Do you have to pay to run a game server?
John Doe
If players on a server must have a valid unique CD key, therefore
every player means another retail copy of the game sold, I cannot
imagine why a game company would force server operators to pay for
encouraging gamers to pay for and then play the game.
If having to pay to run a server is common, why is that?
Thanks.
Wile E. Coyote
> If having to pay to run a server is common, why is that?
>
> Thanks.
Yes, you usually rent a server because bandwidth is not free and running
the game off your own PC as a server causes lag.
Mike T.
To add to that a bit.. The main limitation with running off your PC
is the upload speed. For most consumer-grade broadband, the upload
speed is quite a bit lower than the download speed. Depending on the
game, a typical broadband user might be able to host a game with 5 to
15 players or so... beyond that it tends to get laggy, and wouldn't be
practical for games that hold 32-64 players etc.
Also, one of the things you are paying for when you rent a server is
data-center grade reliability and availability. If you want to grow a
nice community of gamers or have a clan, to get folks coming back the
server needs to always be there, not just when you're playing or not
using your PC for anything else. Maintaining highly available
infrastructure costs a lot of money to do well, this is one reason
most MMORPGs are on a monthly subscription... someone has to keep all
those servers going and skilled labor isn't cheap.
John Doe
> "Wile E. Coyote" <coy...@ACME.invalid> wrote:
>> John Doe wrote:
>>> If having to pay [the game company] to run a server is common,
>>> why is that?
>> Yes, you usually rent a server because bandwidth is not free
>> and running the game off your own PC as a server causes lag.
>
> To add to that a bit.. The main limitation with running off
> your PC is the upload speed. For most consumer-grade broadband,
> the upload speed is quite a bit lower than the download speed.
> Depending on the game, a typical broadband user might be able to
> host a game with 5 to 15 players or so... beyond that it tends
> to get laggy, and wouldn't be practical for games that hold
> 32-64 players etc.
>
> Also, one of the things you are paying for when you rent a
> server is data-center grade reliability and availability. If
> you want to grow a nice community of gamers or have a clan, to
> get folks coming back the server needs to always be there, not
> just when you're playing or not using your PC for anything else.
> Maintaining highly available infrastructure costs a lot of
> money to do well, this is one reason most MMORPGs are on a
> monthly subscription... someone has to keep all those servers
> going and skilled labor isn't cheap.
Not that it matters, but apparently I was not clear... I am not
talking about paying for hardware and bandwidth, I am talking
about paying for additional software from the game maker.
http://forums.timegate.com/showthread.php?t=16967
TimeGate Studios is charging server hosts for running the game
on their servers?
Nostromo
Anno Domini:
If you mean like charging me royalties for running the game on my own server
for non-profit, then that's about as piss-poor as it comes. Just another
sign of our micro-transaction, greedy times. *sigh*
--
Nostromo
Mike T.
Umm.. it seems to me that this is no different than requiring a legal
copy of the game to run a server, which many games do. Most dedicated
server hosts install a licensed copy of the game on a server rental
(when it is required) and just roll the cost into the rental fee
sometimes in the form of a one-time setup fee.
It costs money to develop and support dedicated server software over
and above the cost of the game itself, so without folks willing to pay
for dedicated server costs, they have to simply move toward a
peer-to-peer model with lower number of players per server. Over the
years game developers have gotten wise to the fact that supporting
dedicated server software costs them money and leads to a lot of
whining about how this and that feature isn't supported, so it's
inevitable that the cost gets passed along or the feature just gets
removed period.. Which do you prefer?
John Doe
> Nostromo <nospam forme.org> wrote:
>> Thus spake John Doe <jdoe usenetlove.invalid>
>>> Mike T. <mikeet021 hotmail.com> wrote:
I guess that answers my question, and makes no sense to me. Maybe
that is why most game companies make no money. Another possibility
is that they really don't care about the PC side, just like the
fact that Microsoft has not even bothered making Halo for the PC.
Still, Blizzard has done very well making PC games, while
providing its own hardware, bandwidth, and server software.
> It costs money to develop and support dedicated server software
> over and above the cost of the game itself
Blizzard runs its own servers and makes a ton of money.
Are you really suggesting that a server operator who spends his
own money for the hardware and bandwidth and gets no money from
the players who use his server should pay the company? If that is
common, no wonder so many games fail.
