🔒 Locked

Making a game server? $?

Started by Senses777 Jan 17, 2004 at 6:53 AM 18 replies 650+ views

Original Post

Jan 17, 2004 at 6:53 AM

In awhile I would like to set up a game server for people to connect to. What am I looking at cost-wise for a server that can support about 200+ players at once in a game that uses about 500 bytes a second both ways for each player and requires moderate CPU usage? I know the cost of a good server pretty much (around $4000, correct?), but what about the costs of bandwidth? What would I be looking at?

Happiness is just a word to me, and it might have meant a thing or two if I''d have known the difference. Clouded Skies

klems

Jan 17, 2004 at 8:20 AM

I can host you for free on my Duron 750MHz/128MB RAM/Win98/512kbps cable computer.

[My Image Gallery (WIP)][Greatest Tetris clone evar!][Return your stolen MP3s]

Bossk

Jan 17, 2004 at 12:11 PM

If you don''t mind me asking, what game are you going to be hosting on that?

With 200+ players, that''s gonna be one beast of a server.

Lohrno

Jan 17, 2004 at 12:14 PM

I believe you can find some people willing to host for you for a monthly fee. Otherwise yea you''ll have to shell out for a computer, and T1 usage...I hear that''s like 1000 a month or so..

-=Lohrno

Salsa

Jan 17, 2004 at 12:18 PM

You don''t need a T1 connection..well, maybe with 200 players, but that figure is seriously ridiculous. Why bother? Leave the large-scale servers for the big boys out there who want to pay for it.

A 500mhz machine with a good cable connection can easily handle up to 16 players, and I venture to guess it could even withstand 32.

shortcurves.com - it feels so good

Dreddnafious Maelstrom

Jan 17, 2004 at 2:10 PM

your price will vary according to location and SP''s, i pay 550/per month for a T1. transfer rate is "unlimited" though im guessing that would be revised if i ever tested it seriously.

vNistelrooy

Jan 17, 2004 at 2:12 PM

quote:
Original post by Salsa
A 500mhz machine with a good cable connection can easily handle up to 16 players, and I venture to guess it could even withstand 32.

I just FEEL those terrible lags with 30 players on a 500Mhz PC..

"C lets you shoot yourself in the foot rather easily. C++ allows you to reuse the bullet!"

Senses777

Jan 17, 2004 at 2:22 PM

The single computer payment isn't a problem for me, it's the monthly thing that is the issue.

This isn't an immidiate thing, I am just starting to research it. I want to start my own bussiness and host various games (of which I program or buy from other people) in an online community. MOST of the games would be very low bandwidth usage. (Maybe a few turn based games), and others will be low-medium usage (a puzzle bobble or tetris attack clone type game's net usage), but others might be higher usage (a subspace clone's usage perhaps). (note I am not necessarily making those clones, just somethign that would have the same estimated net usage).

[edited by - Senses777 on January 17, 2004 3:23:48 PM]

Senses777

Jan 17, 2004 at 2:56 PM

Isn''t there something better than cable and less than T1? A type of DSL or something? What am I looking at in costs?

Salsa

Jan 17, 2004 at 2:58 PM

Cable has higher bandwidth capacity than DSL. Though if you lived like..right across the street from a DSL center, you'd be living the good life.

Maybe a fiber optic line?

shortcurves.com | /josh

[edited by - Salsa on January 17, 2004 3:59:04 PM]

Dreddnafious Maelstrom

Jan 17, 2004 at 3:01 PM

im assuming that southern cali is as well developed as dallas at least from a bandwith infrastructure point of view. that being the case, you could look into a "lease-line" which would be leasing X number of channels from a T1.

typical T1 comes with 24 channels. a PRI comes with 23 channels + 1 non usable channel for signaling. in a competitive market you should be able to "lease" just the portion of T1 you will need, or even better, have a dynamic allocation of bandwith, up to a full T. so long as you dont require a guaranteed fixed cost.

