Total (In + Out) Bandwidth: 23.80 Gb <a href='http://www.rackshack.net/bw113/207.44.150.246_17.html' target='_blank'>MRTG</a>
This is a box running a single 16 player NS server, which uses less bandwith then a CS server. Also if you decide to implement rate limiting you could further decrease the bandwith use.
Nonetheless, even using the 150GB number, we could host 2-3 big (24 player) servers on a single box for $130 a month. Thats a little under $2 a person just to break even. (Side note: Rackshack just said they aren't charging any of their customers for bandwith overuse for the month of October as a "thank you").
If we did charge $10 a person, we'd make some fantastic profit.
The more I think about it, the more I want to take a stab at this. Time to start formulating a business plan.
<!--QuoteBegin--GoleX+Nov 20 2002, 02:02 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (GoleX @ Nov 20 2002, 02:02 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Here are my current BW numbers:
Total (In + Out) Bandwidth: 23.80 Gb <a href='http://www.rackshack.net/bw113/207.44.150.246_17.html' target='_blank'>MRTG</a>
This is a box running a single 16 player NS server, which uses less bandwith then a CS server. Also if you decide to implement rate limiting you could further decrease the bandwith use.
Nonetheless, even using the 150GB number, we could host 2-3 big (24 player) servers on a single box for $130 a month. Thats a little under $2 a person just to break even. (Side note: Rackshack just said they aren't charging any of their customers for bandwith overuse for the month of October as a "thank you").
If we did charge $10 a person, we'd make some fantastic profit.
The more I think about it, the more I want to take a stab at this. Time to start formulating a business plan.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> I see we are now going into cs pricing. Yeah the price for cs is a lot cheaper. I dont disagree with cs pricing . but I do disagree with your bandwidth, If we are speaking full 24/7. Otherwise it is easily acceptible to run cs private servers for $2 per player. But, this topic was for a NS server. You can rent a server from that place but, you will only get one 16 player NS server on that 1 proc server if your lucky. If it runs good? it will be full and you are going to run into bandwidth problems for the month. Funny thing is the NS mod allows the client to send 3 times the data to the server then then the server can send back. Which is the main reason that 20 players is about the highest limit that can be run stable with low pings. This I believe will eat up that 400gb of transfer in about 2-3weeks. Ut2003 is about $8-$12.00 per person right now with the top dogs. Battlefield 1942? man its hard on resources too. I sure hope this isnt a trend. Cant wait for Doom3 it will probably take a 3ghz proc to run a 16 player server. You will never get 2-3 (24)player NS servers on that setup. As a matter of fact. You couldnt get (1) 24 player NS server to run stable on that setup. Wishfull thinking , but no way, not NS.
Another point to consider is support. I could pretty much assume that with rackshack you are not going to get game server support. so, you will need to know Linux. In addition you are going to need the ability to setup your server. If you run into problems and dont know much about linux or running a server you going to be here posting for help instead of playing. Some people dont want to worry with that. Let me worry about it and you just play and have fun. Additionally $10 per player for a 16+ player NS server is about the cheapest alternative right now. If you are talking 8 players well then the price may be around $7 or so. But, who wants a 8 player server? <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo-->
NS uses less bandwith then CS overall (with identical settings) so once again, the bandwith limit point is mute.
CPU usage is the biggest snare currently. I agree that a good server could host 2 small NS games or 1 large one only. Hopefully with patches this will get better.
And support is easily thrown in, after all if I am going to make a business of this, I should do some work occasionally <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
I can already think of some good solutions for the current NS server problems though, relating to competitive pricing and discount deals. Nonetheless, this is all stuff to consider in the plan.
EDIT: I notice you already seem to be taking a stab at the server business. Give me a week or two to write up some simple sort of plan with some correspondance with Rackshack. I truly believe we can offer some cheaper solutions then current hosts with some planning.
It could be done. It all depends on what people want. If they wanted to pay the price for a larger server, then you could dedicate a whole box to them. The customer would not need to know Linux, the person renting the game servers would.
<!--QuoteBegin--Brutus+Nov 19 2002, 11:18 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Brutus @ Nov 19 2002, 11:18 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Black Widow, no you pay $99 a month for a P4 1.7 with 512mb of ram, sitting on multiple OC type connections. Then you upload whatever mod you want to play and play it. In fact if you don't want to play NS you could setup 3 18 player CS servers. You get 400gb a month, which is plenty considering an 18 player CS server uses about 60gb a month when full 24/7.
If you would like to learn more, let me know.
As for renting them I think that I could put together a server for people not inclined to do it themselves. You could host two 14 player servers on one of the P4 2ghz boxes, which run $130 or so. Charge $70 per NS 14 player server and you are now at $5 a player slot.
Fairly easy to understand how that works.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> You are correct!! This is something like I am doing and the exact reason that I can offer some of my servers for cheap. I can do an 8 player NS server for $50/month if 6 months are paid in advance. Slightly higher otherwise. Price goes up from there. I only run 1 NS and 1 CS server per box.
i am offering a NS server for 7$ a person per month. I do not run a busness, i just host servers for myself and some friends. <a href='http://ender.tog.net' target='_blank'>http://ender.tog.net</a> I currently run a 22 person CS server at bnet.tog.net:27015 You can go there as see how the pings are when there are 22 people in the game.
