I've now upgraded the MFGG mainsite to PHP 8.2! It took a few more tweaks to get the mainsite software up from 7.4 to 8.2, but it's well worth the trouble. This upgrade puts MFGG on the latest and greatest PHP architecture, helping us improve performance, security, and stability. It also gives us access to PHP features that older versions lack.
Here's an update on other mainsite technical details:
Performance If you've visited the mainsite in recent weeks, there's a very good chance you might've noticed some performance issues. Maybe a page loaded really slowly, or maybe it even timed out and threw an error. We've experienced those issues too, and we've been investigating the root cause and experimenting as we look for a permanent solution. These performance issues have nothing to do with any of the PHP or HTML/CSS changes we've made - they appear to stem from unusual bot traffic.
Bugs We've noticed some issues with updating existing submissions in recent weeks. If you try to update an existing submission, the page might crash. That's not good. On the QC staff side, trying to approve an updated submission in the queue leads to an SQL error. Uploading and approving new submissions is working fine, thankfully. While people don't update submissions extremely frequently, we're aware that this is a bad user experience, and fixing this is at the top of my to-do list.
If you notice any other bugs, large or small, please speak up! Tell me exactly what happened so I can debug the problem - the more details, the better. The Suggestions board on the MFGG forums is the best place to note a bug.
HTML/CSS updates The original version of the mainsite software is two decades old, so it has used some older standards. If you use a tool like the W3C Validator on a lot of pages, you might get up to a thousand errors/warnings! I've been working on fixing some deprecated code (things like valign, border, and cellspacing) - either removing unneeded code or replacing it with modern CSS.
There is a small chance that these changes could affect the page layout. In some cases, a table might grow or shrink by a pixel or two - I don't think anyone's going to notice that. But it is conceivable that one of those valign properties was needed after all and the alignment is out of whack. If anything feels off, let me know.
Thanks for being patient as we drag TCSMS into this brave new world, also known as "2025".
Welp, that was short lived. Turns out, MFGG wasn't quite the goldmine Xiaobian expected, so they decided to cut their losses and sell it back to us. At least this means that we are independent again?
Luckily, they were nice enough to let us keep MFGG Intelligence™, so you can continue enjoying the most advanced AI-powered fangame recommendation system in the world.
In other news, you can play as the dolphin from Super Mario World in Mario Kart World.
We are excited to announce that MFGG has officially been acquired by Xiaobian Investment Group, ushering in a new era for the community. I know, I know, we've made jokes about MFGG bejing acquired before, but THIS TIME it's the real deal. We wouldn't make the same joke three times.
You're probably wondering, what's gonna change? Mostly nothing. The fantastic folks from Xiaobian will help us improve our infrastructure, so the slowdown issues on the main site will finally be gone.
Oh and also...
Introducing MFGG+
That's right, MFGG will now also have its very own subscription service, offering a premium experience with no ads, priority submissions, and exclusive features, all for a small monthly fee. These features come in three tiers:
- Mushroom Tier: -- Browse the main site without ads. -- Exclusive banner on the main site. -- Access to MFGG+ exclusive fangames, like Super Mario Flashback, Paper Mario 3D Land 2, and Super Mario 64 Plus Plus.
- Fire Flower Tier: -- All Mushroom benefits. -- Access to MFGG Intelligence and other upcoming AI tools. -- More emojis on the server. -- An even fancier banner.
- Super Star Tier: -- All Fire Flower benefits. -- Priority submissions for your games, sprite sheets, and more. -- An exclusive Discord channel. -- Early access to MFGG+ exclusive fangames.
If you'd like to support MFGG, this is the way to do it!
MFGG Intelligence The first of many AI-powered tools coming to MFGG, MFGG Intelligence is now live and available for a limited time without an MFGG+ subscription. Get personalized, AI-driven game recommendations and explore fangames like never before!
MFGG Mobile App Take MFGG on the go! The MFGG mobile app is currently in development, bringing new features and exclusive content straight to your phone. Play minigames, earn coins, and customize your profile like never before.
Other Updates - The forums will transition to a subreddit for a more streamlined experience. - Our privacy policy has been updated. Don't worry about it.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to improve and expand your fangaming experience!
The MFGG mainsite is finally running PHP 7.4! I know PHP 7.4 still isn't the latest and greatest PHP, but it's progress. It sure is a step up from PHP 5.6, which we had been using.
So what does this mean for you? Well, it should mean you enjoy better performance - PHP 7.x offers some substantial performance improvements over PHP 5.x. PHP 7 is more secure as well. Plus, it'll be easier for us to develop new stuff for MFGG when we're running on more modern infrastructure.
While PHP upgrades aren't terribly exciting, they help ensure that MFGG can remain healthy and happy for many years to come. (The farther you fall behind with upgrading infrastructure, the harder it is to catch up.)
Upgrading PHP required code changes in a lot of different components. That means we might run into a few bugs along the way. If you find any error messages or unexpected behavior, please shoot me a PM. Or, better yet, make a ticket in the Suggestions forum so we can track it to completion.
We want MFGG to be a fun and welcoming place for everyone. One very tangible way to achieve that goal is to make sure our site is as accessible as possible.
Unfortunately, MFGG's mainsite has sometimes come up short in that department. Much of our code dates back to an era when Web accessibility standards were in their infancy.
That's why I went in and made MFGG's mainsite a lot more accessible! I ran an accessibility scan on every page that might be generated on MFGG, and then I went into the code and fixed every accessibility defect I found. All this should make for a better user experience, especially if you ever use assistive technology such as screen readers.
Even if you don't have a disability, better accessibility can make life easier if you ever navigate Web sites with just a keyboard or something. Accessibility fixes can also help with SEO, for what that's worth.
Accessibility is both an art and a science. While I was thorough in testing my changes, it's certainly possible that some form field doesn't work in an optimal way. If you see something that needs improving, please feel free to speak up - that's how we make MFGG a better place.
Bluesky has started to become a fairly popular social network, so I've added a Bluesky profile field! If you're on Bluesky, now you can make it easier for people to find you and see whatever cool stuff you're doing there.
Also, I made a little fix to the YouTube link on user profiles so it can now direct you to a working YouTube page when you click on it.