--
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> NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:34:33 -0600
> From: Mike T. <mikeet021 hotmail.com>
> Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
> Subject: Re: Do you have to pay to run a game server?
> Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:34:01 -0500
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Mike T.
That sentence in itself should make no sense to anyone with an IQ
consisting of 3 digits.
>Maybe
>that is why most game companies make no money.
Again another sign of mental retardation. Most game developers make
well into the six figures. Most lead designers make roughly as much
as a movie producer. Total income for the people at the top is
similar to the movie and music industry.
>Another possibility
>is that they really don't care about the PC side, just like the
>fact that Microsoft has not even bothered making Halo for the PC.
Well you can thank pirates and console buyers for that one.
>Still, Blizzard has done very well making PC games, while
>providing its own hardware, bandwidth, and server software.
At the cost of the player's monthly subscription payment.
>> It costs money to develop and support dedicated server software
>> over and above the cost of the game itself
>
>Blizzard runs its own servers and makes a ton of money.
They make a ton of money because they charge the player by the month.
>Are you really suggesting that a server operator who spends his
>own money for the hardware and bandwidth and gets no money from
>the players who use his server should pay the company? If that is
>common, no wonder so many games fail.
Who are you calling the server operator here? The clan leader that
pays the host or the host itself? Some clans/gaming communities do
charge dues from their players, maybe a few bucks a month or a few
bucks every few months.
You seem to talk a great deal about "failure" in the gaming industry
but I'm wondering what your definition of failure is. I wrote a lot
of the code for a semi-popular Amiga game in the late 80s, and bought
several rental properties with the income, which are all paid for and
now worth a combined $2.4 million, and I live exclusively off the
rental income. The Amiga was a failed platform, yes?
John Doe
> John Doe <jdoe usenetlove.invalid> wrote:
>> Mike T. <mikeet021 hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> Nostromo <nospam forme.org> wrote:
>>>> Thus spake John Doe <jdoe usenetlove.invalid>
>>>>>> "Wile E. Coyote" <coyote ACME.invalid> wrote:
>>>>>>> John Doe wrote:
>>>>>>>> If having to pay [the game company] to run a server is
>>>>>>>> common, why is that?
>>>>>
>>>>>>> Yes, you usually rent a server because bandwidth is not
>>>>>>> free and running the game off your own PC as a server
>>>>>>> causes lag.
>>>>> Not that it matters, but apparently I was not clear... I am
>>>>> not talking about paying for hardware and bandwidth, I am
>>>>> talking about paying for additional software from the game
>>>>> maker.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://forums.timegate.com/showthread.php?t=16967
>>>>>
>>>>> TimeGate Studios is charging server hosts for running the
>>>>> game on their servers?
>>>>
>>>> If you mean like charging me royalties for running the game
>>>> on my own server for non-profit, then that's about as
>>>> piss-poor as it comes. Just another sign of our
>>>> micro-transaction, greedy times. *sigh*
>>
>> I guess that answers my question, and makes no sense to me.
>
> That sentence makes no sense to me since I have an IQ of less
> than 2 digits.
>> Maybe that is why most game companies make no money.
>
> Again another sign of mental superiority.
Thanks Mikey.
> Most game developers make well into the six figures. Most lead
> designers make roughly as much as a movie producer. Total
> income for the people at the top is similar to the movie and
> music industry.
I would enjoy seeing your citations for that, Mikey.
>> Another possibility is that they really don't care about the PC
>> side, just like the fact that Microsoft has not even bothered
>> making Halo for the PC.
>
> Well you can thank pirates for that one.
Another very lame argument, Mikey, software piracy has been around
ever since software was invented. Software piracy is absolutely
positively nothing new. For that reason, anyone in the software
business who whines about software piracy is just a moron.
>> Still, Blizzard has done very well making PC games, while
>> providing its own hardware, bandwidth, and server software.
>
> At the cost of the player's monthly subscription payment.
Blizzard sponsors many games besides World of WarCraft, Mikey.
They are free to play on Blizzard's servers after you buy the game
with a valid CD key.
>>> It costs money to develop and support dedicated server
>>> software over and above the cost of the game itself
>>
>> Blizzard runs its own servers and makes a ton of money.
>
> They make a ton of money because they charge the player by the
> month.
Blizzard sponsors many games besides World of WarCraft, Mikey.
They are free to play on Blizzard's servers after you buy the game
with a valid CD key.
