New Servers - Donate Donate Donate!!

[idaBigA]

Schoolboys running servers? They need extra pocket money from donations? Whats with all the servers having donations way before actually having the server fully operational!???!??!?

Servers should be there as primarily to stretch your mind and show what you are capable of, to have a good laugh with people.

I see servers with the first post saying Donate to get this Uber weapon and I thought.. WTF, someone on a money making scheme?

I see servers with the Donation page up while the owner still asking for help on how to even getting it working...

I am not saying that donations should not be accepted, because it can get expensive upgrading Server PC's, replacing faulty parts, faster connection ETC, but it should never be used as a way to make money for nothing.

Its a sad way to go with Mir servers.. I don't play Mir 2 servers since my P69 days, but is it the same there?

 

[Demonic]

My View on Servers is quite simnple enough, initally they can be run from a Home PC, nothing Flash required for Mir and combined with a Home ADSL/Cable Connection - this should be fine for, well god, lets guess at say 50 Online. So what is the Capital Outlay for this? Most people who are thinking of running a server should have a machine spare already (we hope lol).

Now you could say what about the Time put into making the server - Hmm, I wont answer that one.

Later on, when the server gets bigger, say for example like Ragezone / P69 / CHINA - yes then I am fully behind the fact a Dedicated Host costs money. Why was it we ran Private Servers again?? Oh yes to get away from paying a monthly fee in the first place..LOL...

I must say one more thing though - when Johnny Sends Server X his £30 Birthday money so he can get that Para Ring he was alwasy after, then a few days later the server closes down as like 5 people are playing it or they cannot be bothered any longer - where do you think he is going to come crying back to? Yup thats right, LOMCN, the place were he saw the Advert.

Personally I think all server adverts that have any form of Payment need to be outlawed - what ye all say ???

 

[AngelHeart]

I'm happy to make a donation to a good server once I have played it to help with running costs. However, I have seen the two server adverts in question, and to be honest, I wouldn't even play a server where the host seems to have trouble even spelling the word.

The ones I think you are referring to seem to be just a couple of kids who have played a few other servers to get ideas, and then stuck them on a home pc without much idea of what they're doing, and as Ida said, have asked for donations before the things are even up and stable.

Any server that does accept donations usually keeps the information on its own forum, and its then up to the people who play to decide for themselves. I agree, these desperate and thinly disguised pleas for pocket money are pathetic, and should be removed.

 

[Zion-Servers]

Its a joke in its self really.

I love playing around with the server files and also enjoy playing other servrs and seeing the hard work that goes into them. But when i see servers go up and its all about the donations, its a bloody joke. These kids making money of im afraid to say dumb idiots. Yes its great to donate to a server thats good and to help it with the cost of running it, i dont mind donating a fiver here and there. But when a server goes up and blatently is saying to you, im up just so that i can be a lazy bum and make money of you. Ive got one thing to say on, i hope to god that you get hacked to hell cause thats the least you deserve.

What happened to creating a server for fun and enjoyment, i dont see dontaing to a server just for items as fun. The server is corrupt from the start.

If all people are going to do is make money from the hard work that has gone into making these files easier for people to create, then i say in futre release they stay un translated and let them do the hard work.

I for one know i can translate them so my server will stay up, but it would be great to see all the other servers that have appeeared that cant translate them disapear. Then we see the true servers stay alive.

 

[chimera]

To be brutally honest if you can't afford to run a server without the donations you should seriously consider not putting one up. I only know of one long term server that has been done this way and has been up for a few years.

 

[craigy06]

Its a joke in its self really.

I love playing around with the server files and also enjoy playing other servrs and seeing the hard work that goes into them. But when i see servers go up and its all about the donations, its a bloody joke. These kids making money of im afraid to say dumb idiots. Yes its great to donate to a server thats good and to help it with the cost of running it, i dont mind donating a fiver here and there. But when a server goes up and blatently is saying to you, im up just so that i can be a lazy bum and make money of you. Ive got one thing to say on, i hope to god that you get hacked to hell cause thats the least you deserve.

What happened to creating a server for fun and enjoyment, i dont see dontaing to a server just for items as fun. The server is corrupt from the start.

If all people are going to do is make money from the hard work that has gone into making these files easier for people to create, then i say in futre release they stay un translated and let them do the hard work.

