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About LHDetailed Information About Lighthouse
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Mission
Project: Lighthouse was founded on November 11th, 2016 by members of the previous incarnation of the Electrosphere.info, a now defunct Ace Combat database. This was done in the hopes of continuing the long legacy left behind by the website famous throughout the Ace Combat Community. The goal Lighthouse is to not only unify the fanbase of this beloved and long-lived 3D Flight Action Game franchise by creating an extensive network to connect the various communities with our own, but via content creators such as artists, writers, fan-game developers, video creators, and more... we hope to reach out to those who have never played these games and expand our community for a new generation of aces.
Creator Supportive
We at Lighthouse are a patron for content creators of all kinds, be it Literary or Visual. Not only do we promote and present artists, writers, fan projects, or websites and communities through our official Website, we at Lighthouse aim to help creators from all around to improve their craft with our combined experience and resources. We wish to help aspiring artists, writers, modders and modelers, creators of all kinds, improve on their craft because we believe that together, nothing is impossible and any project can be realized.
Content
The content we create here at Project: Lighthouse spans across multiple mediums and topics. On our main website alone, one will find in-depth analytical articles about Ace Combat, Aviation Games, or other Aviation-related subjects; Photography and Videos made both in-house by our dedicated Audio-Visuals Department and by fans submitted from around the world; Community-Based Contests and Creations; and Interviews with Game Developers (Professional and Independent), Artists, Mod Teams, Authors (Professional and Amateur); and more.
Opening Statements
Messages from the co-founders and lead administrators, released in
November 2017 to celebrate the launch of Project: Lighthouse.
November 2017 to celebrate the launch of Project: Lighthouse.
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Cae Lumis
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Izanagi
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Ribbon-Blue
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The Grand Opening of a Dream
Cae “Lemniscus 1” Lumis / Co-Founder of Project Lighthouse
Greetings fellow Aces from around the world! I am Cae Lumis, Co-Founder and Chief of Project: Lighthouse. Some might better recognize me as Lemniscus 1, a former artist and roleplay runner on the Electrosphere Network, both 2.0 and 3.0. Today, we at Lighthouse are proud to announce the official public launch of this ambitious endeavor, one that has taken almost a year in the making. However, with the launch of such an endeavor with so many aspects and aspirations, undoubtedly there will be confusion as to what Lighthouse is, where it had come from, and its goals from here on out. So, sit back, grab a drink of choice, because it’s time for a history lesson.
History
3 Years ago, there was a website that once defined the Ace Combat Community. Having existed in one form or another over the span of 9 years (from 2005 to 2014), the Electrosphere.Info Database arguably was considered within the early Ace Combat Community as the heart of the Western Fanbase, its members still treated as veterans by mere association to this day. Over the span of its lifetime, its mission was simple: collate and deliver in an easily understood format the lore, mechanics, tips, and tricks of Ace Combat to help broaden the knowledge. Under the guidance of its Ultra Director and Founder, Ribbon Blue, Electrosphere helped pave the way fans understood and learned about the franchise, inspiring similar communities to share the weight of such an endeavor such as the now well-known and respected Acepedia. Equally, the impact of its eventual closure in 2014 and the ripples it left can still be felt within the Ace Combat Community.
One might ask, “How does this brief overview of an old community tie into Lighthouse?” The truth is that Lighthouse’s history is tied intrinsically with the history of Electrosphere. During the early months of Electrosphere 3.0, with the rise of the wiki format making the creation and editing of articles about the lore of the franchise, it had become clear that Electrosphere needed a new direction to refresh its image and reach out to the wider fandom of Ace Combat. Many of Lighthouse’s future founding members had suggested ideas that would become the core concepts and aspirations Lighthouse now has during this period: translating the websites and lore of Ace Combat from Japan, appealing and reaching out to the Eastern fan base, producing videos and content that could be enjoyed, community events that could help bring unity to the fandom at large, and more. However, for reasons beyond the control of all involved, these ideas couldn’t be implemented. Then, after hardly a year after its grand opening, Electrosphere 3.0 closed quietly with little fanfare.
The first attempt to bring these aspirations to life came shortly after the fall of ES 3.0 with the birth of the first forum spawned by the now adrift veterans of Electrosphere, Ace Combat Legends. However, from the start, there were creative differences where the focus of the forum should lay. This was due in part to its origin as a role playing spin-off of the more information focused main site of Electrosphere, and members of Ace Combat Legends felt that the focus should remain as such. Disruptive and heated arguments, and the inability to retain new members because of these disputes, led to me deciding Ace Combat Legends was an abject failure as a community. Needing time to re-evaluate myself, my life, and my approach to the dreams that began on Electrosphere, I decided to quietly retire from the website and go “off the grid” so to speak as far as the community was concerned so that it would be easier to focus on finding some much needed answers. Admittedly, as Ace Combat Legends founder, I do accept the fact that my inexperience in managing such an endeavor was a contributing factor to Ace Combat Legend’s demise.
