Comment Checking slows down site

Hi @peeld

Is possible that GamiPress can slow down some process if you includes several of awards to them

For example, for the “Comment on a post” event, if you configure 20 requirements (points awards, deducts, steps and rank requirements) it could make the comment publishing process slow down since GamiPress needs to check if the user is able to earn something

Also there could be extra processes if user should earn something more like an extra achievement, or earn extra points

For that, the way you can speed up some process is reducing the number or requirements that are using this event (for example, if you have 20 achievements looking for “comment on a post”, reduce them to 10)

The GamiPress awards engine is developed to run as faster as possible, but is comprehensible that will run slower if is required to perform several checks on a single action

Anyway, something that we can’t solve is the case that your server is reaching it’s limits
I mean, on a clean install, without GamiPress, your comment system probably works faster because there isn’t the GamiPress extra checks, is completely logical because there isn’t this extra process behind each comment

But the same will happen if you compare a clean WordPress vs a WordPress with forums (bbPress), frontend profiles (BuddyPress) and/or shop (WooCommerce), is completely evidently that plugins adds extra processes and they will increase the requirements on your server since there are extra processes (for all the extra features plugin offers)

Hope it helps you to understand better how GamiPress and plugins works and the way to find a solution to fix the comments slow down

Best regards

Yes, I have literally dozens of awards that rely on commenting on a specific post ?? I kind of figured that there was no way around it, and understand. Giving awards for commenting on a specific post has really increased engagement…I’ll have to give some thought to how to maintain engagement without requiring those comments – members visit specific pages with ‘challenges’ on them each month, and get credit for ‘completing’ a challenge by posting a comment or a video for review. I suppose I could get them to tick a box or something…

Here’s a follow up question to this – is there a way to ‘archive’ some of the achievements checking for comments? For example, if there’s a badge that a user can earn for commenting on a post that was made in January, and I don’t want the user to be able to earn that badge NOW, can I do so? Basically, let users who have already earned the January badge keep the points earned, and show that they’ve earned it on their list of achievements, but somehow remove it from the list of checks Gamipress runs through?

Hi @peeld

We are looking to release the update 1.7.9 with only performance and security changes

One of the performance changes will be to improve our checks and make specific events (like “Comment on a specific post”) much faster, so is probable that with the update you won’t require to make any change on your setup to fix the slow downs

Actually, 1.7.9 is targeted for next week, if you like, at the moment our development version gets this performance fixes I can let you know to download it before the 1.7.9 release,

So please, let me know if you want to proceed in this way or you prefer to wait until 1.7.9 release

Best regards

Hi @peeld

There is the 1.7.9 beta release with the fix to your issue:
https://downloads.www.ads-software.com/plugin/gamipress.1.7.9-beta.zip

You need to install it manually by deactivating and removing GamiPress and uploading this version

Or, if you don’t want to test this version you can always wait for the definitive 1.7.9 release

Best regards

Wow, thanks @rubengc – I’ll go ahead and try out the beta! I love how Gamipress has increased engagement in my site ??

As to my other question, is there a way to archive or ‘close’ older badges so that they’re no longer achievable, and no longer figure in to checks?

Hi @peeld

The important elements to “achieve” and don’t get checked by GamiPress is the achievement steps (points awards, points deducts, steps and rank requirements are the elements checked, achievements and ranks are checked as consequence of the completion of their steps)

There are 2 solutions you can apply:

1) Disable the achievement steps through the top control, explained here:
https://gamipress.com/docs/getting-started/requirements-ui/#top-controls

Disabling the requirement won’t make them disappear on the awards engine check, only will make them fall on the first check where GamiPress checks if the requirement has been disabled

2) Save the achievement steps in some way and remove them
A possible quick way you can perform it is by taking screenshots of your setup and attaching them to your achievement, in this way you can remove all steps and store a screenshot of the old setup

There is a plugin that let’s you attach images to your WordPress posts (GamiPress achievements are WordPress posts, like WooCommerce products):
https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/attachments/

Hope it helps

Thanks @rubengc – I’ll give some thought to how to make the ‘old’ achievements no longer achievable. Can’t just delete them or their display on several pages will be messed up. I’ll look at disabling and see how that goes ??

I’ll also put in a feature request to have a time limit on badges, if it’s not already possible. Say, a badge can be earned between 1/1/2020 and 1/31/2020 but after that (or before that) it’s not available. That way it falls out of the loop when comments are checked for achievements without having to go back and turn off the requirements ??

Hi @peeld

Thank you so much for your suggestion, we will take it in count for future updates or for possible new add-ons

Best regards