2008.01.08 - Development Updates:

First of all, happy new year everybody. I've found myself with enough time to actually work on Castlewar, so I've decided to make some updated. See this forum post for more information.
Created the new Castlewar Facebook app - add it to your Facebook profile to automatically embed your profile information into your Facebook profile!

2007.04.29 - Introducing:

The CastleWar Shop. It's been a while since I've posted about an update, and in the interest of letting everyone know the game's still alive, I figured I'd add this.

2007.02.11 - Development Updates:

Made a number of performance enhancements, based on altering database structure.

2007.02.08 - Bug Fixes:

Fixed a bug that was causing error messages to not be displayed when attacking someone; just the red X.

2007.01.10 - Bug Fixes/Development Updates:

Fixed a bug that was causing new users to not recieve a correct username and password when signing up.
Redefined CastleWar as a PBBG. I feel that PBBG better describes CastleWar than MMORPG.

2006.12.14 - Development Updates:

Created the CastleWar Official Forum. All current users have had an account automatically created for them; all future users will also be automatically added to the forum. Your login information on the forum is the same as for the main site. Some time will be spent in the near future optimizing the forum code.

2006.12.06 - Development Updates:

Made various performance changes scattered about the site.
Disabled changing of your profile picture unless you have a premium account.
Removed the warning regarding E-mails from the top of the index page. I haven't noticed this problem recently.

2006.11.10 - Development Updates:

Wiped all accounts again.
Bonus citizens from premium accounts have been temporarily disabled.
Players now start with one citizen.
Hotels renamed to inns.
Item destruction should work properly. We'll know when people start to get items.
Gold theft code has been modified to scale down with your citizens, meaning you will steal a higher percentage of a players gold at lower citizen levels.

2006.10.30 - Development Updates:

Made some sitewide performance enhancements.
Particularly worked with /attacking.php to boost performance.

2006.10.16 - Development Updates:

Added the nice new top info bar.
Made a number of performance enhancements across a number of pages.
I'd like to make a request, to all our users, that you install the Alexa Toolbar (Firefox users can get it here), partly to help us out, and partly to make the Internet as a whole more accurate and useful.

2006.10.05 - Development Updates:

Set up several sitemaps for search engines to better index CastleWar.
Made some performance optimizations on various pages.

2006.09.13 - (More) Downtime Info:

Sorry for the (more) downtime. Our ISP had port 80 blocked for a while, so the only way to access the site was through HTTPS. The problem is now resolved.

2006.08.04 - Downtime Info:

Sorry for the downtime. Everything appears to be in working order again, but I'm going to keep a close eye on it for a bit and may bring the site back down.

2006.07.21 - Bug Fixes:

Fixed a possible security vulnerability in /members.php.

2006.07.10 - Development Updates:

Altered the way gold theft is calculated. It should be a little easier to get gold before you get much income bonus, then it'll ramp back down to where it was once you hit the max income modifier of 4.0.
Set the shop pages to forget what values you entered last. I finally realized how horribly annoying it was.

2006.07.08 - Development Updates:

Added another field to the registration form, asking new users to state how they heard about CastleWar. This is for my own informational purposes.
Added another attack item, and another defense item. They're pretty powerful, and pretty expensive. I might've said this when I added ballistae/catapults, but these will probably be the last new items for a while, and I mean it this time.
Reset the database for 0.7. Those of you with premium still have premium.
The round is now Final Beta 0.7.

2006.07.07 - Downtime Info:

Sorry for the downtime all day today. It seems one of my boxen has a bad network card, so I switched it to its onboard 10/100 controller. Should all work fine again. Performance may degrade slightly until I get a new card, though. Will have it ASAP.

2006.07.02 - Development Updates:

That item destruction code is finally in place. It should work out fine, but I'll spend the next day or so debugging it and making sure it stays balanced. If you encounter any issues with this code, please notify me immediately.
I haven't set the siege log to contain destroyed items yet. That will come either tomorrow or later today.

2006.06.28 - Development Updates:

I know it's been a while since I've updated (a month and three days to be exact), and I apologize. I've been very busy. However, the good news is, I'm almost done with item destruction code.

2006.05.25 - Bug Fixes:

Fixed the attack damage code so both players don't get 0 every time, anymore. Sorry, guys~

2006.05.23 - Bug Fixes:

Altered the layout of allianceprofile.php. You now have more freedom with your layout.

