SimYard runs on a webserver with eight cores.  The games themselves run as a PHP script on this machine.  Recently, the game hit the maximum speed because the PHP script was running as fast as it can and couldn’t keep up.  The solution was to make it multithreaded, and so the adventure begins.

The script used to work this way.  It would start up every hour and only run for an hour before shutting down.  It would start by loading all of the games that are in-progress.  Then it would process one at-bat for each of those games and look for new games to start.  Every at-bat was followed by saving the changed records to the database.  Anyone watching a game has an AJAX script which runs checking for new at-bats and refreshes when they are available.

This script wasn’t using up 1/8th of the CPU power on the webserver, though.  The time that the script was taking was split between actually calculating the results of the at-bat (which uses CPU) and saving the results to the database (which takes none on the webserver).  So I had a situation where the game was pegged out and couldn’t run faster, yet the server was only running at about 10-15% capacity.

After making a couple modifications to the way the data updates to ensure that these games could actually run multithreaded, I changed the way this logic works.  Now, the script starts every five minutes.  It runs for five minutes, starting by loading up any abandoned games which have not been active for at least five minutes.  Then, it enters the same loop where it looks for new games to start and runs them.  The difference is that once the five minutes are up, it stops adding new games.  It just continues to run the current games it has.  Once all those games are finished, the script exits.

This is working well.  It’s resulting in a return to the fast gaming before SimYard got busy.  And it’s much more scalable.

The newest baseball simulator on the web is getting better.  SimYard is undergoing improvements this month which will make the game deeper and the gameplay better.  If you haven’t checked out the best baseball simulator on the web, now is the time.

A new bidding system will be launched, allowing public bids to be made throughout the season on players.  Players who have expiring contracts will give “Buy Now” contract extensions to their current teams based on the public bids.  This will lead to a much more consistent salary for all of the players.

In addition, many of the players have been working to compile a wish list of features, and I plan to implement many of them.  In my opinion one of the biggest things that makes SimYard so worth playing is the fact that there’s an active administrator working on it full time.  Yes, this is my full time job.

So stop by SimYard.  It’s free to play pick-up games in the park, and you can even qualify for the postseason tournament.  If you want to take the team to the next level, you can get a Stadium Permit which allows you to have a farm system of three teams.  The bottom team can play pick-up games in the park while the other two join leagues and play scheduled games all month in their league with a postseason at the end.

It’s a lot of fun.  Come by SimYard today and start playing your franchise now!

The fantasy baseball simulator, SimYard, opens up the 1901 season tomorrow night.  Now is your chance to get in and start playing Spring Training games.  Give your guys a little training boost before the new season.  SimYard is the next generation of fantasy baseball.

The next generation of Fantasy Baseball has been featured on Fox News Chicago.

Click here to watch it on Youtube

The traffic on the site has been quite high since then, and the 1900 season is turning out to be the best so far. Third teams have been added for players with Stadium Permits so there will be minor leagues for the 1901 season. Leagues will be having their first playoffs shortly.

http://www.simyard.com/

Nothing pisses me off more than paying for something and then getting spammed with ads.  You see this most commonly with television.  I pay like $75 / month for DirecTV, and almost all the channels are loaded with advertisements.  It sickens me.

A couple of people have asked me why I don’t put ads up on SimYard.  (For those of you who don’t know, SimYard is my new fantasy baseball management simulation webgame.)  The answer is, I will be charging next month to join leagues, and I don’t think it’s right to charge money for something and then make more money advertising to those people.  People are going to play my game because it’s fun and it makes them relax, and advertisements steal from that environment.

So, no ads.  That’s the way I like it.  Please, enjoy SimYard, a brand new webgame that has no ads.

If you want to play baseball on the web, there’s only one place to go: SimYard!  SimYard is a new kind of fantasy baseball.  You can sign up and make a team in minutes, and then go into the Public Fields and find an opponent.  The game takes under 20 minutes to play, and you get to choose your lineups and pitching rotation.

If you like webgames, and you like baseball, and you haven’t tried SimYard yet, then go there right now and sign up.  Seriously, you will enjoy this game a lot!

Now that football is over, turn your attention to baseball, and join the brand new fantasy baseball management simulator, SimYard! Own your own team and make your own lineup decisions. Choose your opponent and the starting pitcher. You call the shots. You own the team.

http://www.simyard.com/

Features:

- Create your own team, choose your name, colors, and logo.
- Recruit and dismiss players as you choose.
- You create the lineups and the pitching rotations.
- Play live games against other players.
- New season every month, ending in a huge tournament.

Sound like fun?

http://www.simyard.com/

It’s free, so try it out!

My newest game, SimYard, is now available to the public. It is a baseball management simulator, set in 1898, and allows you to help rewrite baseball history. Get a team of amateur baseball players and compete against other managers. The season lasts through February, at which time there will be a tournament of the best teams, you will train your players, and 1899 will begin in March.

In March, the game will open up even further with the introduction of league play, stadiums, and salaries for members, while free players can continue playing in the public fields that are available today for no cost.

Stop by www.simyard.com and see the newest baseball game to hit the internet.

This weekend, I launched my new webgame: SimYard. It is a brand new type of webgame, allowing you to play live games in real-time against internet opponents. You choose your lineup and the starting pitcher. You can call for subs during the game. Your pitchers get tired, and you have to rotate your starters and your bullpen.

You get extra players on your team by interacting with people at the park. You can use this to raise Buzz for your team also, which results in more fans being generated if you win. The more fans you have for your team, the more money you can make once the leagues start next month. The more money you can make, the more money you can bid on players, and the better team you can put together.

Each month will bring a new season, and new growth to SimYard. The game will grow and change along with the players and the seasons. Join now and help to write a new fantasy baseball history!

Next week will see the release of a brand new entry into the Baseball Management Game genre: SimYard.  SimYard will offer a massively multiplayer universe for owning and managing a baseball team and competing with other players on and off the field.   Each month is a new season and you train your players each month to improve their abilities.  The training results are based on training method and season experience.

SimYard is scheduled to open to the public on February 1, 2008.  Memberships will be available a month later allowing for players to join leagues, handle a team budget, build a stadium, and win pennants.

SimYard is based in the past, and offers a chance to rewrite baseball history.  February will see the 1898 season, and each year will build on the stats from the previous.  You will have the opportunity to turn one of your players into the first superstar of baseball and have your own Babe Ruth.

See you next week at the opening!