For an action game such as Quake 2-3k/sec is a reasonable estimate, however for a slow paced MMORPG, it looks like it can be optimzed down by a factor of 10, to 200-300 byes/sec. So it would be possible for a residential DSL line to support say 2000 players. However you''ll need atleast a dual gighertz processor machine with load of memory to support that many players on one machine (assuming the server is doing collision checks, managing state changes, generating items, etc..). Design the game for robust and long uptime, so you don''t have to manage it so much. That proably is the main consideration for any MMORPG.
Good Luck
-ddn
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How to get a server
What I would recommend that you do is find a friend who is in university and have him/her host the game out of his/her dorm room (provided that they have T1 access.) This should do for a while, at least for testing purposes.
BSD (Berkeley Standard Distribution, I believe) is a unix operating system that is incredibly secure and can generate some great uptime. I have seen people with over 260 days of uptime on an active server running BSD. Best of all, it''s free.
RandomTask
BSD (Berkeley Standard Distribution, I believe) is a unix operating system that is incredibly secure and can generate some great uptime. I have seen people with over 260 days of uptime on an active server running BSD. Best of all, it''s free.
RandomTask
Author
thx everyone. i have actually put this on hold for many of the reasons above and more. i work PT and school FT, so i don''t really have the time or $ right now. i think i''ll try later on, but there''s a lot 2 get going and i aint got the time now!
RandomTask, i thought about that too, or even moving back in the dorm myself, but the school had 3 T1 lines las year, now down to 1!!!(with 3,000 more students!) hahaha, so i''ll just have to get on this one later.
--I don''t judge, I just observe
Stuck in the Bush''s, Florida
RandomTask, i thought about that too, or even moving back in the dorm myself, but the school had 3 T1 lines las year, now down to 1!!!(with 3,000 more students!) hahaha, so i''ll just have to get on this one later.
--I don''t judge, I just observe
Stuck in the Bush''s, Florida
WEll me and my friends are making an MMORPG just for fun and our friend has a slow DSL line but hey it''s a server. at the beginning it''s just going to be some people from our school adn a few others. Our game is going to be in "Beta" for a while and free. If it becomes popular (really popular) then we''re look for a publisher and have it be a full game but in between then we don''t mind paying money for a server but not at the beginning since we will have almost no people!
Also since we all live in different houses (duh) we''re thinking of using an encrypted Back Orifice server so only we can access this so if the server goes down and whoever the server master is is not there then we can remotely turn it back up, update it, etc... I''ve gotten confirmation from someone i know who helped make BO2K and she says that encryption works good unless they get a hold of the encryption key!
Also since we all live in different houses (duh) we''re thinking of using an encrypted Back Orifice server so only we can access this so if the server goes down and whoever the server master is is not there then we can remotely turn it back up, update it, etc... I''ve gotten confirmation from someone i know who helped make BO2K and she says that encryption works good unless they get a hold of the encryption key!
It is a qwest line but my connection is through Inficad. As yes it''s 640k down 256k up.
reprogramming it takes about a minute so I''m not worried and it''s on 24/7. I''ve secured a Win2K box so it''s going to be down for a day or so while I get the new set up working. I have no complaints about WinME as an OS but 2K offers more features for the net. I''ll be using WinMe for hosting games on-line still as it''s cheaper and it works.
Ben
http://therabbithole.redback.inficad.com
reprogramming it takes about a minute so I''m not worried and it''s on 24/7. I''ve secured a Win2K box so it''s going to be down for a day or so while I get the new set up working. I have no complaints about WinME as an OS but 2K offers more features for the net. I''ll be using WinMe for hosting games on-line still as it''s cheaper and it works.
Ben
http://therabbithole.redback.inficad.com
Kalldrex, stop by the "Business of Game Dev" forum some day, you actually think a *decent* publisher would want to publish your Game/Server after you''ve released it *free* as a public beta ?
Think again. How ever I do agree that in the begining all you need is a small boardband connection (NOT ISDN, that technology is crap, and T1 technology is getting old too)
Cable, ADSL, DSL is ample connection for the start but if you really want to get serious then OC3 is the only way to go.
Think again. How ever I do agree that in the begining all you need is a small boardband connection (NOT ISDN, that technology is crap, and T1 technology is getting old too)
Cable, ADSL, DSL is ample connection for the start but if you really want to get serious then OC3 is the only way to go.