I for one know i can translate them so my server will stay up, but it would be great to see all the other servers that have appeeared that cant translate them disapear. Then we see the true servers stay alive.

haha do u dont like server donations i have been told from people who are waiting for ur server to come online they have sorted out some donation with u for when it comes up lol

 

[Demonic]

My Best advie on this one is simple enough for server and Donations:

• Get a Server running on your Local machine with Broadband Connection, make sure poeple can get client, play and build up the numbers.
• If the number of People playing outgrow the Connection - then and only then advise people on Your forum that in order to make the server better and lag free etc is to move to a Dedicated.
• be honest with the Money you need to spend each month and provided the server is stable and good to play, people wont have any issues donating to this.
• Always have at least 3 montsh worth of money for the deciated in advance so your suddenly not caught short with the fee's.
• Set up gamepoints (integral) which can be gained also from drops / rewards so aloow people to get used to using these for whatever purpose.
• Use the Same gamePoint system to allow people to buy XX Amount and thus help you fund the server.

Given the above, this means should a person choose to play but cannot afford or want to buy anything with real money, then they can choose to do so but levelling etc of course will be slower compared to a person who can buy there way to better pets / Items etc. I do not understand people who rush out and Buy a Dedicated when they might only get 15 people play - which is easy to run from any Braodband connection - its only when you start getting 100+ online you have to think about Dedicated.

 

[turboshandy]

at the end of the day people arnt stupid.. with the odd exception. people can see when they are being taken for a ride.
People choose to donate for uber weaps etc then i think thats fine. thats their choice. its kinda sad when people cant make their own minds up.
However nothing comes for free everyone should get over trying to blag a freebie.
All this morals stuff... people have to remeber that there is no room for morals in a private server, by playing a private server you are ripping off a corperation and putting peoples jobs at risk.... so how anyone here can take the moral high ground is beyond me.

 

[GingerOne]

I personally dont mind donating for the use of a server.

I my case I play Xtreme and must say that it is the best run and friendliest server i have ever played on.

The community is fantastic, and are always willing to help out when needed.

Nobody twists their arm and to my knowledge there is no cash for uber weopon system.

In my opinion Andy&Sam are now members of my extended family and I think the world of the two of them, I will always be there if they need anything. This view is shared by most if not all of the xtreme family.

It does cost money to run a server, line rental, computers, parts, electric etc and this isnt always considered by the people who play.

I know the pressures of running a server and can appreciate the amount of crap that anyone goes through, so why shouldnt people make money for their hard work and constant requests for updates etc.

Just my own views

 

[idaBigA]

Its not the issue with asking for or taking donations, I agree with what Turbo and GingerOne have said to a degree, it does take cash to run a server.

£200 - Server Machine £400 per 2 years
£300 - Decent Net connection (if you are not lucky enough to have cable :P)
£50 - Web Space per year
£30 - Electric per year
£Priceless - Time you spend dev'ing and managing the server.

This is obviously not an extensive list, but it does show you that its not cheap, and donations are often required to run and keep running a server (unless your loaded anyway :P)

What I was stating in the first post, was that several new servers (that arrived at the time I posted) still didn't have a fully working server and had already posted there donations page. This is not a case of donating for a known good server, this is simply lining someones pockets, running a server is not a job (at least it isn't mine) its a hobby, and donations should, in my opinion, cover the costs of running that server.

As demonic has said, why do people go out and pruchase a dedicated machine when the likes of Xtreme have run very succesfully on home machines for over 2 years with minimal lag?

Finally, if I was donating to a server, I would want to play on it for a few weeks to gauge what it was like, I would never play a server where the first thing I see on looking at the advert thread is the donationable items that are available, it just smacks of a money grabber to me... but then again.. thats just my opinion

 

[Zion-Servers]

haha do u dont like server donations i have been told from people who are waiting for ur server to come online they have sorted out some donation with u for when it comes up lol

Dont know who has told you that crap, cause i dont need other peoples money to keep my server up and running.

My server will be run a 10mb dedicated line for the time being and then shifted to a 100mb line all at my own exspense. As for paying for hardware to keep the servers running, some of us are very lucky to have a job where i get hardware for pennies.

So where this sorted some doanations has come from, who ever is telling you that are full of crap im afraid.

But as for what Turbo said, i myself have donated to xtreme and will do time and time again. For the simple reason i love that server and the guys who run it. Out of all the servers that ive played that is the only one ive donated for a probs will be the only one i ever donate to.

Running a server can be very costly and not everyone has it lucky and so do have costs to come out. But like Mick said, a server that comes along not open more than a week and they are all ready asking for donations to help them. The point is, this shouldnt happen. If you need donations from the start of your server going live then there is no point in having that server up and running. A server thats asking for donations from the start is doomed. You cant run a server like this.