2006.05.20 - Bug Fixes:

Fixed the minor cosmetic bug in shop.php that was causing the number of ballistae you purchased to be displayed in the catapult textbox.

2006.05.16 - Development Updates:

Found a healthy medium with attack formulae. All damage dealt is now inflated by a very large number. This should fix any possible chance of a negative damage value.
Added a new attack and new defense item. This should keep you hardcore players busy for a while. This will probably be the last one I add, as the new theft code I'm adding will alleviate the need (and the ability to get ahold of) a ton of items.
Premium users can now attack everybody one more extra time per day, for a total of five times per day.
Added the public TODO list, so beta progress can be more easily tracked.

2006.05.14 - Development Updates:

Fixed the links in /alliancerankings.php. They now, in fact, link to /allianceprofile.php.

2006.05.13 - Development Updates:

Added alliance rankings. You can access them using the link on the left menu.

2006.05.11 - Development Updates:

Added a notification in profile.php (next to the user's name) stating that they are a premium user, if they are premium.

2006.05.10 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Modified attack formulae again. They will be altered again in the near future, however.
This now allows attackfind.php to order correctly.

2006.05.07 - Development Updates:

Premium accounts are now complete. If you purchase a premium account during beta, it will carry over to Live. For example, if you purchase two months' worth of premium now, and beta lasts another month, you'll still have two months of premium left once beta ends.
Everybody who participates in beta will recieve one free month of premium once beta ends. It's my way of saying thanks guys, for helping me test all the code.
Note that with the advent of premium accounts, the hourly update code (the code that gives you your gold) had to be drastically altered to take into account referrals and the premium account citizen bonus. Hourly updates may be a bit bumpy for a couple hours. Please bear with me.
Think I got all the bugs worked out of the new hourly update code. I'm not 100% sure though, so I'll be monitoring it for the next day or so to make sure no errors occur.

2006.05.06 - Development Updates:

Fixed several exploits that were previously allowing users to gain citizens at an unnaturally fast rate.
Premium accounts are almost finished.

2006.05.03 - Development Updates:

Sorry for the lack of updates. Been a little busy lately, and the premium account code I'm working on has been time-consuming, to say the least.
Modified the attack formulae again. Once again, I wasn't happy with them.

2006.04.27 - Development Updates:

Tweaked the attack formulae. I wasn't happy with how they were acting beforehand.
Also tweaked the formulae that determine whether or not somebody is within your range. This, in fact, will create some fights that are A) impossible to win or B) impossible to lose. I want to hear feedback on this one, so I know whether or not to keep them like this. This tweak broadens the range of players you can attack.

2006.04.27 - Bug Fixes:

Alliance creation is now fixed. Sorry for the bug, it's all good now.

2006.04.25 - Notice:

I've decided what I'll be doing to provide beta accounts with a little reward. When I begin round one, all accounts that were registered during beta will start with 5 free citizens.
Additionally, it seems I broke vote.php earlier today due to a typo while making an extremely minor code modification. Sorry everybody, it's fixed.

2006.04.24 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes/(Another) Downtime Update:

Sorry, Internet Explorer users. I implemented an exploitation fix for Firefox (and other Gecko-based browsers) users, and in the process made the site unusable for IE users. The problem is now fixed.
I guess this file didn't get properly overwritten earlier. It is, in fact, illegal to purchase clicks from an advertising website. Sorry guys, read the rules.
Bonus citizens for voting now, in fact, work.

2006.04.23 - Downtime Update:

My apologies for the downtime this morning. We were shut off for a couple hours by Peco due to miscommunication, and the shutting off of my cable modem resulted in my IP address being changed. So DNS records had to be updated to reflect the new address. Should be 100% back to normal in about a day, once the new DNS information traverses the world.

2006.04.22 - Development Updates:

Finally got a chance to update the version number in the main logo. Sorry for the delay.
For those of you who think it's cute and fun to abuse proxies and whatever else you're utilizing so you can get 160+ citizens on the first day...don't expect that to fly with me once round one rolls around.
Added the "* BONUS CITIZENS *" leftmenu item. Please support CastleWar and vote for us, guys~
Altered vote.php...now, even if you've already voted today, it will redirect you to that site. This is done because sometimes there are problems voting even after you get your vote logged by me, so those who are looking to actually support us are partially unable to. Again, thanks guys.

2006.04.21 - Development Updates:

Version number changed to Final Beta 0.5. The logo will be updated later today to reflect this.
Reset all citizens, gold, and items for the new version number.