>> Are you really suggesting that a server operator who spends his
>> own money for the hardware and bandwidth and gets no money from
>> the players who use his server should pay the company? If that
>> is common, no wonder so many games fail.
>
> Who are you calling the server operator here? The clan leader
> that pays the host or the host itself? Some clans/gaming
> communities do charge dues from their players, maybe a few bucks
> a month or a few bucks every few months.
Does that have something to do with paying royalties to the game
company, Mikey?
> You seem to talk a great deal about "failure" in the gaming
> industry
If you had an IQ of more than two digits, Mikey, you might be able
to tell that I mentioned the word "fail" one time and the word
"failure" zero times.
> but I'm wondering what your definition of failure is.
As in "bankrupt" "sold cheap" "not producing games anymore".
> I wrote a lot
> of the code for a semi-popular Amiga game in the late 80s, and bought
> several rental properties with the income, which are all paid for and
> now worth a combined $2.4 million, and I live exclusively off the
> rental income. The Amiga was a failed platform, yes?
>
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> NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:48:44 -0600
> From: Mike T. <mikeet021 hotmail.com>
> Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
> Subject: Re: Do you have to pay to run a game server?
> Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:48:12 -0500
> Message-ID: <1071h5t5bbtdult6o3acrbis0qk40ne8no 4ax.com>
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Mike T.
What again gave you the confidence boost you needed to start calling
me Mikey there, Johnny Female Deer?
>> Most game developers make well into the six figures. Most lead
>> designers make roughly as much as a movie producer. Total
>> income for the people at the top is similar to the movie and
>> music industry.
>
>I would enjoy seeing your citations for that, Mikey.
Come look at my tax forms bitch. That's all the citation I need.
>>> Another possibility is that they really don't care about the PC
>>> side, just like the fact that Microsoft has not even bothered
>>> making Halo for the PC.
>>
>> Well you can thank pirates for that one.
Not only pirates but console buyers.
>Another very lame argument, Mikey, software piracy has been around
>ever since software was invented. Software piracy is absolutely
>positively nothing new anymore than I molest my wife's friends daughter is new.
> For that reason, anyone in the software
>business who whines about software piracy is just a moron.
More information that I needed.
>>> Still, Blizzard has done very well making PC games, while
>>> providing its own hardware, bandwidth, and server software.
>>
>> At the cost of the player's monthly subscription payment.
>
>Blizzard sponsors many games besides World of WarCraft, Mikey.
But where where do you think they make their money Johnny Doey, Lover
of Children?
>>>> It costs money to develop and support dedicated server
>>>> software over and above the cost of the game itself
>>>
>>> Blizzard runs its own servers and makes a ton of money.
>>
>> They make a ton of money because they charge the player by the
>> month.
>
>Blizzard sponsors many games besides World of WarCraft, Mikey.
>They are free to play on Blizzard's servers after you buy the game
>with a valid CD key.
When is the last time you played such a game? Diablo II maybe?
>>> Are you really suggesting that a server operator who spends his
>>> own money for the hardware and bandwidth and gets no money from
>>> the players who use his server should pay the company? If that
>>> is common, no wonder so many games fail.
>>
>> Who are you calling the server operator here? The clan leader
>> that pays the host or the host itself? Some clans/gaming
>> communities do charge dues from their players, maybe a few bucks
>> a month or a few bucks every few months.
>
>Does that have something to do with paying royalties to the game
>company, Mikey?
Not to date it hasn't... the clan operators keep all profits.. and it
usually is a profit for them after they've paid their server host.
Fine for them if they want to get on like that?
h
John Doe
> On 28 Nov 2009 05:17:55 GMT, John Doe <jdoe usenetlove.invalid>
You missed this one, Mikey.
>>>> Maybe that is why most game companies make no money.
>>>
>>> Again another sign of mental superiority.
>>
>>Thanks Mikey.
>
> What again gave you the confidence boost you needed to start
> calling me Mikey there
It just felt right.
> Johnny Female Deer?
All buck here, Mikey.
>>> Most game developers make well into the six figures. Most
>>> lead designers make roughly as much as a movie producer.
>>> Total income for the people at the top is similar to the movie
>>> and music industry.
>>
>>I would enjoy seeing your citations for that, Mikey.
>
> Come look at my tax forms bitch. That's all the citation I
> need.
lol
You are a master of lame arguments, Mikey.
>>>> Another possibility is that they really don't care about the
>>>> PC side, just like the fact that Microsoft has not even
>>>> bothered making Halo for the PC.
