Update Log

26/02/03

major worm race update!

big edits time!!

Screenshot of the new feed history page. It shows the usernames of the latest participants in worm race, including which item they fed to which worm. There is also a banner at the top indicating which worm is currently winning.

feed history

since i needed feed tracking 4 the new system anyway, u can now view the latest activity on the racetrack page. if u feed using an account, the account name will be included also (though im planning 2 add an option 2 keep activity private in the future.)

logged in users will have their total contributions saved 2 the leaderboards!

Screenshot of the worm leaderboard page for Pretzel the orange worm. It shows the top five fans and top five haters, along with the count of how many times the logged in user has fed that worm.

visuals

i rewrote the CSS from scratch because it was a huge mess. the look on desktop is largely the same, though there should be some improvements 4 wider screen dimensions. worm race mobile has been adjusted more heavily, with (hopefully) support 4 landscape mode as well!

Screenshot of the wormrace in a landscape mobile layout with sections positioned horizontally so they all fit without scrolling.
nobody asked 4 this. there is something wrong with me

security and code

i have moved most functions 2 the backend (PHP and MariaDB) instead of where it was (frontend Javascript and random SQL3 databases.) this has several advantages, including ease of adding planned features going forward. ive also managed a 50% decrease in total file size 4 the game.

another thing this let me implement is actual security!! worm race was embarrassingly easy to bot spam in the past, and not only is that bad 4 fairness, it also puts a lot of strain on the nonprofit hosting service. on that note...

Screenshot of a worm-decorated page that says 'Too many recent feed actions from your IP address. Try again in a few minutes, or sign in.'

activity limits

worm race now limits simultaneous users to 2 per IP address (calculated based on item cooldown time.) it shouldn't affect most ppl, but if u play with a household (is anyone actually doing this..?) you can always log in so you won't be lumped in with everyone on ur router. all IP address data is cleared within 24 hours and is only used for this purpose.

what's next?

the new structure puts me closer 2 what has always been the goal - tournament-style races with a set end date. youll still have access 2 the total results over time, but the main races will last 1-3 months with trophies awarded at the end. each worm will have a trophy case showing their successes!

dedicated campaigns 4 a specific worm are only temporary right now, and some worms r so far behind they would struggle 2 catch up. once that update is out, it will be possible 2 get ur worm a trophy even if they have been unpopular in the past, which i think will make the game more rewarding! :3