Today I deployed a new version of Catastrophe X that implements phase one of the accounts system. As with most of the work I do on Catastrophe X, the accounts system core has taken considerably longer to build than I originally anticipated. However, I think the time spent will be a worthwhile investment, since the system has been built to perform, scale, extend, maintain, and internationalize well.
Early in the project I decided that registration would be required to enter the game. My initial impulse had been to allow both registered players and guests to sign on and battle, but when I delved into the project I saw that this would significantly increase complexity and yield relatively little in return. Although mandatory, I have made the registration process as quick and painless as possible – you only need to choose a username and password and you will be instantly signed in using your new account. No email verification or long forms.
In its current form, the accounts system is basically just a username reservation system. Soon you will be able to save your detachments in your account, view player profiles with battle history and ranking, send private messages, and other good stuff. Once I have some of these features in place I am planning to go on a promotion blitz to beef up the player base, but I am going to hold off for now since key features are still missing.
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