2006.04.20 - Development Updates:

No optimizations today! At least, I don't think I made any.
Added the chance for bonus citizens. Once per day, per IP address, you can vote on each of the "Gaming Top X" sites at the bottom of all CastleWar pages. For every 5 votes you cast in our favor, you will gain one citizen. With 10 topsites down there, that means you can gain 2 citizens every day by voting.
About the optimizations...I found some~
Tomorrow, I will be moving to Final Beta 0.5. What does this mean for you guys? It means that tomorrow, all citizens, gold, and items will be reset. Soon, we will be moving to Round 1, at the end of which the first prize will be handed out.

2006.04.19 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Yet more small optimizations. They keep coming every day~
Fixed a major bug in page.php that was causing any users whose (citizens + 1) equalled an even multiple of four. Sorry about that one, guys.
Fixed a bug in rankings.php and attackfind.php that was causing the "Next >>" link to not be displayed if there would only be one player on the next page.
You can now edit your alliance's biography.

2006.04.18 - Development Updates:

Yet more small optimizations.
Altered damage formulae used when attacking. I wasn't happy with the way they were. Your rank in attackfind.php should now more accurately reflect your power in battle.
Alliances are nearly complete. You can now leave your alliance, kick members from your alliance, and (if you're the leader), promote/demote officers. All from the "MY ALLIANCE" page at the left menu.

2006.04.17 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Back end of the item system has been altered. Think I got them all worked out, but if you find any bugs, please report them.
Optimized profile.php slightly.
Fixed a bug in alliancecreate.php that was causing the "CREATE ALLIANCE" menu item to still be displayed after you create it. Thanks to a couple of you for creating several alliances each.
If the user whose profile you are viewing is not in an alliance and you have sufficient alliance permission to do so, there is a link to invite that user to your alliance.
~~Actual alliance invitations will be possible shortly.~~
Alliance invitations are now 100% fully functional. You will be able to leave your alliance soon, and I'll fix a cosmetic bug on allianceinvites.php tomorrow.

2006.04.16 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Fixed the bugs in shop_sell.php and profile.php caused by the two new items. I'm working on altering the back end of the item system, so adding and removing items goes more smoothly in the future.
Fixed a bug that could possibly (and did, plaguing at least one recent sign-up) cause the registration process to not insert new rows into all the user tables. Thanks a bunch (/sarcasm off) whoever tried to stick an apostrophe somewhere in their contact info~
Optimized the code a little bit more. Everything should run slightly faster. link.php should show a little more improvement than others.
You can now create an alliance. I'll have invitations done tomorrow.
Added the little item descriptions when you click on an item name in the shop or while viewing a user's profile.

2006.04.15 - Development Updates:

Made some code optimizations that should increase performance all around, although it won't really be noticable with only 20000 hits per day.
You can now personalize the picture that is displayed in your profile. By default, you still have the old one.
Alliances are on the way.
Added another attack item and another defense item.
On the way is the ability to destroy your opponent's items when you siege them. You will get added money for destroying items.

2006.04.14 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

The "Remember Me" checkbox really works now. Seriously. I mean it this time~
We can now send E-mail to any address, so no matter where you have your E-mail, you shouldn't have an issue recieving the confirmation message.
Added the "newest registered user" field on the homepage.
It seems that my above statement about E-mail is mistaken. Simply removed the need for E-mail activation until further notice, once I get that issue resolved.

2006.04.13 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

The members.php page now displays your bonuses.

2006.04.12 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

The "Remember Me" checkbox really works now. No, seriously, it does!
Added the AIM field to your profile. More to come.

2006.04.11 - Development Updates:

The "Remember Me" checkbox works now.
Modified the gold steal code a bit. Your base steal percentage is now lower, but income bonus improves it.
Added the profile bio, and edit profile page. Will have more profile options soon.

2006.04.10 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Updated the damage formulae so that there should be no negative attack values again. Not 100% sure I'm happy with them though, so they may be altered again in the future.
Added /attackfind.php, which is like /rankings.php except that players are listed in order of their "effective" power in battle. This page is linked to from the "Find someone to siege!" link.
Added three new items. One +attack, one +defense, and one +income.

2006.04.09 - Development Updates/Bug Reports:

I just got back from vacation (which was fun, but that's a story for another time~) and will resume coding CastleWar tomorrow. Yes I am aware of the negative damage issue, no it is not intended, and I will redo damage formulae tomorrow to fix that.