However, I took to heart the lessons learned from both being the Roleplay Moderator of Electrosphere 3.0 and Founder of Ace Combat Legends, and moved forward when Co-Founder and Deputy Director of Lighthouse, Izanagi, approached me with a daring plan… one that proved to be the key to finally bring the dreams born from ES 3.0 to reality. Thanks to Discord, it has become easier than ever to network and find individuals whose talents and skill can be brought together. Through working with a shared passion and love of this 3D Flight Action Game, we created a new website… a new community that although wouldn’t bear the name Electrosphere out of the wish to respect its founder, it would carry on its mission, traditions, reputation, and legacy in spirit. With some debate as to the name, it was Izanagi who selected its appropriate name after the reveal of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown to the world: The International Space Elevator Lighthouse is a grand and iconic symbol for the upcoming game, and a lighthouse’s purpose is to guide wayward ships home. What better symbol and name for a community now divided without the heart that was Electrosphere to come together under?
So, on November 11th, 2016, months after disappearing from Ace Combat Legends… select members from the website were brought to Discord to begin the journey that has led to this moment. This was the start of Project: Lighthouse.
Who Are We?
So, what is Project: Lighthouse? What is our Mission, and how will we achieve our goal? In essence, Project: Lighthouse is a community of content creators from around the world who all share a love for 3D Flight Action Games such as Ace Combat, Tom Clancy’s HAWX, Aerofighters Assault, and more who all united together in an effort to expand and unite our community. Our eventual dream is that not only will we be able to unite a fandom that has experienced numerous upheavals over the past decade, but prove that the amount of love this genre has is far larger than people are aware of, and most importantly help expand our community with new fans to share the love of Ace Combat and other great games.
How exactly will we achieve this though? Our efforts will be multifaceted and attempt to reach out to as wide an audience as possible. Amongst our members within Lighthouse’s workshop are Authors of Fan Fiction, 3D and 2D artists, Game Developers, and members who have talent for creating YouTube Videos. We believe that by giving to the community amazing quality works of art, literary or visual, that we will inspire fans to have closer look at the franchises we enjoy. For those who want to learn more about these Franchises, Lighthouse will produce articles which not only will translate lore previously exclusive to the Japanese Audience, but go in-depth and analyze the information we discover.
To further advance our reach to the fanbase, Lighthouse operates not only a Facebook and Twitter, but two Public Discord Servers and a Workshop for behind-the-scenes operations. The two public Discords are to both maintain organization and focused discussions, and to help maintain a relaxed atmosphere for the community as a whole. Our Facebook and Twitter accounts meanwhile will attempt to reach out to fans worldwide in a joint effort with the rest of our creative staff to draw attention to the many fans who give so much for everyone to enjoy. Lastly, our YouTube Channel will host its own series dedicated to analyzing the aircraft, games, and movies that abound in our community. We would be overjoyed to hear any ideas about how we can further reach out to fans everywhere so that we can make the fandom grow ever larger.
Final Thoughts
When this project began, almost year to the day since we began this massive undertaking, I honestly would never have believed that Lighthouse would have been able achieve everything that it had achieved within the first year of its existence… especially without this website or YouTube channel. There were many times over the course of this past year that I had feared for the project’s safety and ability to continue to reach where we are now. There were many times I had considered leaving this project in the capable hands of my fellow admins and moderators. However, I thank everyone who kept me going… for believing in me like I believed in them. I thank them for not allowing me to give up, and now that this day has arrived, I refuse to step down now.
When I joined this community, I was just a simple artist, giving custom patch designs for fellow Electrosphere members and running a roleplay for the fun of it. Now… with Izanagi, Durandal, Ribbon Blue, and many more… what was once just a pipe dream is now very much a possible reality. However, we have so much farther to go. I want you… whoever you are reading this… to join the many aces from so many different skies around the world… and help Lighthouse guide everyone together. I believe that one day, our community can finally enjoy a level of excitement and fun that we haven’t seen in a long time, and I want all of us fans to make it come true. Thank you, and I welcome you to Project: Lighthouse.
A Special Message from the Founder
Izanagi / Founder of Project Lighthouse
Hello, I am Izanagi! More than a few of you have seen me run about, making connections and reaching out to many of you. If you haven’t, I’d love to talk to you! One of the things I believe is that there is more to this community than is given credit. We need to think and see farther than our little tribes, to see how much we all have in common like a big squadron. We all want to see our projects enjoyed by people from all around the fanbase and the world. That is why Project: Lighthouse is a thing.
