Over the past week, according to my new programming log, I've put in 54 hours toward the new version of my online game.

Much of that was over three long days just after Christmas when Shelley and the kids went to visit grandma. The rest of it added up during napping times and evenings.

And good golly it feels good to have so much to show for so many hours on this project. Many more to go, but the new version now has a great foundation and numerous cool factors that just go to show how dated the old version has become.

About 90% of the interface is now drag-and-drop, and much of what had to be done before via submitting web-based forms has been updated to use AJAX so that entire page reloads are obviated and the game seems a lot more responsive.

Just about everything else is now done via the Google maps API commands. For example, to set a unit's course, just drag its icon on the map and release it at its destination. Not only is the course automatically determined, but the program first checks to ensure that the case of ships and submarines they are not trying to cross land masses.

My established players are going to rave about this. My goal is to let them have a peek at it by month's end.

You'll know where to find me evenings after work.