Questions about hosting

YuanShi · #1 August 18th, 2007, 07:23 AM

I am thinking on hosting a small game. Maybe starting in September (if possible).

I have a lot of questions I would like to get answered.

First of all, that's my hardware and connection:

HW: iMac Intel 2x2 GHz Intel Core Duo / 1 GB RAM and 180 GB HD.

Connection is 4Gb ADSL, that will be upgraded shortly to 20 Gb.

The iMac is connected via WiFi (in case that matters).

The first question is obviously: �Are the settings right?
Second is: Is it necessary that the server is on 24/7?

Let say that I set up a game for 4-7 players. And lets suppose that we are all in the Euro timezone.

1) How often will the players connect to run their turns?

2) How long will it take until hosting?

3) What happens if I need to shut down the server temporarily?

4) Can I make copies of the game in order to restore it in case of need?

I have some more questions, but I will ask them as soon as I get find out if my system suits the needs of hosting a game.
I will of course be searching in the forums and RTFM

Regarding question 3 the answer is quite obvious: In case of needing to shut down I have to post in this forum. But I want to know if there is something special to keep in mind.

I will be in Spain until 26 August, I will keep watching the forums nonetheless.

Thanks

thejeff · #2 August 18th, 2007, 09:42 AM

The computer/connection is certainly sufficient.
The server does not have to be up 24/7. It only has to be up when players connect to it. It's generally easier to leave it up, since you don't know when players will want to connect.

1/2) That depends on you and your players. There's a timer and a quickhost option. The timer forces the game to host after a specified time, even if everyone has not played. Quickhost tells it to host as soon as everyone has. Games usually start with quickhost and a 24 hour timelimit. The first turns go quickly, then it slows down.

3) Not much. Try not to do it when someone is connected. You can restart the server without a problem. The timer will reset itself though. Not much point in having a 48-hour timer if your shutting down everyday.

4) Yes. Copy the game directory in savedgames. You can use the --postexec (or --preexec) option to do this automatically. There was some discussion about this around here quite awhile back.