Message text I think everyone has experienced the "no winner" game at least once. You know, the game that is over, you have the most points, but you are not credited with the win and your alias is not bold in the game listings. I have an idea why.
Database locks.
I've noticed that when I experience the error, every single time it has been proceeded by the game engine taking a tremendously long time to refresh the page. I now suspect the reason being that data access layer is spinning its wheels waiting to update the necessary records. The reason it would spin its wheels is that some other update was already hitting the same records/tables, and thus has priority.
I am not sure how the database -- SQL Server, I assume, due to the game being in ASP -- is set up in the particular instance of Blue Max, so it could either be record-level or table-level lock causing the problems.
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, or if I'm not communicating it properly, look at it this way: If we both attempt to update a record -- let's say the name of the same car record, "Ferrari". If I am trying to change it to "Chevrolet" and you are trying to change it to "Peugot", what will the car's name be after we are both done updating? We certainly can't update at *precisely* the same time. If the update takes a long time due to database traffic, poorly written or very complex query, etc. then if I launch my update first, yours is going to have to wait awhile. And that is what I think is happening.
Eventually the system times out, the update is not committed, and the win is not recorded. |
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