Dedicated Servers?

Gandalf Parker · #1 December 31st, 2003, 05:19 PM

Here are my notes so far on a dedicated web server. I have the web server if anyone is interested in moving this along.....

Start signup script with a countdown toward game-start (1 day? 2 days?)

make backup copies of gods (.2h files) before starting game. (learned from experience)

Run a certain number of turns on quick then switch to midnights (cant run alot of tcp/ip games are once)

Dont start new signup/quick until all other games are on midnight. Should be able to run 100 games on rotation.

create cgi to upload files

create each game as user with email and webspace

give each nation subdir off of game webspace

give each player .htpasswd password access to their nations subdir

use midnight hosting script to gather turn files from subdirs

use midnight script or maybe --postexec to move turn files to subdir

setup procmail to extract turn files that are mailed into game email acct?

setup system for emailing turn files back to players who request it? or setup system for email notifications of turns being processed?

Possibly create CGI signup for games. List the games parameters. Offer the nations. When a user signs up then give them the .htpaswd password to the upload/download directory and rewrite web signup page to show nation taken. Requested by user: add password access to the signup? Or use htpasswd controls for that (give list of all nation access passwd to GameMaster of that game?)

Create a cron watchdog to keep an eye on the game directorys deleting anything that shouldnt be there so they dont get used as warez sites.

Gandalf Parker · #2 February 5th, 2004, 05:12 PM

OK new note to the project. All started games need to go in a list so that if the machine crashes you know which games need restarted.
Also the next patch should have a "start game and quit" switch coming.

[ February 05, 2004, 15:13: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

dire · #3 February 5th, 2004, 07:40 PM

Just curious, what stage is this project at? Has it even started?

Gandalf Parker · #4 February 6th, 2004, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dire:
Just curious, what stage is this project at? Has it even started?

So far the people who know bits and pieces of the subject have been ironing out questions. But none of them have jumped up and said they would run it. Ive offered a linux host site and Shrapnel offered a windows hosting.

Esben Mose Hansen · #5 February 16th, 2004, 02:33 AM

I've made a Dominions Server not following the ideas below

) It's pure TCP/IP hosting, and not fleshed out fully yet. But do head over, post some comments here
and play a game!

Gandalf Parker · #6 February 15th, 2004, 03:26 PM

Excellent start there. The tcpip server method will be good for marathon games.

But if you get some of the 1-turn-a-day games then they can Last months. I figure if I can make the upload/download simple then a cron to do a daily host can allow the same machine to start a new game every day even if they are all running. If we can get 2 servers going.. one for marathons and one for daily-turn then I think a large gap in the community could be provided for.

Esben Mose Hansen · #7 February 15th, 2004, 05:22 PM

Gandalf has very good points

But just to make it perfectly clear: I won't mind hosting a few one-turn-pr.day games on my server. So if someone out there wants to start one of those, and needs a place to host it, go ahead

(As long as you don't mind me joining)

A real problem, not specific to my setup, is "how to get some AIs"? One could, of course, start with several gods and then become computer controlled. But then a lot intellegence about that AI would be known to someone.

What I would like would be a command line switch:
--AI Man --AI Ulm
but I'm not sure such can be faked...