Build 45: Big Backend Bupdate Bonanza

[weasel]

This is probably the biggest update I've done to the code that didn't involve a whole lot of visible-to-you-guys changes!

I suppose the things you will notice are the constantly-being-updated level browser (mostly thanks to Aubrey! Party cat!) and a few dialogue changes in-game.

What's been updated in the backroom has been a lot of things involving user registrations, the voting mechanism (you can now downvote too), and the ranking system for the level browser. It's no longer a simple upvote = +1 score, it's a complex voodoo magic thing. :)

I've cleared the stats database a few times, so you'll all have to go back and vote for all the levels again.. But trust me - you'll thank me for urging you later! ;)

Full changelog after the jump...

[weasel]

GENERAL CHANGES:

- No more free users! Betas have been turned off for new signups. Congrats, current users! You all get free accounts. :)
- Only registered users can save levels, but they can still use the editor and the "test" function. Along with accompanying warnings.
- Only registered users can play user levels that aren't on the slide-out levels tab, but they can still view replays from any level.
- Fixed Tutorial #10 not showing up, and changed the way the tutorial/trial levels are handled internally to be a bit more dyn... wait, it's internal. You probably don't care how sexy my code is. *sobs*
- Changed up a bunch of server communication routines; nothing visible to the end user. More sexy code lost to the mists of time...
- Username is now limited to 20 characters (OfficiallyHaphazard was my meter stick for this. Congrats)
- Level titles are now limited to 30 characters
- Level descriptions are now limited to 256 characters (it was a round number)
- Removed voting from the tutorial screens.
- Added a "gameover" screen for tutorials (there was previously only a "win" screen)
- Added thumbsUp and thumbsDown graphics to Victory/Gameover screens for non-tutorial levels.
- Made all the database queries for names and emails non-case-sensitive. I thought I had it like that before, but I made a booboo and it wasn't. Hopefully things are allright now! If you had trouble signing in that'll fix it.
- Your # of levels is now recorded in the database and can be displayed and sorted on the level browser.
- You can now vote up + or down -. This isn't an opinion vote, or if you think the level is "good" or not - it is a simple question: Is this level worth playing as-is?
- You can only vote on each level once.
- You can't vote if you suicide.

META SYSTEMS:

- Forum avatars are now limited to 100x100 pixels for everyone. We are all equals here. :) Anyone exceeding will be adjusted down when I have time.
- Forum avatars must be uploaded - no URL-based-images are allowed anymore.
- Linked the forum and game passwords; any lost-password requests or changes will now affect both accounts. Removed email/password editing features from the forums to avoid confusion.
- The news items and level browser now pull avatars direct from the forums.
- Levels now store on the server in a zipped format. I've put in some backwards compatability code so anything stored in the older, plaintext format will still work.
- Number of replay views is now recorded in the database and will be sortable.
- Playing a level now properly records in the "total plays" field in the user database (it was only updating once per unique level before).
- Fixed bug where playing a level resulted in the DB recording a "victory" in your unique victory column.
- Fixed bug where replays were always storing in the DB as "failed".
- Watching a replay no longer counts on your profile as trying the level (but it will as soon as you hit "play now" at the end of a replay)
- I work some secret voodoo magic on the votes cast before they enter the database. It won't be a straight upvote or downvote; I influence it by your current and past behaviour.
- I reset all level and player stats (several times during the setup of this version)
- Level ratings are modified to fit the Bayesian model (look it up!), modified for time (older=lower rating), to keep churn and freshness. It's possible for a super duper good level to stay on the top of the list forever, but every day that goes by makes it tougher.
- The level browser will have a "Best of all time" button soon but is not yet implemented.
- Ratings are currently updated every 60 seconds (as long as someone is looking at the game), but I will lengthen this delay out to a maximum of once per 24 hours, depending on site traffic. This is partially due to the mathematical intensity of the rating routine, but also because I want to obfuscate the results of individual votes slightly. Hopefully it'll stop people from gaming the system.
- Bayesian ratings for a level will only update if the level is marked "Publicly viewable" (and after unmarking, may therefore take a while to populate - see above note)
- Fixed up a lot of level browser details and added paging (so you can manage all your old levels)
- Forum icons and color schemes made up to look like the rest of the site

OFFICIAL LEVELS:

- The tutorial list is pretty much finalized - there just has to be a few tweaks here and there, but they are solid.
- The trials are still in pretty rough shape.

Here's what I have so far (Bold were updated in this release):

Tutorial 01: 787 Collecting and Jumping
Tutorial 02: 795 Firing
Tutorial 03: 805 Nitrogen
Tutorial 04: 806 Hydrogen
Tutorial 05: 827 Single Bonds
Tutorial 06: 796 Double bonds
Tutorial 07: 807 Ghost Bonds
Tutorial 08: 808 Carbon/Iron intro
Tutorial 09: 809 Wall-Jumping
Tutorial 10: 814 Wall-Climbing

Trial 11:
Trial 12: 810 The Hive
Trial 13: 706 SwingSets
Trial 14: 620 Mine Shaft
Trial 15: 701 Palindrome
Trial 16: 818 Raiders
Trial 17: 615 Descent
Trial 18:
Trial 19: 739 Shepherd
Trial 20:
Trial 21:
Trial 22:
Trial 23: 735 Rig the System
Trial 24: 747 Venture
Trial 25: 657 Overcomplicated

[JakeL5555]

Yay for free accounts! :toot:

This voodoo magic stuff sounds rather secretive :ninja: but I like it.

[Linkzcap]

Nice fancy looking levels!

Also level 10 wooo

http://www.protonaut.net/?replay=234

Also: http://www.protonaut.net/?replay=235

At the beginning, when the missile goes high in the air, does the nitrogen not explode just because it faded out at the last second? Just wondering if something is wrong.

[JakeL5555]

I noticed that before. I'm assuming Weasel just added timers to the missiles so that you couldn't blast them off into space and hope that they hit a nitrogen eventually.

[Nikola Tesla]

Wooo, I'm assuming it's VERY close to release, since you just turned off free users.