2006.04.06 - Development Updates/Bug Reports:

Added inventory display to profile.php. Now you can see what your opponent has.
Somewhere in the code, there's a bug that gives a player 16 quintillion gold. That's a lot of gold; a lot more than any player should ever have. If you experience this bug, please notify me via AIM or E-mail. Reward for information regarding this is 15 free citizens. Whether reported or not, the 16 quintillion gold will be removed.
The above exploit was fixed. Thanks guys for reporting it.

2006.04.05 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Version number has changed to Beta 0.2.
I think I've finally fixed all the broken code throughout the game. If you see anything that looks like a bug, tell me.
Made some code optimizations for all pages to run a bit faster.
The timestamp used to check and see if you've gotten a click or attacked a particular player is no longer simply 24 hours before the current timestamp; it's now sometime around midnight EST.
Apparently I was wrong, all the broken code was not, in fact, fixed. E-mail activation works again, anybody who's signed up in the past couple weeks has been manually activated by me.
The shop is now LIVE. In light of this, all accounts have had their citizens and gold wiped, so that everybody can start on the same footing in this new beta version, 0.2.
Altered the structure of core database table `users`. If you experience any issues (MySQL errors, mostly), please notify me immediately.
Added CastleWar to a bunch of top 100, top 50, etc sites. You can see their small banners to the left and right sides of the main logo, up at the top. Please support CastleWar by voting for us there!

2006.04.03 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Fixed signups. I just now realized they were broken. Sorry about that, and have fun!
Also fixed the bug causing attacking.php to not log failed attacks. Thank you Flooficus for exploiting this and hitting me three times, as I knew you wouldn't be able to successfully beat me three times in a row~

2006.03.30 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Major update today. Finally got the attack code done; you can now siege any castle within your range three times per day and steal their gold.
Further fixed profile.php so that the "Monarch" line works. It's now fixed for real!
Modified profile.php to contain a "Siege This Castle" link. This link takes you to attack.php with the governor's name already filled in.
Added the "SIEGE" link to the left menu.
Modified the MySQL query failure function.
Made some code optimizations. MySQL query parsing makes me cry~
Added the attack logs, and the "SIEGE LOG" item on the left menu.
Renamed "peasants" to "citizens". The connotation makes more sense with the sieging system.
You currently don't have a limited number of attacks per day, per hour, or anything. You can only attack any given person three times per day, but there's no limit other than that. Get your friends to sign up for more people to attack!

2006.03.24 - Development Updates/Bug Fixes:

Fixed the bug causing your referer to increment when somebody signs up under you, rather than your underling count.
Modified "Submit Ideas" link to link to /contact.php rather than a mailto URL. The contact page contains contact information.

2006.03.22 - Development Updates:

Beta has begun. Start telling your friends about CastleWar. Have them sign up. If they sign up from your unique link, you gain one peasant for every four of theirs.

2006.03.21 - Development Updates:

User profile has been updated. It will probably stay that way until beta.
Added "FAQ" and "Support" links to the top navigation bar.
Added a FAQ page.
Created support@castlewar.com E-mail address.
Created cwideas@castlewar.com E-mail address.
Began alpha testing. The current round is now "Alpha 1". Don't expect alpha to last more than a day, maybe two.
Created rankings page. http://www.castlewar.com/rankings.php

2006.03.20 - Development Updates:

Banner ads and random banner code have been written and implemented.
The referral system is now infinitely recursive. No matter how your underling gets their four peasants, you gain one.

2006.03.19 - Development Updates:

Members page is (for the time being) complete.
Unique link page is (for the time being) complete. It's functional.
Referral system is complete.
Hourly gold updates are functional.
Made the top menu more useful. It's also thicker.

2006.03.18 - Bug Fixes:

Registration no longer returns errors about your name being too short and E-mail address being invalid when, in fact, they are not.

2006.03.16 - Development Updates:

Registering now creates an account and send you an E-mail with account activation information. Account activation is not yet completed.
Account activation is now completed.
Added the cool-looking menu at the top~

2006.03.14 - Development Updates:

Registration form now has a page to submit to, and returns errors on failure. Does not actually create an account yet.

2006.03.13 - Development Updates:

2006.03.12 - Development Updates:

Registration page complete. Registration will be open in the next couple days.

2006.02.27 - Announcements:

Site open. Still getting everything worked out. Check back often for updates.