>>>
>>> Well you can thank my mother for that one.
>
> Not only my mother but my sister too.
>
>>Another very lame argument, Mikey, software piracy has been
>>around ever since software was invented. Software piracy is
>>absolutely positively nothing new anymore than my enjoyment of
>>arguing with lammers is new. For that reason, anyone in the
>>software business who whines about software piracy is just a
>>moron IMO.
>>>> Still, Blizzard has done very well making PC games, while
>>>> providing its own hardware, bandwidth, and server software.
>>>
>>> At the cost of the player's monthly subscription payment.
>>
>>Blizzard sponsors many games besides World of WarCraft, Mikey.
>
> But where where do you think children get money from me, if not
> in the dark corners of my basement?
>>>>> It costs money to develop and support dedicated server
>>>>> software over and above the cost of the game itself
>>>>
>>>> Blizzard runs its own servers and makes a ton of money.
>>>
>>> They make a ton of money because they charge the player by the
>>> month.
>>
>>Blizzard sponsors many games besides World of WarCraft, Mikey.
>>They are free to play on Blizzard's servers after you buy the
>>game with a valid CD key.
>
> When is the last time you played such a game? Diablo II maybe?
They are still being played all the time on Blizzard's servers,
Mikey, you are such a lamer.
When was the last time you played a multiplayer action game,
Mikey? Was it on the Amiga?
>>>> Are you really suggesting that a server operator who spends
>>>> his own money for the hardware and bandwidth and gets no
>>>> money from the players who use his server should pay the
>>>> company? If that is common, no wonder so many games fail.
>>>
>>> Who are you calling the server operator here? The clan leader
>>> that pays the host or the host itself? Some clans/gaming
>>> communities do charge dues from their players, maybe a few
>>> bucks a month or a few bucks every few months.
>>
>>Does that have something to do with paying royalties to the game
>>company, Mikey?
> h
>
>
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> NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:38:14 -0600
> From: Mike T. <miket21 hotmail.com>
> Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
> Subject: Re: Do you have to pay to run a game server?
> Date: Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:37:42 -0500
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Nostromo
Anno Domini:
>>>TimeGate Studios is charging server hosts for running the game
>>>on their servers?
>>
>>If you mean like charging me royalties for running the game on my own server
>>for non-profit, then that's about as piss-poor as it comes. Just another
>>sign of our micro-transaction, greedy times. *sigh*
>
>Umm.. it seems to me that this is no different than requiring a legal
>copy of the game to run a server, which many games do. Most dedicated
>server hosts install a licensed copy of the game on a server rental
>(when it is required) and just roll the cost into the rental fee
>sometimes in the form of a one-time setup fee.
>
>It costs money to develop and support dedicated server software over
>and above the cost of the game itself, so without folks willing to pay
>for dedicated server costs, they have to simply move toward a
>peer-to-peer model with lower number of players per server. Over the
>years game developers have gotten wise to the fact that supporting
>dedicated server software costs them money and leads to a lot of
>whining about how this and that feature isn't supported, so it's
>inevitable that the cost gets passed along or the feature just gets
>removed period.. Which do you prefer?
The assumption is that you bought the game/server component (obviously) &
have at least that one license to serve a game instance out via the net.
If they charge above & beyond that for hobbyist/private non-profit servers,
then THAT'S unacceptable.
--
Nostromo
Mike T.
If you are running the game on the same machine you installed the game
on. I'm talking about the case where the bought the game (and then
decides they want a dedicated server)... They could put up a server
in their home if they have the upload bandwidth to support it, and
depending on whether the game supports it, they might be able to join
their own server... but in most cases (legally) they cannot put the
dedicated server software on some other physical server and then go
load up the client server and play on that or some other server which
might be serving many other players. Not all dedicated server check
for license key/ip address etc but some do.
Nostromo
Anno Domini:
<snip typical usenet exchange devolving into name calling>
>They are still being played all the time on Blizzard's servers,
>Mikey, you are such a lamer.
>
>When was the last time you played a multiplayer action game,
>Mikey? Was it on the Amiga?
>
>>>>> Are you really suggesting that a server operator who spends
>>>>> his own money for the hardware and bandwidth and gets no
>>>>> money from the players who use his server should pay the
>>>>> company? If that is common, no wonder so many games fail.