So I ask, “What are you working on?” I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd all like to know! Many people might think you have a cool idea, so why not make it so the entire community learns about your talents by reaching out to us, so that your gift shines from our Lighthouse to the rest of the community. With us, your dreams will never be out of reach, we'll help you make whatever amazing project you have in mind come true. Even people just visiting will see your work and decide to become fans of the hard work you’ve done.
I’ve seen many communities that have helped me out and I learned something important. The ones with staying power are made with passion, respect and love. We should try to avoid burning ourselves out with spite and disdain, fighting each other. I don’t mind if you are new or a long runner, ace of aces or still reading the manual. All I hope that we all come together like stars in the sky under our Lighthouse.
To the Next Generation
Ribbon-Blue / Project Lighthouse 'Ultra Director' / Founder of Electrosphere.info
Hello everyone,
many of you may remember me from my time with Electrosphere.info, having founded the database in 2005 and remained its lead administrator up to 2014. After taking a long break from things, I was asked to become a part of Project: Lighthouse early on. At first, I was hesitant to join in as I had believed that the purpose of Lighthouse was to perform the same database role that ES.info once did. Admittedly, I feel like I've had my fill of doing database work and don't have much interest in doing it again. I also feel as though the time for Electrosphere.info within the database role it once played has passed. The advancement of text and voice chat services, the progress of other Ace Combat fansites and the ease of access to social media, with its ability to quickly form groups of Ace Combatants with similar interests are all a factor in why I feel this way.
After some discussions, I found that parts of the Lighthouse concept were in line with parts of the final Electrosphere.info projects that focused on writing magazine-style articles, doing interviews, analysis, videos and things like that. Content that was more focused on us – the community, those that play, those that create. Having the ability to continue focusing on such content is my primary focus in Project: Lighthouse. It is also in line with views that I have held since 2013, before the decision of myself and my co-admin and longtime friend, "Millie”, to close Electrosphere.info. To clearly outline my interest in Lighthouse I feel as though it is essential to finally, at least briefly, address the closure.
Stagnation, distraction and lack of motivation. This defines the way I felt about the Electrosphere I saw in 2013 but it does not describe the Electrosphere I imagined in 2005. At a certain point in 2012, Millie and I were the only active staff members and contributing members regarding upkeep of the massive database. The combination of database management, the forum, website, keeping up with new information and later, the launch of Ace Combat Infinity – compounded by our endeavors IRL – caused all progress on ES to come to a halt. Outside of the everyday activities on the chatroom and forums, much remained unchanged. It was around this time my view of Electrosphere rapidly changed. To me, a feeling of complacency had set in. The interest in continuing to improve or maintain the database seemed non-existent at the time. In 2014, ES slowly began changing from its original purpose but even then, rarely produced anything that could be "used" by the community at large. It felt necessary to once again do something to cause a change. To force the nose down to come out of the stall. And so, Electrosphere.info was closed. Truthfully, I never thought something like shutting down a website could be so emotional for me.
Back then, if you looked deep into the heart of the English Ace Combat community, there was a consistent group of key players. We've been around for a long time and we're used to things being a certain way. Though I know it caused friction, I wanted new leaders to come forward, new ideas, new creators and innovators to build something from the ground up. Something that Millie or myself or anyone else could not create by ourselves. Something that would genuinely support the input and participation of many people, while reaching out to old and new fans directly. I do not take credit for Lighthouse, nor do I feel as though this was somehow a final accomplishment of Electrosphere.info. But I am relieved to see that people gathered on their own following the closure of ES and began something new. Throughout all of 2015 and most of 2016, I had honestly doubted that anything new would surface. Being informed of Lighthouse's existence and being told in detail of the initial concept brought me back to Ace Combat, in a way. I found myself switching from a distant advisory role to actively building this website myself with assistance from members of Lighthouse.
The truth outside of our websites and beloved Ace Combat series is that we're all human. As we grow older and our lives change, there's no guarantee that we'll be in this community forever, let alone a few more years. Rather than lead a website that revolves around myself, I have chosen to become a part of a team. A team that will be a key part in advancing the Ace Combat community alongside the release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. I want to support the move into the "next generation" of our community.
I look forward to creating content we don't usually see when it comes to Ace Combat as the Media Team Director of Lighthouse and working alongside new and veteran members of our community going forward. Besides that, I'll be managing the website, providing technical support using my experience with community management and website development, networking with different fan sites and creating new events.
It's good to be back.
