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suggestion to reduce disconnects

• dacrash 476 Posts

  Mon, Oct 10 2011 4:54 PM

  Hi,

  I have noticed that the meter jumps and the game can load slow between shots when in a multiplayer game due to the friends list; invite functions, and player credit balance.

  Move the friends list, invite and credit balance off the game page and only have it on a players profile page. There is no practical reason for these to be displayed and even worse updated constantly. This has caused many disconnects and several slowdowns.

  In order to help the game load faster, restrict the access to the game window to game play and chat only.

  Anytime the friends list gets updated, there is a stoppage of the game stream, if you are already in a game, what do you need the friends list for? If a player wants to send an invite or check to see which of their friends are online they can check the non-game window.

  I’m pretty sure (not a programmer, but not a newbie to computer programming) that the game client window should only be displaying game information and not the social aspects of the game. There are personal messages and forum for social interaction beyond the current game.

  If a player wants to send a friend invite during a game, they can click on the players name, click on full profile and this will open a non-game window for that persons profile, an invitation can be sent from there and not interrupt the game in progress.

  To me these changes are a no brainer. Flash is limited and should not be required to run like a "normal" game and be constantly updated. These changes will speed the game up more that removing half the avatar movements and forcing 100's if not 1000's of players to have to change the way they play the game.

   Of course this is just a players point of view.  Instead of reducing the precision of the clubs (don't go there, different post for that), look for non-game activities that slow down the program and move them to the profile page.

• dacrash 476 Posts

  Mon, Oct 10 2011 7:05 PM

  Well gee whiz, why didn’t I try to optimize my computer before blaming WGT? DUH!!!!

  Apparently, you have missed the entire point of this post. WGT made changes to the avatar to "speed" up the game.  I mean really, how much extra time does it take to leave the full avatar movements?  The infinitesimal amount of time saved is a joke and not even noticeable to the human eye.  I kinda feel offended by the reason WGT gave for the changes to the avatar.  I am suggesting that other changes be made before fundamental game play changes (and NOTIFY players when they happen!!!!) are made that affect 1000's of players.

  I realize my credit balance and level are only visible to me. I don’t need them on my game screen. I can remember my level and credit balance. If you can’t change between windows to get your credit balance when you forget in the middle of the game, maybe you should write them down on a piece of paper.

  I am suggesting that ALL extra non-essential game functions be restricted from being displayed on the game window.  Player invites and a friends list that updates every minute or so is not necessary on the game page (Practice changing between windows).  When putting, you can watch the dots stop moving or jerk badly when a friend logs in or out. This causes a break in the game stream resulting in poor graphics indicated by the moving dots, not moving or the meter jumping.   These changes will stop the jerky graphics and speed up loading times between shots.  Removing 40% of the avatar movements that happen in micro-seconds has nothing to do with speeding up the game play.  Not sure why WGT would make this change, unless ….?

  Regarding updates: I can’t find any report of an update. We all know it happened, but there is no indication of any communication to the players. I was kicked out of a game when the updates took place. There was NO usual communication from WGT that an update was going to happen. Normally, there is a message stating the site is going to be down for maintence and to save your games. This did not happen.

  So moral of the story honorable children: Communication and truth are required to build trusting relationships.

   

• andyson 6,415 Posts

  Mon, Oct 10 2011 7:23 PM

  esssy:

  for starters meter dont jump because of friends updates........................

  friends list nothing wrong with friends list on the game page....................

  i cant see how the friends list when it  gets updated can effect your game..................

  There are dozens if not hundreds of players who keep the size of their friends list small.  I myself keep it around 40.  We have found less meter stutter and lag when the lists are small.

  Right now esssy, you only have 22 friends.  Add 40 or 50 or 100 friends and then see how your meter runs, especially in multi-player games.

  You can learn a bit about how Flash does its thing by reading the section titled "Runtime code execution fundamentals" in the introduction section, page 1, of the document Optimizing Performance for the ADOBE® FLASH® PLATFORM

  In a nutshell, Flash runs in cycles who's length depends on the Frame Rate used.  At a Frame Rate of 60 the length of each cycle is 1/60th of a second.  Flash essentially does two types of work in each cycle: Processing Events and Rendering.

  Processing events handles user events like mouse-overs, clicks and drags.  It also includes handling messages from the server. 

  Rendering work is basically sending screen stuff to our video card for display.

  Flash always processes events first.  If a particular event, for example a friends list update, generates a lot of work for our CPU it could use up the whole 1/60th second time for a flash cycle and never get to the Rendering part of that cycle.  That would delay writing to our screens and Flash wouldn't maintain the proper frame rate.  It looks like a stutter or lag to us.

   

   

  See PugsAce thread for more discussion, particularly FarFoo's post.

• gbuch69 57 Posts

  Mon, Apr 2 2012 1:37 PM

  It happens much to often. I click  to play a blitz game, at the top is a Hack L1 to L35 maybe, We get to the game and he disconnects when it is he's turn to start the game. When he does that the game will not continue. This has happened way to many times. One night at least 4 times in a row. It has gotten so bad I will not even try to play a game with a hack at the start. I really be leave that a Hack should not be a load to start a game until he has the ability to start one without stopping it. I always want to help those who don't know what to do in a game, and I don't have a problem with anyone playing in the game Hack to Legend. Just don't let them try to start a game til they know how to play it..

  And of course there are others that will quit when they are playing bad also. I really hate quitters. How can anyone learn to play right if they quit all the time. Now I know that some times people get disconnected from there Internet providers. It has happened to me on a few occasions. But there has to be some way to discourage those who just quit the game.

• phiber 2,795 Posts

  Tue, Apr 3 2012 6:54 AM

  andyson:

  esssy:

  for starters meter dont jump because of friends updates........................

  friends list nothing wrong with friends list on the game page....................

  i cant see how the friends list when it  gets updated can effect your game..................

  There are dozens if not hundreds of players who keep the size of their friends list small.  I myself keep it around 40.  We have found less meter stutter and lag when the lists are small.

  Right now esssy, you only have 22 friends.  Add 40 or 50 or 100 friends and then see how your meter runs, especially in multi-player games.

  You can learn a bit about how Flash does its thing by reading the section titled "Runtime code execution fundamentals" in the introduction section, page 1, of the document Optimizing Performance for the ADOBE® FLASH® PLATFORM

  In a nutshell, Flash runs in cycles who's length depends on the Frame Rate used.  At a Frame Rate of 60 the length of each cycle is 1/60th of a second.  Flash essentially does two types of work in each cycle: Processing Events and Rendering.

  Processing events handles user events like mouse-overs, clicks and drags.  It also includes handling messages from the server. 

  Rendering work is basically sending screen stuff to our video card for display.

  Flash always processes events first.  If a particular event, for example a friends list update, generates a lot of work for our CPU it could use up the whole 1/60th second time for a flash cycle and never get to the Rendering part of that cycle.  That would delay writing to our screens and Flash wouldn't maintain the proper frame rate.  It looks like a stutter or lag to us.

   

   

  See PugsAce thread for more discussion, particularly FarFoo's post.

  Might add a comment that the number of active friends, may have some impact.  I have aprox 120 friends on my list but the most I have seen playing at one time is like 25 or so.