Well i decided to write this blog to put some more insight on this incredible performance boost in n4g, as you well noticed page loading is much more faster, so the user experience here has been much more improved, but some of you may wonder how this was done, well you'll always get the vague responses: "we have worked on it", "enhanced the database", etc.. well that's what all admins do, they won't make tutoring lessons for members. So if anyone is interested, here's my take on the subject.
I have based my opinion that there is a performance due to the normal human observation but most importantly using a software(don't if i should specify the name)
anyway, the results are impressive, here are some basic figures represented in the images, note that those figures are not well done, they are based on a few observations and not a scientifical study, and i just chose one the figures as an average because it seemed to me that it does represent it and the figures may vary from user to user depending on his/her connection and the ping to server(my ping is time=153ms ttl=107 of course for 32 bits)
Reaching the main part, i'll try to be concise here because not all of you want to delve into the geek stuff, but this should give you an idea:
1- a more centralized css(+info: css files are the theming files, which is what you see the colors, the columns, etc... + this has shaved at least 3 secs of request time*)
2- an enhanced database, here i'll expand a bit because this is basic functioning of n4g like sites:
well we're in the world of web2.0 where pages aren't anymore static but they provide some forms of interactivity with the user, how is this done, here are some general guidelines: php, dhtml, ajax(not really a strict component here), and the (in)famous databases....
a short way of how this is done: the info aren't any more saved on a page but they are registered in a database like MYSQL; access(a more known example), or excel(a really simplified one), so the php code queries the information and presents depending on the users(his permissions and requests), so how the databases can be enhanced? by deleting unnecessary tables, columns, etc... using an efficient caching program without limiting the user interactivity....
3- a cleaner code( in java for example, and jquery to be more specific, the load times are being largely improved overtime)
4- Splitting pages, instead of loading 300 comments onto one page, splitting the comments into different pages was indeed a wise decision, while it may annoy some users, it will vastly enhance the experience.
5- more centralized api
6- more efficient cron handling - i can see that cron is actually being put to use now since there are internal search boxes now
The list can go on, but this gives you an idea, but if anyone wants me to expand an idea or explain something else, don't hesitate to ask.
I hope you didn't get bored with this, well you shouldn't have read in the first place.
Oops i forgot to include this possibility which I suspect this may be the main factor behind all the improvements and not the hard work on stuff i listed above... yes maybe you should admit it dusty, you just have upgraded your server to the CELL with Linux instead of using an xbox-like cpu with windows server :d
disclaimer: this is my personal analysis while it may hold a piece of the truth, it may not be totally true... and the oops line in the end is kind of like a joke... maybe not.
see this one and continue to the other
shame that i don't have any screenshots from old graphs, but this should satiate you for the moment
The Nerd Stash: "The rarest PSP games of all time are some of the most underrated titles with niche gameplay styles and huge fanbases."
The Nerd Stash: "Ubisoft is finally bringing players to Japan with Assassin's Creed Shadows, but this samurai/ninja epic might arrive too late."
More like 12 year...people have been going on about Japan or China since after Assassins Creed 3
Hell I even remember seeing people talk about it before Brotherhood or Revelations came out.
Ubisoft ignored people for over a decade and clearly decided to do it once they saw how successful games like Ghost of Tsushima become.
Well, the funny thing is in the very first game once you unlock the eagle vision outside the Animus, people deciphered the writing on the wall and it gave a lot of hints to China and japan being the next or one of the next locations. And now they only do it when someone else already did it for them, and better imo.
Hell one of the directors literally addressed people's demands to.follow through on the hints the game had, and blatantly said they will never have an AC set in that location.
Me and my friends called it while playing GoT, like "i bet Ubisoft announces an AC game set in China or Japan now" and they announce TWO 🤣
The creators had plans for this series which where put on hold indefinitely for the milking Ubi had planned. Pretty sure they were gonna take this to Japan after 2, but then focused on Ezio. Which is why the modern day stuff fell apart too.
Better late than never. I haven’t been into an Ass Creed game since Black Flag and I only liked the non-Ass Creed parts of that game. This one will be the first I’ve played since Unity, which killed any interest I had with the series,
Nah, tsushima is all countryside and beach and sekiro and nioh are fantasy, a more urban feudal japan setting is fresh. Besides we get a new European medieval game every 10 minutes, why can't multiple companies do Japan ? I would love onimusha, tenchu and way of the samurai to come back.
I hate the idea of a gaming company 'owning' a setting, I want more high budget cowboy games besides red dead !!!!
Why release it at a time when the setting is so common? Releasing it now lets it stand out more.
Everyone's looking to get some of the Fortnite pie lately. This time, it's everyone's favorite YouTube chill music channel, Lofi Girl.
as text isn't legible in chart part and i haven't been able to update the image information for some reason, i am adding it here:
"Note that the total request time is about 5-7 secs
it used to take about 20 sec on a normal scrammed n4g page
Loadtime<=request time"
and what's more amazing that n4g doesn't use any heavy caching methods, you could have actually seen this if the charts were a bit bigger but they were automatically resized... but anyway the grey line kind of represents the cached info, not much huuh
The update did increase load times =).
I haven't noticed any difference! there was some few days ago, but it was the other way around, the pages took literally minutes to load :/
tell them to put all the reviews in one section. i have to keep changing pages
but damn man a lil too much time on ones hands?