Abbreviated Server Requirements Released

Jyiiga

Here are the steps in a abbreviated format. People will need to know their way around computers; it isn't a consumer friendly process. I am outlining the basic steps but we are going to be giving more complete instructions to players and hoping the community will help refine them.

~ Download and install a Microsoft SQL solution. For most people this will be Express since it's (if I understand it) free and will have the storage capability for most smaller servers.

~ Get a Microsoft web server up and running for the patch server to attach to.

~ Prepare outward facing static IPs for the various server processes; You will need 4 plus one for each server instance you intend to run.

~ Create connections to your SQL server using the 32 bit version of the ODBC data source administrator.

~ Use our command line tools to configure your registry.

~ Use our command line tools to initialize the various SQL database structures you will need.

~ Unzip the patch server, GLS server, and game server downloads into local folders. It is easiest to just copy the server folder for each server process that will need to run.

~ Configure the server's local config files with network locations.

~ Run from the command line (with the proper flags) your patch server, then your GLS server, then your Master server, then your login server, and finally your game server(s).

~ Configure your client to point at the GLS server.

~ Start up your client and try to log in.

As you can probably see, it won't be a process for the faint of heart. We will be looking to provide high level instructions and asking the community to help refine the information to help us more fully document the process for enthusiasts that might be less confident with dealing with some of these processes.

I hope to find a way to run a local server behind a firewall that doesn't need the GLS server or the patch server running and will be looking at that Monday or Tuesday. This will remove the need to run those processes and take the web server out of the equation. We are also looking at options for one server process to handle the master/login/instance server functionality but I am not sure we can do that outside our development environments. This would greatly simplify the process of preparing IPs for your server.

Sev~

Jyiiga

Greetings,

I wanted to give an update on where we are.

I finished documenting and preparing the files players will need for all the SQL set up. We are working on getting documentation for setting up the patch server and and gls servers. I am also checking to see how a player can configure a local one person server with a simplified set up so they can play solo or in a LAN environment but I don't know yet if it will be possible to do without the full login process.

We are moving to get things up in a place where they can be downloaded.

What we have left to do:

~ Document the process of installing a web server and configuring the patch server.
~ Document configuring the gls server.
~ Testing the modified gls server.
~ Getting the various files up on a site where they can be downloaded.
~ Examine options to run a simplified server set up for solo or LAN players.

Sev~

Elapsed

If anyone wants to run a public server, it's going to be quite an investment. Static IP's can be expensive. Also, any busy server will probably hit the limits of SQL Server Express. SQL Server Standard costs $1000. Not to mention you need physical hardware and bandwidth.

Even if they're able to remove the IP address requirements, it seems like most people will be running the game in single player mode or at LAN parties. Using AC as LAN party game could be fun. I imagine it being like D&D - getting together with a group and playing together where you left off last time.