So to try and track down what was performing so badly I have gone through the site and split it up a bit to help troubleshoot the issue. What does this mean to you? With any luck nothing - but if you have things like the forums bookmarked you should notice the URL is not the same and you might want to update it. (and you are likely to have to log in again to generate a new cookie)



I have put in some redirect stuff automatically so you should not actually see any problems and without reading the address you might not even notice, but the forums are now at http://forum.360friendspot.com, reviews are now at http://reviews.360friendspot.com, and game lists are now at http://gamelist.360friendspot.com. This will help me find out things like which area of the site might be performing badly so that it can be fixed and if the traffic gets high like that again, it will not cause an issue.



finally the forum might be more of a default template look - I was playing around with a lot of stuff trying to get the registration problem fixed (which I think is working now right?) but by doing so I some how lost the forum template that looks just like the main site - I guess it could be worse. I will give it a look again when I can, but as far as I can tell it functions this way - just no easy way to get back to the home blog - but lets be honest most of you forum folks like to stick to the forum anyway



This new way does complicate a bit of how I originally designed the site, so things like editing your game list is currently offline (sorry)



Any weirdness either leave a comment or just get a hold of me if you see me online.

Apparently this week has just been crazy with all the things going on, I didn’t even notice that today was “Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday”. In any event, Sierra Online is coming at us with another arcade title by the name of Lost Cities. The official word is you were a fan of Catan - you should give it a try, personally I think you should try at least the demo of ANY arcade game. A few of my arcade favorites are games I wouldn’t have even thought of playing if there was not a free demo, even based on the press content that all the sites are running - so kudos to the xbox live arcade demo process i guess! I should have some images and whatever else I can dig up for you guys, but since I didn’t post this early, you probably all ready have access to the game anyway!

Full press release after the break….

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Just a quick update everyone. With all the new traffic from the contest my host had a bit of an issue that were were eating their server CPU alive, I have disabled the blog registration (i think that was part of the problem - and alot of spammers were hitting it). So I think that we might be ok for now. I am going to monitor the server as best I can, and the host will surely contact me if there is something else on the site that needs a little bit of optimization.

Blogs won’t be going away - as long as I can keep them online. Registration however might be changed to a request for a blog and me creating your blog for you, rather then having it open to the world to spam the blog creation page and cause chaos. Worst case scenario I might consider upgrading the hosting to some newer plans I have been looking at - but that does of course come with an increased cost so we will see.

For you Achievment Hunters from the unlocktheachievement.com contest

• All achievements are visible without creating a forum account, gamer blog, game list, or anything i provide to the members - in other words, you can be completely anonymous, not register or sign in and still get the achievements - but if you wish to participate in the site, we will not chase you away!

Click the ‘Read More’ to get hints if you wish, otherwise, good luck hunting!

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The Japanese arcade hit “Ikaruga” receives the full Xbox LIVE Arcade treatment and is poised to launch on the platform this Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (1:00 a.m. PDT).
“Ikaruga” is a fast-paced scrolling shooter with a twist – players must constantly switch their ship’s polarity to maximize their damage output and avoid incoming enemy fire of the opposite polarity.
“Ikaruga” on Xbox LIVE Arcade features a two-player co-op mode both locally and over Xbox LIVE. Newcomers can also easily bring their skill up to speed by using the game’s slow motion training mode.
“Ikaruga” is a perfect combination of beautiful, manga-style storytelling and challenging arcade heroics, all brought to life in a gorgeous HD environment.
Gamers itching to obtain a moment of “Ikaruga” glory will be wise to master the chaining system that detects when enemies of the same polarity are destroyed consecutively. Doing so will reward players with huge score bonuses, which will be key to topping “Ikaruga’s” leaderboards.
The ability to relive a particularly harrowing battle is also possible thanks to the game’s record and replay function, which is new to the Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the game.
From the Japanese developer Treasure, “Ikaruga” will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. For more details on “Ikaruga” please visit:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/i/ikarugaxboxlivearcade

Independent developer Void Star Creations unveils two new downloadable content packs for their hit Xbox LIVE Arcade title, “Poker Smash” this Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (1:00 a.m. PDT). The new content includes two Action Mode Environments in the Environment Pack and an additional 15 Puzzles in the Puzzle Pack, giving “Poker Smash” players a total of 13 immersive environments and 70 mind bending puzzles. The “Poker Smash” Environment Pack and Puzzle Pack will each be available for 100 Microsoft Points.
“Poker Smash” is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. For more details on “Poker Smash” please visit:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/p/pokersmashxboxlivearcade