Um dark Actully yeah i think they would. If the game becomes popular we add a TON of new features to the published version and shut down the free beta version. Why wouldn't they tell me that if they are required to buy it to play the game! Then if the game's real popular when we get a publisher BAM they get a ton of sells from people wanting to buy the game. Doesn't take math to figure that one out!
Also think about it. yeah we're going to charge people for a buggy program which has a crappy server that's sitting in someone's bedroom. Yes i agree that companies like OWO don't start out like this and have money but 1) we don't 2) they have all day to work on it and 3) It's just for fun. I said that IF IT BECAME POPULAR we would see about a publisher so we could afford to keep it online! I may be a teen but i know how stuff like this works. Your basically trying to tell me that even if a game becomes popular a publisher won't buy it because it was free before even if a lot of people play it and are Forced to buy the game from the publisher. Think about it!
Edited by - kalldrex on February 12, 2001 8:15:39 PM
Also think about it. yeah we're going to charge people for a buggy program which has a crappy server that's sitting in someone's bedroom. Yes i agree that companies like OWO don't start out like this and have money but 1) we don't 2) they have all day to work on it and 3) It's just for fun. I said that IF IT BECAME POPULAR we would see about a publisher so we could afford to keep it online! I may be a teen but i know how stuff like this works. Your basically trying to tell me that even if a game becomes popular a publisher won't buy it because it was free before even if a lot of people play it and are Forced to buy the game from the publisher. Think about it!
Edited by - kalldrex on February 12, 2001 8:15:39 PM
What''s the difference between a server sitting in someone''s bedroom and one sitting in an office?
The only thing that matters is the quality of programming. No one knows that IP such a such goes into someone''s room unless you tell them.
Ben
http://therabbithole.redback.inficad.com
The only thing that matters is the quality of programming. No one knows that IP such a such goes into someone''s room unless you tell them.
Ben
http://therabbithole.redback.inficad.com
Hey KalvinB, you want to know the difference between someone''s home computer sitting in their bedroom with DSL and a dedicated server sitting sitting in a office with OC3 ?
PERFORMANCE, LAG, CONNECT SPEED, PROCESSING SPEED.
Okay perhaps not processing speed if your running WINNT with dual Intel processors (sorry don''t know any motherboards that support Dual Athlons)
Kalldrex, Name me a lsit of "big games" that we''re developed, released, then recieved a deal from publsiher''s ? Personally I can''t think of any. What *may* happen though is they would "buy" it off you, therefor they now own it... this is possible but unlikely.
A thread about this has already been discussed in the Business forum about 2-3 weeks ago.
PERFORMANCE, LAG, CONNECT SPEED, PROCESSING SPEED.
Okay perhaps not processing speed if your running WINNT with dual Intel processors (sorry don''t know any motherboards that support Dual Athlons)
Kalldrex, Name me a lsit of "big games" that we''re developed, released, then recieved a deal from publsiher''s ? Personally I can''t think of any. What *may* happen though is they would "buy" it off you, therefor they now own it... this is possible but unlikely.
A thread about this has already been discussed in the Business forum about 2-3 weeks ago.
Sorry but i have to disagree with you agian. Just because no other game went through this doesn''t mean anything. Other games were developed by gaming companies that spend like hundreds of thousands of dollars on production to make a game TO MAKE MONEY! That''s the main reason why you don''t see games do this! Me and my 3 other friends are making this game FOR FUN. Hell i don''t care if we don''t make money off of it the only reason why wI''d like a publisher if it becomes popular because it will be way too expensive to keep online and that would be all i care about!
But think about it logically and not about what''s happened in the past. Think as a publisher and you are asked about publishing a game that''s already out! You can see the actual game in it''s gameplay, see how many people play the game, and more instead of publishers HOPING a game will be successful like they always do.
The main point is It''s never been done before because they are developing a game to make money basically and propose their idea to publishers hoping to get enough money out of them to pay for it''s production! We are doing it for fun and don''t care if we get money for it but if it becomes popular we will need money to keep it online!
But think about it logically and not about what''s happened in the past. Think as a publisher and you are asked about publishing a game that''s already out! You can see the actual game in it''s gameplay, see how many people play the game, and more instead of publishers HOPING a game will be successful like they always do.
The main point is It''s never been done before because they are developing a game to make money basically and propose their idea to publishers hoping to get enough money out of them to pay for it''s production! We are doing it for fun and don''t care if we get money for it but if it becomes popular we will need money to keep it online!
This topic is closed to new replies.
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