLAGSTACK over the past years and for your curiosity about FLAGSTACK 2.0 in the future!

Your team FLAGSTACK with all volunteers and together with OESA

PS:
long story short
From 11.02.2024, Jumper Flags will be available as moving boxes in the webshop. They will be deployed for you by FHQ and will be on the map up to and including 28.04.2024. You will receive a badge for collecting 77 moving boxes. You will receive a badge for every purchase of moving jumper packages.
All specified time periods refer to the time zone FLAGSTACK Headquarters/Europe/Berlin.

2024-02-01

Team Battle #98 is over now

Team Battle #98 is over now and all 54 teams have achieved great results!

Here is a look at the top 10 of the overall ranking for our statistics fans:

And here's the fraction ranking of Team Battle #98, and we're delighted with the great overall performance from all players:

All details about the team and fraction rankings can be found with a quick click.

You can find all detailed information about the credit distribution on the official FLAGSTACK help page for Team Battles.

You are enthusiastic about Team Battles, all the excitement and variety and especially about your personal advantages through the great prizes? Than you know what you have to do: Tell all your friends about it and create a new team - or even two - because after a short recovery time the next Team Battle is already in sight - on 05. February 2024 at 0:00 (Timezone Europe / Berlin) the TB #99 starts!

Your Team FLAGSTACK

2024-01-29

Watch out: Spring bloomers with hay fever alert!

The FLAGSTACK flower stores are open from February 14 to 29, 2024 - and offer the most beautiful flowers for your Valentine's Day gift. ?

You can find participating flower stores at every Eternal Flag in the world. Capture the Eternal Flag and collect all the flowers on offer as long as they are visible! Red roses will make your heartbeat faster: If you have collected at least 14 of them, you will receive the "Be my Valentine 2024" badge for your collection! You can receive this award multiple times - so collect as many flowers as you can carry :)

Want to send a Valentine's greeting to other FLAGHUNTERS worldwide? Nothing could be easier...

Get an Eternal Flag as a franchise flower store branch in the FLAGSTACK webshop https://flagstack.net/shop. Give it as a gift to friends or other flower lovers and enjoy the colorful, virtually fragrant flowers together!

You can't enter FLAGSTACK flower stores because of your hay fever? In this case, the "Be my Valentine 2024 Special" challenge is just right for you!

In the FLAGSTACK webshop https://flagstack.net/shop you will receive the FLAGSTACK Cupid, which will deploy a total of 30 Valentine's ladybugs around you. If you manage to collect at least 14 of these friendly contemporaries, we at FLAGSTACK will hopefully have helped to put a smile on your face - and you will also receive the "Be my Valentine 2024 Special" award! When you capture it, you'll see that this special ladybug has 250 dots ;)

Cupid is out and about all day from 14 to 29.02.2024 in the service of love. During this time, you can deploy Cupid and then collect ladybugs.

If you would like to share your feelings of happiness, you can give Cupid as a gift via the FLAGSTACK webshop https://flagstack.net/shop ! At the end of the shopping cart, you can enter a player's name who should receive the shopping cart as a gift. It's that easy :-)

We hope you have a wonderful Valentine's season.

Your FLAGSTACK Team

PS:

Long Story short - 1...

The Eternal Flags look like flower stores on the map. After capturing an Eternal Flag, 9 flowers appear, and you can collect them all. These flowers disappear from the map after a few minutes.

You need at least 14 red roses to get this award. You can achieve this badge multiple times.

Long Story short - 2...

In the webshop https://flagstack.net/shop you get "Be mine Valentine!" as a cupid. After deployment, this cupid will drop 30 ladybugs. If you capture at least 14 of the 30 ladybugs, you get the badge. You can get this badge multiple times.

Campaign period 14.-29.02.24 (all day, time zone FHQ/Europe/Berlin)

PPS:

As always, please make sure you have a good GPS signal before deploying - preferably outside the door and where you want to and can collect the Valentine's Specials. Since there is no way to check whether the street is in a security area or how good the mobile reception is, it may happen in individual cases that these Valentine's Specials are not available. Therefore, there is no legal claim to be able to collect all Valentine's Specials. And that's why many more specials will be given to you than are necessary to receive the badge.

Combination with any discounts, vouchers and rebates is not possible, except gift vouchers. The discount is not payable in cash. Only available for orders placed via the website. It is currently not possible to order with voucher and/or discounts via apps.

2024-01-15

Flagstack Community Meeting

Dear Flagstack community,

on 14.01.2024 the first community meeting took place as part of the migration to OESA. Thanks to everyone who took the time to attend! For all those who could not attend, here is a summary:

Migration

Flagstack will soon be moving to OESA in order to continue as a community-based project in the long term. OESA is a non-profit association based in Hamburg that supports open education and open source software, you can read more about us here: https://oesa-ev.org/en/association-vision/

The migration will be carried out in close consultation with all parties involved and should take place as quickly as possible. We will try to organize the migration with as little downtime as possible, but we cannot guarantee this at the moment. If a time window with downtime is foreseeable, we will let you know.

