Facebook Lag [UPDATE 3]

*Update 3:

Facebook is reporting a fix for their lag issues. With the changes we made on our end to improve loading times combined with this fix, Vampire Wars should be running more smoothly.

*Update 2:

A couple players were expressing some confusion as to what the graphs below mean. Granted, they’re not very detailed. We just wanted to share what we’re seeing on our end, whenever our application attempts to gather any information from Facebook.

So, let’s see if we can explain these current problems a bit better:

Response time essentially means, when our application asks the Facebook platform for information, how long it takes for that information to make it back to us.

Currently, we’re seeing response times of up to 15 seconds. That means, when a player clicks a button, it takes at least 15 seconds for FB to even notice.

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(Click the image for a larger view.)

Of course, this problem has been going on for longer than 10 hours, so let’s take a look at a graph over a longer period of time.

(Click the image for a larger view.)

This is the past 4 days. You can see the normal trend a bit better here. Usually, response times are less than 2 seconds. As we get closer to today, you can see the spike shoot up.

This is effecting many aspects of the game, potentially including gifting, combat, loot gathering, and mission completion.

Needless to say, this is extremely frustrating for us, as we’re positive it must be for you.

We’re currently looking into extending the NY Event to give you all more time to finish the missions and hopefully get some of those avatar outfits and abilities.

We’ll update this blog when that decision is made.

Vampire Santa’s Reindeer

When he’s not giving out Pyrokinesis, Vampire Santa maintains a pretty impressive group of Vampire Reindeer.

The only problem is, when it gets close to “that time of the year” , he’s got better things to do.

That’s why it’s fallen to our community of Vamps to make sure his Reindeer are fed and groomed properly in preparation for the “Big Night”!

Logging in today, you’ll see the following on your main page:


Update: Facebook Gifting Problems

In our last post, we discussed the recent problems with gifting.

As of 6:25 PM (PST) we’ve identified what may be a root cause of this problem and have made alterations that should allow you to gift normally.

Please understand that this is tentative.

While all quality assurance checks have indicated that everything is working as intended, this feature may behave differently when being used by several million people simultaneously.

We ask that you use your gifting feature as you would normally and leave comments letting us know how things are working.

We realize that this fix will take at least 24 hours to see from your end and will be watching this Blog, our Facebook Fanpage, and the forums for your feedback.

Some important notes:

-Please try clearing your cache before you send a gift. (This can be done by hitting CTRL-F5.) You don’t need to do this each time, just the first time.

-Clan-mates that you were having trouble viewing before may not appear until at least tomorrow.

-Even though gifts may be sent normally, you may not receive a pop-up explaining that you’ve sent a gift.

Thanks for your help with this, Vamps. Your feedback has been critical in each stage of addressing this issue.

Facebook: Gifting Issues

Currently, there are two main issues beleaguering the “Gifting” feature.

One is the fact that players are unable to send gifts and the other is that players are unable to receive gifts.

We just wanted to take a moment to let you all know:

• How we found out about this problem
• What the problem might be
• What steps we’re taking  to fix it
• The relation of these issues to the NY Event

The Clothes You Crave

A trip to New York isn’t complete until you’ve got the right outfit.

And when you’re working on infiltrating a high-end Vampire night-club, it definitely helps to looks the  part.

Missions in New York now have a chance to drop Avatar Outfit pieces.

If you collect all 12 pieces you’ll be entered in a drawing to win 500 Favor Points!

[Get them all on Facebook] [Get them all on Myspace]

Where For Art Thou…

…Mandy and Akem?

Recently, we made some changes to the Promo Box on the Coffin Page to make room for the New York and Gifting tab.

(The Promo Box)

When we did that, we had to move Blood Magic (aka Mandy’s Wheel) and Akem’s (aka that Goat Guy’s) Gamble .

As a result, we have a few players asking, where did they go?

The thing to remember here is, both Mandy and Akem are Elders and as such they like to stick together.

You can now find both of them in the Elder’s Tab.

(Go to Blood Magic for Mandy’s Wheel…)

(…and Akem’s Gamble for…Akem’s Gamble.)

So don’t worry, Vamps, Mandy and Akem are still around! Spread the word and feel free to direct your clan-mates to this Blog for more information.

This question was brought up in the comments of this blog. We read every comment and try to answer the questions effecting large portions of the community.

A Bit O’ Help

We’ve had a few players express frustration that Shadow Transformation is one of the Mission Requirements for missions in New York.

In-game, Shadow Transformation is explained as something that can only be received by participating in Akem’s Gamble.

At this point, some of you Vampire Wars vets may be chuckling to yourselves but for the new players this is pretty frustrating.

While the above image implies that this ability is exclusive to Akem’s Gamble, this is untrue.

The Savant mission, Rescue an Ally from the Underworld, has a chance to drop a “Rare Ability.”

In this case, that ability is Shadow Transformation. So, if you’re looking for an easier way to get a few of this ability, this should help.

Of course, if you’re made of more luck than the next Vamp, Akem’s Gamble is always there.

We were informed about this issue by you, our community, and appreciate the heads up.

If you’ve found a similar gameplay issue, let us know.

[Play on Facebook] [Play on Myspace]

Facebook App Lag

Hey Vamps,

If  you’re trying to play on the Facebook version of Vampire Wars you will notice that the app is currently experiencing difficulties loading.

This may be a result of issues with the Facebook API. We’re currently looking into the cause of the problems and hope for a resolution soon.

From Facebook:

Current Status: App redirection issues

A small subset of canvas applications are sporadically not being redirected to their callback URLs. We are addressing the issue and will update when this is resolved.

Looking at the graph, you’ll notice that load times across Facebook have increased dramatically.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Open the Lock, Enter the Portal!

The time has finally come!

Log in to Vampire Wars and click the Lock at the top of your screen to open the Portal to enter a whole new zone!

When you do, you’ll be greeted by a new Elder, named Sagaan.

There’s something that Sagaan needs you to take care of. A situation that requires your special skills.

Once you’ve arrived, you’ll find new abilities, new missions, and a chance to win 1000 Favor Points!

But hurry, Vamps, the Portal will not stay open forever.

There’s only one way to make sure you get to experience everything…

[Play on Facebook] [Play on Myspace]

Cameron’s Notebook