I also run a WarCraft III server with over 50,000 accounts. At busy times there are over 2200 users online at the same time. I happen to have (1) uno one. Extra AMD 2100+ with 512 meg of DDR on my T3 that is not doing anything.
The first person who emails me at bnet_webpage@yahoo.com gets the server( i host it you dont get the computer! lol)
Comments
Total (In + Out) Bandwidth: 23.80 Gb
<a href='http://www.rackshack.net/bw113/207.44.150.246_17.html' target='_blank'>MRTG</a>
This is a box running a single 16 player NS server, which uses less bandwith then a CS server. Also if you decide to implement rate limiting you could further decrease the bandwith use.
Nonetheless, even using the 150GB number, we could host 2-3 big (24 player) servers on a single box for $130 a month. Thats a little under $2 a person just to break even. (Side note: Rackshack just said they aren't charging any of their customers for bandwith overuse for the month of October as a "thank you").
If we did charge $10 a person, we'd make some fantastic profit.
The more I think about it, the more I want to take a stab at this. Time to start formulating a business plan.
Total (In + Out) Bandwidth: 23.80 Gb
<a href='http://www.rackshack.net/bw113/207.44.150.246_17.html' target='_blank'>MRTG</a>
This is a box running a single 16 player NS server, which uses less bandwith then a CS server. Also if you decide to implement rate limiting you could further decrease the bandwith use.
Nonetheless, even using the 150GB number, we could host 2-3 big (24 player) servers on a single box for $130 a month. Thats a little under $2 a person just to break even. (Side note: Rackshack just said they aren't charging any of their customers for bandwith overuse for the month of October as a "thank you").
If we did charge $10 a person, we'd make some fantastic profit.
The more I think about it, the more I want to take a stab at this. Time to start formulating a business plan.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I see we are now going into cs pricing. Yeah the price for cs is a lot cheaper. I dont disagree with cs pricing . but I do disagree with your bandwidth, If we are speaking full 24/7. Otherwise it is easily acceptible to run cs private servers for $2 per player. But, this topic was for a NS server. You can rent a server from that place but, you will only get one 16 player NS server on that 1 proc server if your lucky. If it runs good? it will be full and you are going to run into bandwidth problems for the month. Funny thing is the NS mod allows the client to send 3 times the data to the server then then the server can send back. Which is the main reason that 20 players is about the highest limit that can be run stable with low pings. This I believe will eat up that 400gb of transfer in about 2-3weeks. Ut2003 is about $8-$12.00 per person right now with the top dogs. Battlefield 1942? man its hard on resources too. I sure hope this isnt a trend. Cant wait for Doom3 it will probably take a 3ghz proc to run a 16 player server. You will never get 2-3 (24)player NS servers on that setup. As a matter of fact. You couldnt get (1) 24 player NS server to run stable on that setup. Wishfull thinking , but no way, not NS.
Another point to consider is support. I could pretty much assume that with rackshack you are not going to get game server support. so, you will need to know Linux. In addition you are going to need the ability to setup your server. If you run into problems and dont know much about linux or running a server you going to be here posting for help instead of playing. Some people dont want to worry with that. Let me worry about it and you just play and have fun. Additionally $10 per player for a 16+ player NS server is about the cheapest alternative right now. If you are talking 8 players well then the price may be around $7 or so. But, who wants a 8 player server?
<!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo-->
CPU usage is the biggest snare currently. I agree that a good server could host 2 small NS games or 1 large one only. Hopefully with patches this will get better.
And support is easily thrown in, after all if I am going to make a business of this, I should do some work occasionally <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
I can already think of some good solutions for the current NS server problems though, relating to competitive pricing and discount deals. Nonetheless, this is all stuff to consider in the plan.
EDIT: I notice you already seem to be taking a stab at the server business. Give me a week or two to write up some simple sort of plan with some correspondance with Rackshack. I truly believe we can offer some cheaper solutions then current hosts with some planning.
If you would like to learn more, let me know.
As for renting them I think that I could put together a server for people not inclined to do it themselves. You could host two 14 player servers on one of the P4 2ghz boxes, which run $130 or so. Charge $70 per NS 14 player server and you are now at $5 a player slot.
Fairly easy to understand how that works.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You are correct!! This is something like I am doing and the exact reason that I can offer some of my servers for cheap. I can do an 8 player NS server for $50/month if 6 months are paid in advance. Slightly higher otherwise. Price goes up from there. I only run 1 NS and 1 CS server per box.
zer0soul@hotmail.com
-Peace
I also run a WarCraft III server with over 50,000 accounts. At busy times there are over 2200 users online at the same time. I happen to have (1) uno one. Extra AMD 2100+ with 512 meg of DDR on my T3 that is not doing anything.
The first person who emails me at bnet_webpage@yahoo.com gets the server( i host it you dont get the computer! lol)