Worth getting a server?

ezekel

So I've always wanted to run my server in a game, and now that I'm finally rich from saving my lunch money for 9 years I'm able to afford a server.

My first venture was Rust, because it was new, hot, and poppin yo.

Anyway long story short(not really), I did a well job, set up the server with mods, moderated it so that my players could have a cheat free experience, backed up the server, and yatta yatta.

Then I started to play on my server like a regular player, even eventually promoted one guy to limited admin and well everything hit the crapper. - First off the rust community is atrocious, it's filled with children, complete noobs to video games, and people who shouldn't be playing 'perma-death' games, basically the players on the server got owned and lost all their things to better players, then threatened to quit, started fearmonging other players that admin(s) were abusive (there's only one admin besides me and he can do literally nothing besides kick/ban/teleport - which I doubt was abused)

Anyway long story short, all the noobs gathered together and left and basically that was a large portion of the playerbase (I'm sure they'll do it again on their next server after getting owned again)

So I was debating getting another server for a different game, I'm thinking a CS:GO Deathmatch (custom servers in csgo are trash because of matchmaking, and matchmaking is trash so basically the community is left with 3rd party clients or deathmatch servers) and then Natural selection 2

I've noticed the ns2 public scene is pretty terrible, rookies join non-rookie servers, non-rookies join rookie servers, every server is filled with obnoxious unwanted mods (which you can't stop from being downloaded to the client) etc etc. I was thinking a simple 16-18 slot, all NSL maps, increased tic rate and vanilla gameplay/non-rookie server (Doesn't mean it's for veterans only, just for people who want to play, communicate, and win) Would anyone be interested in something like that, or should I just go and get a CS:GO deathmatch?

Also what are some server providers for NS2? I've checked some of my preferred providers and ns2 doesn't seem to be on their supported games list. I'd host it myself but I can't run the rig 24/7

Nordic

I know for a fact is is really hard to get players onto your server at first. I tried running one from home for awhile. Never could seed it.

I think it could easily be put this way. If you just want a server to have a server then you probably got the wrong idea. If you feel you can make, and maintain a better server than the others then do it. Be the best server out there. By the sounds of it, I would play on your server.

ezekel

That's exactly what I did on rust, I dedicated hours to making the server stay vanilla, but add fun mods which don't contribute to the game (like x has joined the server, or x killed x) and always kept it up to date/banned cheaters on sight.. did everything proper like it was a part-time job, and in the end the games poor community f**ked me

I have a lot of friends who play ns2 so I don't think I'd struggle to fill it up when they're on, just curious if it's something that people would want.. I know 'comp' style pubs have been done before, but mine would just be 'not for rookies' you don't need to be a 99% railgun quake unreal fadelerk360noscope counter-strike invite i won that lan five years in a row veteran to play on it.. debating though

soccerguy243

do it! sounds like a server i'd play on.

Benson

If its west/central NA and 18-20 players, I'd play on it

Cannon_FodderAUS

@ezekel, I see how you save your lunch money. You ate cookies from the home jar ;-). A admined server sounds really good. I am in Aus, so probably can't join your server :-(. I do goto the Hyperion sometimes (the ping is ~250), so I can't shoot for crap, but have a good time playing support. Gool Luck with the venture.

CCTEE

I would love a non-rookie 20-18 players classic+best-of-custom server.
Should be enough interesting custom maps by now me thinks, they are just not used enough.

SupaDupaNoodle

Where are you based?

Hamlet

One day I got so fed up by all the silence and stacking on completely unmoderated servers that I dug through the wiki and set up my own server.
On a Phenom II X4 3.2GHz, mind you. Big surprise, it works. It was 16 slots before, but I reduced it to 14 because individual actions matter much more that way. I also set up a Steam Group in order to announce when it comes online.
At first, only my NS2 friends joined, but word spread quickly that on this server, you'll meet people who actually use their microphones and play cooperatively. Seeding takes 2-3 friends to help.

elodea

You'll need to call nasa to ask if you can borrow one of their super computers

GhoulofGSG9

Ok this question again.

First of all ns2 has atm 410 servers, but only 1,5k active players at peaktime. Most of the times only 1k players and numbers are sadly dropping again.

So should you host your own server?

If you can't offer any features the other 400 server don't have you will have a real bad time, also you will need to activly seed your server to get it populare, moreover ns2 needs high end hardware to run, so a ns2 server is not cheap to host.

But if you are aware of these 3 factors go on and host your own server.

SupaDupaNoodle

Hamlet wrote: »

Run your own.

I'm in Germany and one day I got so fed up by all the silence and stacking on completely unmoderated servers that I dug through the wiki and set up my own. On a Phenom II X4 3.2GHz, mind you. Big surprise, it works. It was 16 slots before, but I reduced it to 14 because individual actions matter much more that way. I also set up a Steam Group in order to announce when it comes online.
At first, only my NS2 friends joined, but word spread quickly that on this server, you'll meet people who actually use their microphones and play cooperatively. Seeding takes 2-3 friends to help, but can be achieved within a few minutes.

Every day I hear that somebody favourited the server or joined the group.

And what is the name of this server?