 

[turboshandy]

Hopefully people will wise up to these other servers and not go into things with their eyes closed.
this is part of the reason the Mir community is dying, why would people want to work to get these uber items when they can buy them.... but saying that most of these servers are high and massively high rate so they havent got a constant playerbase thats when i think they become more of a farm than a game. anywhooo.. its taken me 4 edits to sort my spelling out... im exhausted lol


also @ craigy06 what right have you got to comment on other peoples finances.. just because we effectively open our homes to our players doesnt mean they are entitled to know what money is spent on or how much the bills are. its their choice to donate.

 

[Zion-Servers]

The thing is though sam, while servers offer items for cash people are gonna play them. For the simple reason they want to be better than everyone else. Now paying cash for an item is a joke, cause you did'nt earn that item nor did they work hard for it.

This is why the mir community is disepearing, i dont want to play a server and have 70% of the players with all the rare items, acting all good cause they bought these items. This makes the game not very funh at all. I used to love playing servers and getting items for my hard work. Now its given to them on a plate, all this is is for those owners of them servers to make a quick buck and thats what it is all about with them.

So people wont wise upto this, while it is so easy for kids to create servers and make money off idiots. Theres no imagination that goes into these servers anymore and its destroying the community.

 

[turboshandy]

agreed... however that leaves the nice people who really want to play to be picked up by server owners who really care.. plus it makes server admins work extra hard to b different

 

[shorty606]

Items for cash CAN be done but it must not be a case of in game items for cash. I am working on a new system that should emerge soon - purely to cover server costs. I do not plan to make profit from it. Once the new format is done I shall show all and maybe people will take it and modify the concept for their own ends.

EDIT: how concieted that sounds haha. I just mean it depends what items you sell hehe.

 

[JoeAshton]

my veiws on this are simple un less u have over 35 ppl playing on sevre u dont need donation as will run fine with a home pc. + why donate when u can hunt to find the items. as for server thats do ask for donations most have silly prices and the items cost to much to buy.

whats point of a P Server if u gonna end up paying lol

 

[Demonic]

my veiws on this are simple un less u have over 35 ppl playing on sevre u dont need donation as will run fine with a home pc. + why donate when u can hunt to find the items. as for server thats do ask for donations most have silly prices and the items cost to much to buy.

whats point of a P Server if u gonna end up paying lol

To balance this Argument though, why should a person go to the trouble running A Server for Free when:

• The time spent working the files to get everything working etc.
• Run a Dedciated machine 24/7
• Using up there Boradband line which they cannot use or it wil lag the server.
• Electricity running this lot (2 x PC on most of the time).
• Buying WebSpace which beielve it or not, is not Free.
• Maybe buying the forum Software (Vbulletin for example) as well.

So lets not go down this as a one way street - yes I agree it does not cost much to run one but also not lets try and make running a server generate your Income instead of getting a real job.

Further Addition and thoughts..
Imagine Mr.X ran a server, from his home computer, people sent / bought things in game and it generated enough money to make Mr.X Happy. He would then spent more time sat in front of His Computer adding new stuff and sorting out problems etc. If the server is ran 100% Free, then at the start its fine but soon they get sick and it will definatly seem a very 1 Sided Affair - at this point the server normally goes down....

Question - Would you go to work every day, spending money to get there etc and then not get any money at the end of the month for your Trouble??

 

[lifco]

any server that needs donations to run are very sad sorry but its ment to be free and if you are paying to help the host pay well that server should off never started in the first place

my server has no donate system at all, i pay for the host in manchester and the ftp and the forums

lif

 

[chimera]

You have to first question why someone puts a server online in the first place?!

Is it so they can make a little extra money, usually not.

Is it so they can get attention, maybe sometimes.

Is it so they can make a game they want to play and have other people to play with, usually I would have thought. So if this is the case then, regardless of anyone else playing it would cost you the electricity, the line and the server regardless so they should have the necessary money to keep it going, at least in the foreseeable future, so why need donations?. The only reason you would need donations is to have a bigger server, faster line, etc. or a part breaks - this of course is not from launch but after it starts to grow beyond your means. What I would say is if the donations are not such to support a bigger server then reduce the size of the server, some use upto 3 pc's I believe, just use 1 if the number of players and other factors will warrant it, you reduce your costs and it can stay up without becoming strapped for cash in real life, your burden becomes a pleasure again.

I only know of one server that has been put up purely for the reason of providing others a place to play, the owner never plays on it, never asks for donations and it's been up since at least October 2004, probably longer - so it is possible.

I have nothing against people making money out of servers, it might mean they can go on 2 weeks holiday a year instead of one, whatever, they deserve it for providing you with a game you don't have to pay for but I do agree some people do seem to have pound signs in their eyes upon launching a server when it's not really costing them any extra to start with.

 

[lifco]

we have been running starlite since (QUOTE LEO SERVER STATS) First detected: 14:57 - 06.07.2005

but we been doing mir servers since 2002

lif