Platform Development: Update 30
Please find below a regular development status report, this one covering the period from June 10 to June 23, 2019. Within this timeframe, we were strongly focused on implementing the optimization plan to achieve better and faster performance, introducing the new features and expanding the platform functionality.
Social and developers functionality update
In the recent sprint, we have successfully tested Developers’ graphical user interface (GUI) utility and transferred it to our current partners; now waiting for their feedback.
Furthermore, we’ve developed a universal basis for all Social functions — a special inner transport protocol based on WebSocket, facilitating real-time data transfer from server to the client (used simultaneously by different domains).
WebSocket provides full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection and enables interaction between a web browser (or client app) and a web server with lower overhead than half-duplex alternatives such as HTTP polling. WebSocket is supported by most browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Opera.
One of the first social features to be implemented on The Abyss will be the user’s online/offline status, which also requires this versatile transport protocol.
Internal Analytics
The Abyss internal statistics mechanism now allows to collect more data and metrics, like user payment methods, time of game sessions, number and the origin of registration, etc., which makes further marketing analysis more precise and complete.
UI improvements and functionality expansion
The list of UI improvements and new functions, introduced in the recent sprint, includes:
- Rebranding process finished: all logos and colours were renewed;
- Developed and implemented the CPA functionality on the Administrator’s page;
- Developed the game statistics functionality on the Developer’s page. This functionality (currently on testing) includes the tools and instruments for data collection, analysis and visualization. The basic version allows to track 14 different parameters;
- Implemented the “Unsubscribe” function within our Notification management system. The ability to manage subscriptions makes The Abyss more user-friendly and, at the same time, generates a higher level of customer’s loyalty;
- Implemented a feature which helps to customize ads/banners making the process more flexible for marketing specialists.
Optimization plan implementation
A guide for platform Administrators has been developed. It provides clear instructions on how to optimize the images before publication. In the future, this functionality will run automatically, for example, when uploaded the images will automatically adapt to various devices and screen sizes. This will decrease the system load and increase the speed of interface performance.
The optimization plan also includes the development of data prefetching mechanism, which has also been implemented. The data prefetching is a technique that boosts execution performance by fetching instructions or data from their original storage in slower memory to a faster local memory before it is actually needed. This makes accessing cache memories much faster than accessing data directly from the main memory.
We’ve also optimized The Abyss Kubernetes cluster, which allowed to lower the resource intensity (consumption) and to achieve better and more stable performance.
The Abyss iOS app
It was decided not only to revive, but also to expand the mobile app functionality by adding new features and elements that will make it more useful. This work has been done and moved to the testing stage.
Infrastructure evolution
We have implemented an automatic ‘cleaning’ function within the developers’ environment. This allowed to free up the additional resources in the testing environment and boosted the speed of new deployments by 25–30%.
Short-term development plans
While we’re working on adding the new features to the platform, our short-term development plans also include:
- Refactoring of Open Graph protocol and its adaptation to popular social media channels;
- Development of Users Ratings front-end application;
- Adding information about the in-game purchases to the game page;
- Testing and publication of a feature allowing to resume the download process from the point of cut off (when the Desktop Client window is closed or Internet connection lost);
- Redesigning The Abyss store on the main page: game cards will be resized, new animation elements added;
- SDK improvement: introducing the Photon BOLT authorization module for Matchmaking;
- Further user experience improvement (based on feedback received from our partner developers).
Well, that’s it for today. We will keep you up to date with the development process twice per month, as previously. The next report is scheduled for July 8, 2019.
Stay tuned!
Best,
The Abyss Team
