New Multiplayer Feature

Clear your cache and load multiplayer to test a new feature that I am working on. See if you can guess what the feature is.
(no, it’s not other playfields yet).

Cheers,

Synthlight

FFR Realtime Multiplayer Version 2.0 is Up & Running

You heard me right.. FFR Realtime Multiplayer is functional. As I speak there are just over 100 people logged into multiplayer playing FFR. The interface is aproximately 95% complete with just a few spots to tidy up.

Here are some things you should know about multiplayer

1) It is a true realtime multiplayer with side by side playfields.
2) If 2 people are playing, you can join as a “viewer” and watch their current game stats in realtime
3) You need a decent CPU to avoid lower frame rates.
—- I need to mention here that lower frame rates does not mean multiplayer lag,
—-it means that you need a faster CPU to draw 2 FFRs at the same time.
—- This problem will be alleviated. (refer to item #3)
4) I will be implementing a visual and non-visual mode (only shows second players realtime stats) for people with weaker CPUs.
5) All playfield types will eventually be supported. First up, Next Down and then the rest.
6) If it is unclear how to start a multiplayer game, read the instructions when you enter
7) Keep the chat clean in the multiplayer chat rooms.
The chat has auto-flood and word filter and it will autoban if you don’t behave.
9) Have fun and don’t forget to report bugs.
10) Multiplayer runs off a seperate dedicated server that I rent in order to maintain the highest quality connections and lowest ping time between players.

If you have any bugs to report, you need to explain them to me in a way where I can succesfully recreate those bugs from your instructions. Bug reports like “It won’t work” will just be ignored. Remember, the more details you give me, the quicker it gets fixed.

We have also (Thanks to LD) created an FFR Multiplayer Stats page where you can lookup any multiplayer game that you have played or any game that has been played on multiplayer for that matter. It is simple to use, you just click on “Overall” to see recent games played or “Personal” to see only the games that you were involved in. You can find the link for it on the left side of this page “FFR Multiplayer Stats”. Currently multiplayer only records the score into the database if both players are in the postgame lobby at the same time. If someone exits early, it will not record the score into the database. This is a bug and it is being worked on.

Other than that, have fun and see you in Multiplayer.

Oh yeah.. Did I mention that this is free? The only cost is that you spread the word about FFR and Multiplayer.

Cheers,

Synthlight

*EDIT SYNTHLIGHT* – *FIXED* -You are now not allowed to leave the postgame lobby until the other player finishes the song, this ensures that the score will be recorded properly

*EDIT SYNTHLIGHT* – *FIXED* -The multiplayer stats was only recording the first game played when you entered the room, fixed to record all games properly. You will need to clear your cache and reload the game in your browser to run the fixed version. Whoops!

Let me ASK you something…

I’m pleased to announce that FFR has acquired the talents of a new artist. The independent electronic artist ASK, of Japan, has agreed to let us use any of his music that we want to in our game. It’s very good music – kind of reminds me of Cranky. Or maybe Cranky reminds me of ASK. The point is, ASK is great, and we’re happy to have him on FFR.

If you liked Party4U in Purchased/R2, I’m sure you’ll like “Get Down.” I edited the song down to 2:09 for use on FFR – it’s fairly seamless, but make sure you visit his website (it’s in Japanese, but easy enough to get around) and check out the unbelievably awesome full version. It’s mind-bendingly good.

I’ve been listening to this song for over a year, and I’m very excited it’s finally on FFR. On a difficulty scale of 1-6, 6 being the hardest in FFR, I’d place it at about a high 4 or a low 5. Enjoy!

Multiplayer Status

Working on FFR Realtime Multiplayer tonight. It may be up and down while we change out code.

*EDIT SYNTHLIGHT* – I believe we have fixed the bug that caused the “waiting for player X” error when 2 players were already in a room. This should be a great relief to many.

*EDIT SYNTHLIGHT* – Well.. even in these early stages, Multiplayer seems to be a hit. We had about 40 multiplayer games running at the same time just a few minutes ago and I suspect the limitation was interface design and some unwanted server load. I will be moving the java server to it’s own dedicated server so that Multiplayer can live up to it’s potential of possibly thousands of concurrent games.

*EDIT SYNTHLIGHT* – Dedicated server for multiplayer has been purchased and we are in the process of setting up all the services. This will provide a top notch multiplayer experience with low lag. At the same time this new server will alleviate some of the pressure from the main server. You guys definately get your money’s worth!

