Tips on operating game server

If you know how to set up a server, you can learn how to run and operate a game server. But the difference is that managing a game server is a lot more complicated. If you want to run your own game server, it means you want to see it achieve success. The player slots

You may have found that many servers are not set up properly. Maybe the owner has no idea that their server can't support more than a certain number of players. For instance, Minecraft makes use of the RAM of your computer in order to serve each of the users. If you want to serve the players, you must have a large amount of RAM.

If ignored, your server will take forever to respond to the requests of the players. In a worst-case scenario, your server may stop responding.

Your internet connection

For some games, you need a fast internet connection. One of these games is known as Ship Simulator Extremes. If you don't have a fast connection, the game may lag giving a lot of problems to the players. Ideally, your connection should offer the upload speeds of between 10 and 20 Mbps. On the other hand, Minecraft is fine with an upload speed of 0.5 Mbps.

Online Time

Should your server stay online at all times? Well, the answer depends upon whether your server is public or not. Now, if you want to use the server for a group of friends, you don't need to keep it online at all times.

On the other hand, if the server is public, we suggest that you keep it online 24/7. You don't know when the users will access your server. Well, you may or may not need a large number of employees to take care of your server. It all depends upon the security status of your servers. If your server stays online all the time, make sure you hire a moderator to take care of your server when you are away.

But if you know that your server is secure and no one is going to hack into the system, you don't need a lot of staff. This is true especially if the server is going to be used by a small group of people. Hopefully, you will be able to run and manage your server without any problem.

Do you have a decent Internet connection?

If you don’t — or in my case didn’t — have a good connection, your server will lag and cause endless headaches. A “good” connection would be around 10 – 20 Mbps (Mega bits per second) upload — not download — speed. Minecraft, on the other hand, can operate happily on a 0.5 Mbps upload as proven by one of my fellow Gnomies. Does the server need to be on all the time?

That depends on whether or not the server is public. If the server is a small, private server for you and your friends, then the server doesn’t need to be on 24/7. If the server is public, then it is more than recommended. Users are online all the time and may find your server at one or two o’clock in the morning, your time. If your server is offline, then you’ve just lost users. This is unless your server has an excellent reputation or the users are curious to see what the server is like. Are there enough users to require staff?

I have been a part of many servers that did not need half as many staff as they had. This is a judgement call on the owner’s part. Are you running a public 24/7 server, like I’ve recommended above? If you are, then it’s certainly recommended to have a moderator online when you’re not. However, if the server you’re running cannot be destroyed by users, then you may not need staff online. It all depends on the game or simulator you are operating. It may also depend on whether or not you have installed safeguards to stop trolls.

Remember that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Five Tips on Operating a Game ServerThis point is something that many owners get sucked into. You have the ultimate power over the server and cannot be kicked or banned, in many cases. I have seen many servers go down in this fashion. Some servers have a set hierarchy like Virtual Airlines with owners, managers, and supervisors. Some servers are democracies where all moderators, administrators, and owners are equal and have an equal share in the direction of the server. Both of these systems can work, but neither will completely stop an owner succumbing to the fact that they have ultimate power over the server.

There are a lot more tips and tricks to setting up a successful game server, but the five tips above will certainly help you get the basics right from the outset. These tips should work for most (if not all) servers, but bear in mind that I can only talk about my own experiences. I have not played on every game server, and I have not used every piece of game server software on the market. I have run and been a part of many servers for games and simulators, alike. Operating a game server isn’t as simple as “here’s a list of points to cover and you’ll be successful.” People have different personalities and different ways of thinking. You may accidentally hire a troll as moderator or administrator and you have to understand that if you fire this person, they will make your life and your server’s “life” difficult.