>>>>
>>>> Who are you calling the server operator here? The clan leader
>>>> that pays the host or the host itself? Some clans/gaming
>>>> communities do charge dues from their players, maybe a few
>>>> bucks a month or a few bucks every few months.
>>>
>>>Does that have something to do with paying royalties to the game
>>>company, Mikey?
You guys play this game often I take it? ;-p
I guess I feel right into it. How dare I suggest *anything* should be free
of charge with Capitalist like Mikey The Magnate around, even after you've
paid for it once lol! Pfft.
--
Nostromo
John Doe
> How dare I suggest *anything* should be free of charge, even
> after you've paid for it once lol! Pfft.
My concern is simply that the developer of the multiplayer game I
just bought does not put up roadblocks to online play. Seems to me
that would be the worst form of bad customer service.
Nostromo
Anno Domini:
>>The assumption is that you bought the game/server component (obviously) &
>>have at least that one license to serve a game instance out via the net.
>>If they charge above & beyond that for hobbyist/private non-profit servers,
>>then THAT'S unacceptable.
>
>If you are running the game on the same machine you installed the game
>on. I'm talking about the case where the bought the game (and then
>decides they want a dedicated server)... They could put up a server
>in their home if they have the upload bandwidth to support it, and
>depending on whether the game supports it, they might be able to join
>their own server... but in most cases (legally) they cannot put the
>dedicated server software on some other physical server and then go
>load up the client server and play on that or some other server which
>might be serving many other players. Not all dedicated server check
>for license key/ip address etc but some do.
I hear what you're saying, but I still think the client game should be
legally separated from the server component within the licensing model, as
it is conceptually, which most ppl don't use anyway. Otherwise, package &
sell them completely separately. In fact, when you play a solo game, some
fps titles actually load a localhost server in the background on the same
machine, so how does that fit into the grand licensing scheme of things?
Anyway, we'll agree to disagree as I'm a huge proponent of the open-source
movement & think any & every piece of commercial software should be free to
try & use if it's for personal, non-profit purposes (voluntary donations
work for many indy devs now). IP, copyrights, trademarks & software
licensing in general needs a huge kick in the pants in the 21st century, as
it's a horrible legacy of the greedy cartels of the past (Hollywood, US
music industry anyone?) & people trying to create indefinite passive income
out of nothing, like the rental properties you've been sponging money off of
the working class with for years Mikey, with no effort, GDP contribution or
just desert on your part...there's a term for that in the US ;-p.
--
Nostromo
John Doe
> Thus spake Mike T. <mikeet02 hoitmail.com>
I tend to agree, for futuristic reasons. And software might be
easier to protect if all software were required to be open source.
> & think any & every piece of commercial software should be free
> to try & use if it's for personal, non-profit purposes
> (voluntary donations work for many indy devs now).
Only because they cannot protect their own intellectual property.
> IP, copyrights, trademarks & software licensing in general needs
> a huge kick in the pants in the 21st century, as it's a horrible
> legacy of the greedy cartels of the past (Hollywood, US music
> industry anyone?)
You mean all of the intellectual property from the United States
you cannot steal enough of? I have watched much Internet TV, the
rest of the world loves our entertainment. Our intellectual
property law has made us very prosperous, by rewarding innovation.
Software and multimedia is very easy to steal, and it does require
some rethinking.
> & people trying to create indefinite passive income out of
> nothing
That just depends on how intellectual property law is designed.
--
> like the rental properties you've been sponging money off of the
> working class with for years Mikey, with no effort, GDP
> contribution or just desert on your part...there's a term for
> that in the US ;-p.
>
> --
> Nostromo
>
>
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> From: Nostromo <nospam forme.org>
> Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
> Subject: Re: Do you have to pay to run a game server?
> Date: Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:52:57 +1100
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Nostromo
Anno Domini:
>> Anyway, we'll agree to disagree as I'm a huge proponent of the
>> open-source movement
>
>I tend to agree, for futuristic reasons. And software might be
>easier to protect if all software were required to be open source.
>
>> & think any & every piece of commercial software should be free
>> to try & use if it's for personal, non-profit purposes
>> (voluntary donations work for many indy devs now).
>
>Only because they cannot protect their own intellectual property.
>
>> IP, copyrights, trademarks & software licensing in general needs
>> a huge kick in the pants in the 21st century, as it's a horrible
>> legacy of the greedy cartels of the past (Hollywood, US music
>> industry anyone?)