*EDIT 3:02AM SYNTHLIGHT* – The dedicated server has been setup for continued testing with a treat for all of you behind a firewall at work or school, the MP service is setup on port 80 since we don’t need a webserver on that server. Enjoy while we develop

Cheers,

Synthlight

Multiplayer is Almost Finished

As many of you know, FFR Realtime Multiplayer has been in re-development over the last week. We have completely torn down the old buggy php socket version (which usually crashed after 20 minutes) and have started building a new multiplayer from the ground up. This new multiplayer engine should be capable of handling 2000+ connections in realtime. Of course none of this could have been accomplished without the amazing java based server called SmartFox. I will post more on SmartFox Server and it’s creators once FFR Realtime Multiplayer is complete. Their support has been second to none.

Currently this is what needs to be finished in FFR Realtime Multiplayer:

Graphics graphics graphics (we will need to skin just about everything from scratch. Have any ideas?)
De-bugging and beta testing (please post what you find. The latest version is always live.)

Doesn’t sound like much does it? Realtime multiplayer currently does work. This is how you use it:

Click on the MULTIPLAYER icon on the lower half portion of FFR
Click on the LOBBY button to join the lobby
Click “new” to create a new game room
Wait for someone to join
Both people pick and load the same song
Once both songs are loaded, it automatically launches

Easy eh? We are open to ideas and will be making drastic changes to the system as we gather more ideas.

Please excuse our mess and debugging info while we develop. I find it easiest to continually release the current multiplayer version so that we can get quicker feedback and in turn release the final version of multiplayer sooner than we would otherwise.

P.S. You can join games in progress as a spectator and watch their game info change in realtime via the debugging text.

Cheers,

Synthlight

*BUG FOUND* – The game sometimes think you disconnect from the room when you have not and will throw up the “waiting for player X” message. Trying to address this tonight and get it fixed. It seems to become more and more common as the multiplayer end gets more busy.

*SYNTHLIGHT EDIT* – We cannot even begin to implement modes like reverse or diagonal until we finish the basics of multiplayer. I can tell you that it is a possibility though.

Spring Fever!

***Chardish Edit***: The new song this week is called Go Go Go Power Rangers…you can find it in Misc. Enjoy!

Spring Fever brings many new things, mostly babies and pranks…. But at FFR it brings changes in the way we do things around here. We have started filling permanent positions to tackle specific tasks. We have many to fill but need to start simple. If you think you can bring specific talents to FFR, please contact one of the admins. The first 2 spots that have been filled are:

Chardish – In charge of bringing new artists to FFR, obtaining legal rights to use songs, general communication with artists. (If you are an artist looking to get your work on FFR contact Chardish! He is the man!)

lightdarkness – Conversion and prep of all stepfiles and songs for inclusion in FFR, general php coding for new site features, secondary artist scouting.

As many of you know, lightdarkness and Chardish have taken over adding new songs to FFR. This meant that 6 new songs were added last month alone. You can expect this duo to continue weekly releases indefinately.

The first song this month is already up and is called “Force of light”.. Good luck finding it.

Cheers,

Synthlight

***LD EDIT***
Keeping up with our one song a week promise, we have introduced a new song! It’s called End Night by DJ Lain, and it was stepped by one of our forum moderators Kilgamayan. Enjoy!

We also fixed a bug in Balloon Fever that made some of the arrows too dark to see! Thanks for your feedback in helping us fix bugs.

Another Chapter

Because my time is limited. I am in the process of training lightdarkness how to convert and enter simfiles into the FFR database. You may see some new songs that go up today, some may be synced, some not, some may be there and then dissapear later. In order to show him how it works, we have to do it live. I would expect later tonight or tomorrow that he should have the process down and things working fine.

Yes, this means new songs for the orginal FFR.

Cheers,

Synthlight

***SYNTHLIGHT EDIT***
No, I am not sick. I am just very busy with business etc and 2 people working on FFR stuff happen to be faster than 1. LD now has the power to handle new songs. There will be more songs for R2 but we are in the middle of making some major changes to that engine.

