Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

Geek Culture / The cost of MMPORG

Author
Message
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 22nd Oct 2002 19:27
Link
We all know how impossibly hard it would be to make the content for a MMPORG but I got bored so I thought ild post the simple costs of running a MMPORG in pure bandwith terms ... sodding scary . looks like most of the time your better off with running stuff off your home dsl.

Pricing not including server costs

1. No. People
2. bandwidth per user
3. max users anytime
4. total bandwidth GB/m
total based on 2.5 pounds per GB/mth

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

10 2.0 k 40% 8.0 KB/sec 19.4 GB/mth
£ 48.38
20 2.0 k 40% 16.0 KB/sec 38.7 GB/mth
£ 96.77
40 2.0 k 40% 32.0 KB/sec 77.4 GB/mth
£ 193.54
80 2.0 k 40% 64.0 KB/sec 154.8 GB/mth
£ 387.07
160 2.0 k 40% 128.0 KB/sec 309.7 GB/mth
£ 774.14
320 2.0 k 40% 256.0 KB/sec 619.3 GB/mth
£ 1548.29
640 2.0 k 40% 512.0 KB/sec 1238.6 GB/mth
£ 3096.58
1280 2.0 k 40% 1024.0 KB/sec 2477.3 GB/mth
£ 6193.15
2560 2.0 k 40% 2048.0 KB/sec 4954.5 GB/mth
£ 12386.30


Just posted this for a laugh. Notice it costs more than broadband, totally nuts
Back to top
Profile PM Email
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 22nd Oct 2002 19:28
Link
oops the number after percentage of users is total bandwith used per second

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Shadow Robert
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 22nd Sep 2002
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 22nd Oct 2002 19:55
Link
if you plan to do an MMORPG running from a standard connection isn't an option...
DSL - 256kbit/sec | 512kbit/sec
your bandwidth is 10mbit/sec

this just isn't a valid option, also purchasing a standard games server isn't as you require instant access.

the only true option available is T1 + Server Machine + Server Network Card PER 1Gbit/sec traffic
it seriously isn't cheap or worth it for users of DB

T1 line per year is £2,500 per line
Server Machine Decent enough will also be pretty close to £3,500 especially with graphics can processing abilities required for certain operations ... not to mention you will require one PER 10GB or traffic which is about 10,000 people!
Server Network Cards and Hubs also fetch into the thousands. This isn't including the cost of someone to keep them ticking over and the electrical bill!

i'd do your research a little deeper

Anata aru kowagaru no watashi!
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 22nd Oct 2002 20:00
Link
I know its not possible , just thought Ild post what it costs for pure bandwith from a dedicated server package they are flippin sharks . Did say this was just bandwidth cost. Talk about a mega huge bill at the end of the month!!

Back to top
Profile PM Email
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 22nd Oct 2002 20:08
Link
kind of makes you wonder how the poor sods keep there mmporgs going. They must be bricking it with the amount of publishers jumping on the bandwagon.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 22nd Oct 2002 21:54
Link
Hmm although I was saying that a massive online game is well and truly out of the hobby progammers reach I got hit by a brainwave.

I dont know if any of you lowered yourself to MUD multiuser dungeons but they were a blast.

I used to play this loads, its free btw which is a good thing

http://austin.prg.dtu.dk/

now i played this in the early 90's wonder what the bandwidth was on this baby. Its a text adventure used to have around 200 players online, who says you need 3D! it was in the days of no internet at home *shivers* what the hell did I do in those days , oh yes elite frontier.

anyway a 3d version of a mud game or even make a text mud game might be fun.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Shadow Robert
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 22nd Sep 2002
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 22nd Oct 2002 23:02
Link
lol it was more of a theme chatroom ... and yeah Frontier was just as addictive as the net wasn't it

Man... if only they could combine the two, not even update the graphics just add online support
Damn i'd be in heaven, pitty they won't release the source even 12years on how stingy is that!!

Anata aru kowagaru no watashi!
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 22nd Oct 2002 23:51
Link
very you know I was reading a magazine, they interviewed one of the original progammers to elite (there were only 2 of them). the original Elite program was just 20K!!!!!!!! cant get it into my head 20k gees I could download that in a second .

Back to top
Profile PM Email
rapscaLLion
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 29th Aug 2002
Location: Canada
Posted: 23rd Oct 2002 01:02
Link
lol

Alex Wanuch
aka rapscaLLion
Get the DB Weekly Newsletter at www.dbwn.cjb.net
Back to top
Profile PM
ChipOne
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 12th Sep 2002
Location: Canada
Posted: 23rd Oct 2002 02:44
Link
wow. if you're paying thousands for server NICs and hubs you're getting ripped off.

we bought 4 netfinity 5500's a few years ago for $2900 CDN. they were refurbished, but who cares. there were 2 live servers, each with a redundant back up. we ran 14,000 simulataneous connections with gigs & gigs per month...no problems and we only ever had 1 machine fail over to the backup.

consider, too, that 14,000 ppl x $10 a month helps pay the bills.

we had a 100Mbit upstream connection (over fiber) and it cost us $18,000 CDN to put in and then $1400 a month to service. tech support was included in the service.

