Are there any best practices for handling script execution times in PHP games?

When developing PHP games, it's important to optimize script execution times to ensure smooth gameplay and prevent lag. One best practice is to minimize database queries and optimize code logic to reduce processing time. Additionally, caching frequently accessed data can help improve performance.

// Example of caching data to reduce script execution time
$cache_key = 'game_data';
$game_data = apc_fetch($cache_key);

if (!$game_data) {
    // If data is not in cache, fetch from database
    $game_data = fetchGameDataFromDatabase();
    
    // Store data in cache for future use
    apc_store($cache_key, $game_data, 3600); // Cache for 1 hour
}

// Use $game_data in game logic