>
>You mean all of the intellectual property from the United States
>you cannot steal enough of? I have watched much Internet TV, the
>rest of the world loves our entertainment. Our intellectual
>property law has made us very prosperous, by rewarding innovation.
>Software and multimedia is very easy to steal, and it does require
>some rethinking.
I would hardly call the trash that Hollywood puts out as 'intellectual',
property or otherwise. Here's an idea: for every movie I see that I enjoy to
any degree I'll compensate the author with full price. For every POS I see
I'll expect full compensation/restitution for my time wasted, of which
1.5-2hrs is a lot more precious to me than the $2 I can pay at the local
Videobuster to get it (or even the $14 at the cinema for that matter).
IP laws are borked & the US is by far the largest culprit in this. Anyone
arguing with that, well, we have nothing further to talk about in this
reality :).
However, to qualify the above, authors of content for pure
entertainment/home or personal use, even if commercial, should not have to
give it away, of course. I just think IP laws need to protect worthwhile
content (for a very limited time) & let the chaff fall away - natural
selection. That is does not do so in any way at present is one of its major
shortcomings. 'Protecting' anything & everything, even if it's utter shit,
is what got us here in the first place.
>> & people trying to create indefinite passive income out of
>> nothing
>
>That just depends on how intellectual property law is designed.
Of course. At the moment it's designed to line the pockets of greedy fuck
middlemen & cartels who contribute _nothing_ to the creation of the content
that those laws were bought off to protect, but only create a framework to
extort the largest chunk of that revenue from artists & the actual creators
of content. It's just one huge smokescreen designed to keep us retail
bunnies buying at whatever price they want to put on content for however
long they like. If they tried to introduce something like that now, it would
probably be made a criminal offense, tantamount to racketeering...imagine
trying to market cigarettes now in this day & age with what we know about
the health risks...similar deal.
--
Nostromo
Mike T.
>Thus spake Mike T. <mike...@hoitmail.com>, Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:20:01 -0500,
>Anno Domini:
>
>>>The assumption is that you bought the game/server component (obviously) &
>>>have at least that one license to serve a game instance out via the net.
>>>If they charge above & beyond that for hobbyist/private non-profit servers,
>>>then THAT'S unacceptable.
>>
>>If you are running the game on the same machine you installed the game
>>on. I'm talking about the case where the bought the game (and then
>>decides they want a dedicated server)... They could put up a server
>>in their home if they have the upload bandwidth to support it, and
>>depending on whether the game supports it, they might be able to join
>>their own server... but in most cases (legally) they cannot put the
>>dedicated server software on some other physical server and then go
>>load up the client server and play on that or some other server which
>>might be serving many other players. Not all dedicated server check
>>for license key/ip address etc but some do.
>
>I hear what you're saying, but I still think the client game should be
>legally separated from the server component within the licensing model, as
>it is conceptually, which most ppl don't use anyway. Otherwise, package &
>sell them completely separately.
Most software vendors would not be averse to that, but if they did,
the whiney gaming community would just cry "why do we have to buy the
server separately? What if I want to host a weekend server off my
machine"
>In fact, when you play a solo game, some
>fps titles actually load a localhost server in the background on the same
>machine, so how does that fit into the grand licensing scheme of things?
Most of the times the game server you hear about in solo games has
nothing to do with serving network packets and doesn't even require
networking to be installed on the PC running it, or even for a TCP
stack to be installed. Some games consist of many servers (client
server is a development architecture that has nothing to do with
networking). But, even if it did server net packets locally to
achieve a disconnected (from the internet) game, testing and
supporting that is quite a bit easier and can be QA'd in a fairly
isolated environment.. there's no firewalls or varying amounts of
latency or dropped connects to deal with.
>Anyway, we'll agree to disagree as I'm a huge proponent of the open-source
>movement & think any & every piece of commercial software should be free to
>try & use if it's for personal, non-profit purposes (voluntary donations
>work for many indy devs now).
Open-source is a separate topic entirely, and while I do believe it
has its place there are a number of downsides to it that I don't
believe it is the answer to everything. I also don't think there are
enough folks here who have decades of software engineering experience
under their belt and could even discuss it from any angle other than
they are a simple consumer of software who wants as much stuff free as
possible. While all software producers are also consumers of
software, the converse is rarely true.. and opinions from those lower
on the softwre food chain are simply not valuable enough to me to
warrant an off-topic debate. Like I said it's usually just a bunch of
whining nancies wanting free stuff.