Four years, has it really been that long? Wow… April 28, 2004 does and does not at the same feel far away. Needless to say, we at RF Generation have weathered the long storm, and we’re not four years old. Look at how we’ve grown. From just a few members to 1700 members, from a couple thousand games to over 35000 games, from no hardware records to over 2000 hardware records, etc… the site has sure grown. Certainly, we’re proud of how our little slice of the internet has grown, and we wish for it to grow for years to come.

It’s been a long time since we’ve sent out one of these newsletters. I intended on sending one out every year on April 28, but our previous host suspended our account when someone flagged our newsletter as spam. It’s cool though, we’re still here, and no hard feelings. Haven’t been around for a while? Let me clue you in to some of the things that have happened since I’ve last sent one of these out:

• Hardware Database: What? A hardware database? That’s right, RF Generation now has a hardware database. It’s a lovely thing, and you can even add hardware records to your collection. Of course, the new database is always hungry… hungry for more submissions! So, if hardware is your thing, than boy do we have a database for you.
• Submission Script: The Submit Missing Games Here Thread is Dead! Long live the Submit Missing Games Here Thread. Seriously though, most every submission is handled through this lovely submission script, which has been recoded in the last two years about 4 times. It’s amazing what one can do when they learn more PHP. Games or hardware released in only certain countries of a region… we can add those. Game ratings… we can add those. Easy variation additions… we can add those. Certainly, our little submission script has turned into one complex monster.
• Site Redesign: Last year on June 8, we rolled out our new site layout. I must say, it looks rather nice, and well, I do enjoy the fact that we’re using CSS to the fullest extent now. With the site redesign came an about section for our site as well as a (still yet to be fully realized) features section. Also, we redid the front page news script so that it behaves a bit more like a blog script would. (read: you can be selective with what you read and comment on news stories)
• Community Blogs: Some of you may find this idea reprehensible. Others may find it cool, but if you want you can make a blog at RF Generation. Don’t like the idea of calling it a blog, call it then your collection find log. Or, just stick to the other areas of the site.
• True Image Search: We switched to being mySQL driven in the last two years. Oh… yeah, I didn’t mention that, but we did. We had a true image search before the mySQL switch, but it went away once we moved to mySQL. Well, after a lot of coding, it’s back, and better than ever.
• Countless Collection Script Improvements: Have an idea for the collection script? Chances are that the Black Perl will in fact listen to your request and add it into the script. It’s happened so many times in the past two years that well, I just can’t name them all. Did you know you could have a banner showing off your collection stats? How about being able to set a specific folder to being an “owned” folder or “for sale” folder? These things are just a few of many additions to your collecting needs.

So yeah, that’s a not so short list of things we’ve added in the last two years. Still reading? Good, I was afraid that we may have lost you. So, today marks our fourth birthday. To celebrate, we’re having a contest! It involves being the best submitter possible, and to learn more about this contest… well, I guess that you’ll have to visit the site for more information. Did I mention that there was swag to be won for first through third place in our contest? It’s true. SWAG! MUST PLAY! Good luck to those who decide to go all out in our little contest.

Four years. Now is the time to celebrate! Eat! Drink! Be Merry! May RF Generation have many more years of happiness. We only hope that you all continue to be a part of our community and come along for the ride. After all, there’s always more to come when you put it on channel three.

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