***LD EDIT***
2/26/05 – Added Bubble Bobble Hillbilly Rodeo to Arcade
2/27/05 – Added Turbulence to Dance
2/27/05 – Added X-Dreamer Final Cut to Dance
2/27/05 – Added ASB to Purchased. Goto the FFR Shop to buy the song for 500 credits.
3/2/05 – Added a song, can’t remember what it’s called, or where I put it!
3/3/05 – Added Balloon Fever to Arcade. Warning, it’s very hard!

500,000 Very Crazy People

Wow. That is about the only word I have to express my feelings about a
certain something that arrived in the mail for me last week. What is it it you
wonder? Well maybe it would be better to show a photo of it.

Yup, they sent me a plaque for my years of service on this little project we
call FFR. It has every name of every staff member on FFR (along with their real
names which I blurred out). It was completely unexpected. Actually, when I was
opening the box I was thinking to myself that this must be a joke because it was
wrapped in layer upon layer of packaging and bubble wrap. I felt like I was
trying to get to the center of a tootsieroll pop. As I neared the actual
contents of the package all I could think of was that someone had sent me a
plate by mistake. It took me about 15 seconds to realize that it was actually something for ME. I could not believe it! In all my years of working with websites and BBS
systems(we are talkin late 80′s), I have never..ever.. received anything like
this. Again, the only word I can think of is "wow..". After years of working on
this project, it is nice to know that we have maintained such a tight knit and
caring community here on FFR that continues to grow every day with no signs of
slowing down. It still amazes me when I watch the member count go up by the
hundreds and sometimes over a 1000 per day. I am grateful for every member.

Speaking of Every member, it just so happens that by the time I post this
story, we should have exactly 500,000 members. It’s just crazy.. just crazy..

2
Thanksgiving’s ago I made a small list of what I am thankful for. I think I will
close this story with something similiar and strictly off the top of my head.

I am thankful for people caring enough to visit FFR on a regular basis
I am thankful for the plaque I received in the mail
I am thankful for the doors that FFR has opened
I am thankful for the mods in the forum and chat that put up with all kinds of
bullsh*t every day of their life
I am thankful for the musical artists that continue to support our project
I am thankful for the staff that watches my back 24/7
I am thankful for Konami and the wonderful genre of games they created
I am thankful for my family letting me spend time on FFR even when I don’t have
much time for them
I am thankful for linux
I am thankful for anyone who puts up with me
I am thankful for Halo2 multiplayer and not campaign
I am thankful for the people who AIM me and don’t get upset when I don’t answer
right away
I am thankful for thanksgiving
I am thankful for Jason Key for providing custom chat software and believing in
FFR
I am thankful for my awesome keyboard
I am thankful for the late nights that soccr has put into R2 so far
I am thankful for Vonage
I am thankful to those of you who used to listen to me DJ on the radio last
summer
I am thankful for having a 3year old who can play Halo2
I am thankful to my clients
I am thankful that I have this odd skillset to get me through life
I am thankful my wife doesn’t get upset when I don’t go to sleep until 6am
I am thankful we have 500,000 members
I am thankful for each of those members
I am thankful we have almost 700 people browsing during peak times
I am thankful this list is almost over
I am thankful I only took 3 minutes to write all of this list
I am thankful you read it
I am thankful I am not feeling as old as I really am
I am thankful I am switching to cingular instead of sprint
I am thankful about partnerships I cannot tell everyone about yet (ooh!)
I am thankful that BPRC is getting married in 1 day
I am thankful that this is the last line I will say thankful on

Thanks again everyone for sticking around during these last couple of years. It
has been strange watching some of you grow up during this timespan. I
have watched some of you go through highschool, some of you graduate college and
even watched as a few of you enter into the military for your training to serve
our country (Spec!). Thanks again for hanging around and seeing FFR for the
community that it is. FFR is here for everyone to enjoy. This is why even after almost 3 years, you have not seen a single pop-up ad. FFR is as free as always and it is important to me that it stays that way, even if I am the one that pays for it. NOW BACK TO UPDATING FFR!! RIGHT NOW!! BREAK OVER!

Cheers,

Synthlight

Hello Moto

Well, my wife gave birth to our second son last weekend. I thought it was
finally time to write up a little news story with the details. I will spare
everyone the delivery pictures and go straight to a photo of my oldest son
holding his new baby brother. It is safe to say that last week has been sort of
crazy. We will be focusing again on R2 improvements next week.

Name: Brendon Michael Webb
Weight: 7 pounds 8 ounces
Length: 21 inches
Birthday: December 4th, 2004 11:01am