Dredd
________________________________________

"To die with your sword still in its sheath is most regrettable" -- Miyomoto Musashi

Senses777

Jan 17, 2004 at 3:59 PM

Interesting. I thought there were some faster types of DSL though? Like ADSL or something?

vNistelrooy

Jan 17, 2004 at 4:42 PM

T1 is 1.5Mbit right? Well than my free 10Mbit internet pwns T1. Too bad I have a proxy firewall.

"C lets you shoot yourself in the foot rather easily. C++ allows you to reuse the bullet!"

Imperil

Jan 17, 2004 at 4:52 PM

quote:
Original post by CPPMaster Poppet
T1 is 1.5Mbit right? Well than my free 10Mbit internet pwns T1. Too bad I have a proxy firewall.

"C lets you shoot yourself in the foot rather easily. C++ allows you to reuse the bullet!"

In speed yes, in throughput not a chance.

vNistelrooy

Jan 17, 2004 at 4:55 PM

quote:
Original post by Imperil
quote:
Original post by CPPMaster Poppet
T1 is 1.5Mbit right? Well than my free 10Mbit internet pwns T1. Too bad I have a proxy firewall.

"C lets you shoot yourself in the foot rather easily. C++ allows you to reuse the bullet!"

In speed yes, in throughput not a chance.

Umm why not?

"C lets you shoot yourself in the foot rather easily. C++ allows you to reuse the bullet!"

Michalson

Jan 17, 2004 at 5:06 PM

quote:
Original post by Dreddnafious Maelstrom
your price will vary according to location and SP''s, i pay 550/per month for a T1. transfer rate is "unlimited" though im guessing that would be revised if i ever tested it seriously.

With a T1 (business line) they probably do mean unlimited when they say unlimited, since your bandwidth is exclusive, not shared.

quote:
Original post by Senses777
Isn''t there something better than cable and less than T1? A type of DSL or something? What am I looking at in costs?

I don''t know what you have down there, but in addition to partial T1 lines (already mentioned) there is business DSL. Business ADSL is normally offered at a wide range of speeds download speeds (256kps-9mbps; T1 is 1.5mbps), with upload speed normally 128kps, 256kps, 512kps or 640kps. SDSL is also offered, and while it is limited to 3mbps it is symmetric, so you have 3mbps in each direction. Both types of DSL are very price competitive with a T1 (at least up here).

Monder

Jan 17, 2004 at 5:30 PM

quote:

In speed yes, in throughput not a chance.

What is the difference between throughput and speed?

Senses777

Jan 17, 2004 at 6:16 PM

quote:
Original post by Michalson
quote:
Original post by Dreddnafious Maelstrom
your price will vary according to location and SP''s, i pay 550/per month for a T1. transfer rate is "unlimited" though im guessing that would be revised if i ever tested it seriously.

With a T1 (business line) they probably do mean unlimited when they say unlimited, since your bandwidth is exclusive, not shared.

quote:
Original post by Senses777
Isn''t there something better than cable and less than T1? A type of DSL or something? What am I looking at in costs?

I don''t know what you have down there, but in addition to partial T1 lines (already mentioned) there is business DSL. Business ADSL is normally offered at a wide range of speeds download speeds (256kps-9mbps; T1 is 1.5mbps), with upload speed normally 128kps, 256kps, 512kps or 640kps. SDSL is also offered, and while it is limited to 3mbps it is symmetric, so you have 3mbps in each direction. Both types of DSL are very price competitive with a T1 (at least up here).

Thanks, that info was very helpfull. I''ll go look around and see what prices I come up with.

This project wont start for at least a year anyways, so I''m not in a huge rush for the bandwidth part, I will create a server on my cable line first and see what I can do.

Nervo

Jan 17, 2004 at 6:20 PM

hey good luck with getting T1 at even as little as 384kb!

Hope you have a few hundred bucks (think 300+) for even the smallest of T1 bandwidth!

Senses777

Jan 17, 2004 at 6:22 PM

quote:
Original post by Nervo
hey good luck with getting T1 at even as little as 384kb!

Hope you have a few hundred bucks (think 300+) for even the smallest of T1 bandwidth!

I do.

But I''ll start off smaller, probably.

Topic Locked

This topic has been locked by a moderator. New replies are not allowed.