Community

We are currently making some changes to our internal systems at OESA and want to introduce HumHub as a community platform.

We can also use HumHub for the international exchange of information and thus use an open and data protection-compliant Whatsapp alternative. There should be a wiki on the community platform, a calendar and various subgroups (e.g. for planning action days). The platform is governed by a Code of Conduct that is also valid for other OESA members outside of Flagstack.

With this platform, we want to create the framework conditions for the best possible further development of Flagstack. If you have any requests, ideas or similar, please send an email to Mandy at mandy@oesa-ev.org.

Membership

If you want to contribute knowledge, skills or ideas, we recommend that you become a member of OESA. This will give you the right to vote on decisions about how Flagstack should continue as a project and how, for example, financial resources should be used. The next Annual General Meeting will take place at the end of May, where members with voting rights can vote digitally and on site.

As a member, you pay an annual contribution of at least 20€/ 22 $, which also helps to cover our server and support costs. This is particularly important for us because the project would have to be shut down without this form of support. You can apply for membership here: https://oesa-ev.org/en/membership/ . As soon as the contribution has been paid, we will send you a confirmation.

You can also contribute to the maintenance of the game without becoming a member of OESA by making in-game purchases and/or donating to OESA (you can also specify that the donation should be used exclusively for Flagstack).

In the next step, we will tackle the technical migration.

Feel free to let us know what is on your mind, what you would like to see and how you would like to get involved: info@oesa-ev.org

We look forward to the next steps with you!

Best regards

your FlagFactory & OESA

2024-01-02

Team Battle #97 is over now and all 56 teams have achieved great results!

Here is a look at the top 10 of the overall ranking for our statistics fans:

And here's the fraction ranking of Team Battle #97, and we're delighted with the great overall performance from all players:

All details about the team and fraction rankings can be found with a quick click.

You can find all detailed information about the credit distribution on the official FLAGSTACK help page for Team Battles.

You are enthusiastic about Team Battles, all the excitement and variety and especially about your personal advantages through the great prizes? Than you know what you have to do: Tell all your friends about it and create a new team - or even two - because after a short recovery time the next Team Battle is already in sight - on 05. January 2024 at 0:00 (Timezone Europe / Berlin) the TB #98 starts!

Your Team FLAGSTACK
 

2023-12-24

Merry Christman....

Dear FLAGHUNTER,

They say that wishes would come true at Christmas. That's why we wish you twinkling stars on the horizon, peaceful days to relax, food to enjoy and happy days just as you want them to be!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you sincerely for your trust and support during this exciting year.

2024 will be no less exciting...

Happy holidays and a happy new year

Your Team FLAGSTACK

PS: Have you already answered the questionnaire about the planned move? If not, you can do so here until 31.12.2023 at 23:59 h (time zone FHQ/Europe/Berlin)...

https://www.umfrageonline.com/c/flagstack2024

2023-12-17

FLAGSTACK gets ready for the future...

Hello FLAGHUNTER!

Did you also have the feeling it's been quieter around FHQ recently? You're right, we're currently planning the future for FLAGSTACK, which is taking up a lot of time.

In 2024, FLAGSTACK will transform into FLAGSTACK 2.0 - and the game will move to OESA.

The move under the umbrella of OESA means that FLAGSTACK will become an open-source project and the community is cordially invited to participate and shape it themselves, and above all to continue playing FLAGSTACK :)

OESA is the non-profit organization Open Education and Software Association e.V. based in Hamburg, Germany.

Would you like to have more information about OESA?
Visit the association's website and find out more https://oesa-ev.org/en/basic-concepts/

How does FLAGSTACK's move to OESA work?
First, we ask you to click on the following link and answer the questions there.

We are asking for your player’s name, your customer number and the e-mail address you used to register with FLAGSTACK. We also ask for your consent to move your data from Flagfactory Germany UG (haftungsbeschraenkt) i.L. to OESA. Without your consent, your data will not be moved!

to the questionnaire

If you want to play FLAGSTACK 2.0 with your account, these questions must be answered by 31.12.2023 at 23:59 (time zone FHQ / Europe / Berlin) at the latest.

Why all this?
Many technical requirements are being reworked in the background to enable FLAGSTACK to be played as FLAGSTACK 2.0. Of course, open-source transformations take time. We will keep you and the community informed about the next steps.

How do open-source transformations work?
Check out OESA to find out more https://oesa-ev.org/en/open-source-transformations/

Do you really want to get actively involved with and for FLAGSTACK 2.0?
OESA is still looking for administrators, app developers, web designers, social media professionals, graphic designers, content managers and creative minds with the questionnaire for FLAGSTACK 2.0!

Until the final move, you can continue to play FLAGSTACK as usual!
And as you have read: it will continue after the move - just a little bit different.

We thank you for your trust in FLASGTACK over the past years and for your curiosity about FLAGSTACK 2.0 in the future!

Your team FLAGSTACK together with OESA