Game Activity Logging System
Overview
Version 6.4.0 introduces a comprehensive game activity logging system that captures important game events and makes them viewable to administrators through the web interface.
Features
Logged Events
The system automatically captures the following game events:
Authentication Events
- Player logins:
"Player login: {username} (ID: {userId})"
Game Lifecycle Events
- Game creation:
"Game created: {gameId} by {displayName} (ID: {userId})" - Player joins:
"Player joined: {username} (ID: {userId}) joined game {gameId} as Player{1|2}" - Game starts:
"Game started: {gameId} - {username} joined as Player{1|2}, game now has both players" - Game endings:
"Game ended: {gameId} - Winner: {winnerName} (Player{winner}), Loser: {loserName} (Player{loser})"
System Events
- Idle timeouts:
"Game timeout: {gameId} - Maximum move timeout (idle/inactivity) - System closed game" - Game time timeouts:
"Game timeout: {gameId} - Maximum game time exceeded - System closed game" - Start wait timeouts:
"Game timeout: {gameId} - Maximum start wait time exceeded (no second player) - System closed game"
Database Storage
- Table:
GameLogs - Schema:
Id(INTEGER PRIMARY KEY)Timestamp(TEXT) - UTC timestamp of the eventMessage(TEXT) - Human-readable log message
- Indexing: Timestamp indexed for efficient querying
- Retention: Automatic cleanup of logs older than 30 days (configurable)
Access Control
Who Can View Logs
- Admin users only - Users with “Admin” role can access the log viewer
- Authorization: Protected by
[Authorize(Roles = "Admin")]attribute - URL:
/admin- Main admin dashboard contains the log viewer
Access Levels
| User Type | Can View Logs | Can Access Admin Pages | |———–|—————|————————| | Admin | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | | Player | ❌ No | ❌ No |
How to View Logs
Step 1: Login as Admin
- Navigate to the application
- Login with Admin credentials:
- Username:
Admin - PIN:
9999
- Username:
Step 2: Access Log Viewer
- From the main menu, go to Admin page
- Click the “View game logs” button
- The log viewer will open in a modal overlay
Step 3: Configure Log Display
The log viewer provides several options:
- Show last: Choose between 50, 100, 200, or 500 recent entries
- Auto-refresh: Logs automatically refresh every 30 seconds when open
- Manual refresh: Click “Refresh” button to update immediately
- Close: Click “Close” button or click outside modal to dismiss
Log Entry Format
Each log entry displays:
[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS] Event message
Example:
[2026-03-26 11:15:32] Player login: Alice (ID: 5)
[2026-03-26 11:15:45] Game created: abc123 by Alice (ID: 5)
[2026-03-26 11:16:02] Player joined: Bob (ID: 2) joined game abc123 as Player2
[2026-03-26 11:16:02] Game started: abc123 - Bob joined as Player2, game now has both players
Technical Implementation
Service Architecture
- GameLogService: Handles database operations for logging
- Dependency Injection: Registered as singleton in
Program.cs - Integration: Integrated with
DraftsServiceandAuthService
Key Methods
// Log an event
await GameLogService.LogAsync("Event message");
// Get recent logs
var logs = await GameLogService.GetRecentLogsAsync(100);
// Get logs since specific time
var logs = await GameLogService.GetLogsSinceAsync(sinceDateTime);
// Clean up old logs
await GameLogService.ClearOldLogsAsync(30); // 30 days
Database Schema
CREATE TABLE [GameLogs] (
[Id] INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL,
[Timestamp] TEXT NOT NULL,
[Message] TEXT NOT NULL
);
CREATE INDEX [IX_GameLogs_Timestamp] ON [GameLogs] ([Timestamp] ASC);
Security Considerations
Access Protection
- All admin pages require Admin role authorization
- Non-admin users are automatically redirected to login
- Even authenticated players cannot access admin functions
- Log viewer is only accessible through the admin dashboard
Data Privacy
- Logs contain user IDs and usernames for accountability
- System events are logged with Admin ID (0) for system actions
- No sensitive data like PINs or passwords is logged
- Automatic cleanup prevents unlimited data retention
Audit Trail
- All significant game events are captured
- Timestamps provide chronological audit capability
- User identification enables accountability
- System actions are clearly distinguished from user actions
Maintenance
Automatic Cleanup
- Old logs (older than 30 days) are automatically cleaned up
- Cleanup runs as part of the logging service
- Retention period is configurable in
GameLogService.ClearOldLogsAsync()
Performance
- Timestamp indexing ensures fast queries
- Pagination limits prevent memory issues
- Asynchronous logging doesn’t impact game performance
- Efficient database operations with proper connection management
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
- Logs not appearing: Check that the GameLogs table exists in the database
- Access denied: Ensure user has Admin role in the Users table
- Missing events: Verify GameLogService is properly injected and called
Database Verification
-- Check if table exists
SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name='GameLogs';
-- Check recent logs
SELECT * FROM GameLogs ORDER BY Timestamp DESC LIMIT 10;
Future Enhancements
Potential Improvements
- Log filtering by event type
- Export logs to CSV/JSON
- Advanced search capabilities
- Log level categorization
- Real-time log streaming
- Integration with external logging systems
Monitoring
- Consider adding metrics for log volume
- Monitor database size growth
- Alert on unusual activity patterns
Version: 6.4.0
Implemented: 2026-03-26
Access Level: Admin only
Database: SQLite (GameLogs table)
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