-= i only do what my rice krispies tell me to do =-
Back to top
Profile PM Email
Shadow Robert
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 22nd Sep 2002
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 23rd Oct 2002 04:27
Link
its not the fact of covering costs... its more the fact that if you ask a bank (at say 16yo) if you can have a $20,000 loan to start up a subscription games server, you're likely to be laughed out the bank
and i'm pretty sure most parents aren't gonna fund it...
Players are going to want to be able to connect from the get go!
So really it isn't feaseable and you know it :p
i mean i have a personal server for my JK2 clan which costs me $14.99 a month (free startup) but certain aspects in a game MUST be setup on the server itself which takes a day for any major changes. Plus the server starts to lag at more than 12 people (and it has a 1Gbit/s bandwdith!)

also you have to understand that the majority of games servers are Linux - tried running DirectX on a Linux machine

Anata aru kowagaru no watashi!
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 23rd Oct 2002 15:13
Link
ah to be 16 again actual sod that

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Kensupen
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 19th Sep 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 23rd Oct 2002 15:36
Link
I got a loan for $40,000 at 19. (was the last one I ever got...)

-Kensupen
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Mirthin
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 13th Oct 2002
Location: Land of the Rising Haggis
Posted: 23rd Oct 2002 19:32
Link
> Man... if only they could combine the two, not even update the graphics just add online support <

Ever heard of "Earth and Beyond?" It's pretty sweet.

This has "Fiasco" written all over it.
Back to top
Profile PM Email
Shadow Robert
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 22nd Sep 2002
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 23rd Oct 2002 19:39
Link
ever heard of earth & beyond... hmm geez no i guess that one slipped by me - Hahaa

Anata aru kowagaru no watashi!
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 23rd Oct 2002 21:40
Link
yeah just missed out on the beta for that one, only 1 thing that made me go nah, your stuck with only 3 kinds of ships, I mean come on 3???

Back to top
Profile PM Email
rapscaLLion
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 29th Aug 2002
Location: Canada
Posted: 24th Oct 2002 02:09
Link
You can design your own.

Alex Wanuch
aka rapscaLLion
Get the DB Weekly Newsletter at www.dbwn.cjb.net
Back to top
Profile PM
Shadow Robert
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 22nd Sep 2002
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 24th Oct 2002 03:07
Link
you know how long it took to rig those 3ships by hand!!
we used them as a base to develop the Ship Creator ... sides the full titles has over 50
so take $35 out ya wallet you stingy burger :p

Anata aru kowagaru no watashi!
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 24th Oct 2002 11:43
Link
oh .... bugger

Back to top
Profile PM Email
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 24th Oct 2002 17:40
Link
hmm looked at the starship designer, rofl think 'designer' may be an over statement ok take my statement back a bit though, 6 ships not 3

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Mirthin
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 13th Oct 2002
Location: Land of the Rising Haggis
Posted: 24th Oct 2002 20:18
Link
Is it not a pay-by-month deal? That's what deters me. Just wait for someone to open a free server, it worked for UO

This has "Fiasco" written all over it.
Back to top
Profile PM Email
rapscaLLion
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 29th Aug 2002
Location: Canada
Posted: 24th Oct 2002 23:44
Link
lol, ya the starship designer is crap, but you can customize your charactor too hell...

Alex Wanuch
aka rapscaLLion
Get the DB Weekly Newsletter at www.dbwn.cjb.net
Back to top
Profile PM
Shadow Robert
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 22nd Sep 2002
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 25th Oct 2002 02:10
Link
lol - well to tell ya the truth i never actually used the starship creator ... everything was done by hand for me, scripted in Gmax Dev / Max4 (which ya'll know how much i love max lol)

I'm actually quite surprised the tools for Gmax weren't released to be honest. Probably the same reason we haven't updated the Renegades i guess.

From what i know about the payment system (run by EA not us) is that the game is $25 + 1free month then its $9.99 after that per month. Not sure though, most of us arn't as we don't pay nor do we pay much attention to that kinda thing
As the universe is technically a single server in LA, i'm not too sure about free ones poping up. I mean I agree that $10 a month is a lil steep, as per server (which hold 2,500 people) i think it costs about $1/day to run. I mean a yearly subscription of say $60 shouldn't be out of the range of most games players

But also think a free server should be setup, so that people can come on and play but as soon as it hit its limit of say 10,000 people anyone new gets told to wait. I mean this would allow player to get the experience of playing but also give them an inscentive to use the paid one

but then again i'm just a lowly 3D Artist who runs the Cleanup team - what would i know

Anata aru kowagaru no watashi!
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 25th Oct 2002 15:02
Link
Think your right raven multiplay elite would truly rock, I guess thats what they were trying to recreate. The engine for the creator I have to say was smooth as anything for me, so I bet the games sweet graphics wise. Only thing that keeps getting to me is why oh why all the color options over coding for different hull types ... ah well. Not to worry this one was close to pulling me in a month ago but it smells a bit to much like DAOC in space. DAOC gave me 6 months most of my friends in beta have given up on it, still impressive though that I played it for 6 months I dread to think the number of hours I stocked up.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
pathfinder
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Sep 2002
Location:
Posted: 25th Oct 2002 15:36
Link
actually even a direct play multiplay elite would be good, seem to remember frontier had multiple pirates in the shader parts of the galaxy. Even my 2 Large Particle Accelorators over heated dealing with them . I had that really huge box cargo ship with the 4 feet didnt have to turn just had a turret top and bottom.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Back to top

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2024-11-23 10:56:55
Your offset time is: 2024-11-23 10:56:55