Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I would like too to go a bit further with my small hosting utility (which is only used by 10 french speaking people or so).

What I lack is not server space, but server space with the authorization to run an executable on it, so that I can pilot at distance instances of dominions (just for hosting purpose).
Would your proposal goes as far as to do that? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I would like too to go a bit further with my small hosting utility (which is only used by 10 french speaking people or so).

What I lack is not server space, but server space with the authorization to run an executable on it, so that I can pilot at distance instances of dominions (just for hosting purpose).
Would your proposal goes as far as to do that? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">We have dedicated servers, so yes we have the ability to do that. Get with me offline and we can discuss further.

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">What I lack is not server space, but server space with the authorization to run an executable on it, so that I can pilot at distance instances of dominions (just for hosting purpose).
Would your proposal goes as far as to do that? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Mine does. I can grant full access with no concerns for security. Im pleasantly surprised that Shrapnel has also agreed on the executable part. I guess now you only have to decide if you prefer a Windows or a Linux environment.

In any case Id be interested in what you do since most of it might be cross-platform capable.

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">A delightful idea. I hope it is not too difficult to make. I would very much like to see the progress of other games. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I loved the game journals that were done by some people for Dom 1 games. Almost like reading a book with an interesting storyline. More images would be fantastic for those as well as letting people "watch" games in progress on the net.

Putting in the ability to create screenshots (write out to picture image files such as jpg) would probably be too much. And those can be done manually using the"print screen" button on my keyboard, then pasting it into a paint program.

If the game could maybe have a switch to "export" some information to text files when the host processes then that would be great. It would be no problem to have a script pick that up and process it into html.

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

I adore those ideas! They'd make for some great reading, and maybe even get some new players to dive in and get hooked as they see all that goes on in a game!

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

Any insight into the format of the turns files wrt those stats? I don't want to start a discussion that will lead to people trying to cheat by modding their turn files, I just want the stats. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

Ok... Let me bounce this off of people who are thinking of or have written code already, and those that are thinking of running host servers. This is just my personal opinion on how a system could run so as to not be a terrible burdon on the servers, yet at the same time support a lot of games.

---
First "Version"
- A game could be started by an individual by simply setting up it up through the website. Initially, there would be no controls on number of players or whether it is a publicly available game (all would be). This would not actually start anything, it would simply put in a game request that would be listed on publicly available games.
- Players could click any game on this list of queued up games to get all the information about the game (name, settings, map, organizer, etc). They would have the option of signing themselves up for that game and picking the race they want. This would leave a message for the organizer that that user has signed up. The signup information would not allow multiple people to pick the same race, and Users would be expected to pick the race they signed up with upon entering a game.
- Once a certain threshold of user have signed up for a game (threshold to be determined. Can't have a lot of 2 person games supported by one server) the organizer will have the option of setting a start date for the game. This date +48 hrs will be the time that the game is actually being hosted as a TCP/IP server. Players will have to join during this time to claim their spot.
- After the 48 hrs, that game will be taken down, and all turns will be handled by uploading a turn file to the server through a user account. The management server will process all turns submitted and post the next turn to each Users' account allowing them to play the next turn.

What this allows for is lots of games since no game will be hosted 24/7 from an ip address. The only time that will happen is the first 48hrs to allow for players to claim spots. After that, the turn processing can be scheduled in accordance with all the other games. If too many new games are scheduled to start during a certain time frame, games that were initiated later would be pushed to a less "crowded" time frame so that the server would not be overloaded.

Well... Does that sound reasonable? Daunting? What can I say, I'm a perfectionist. If it can't be done right, it isn't worth doing.

Question: Linux supports PHP right?

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">What an interesting hybrid. I had been looking at it as all or nothing. Either the games would be IP/host operated limiting a server to about a dozen games running. Or would be PBEM allowing hundreds of games but the headaches involved with getting everyones initial files setup.

I like this. My linux server could actually have a dozen signups running at one time with no problem. Once the game is setup then it could shift to being a PBEM game.

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Yes. It supports pretty much anything that isnt actually locked in as being a windows only thing.

I was thinking of looking into things like "movable type" which allows an easy web interface for file uploading. That would simplify things alot I think.

[ November 05, 2003, 18:52: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

Thank you Richard & Gandalf for the answer.

As of now, I'm just taking some notes. I have a script util to finish, and then a big scenario before restarting anything on my (crude as of now) hosting utility. So nothing will be done before at least january.

Anyway, I can only propose a windows Version, which would be a stand alone executable, without any web service associated anyway. So if some people have some spare time now, feel free to start something!

Re: Dedicated Servers?
 

I'm going to go ahead and start something just for the sake of doing it. I've been needing an excuse to learn PHP or JSP anyways. As far as the platform, I would probably lean toward Microsoft since transactions to an access/sql database from PHP/ASP are dead simple. Additionaly, it would be easy to write a VB app to run 24/7 that would manage the lauching/shutting down of Dom2 servers, and maintanence of the databases. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Linux, I just don't want to deal with the tediousness of writing a C++ app to do the maintanence on an OS I am unfamiliar with.