Runki

Would play on it.
Also sry about your rust server, I've played on UK2 since steaml aunch and i would never play on a modded simply because I don't know what admins are up to, how biased they are.

Hamlet

@SupaDupaNoodle
I've updated my signature to make it obvious

Oh, and one more thing:
I've run a survey among the people who regularly play on my non-NASA* server, asking if they experienced any rubberbanding like on the official servers... none of them did.


* Phenom II X4 3.2GHz

BeigeAlert

So what's the verdict on custom maps and pub servers? I would love to host a server that mainly plays custom maps (good customs, like Kodiak), but I've heard that custom map servers tend to not fill up very well. Has anybody tried this before?

SupaDupaNoodle

Hamlet wrote: »

@SupaDupaNoodle
I've updated my signature to make it obvious

Oh, and one more thing:
I've run a survey among the people who regularly play on my non-NASA* server, asking if they experienced any rubberbanding like on the official servers... none of them did.


* Phenom II X4 3.2GHz

Thanks but still don't get any results for "Teamplay FTW".

GhoulofGSG9

BeigeAlert wrote: »

So what's the verdict on custom maps and pub servers? I would love to host a server that mainly plays custom maps (good customs, like Kodiak), but I've heard that custom map servers tend to not fill up very well. Has anybody tried this before?

Hi,
my server has atm 5 custom maps on it and so far that's not true, only greyboxed maps don't get much love.
As long as you give ppl the choice to play these maps via mapvote there no problem at all to have them on your server.

Over all once your server is kinda "well known" you won't have any problems to fill it but to get it known is kinda a problem

A problem about custom maps you should know is that if the workshop times out at the map mod your server will freeze. To avoid this you have to have a active server crew and restart your server at least daily.

xDragon

Shoulda given me admin on your rust server
I woulda handled the noobies.

Bicsum

BeigeAlert wrote: »

So what's the verdict on custom maps and pub servers? I would love to host a server that mainly plays custom maps (good customs, like Kodiak), but I've heard that custom map servers tend to not fill up very well. Has anybody tried this before?

People generally don't like custom maps. Not necessarily because of their quality, but because they don't know them.

They lose 1 or 2 matches, claim the map is unbalanced and leave.

ezekel

xDragon wrote: »

Shoulda given me admin on your rust server
I woulda handled the noobies.

The other players handled them, heck some of the people who quit came back with aimbots because they were so mad - only to be swiftly slammed with teh hammer of bans

Servers 100% dead now though

Anyway still thinking about next game, NS2 servers are really expensive (I guess they take up a lot of cpu)

BeerTent

It sounds like you're just looking for a place for you and your friends to play on... A MOD FREE place. I would be very interested in assisting you with such a server. More-so if it's around the 16-20 slot sector, and on the eastern side of NA.

Personally, the only mods I actually like are the awards mod, at the end of the game (Loved Dystopia for this too.) and custom maps. Just having the choice for properly built custom maps is enough to get me interested. I'm here to play NS2 and enjoy interesting matches, not play summit and tram with pointless drivel and b256 recreation mods, or whatever the fuck they're called. We've got TF2 for that.

GhoulofGSG9

BeerTent wrote: »

It sounds like you're just looking for a place for you and your friends to play on... A MOD FREE place. I would be very interested in assisting you with such a server. More-so if it's around the 16-20 slot sector, and on the eastern side of NA.

Personally, the only mods I actually like are the awards mod, at the end of the game (Loved Dystopia for this too.) and custom maps. Just having the choice for properly built custom maps is enough to get me interested. I'm here to play NS2 and enjoy interesting matches, not play summit and tram with pointless drivel and b256 recreation mods, or whatever the fuck they're called. We've got TF2 for that.

Most server only use Shine, Badges, Custom HUD, NS2Stats and i dont get what ppl have against these mods.

They are all pretty usefull and you will be thankfull that there is such a mod like shine if you really gonna run your own server

co0kie

the NA scene can definitely use more non-rookie friendly servers that have nsl maps + better tick rates + less mods. That itself, will sell to the NS2 community... People (mid-high skilled players usually) are always demanding these things from servers.

Mendasp

You won't need the NSL maps next patch, the Custom HUD mod will provide everything the NSL maps do. Except for the cross spawns. Right now it does everything except the lights, next patch it will do the lights too.

GhoulofGSG9

Mendasp wrote: »

You won't need the NSL maps next patch, the Custom HUD mod will provide everything the NSL maps do. Except for the cross spawns. Right now it does everything except the lights, next patch it will do the lights too.

For cross spawns they can use either the NSL Mod or the Shine plugin. So yeah 263 will probably end the era of nsl maps.

ezekel

Mendasp wrote: »

You won't need the NSL maps next patch, the Custom HUD mod will provide everything the NSL maps do. Except for the cross spawns. Right now it does everything except the lights, next patch it will do the lights too.

So they'll be a workshop mod which disables the lights client side and give you the same performance boost on the vanilla maps?

Mendasp

It will be the same mod, but I'll be hooking into new stuff from the new patch that makes it easy for me to do it in a better way, that's why it has to wait.

Also yes, you can get the same performance boost in vanilla maps switching the lights.