We just received the new router and installed it. So far it appears that network performance has improved. Just waiting now for players on our servers to see how game play is. If anyone has any comments concerning game play with the new router, please leave a comment.
Acru and Blackavar's Hunt of Deathmatch servers.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Routers
The router bites mightily. Been having problems with the router lately. Partly due to settings Verizon set for DNS, the other issues revolving around the fact the router is horribly underpowered. As Acru knows, I dislike the current slew of routers available as practically all of them come with wireless. Whether my feelings are justifiable or not, I believe a router should do 1 thing and that is to route information. Access points are designed for wireless access. However the need to combine the 2 is mind boggling because in many instances the best routers are bundled with wireless, which is unnecessary and often times, in my opinion, presents a tremendous security risk.
Many people are dumb when it comes to security. They plug in their wifi routers with the minimal amount of security and then are baffled when someone has hijacked their internet connection. Having your wifi routed through an AP makes much more sense from a security standpoint. Compromizing one system does not compromise the other and adds more time and effort.
On top of the whole issue of a bundled package is the fact I have 2 wireless routers. 1 that does my wireless and one that does my routing. Both systems are expensive due to the fact they are bundled. To illustrate my point is the DGL-4100 which we are considering to replace the wimpy linksys. The DGL-4100 is just the router without the wifi. 100 dollars from the company we usually buy from. Plus a 20 dollar rebate. Makes this router a lot cheaper. With wifi, this router is considerably more expensive.
To address anyone who might say, "I'm on FIOs and I run several servers without any problems with a cheap router", I say, "So what? When I joined FIOs they were using PPPOE. Uses more overhead but has benefits." The downside is that I need a router with enough power to be able to handle PPPOE at 15mbps or better with up to 60 connections and perform quality of service, QOS. And thus the need for a better router and why I dislike current router selections.
Many people are dumb when it comes to security. They plug in their wifi routers with the minimal amount of security and then are baffled when someone has hijacked their internet connection. Having your wifi routed through an AP makes much more sense from a security standpoint. Compromizing one system does not compromise the other and adds more time and effort.
On top of the whole issue of a bundled package is the fact I have 2 wireless routers. 1 that does my wireless and one that does my routing. Both systems are expensive due to the fact they are bundled. To illustrate my point is the DGL-4100 which we are considering to replace the wimpy linksys. The DGL-4100 is just the router without the wifi. 100 dollars from the company we usually buy from. Plus a 20 dollar rebate. Makes this router a lot cheaper. With wifi, this router is considerably more expensive.
To address anyone who might say, "I'm on FIOs and I run several servers without any problems with a cheap router", I say, "So what? When I joined FIOs they were using PPPOE. Uses more overhead but has benefits." The downside is that I need a router with enough power to be able to handle PPPOE at 15mbps or better with up to 60 connections and perform quality of service, QOS. And thus the need for a better router and why I dislike current router selections.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Encouraging Growth?
As of right now on Game Monitor there are 22 available servers. For one reason or another my DM server is not showing up on the list. Possibly it has failed to load another map and will require CPR.
DLM-MGV The Ship Server is doing well with 14 players. This server is located in Germany and is currently whipping the Hunt servers butt with a larger player list at the moment. I find this to be encouraging because it proves that people are playing. At the time I wrote this it was 9:15 PM in Berlin. 3:15 PM in sunny Indiana.
BTW if you have played on our VIP server and had a hell of a time, give us a suggestion. Acru is itching to take it down since no one is playing. Well how could you when the stupid bots are taking their own stupid time. In Ship 2, I want some real AIs that now how to walk down the hallway without running into doors. Then again I hear Outerlight is using the hearts of poor orphanned children to power their bots. Might explain the evil eye I've heard about in the Ship forums.
Hehehe
DLM-MGV The Ship Server is doing well with 14 players. This server is located in Germany and is currently whipping the Hunt servers butt with a larger player list at the moment. I find this to be encouraging because it proves that people are playing. At the time I wrote this it was 9:15 PM in Berlin. 3:15 PM in sunny Indiana.
BTW if you have played on our VIP server and had a hell of a time, give us a suggestion. Acru is itching to take it down since no one is playing. Well how could you when the stupid bots are taking their own stupid time. In Ship 2, I want some real AIs that now how to walk down the hallway without running into doors. Then again I hear Outerlight is using the hearts of poor orphanned children to power their bots. Might explain the evil eye I've heard about in the Ship forums.
Hehehe
Thursday, July 17, 2008
How to Play Hunt
I know this subject comes up all the time. How do I play on a Hunt server? Most gamers who play ship are familiar with first person shooters like Doom, Quake, Unreal, Unreal Tournament and Half Life 2. Ship is no different, however Hunt adds a twist on the classic Death Match. Sure you are out to Kill and avoid being killed, but that is where the similarities end. The idea of Hunt is that you are on a ship with up to 32 players and a variety of weapons to choose from. In the upper left hand corner of the screen is your persona and your current location. In the lower right hand corner will appear the person you are assigned to kill with their location, updated every 30 seconds. The catch is you need to find your weapons, choose your weapons and find your quarry.
Weapons are simple enough. They can be located in a variety of places like bedrooms, closets, boxes, and everyone favorite the secret room. We can not reveal the location of secrets as that would compromise the crux of the game. The available weapons are:
Just because you have a good weapon does not guarantee success. Items like the sauce pan, letter opener or claymore cannot be used in areas under surveillance. Weapons that can be used in areas under surveillance are guns, used in doorways that are safe, and wallet bombs, the only weapon you can use directly in front of guards, cameras and witnesses without getting arrested.
Surveillance is a touchy subject, because there are parts of the ship that are under semi surveillance. Cameras that rotate back and forth can present difficult kills when following that pesky bot down the hall. Guards are always alert and will not hesitate to throw you in jail. It is possible to pay off a guard to get in a kill, but beware just because you hand him 500 in cold hard cash does not guarantee he will look the other way. Be prepared to doll out some serious dough. Other forms of surveillance includes witnesses. They can be troublesome especially if you are after a kill in a densely populated area. You can generally tell if you are under surveillance by whether or not the ever watchful eye in the right corner of the screen is red or green. The game is flawed so be careful where you draw your sword. I have been caught a few times with a green eye.
Trespassing is another way to end up in jail. When entering a surveillance area, an exclamation mark will appear above the eye. Areas with cameras, the eye will start to count down and fine you. Staying in the area till the clock reaches zero results in jail time. Areas without cameras, count down is triggered by witnesses.
Needs. We all need something whether it is sleep, food a shower or sleep, ship has it. Needs adds another layer of complexity to the game. While it is not necessary to see to every need, not attending to them will result in missed kills and loss of weapons upon death. Running will make you tired as well as not showering. Eating and Drinking will require a visit to the loo. Visits to the loo require you to wash up and thus the whole cycle continues. Want to ignore needs and succeed? Find your hunter, he can solve all of your problems
Buttons and there are several. I have remapped a few buttons to make items easier to access. Here is a list of the buttons and their options.
Kicks and Bans. I do not like Bans. There are already too few players. Players make the online experience more fun. Kicking is less severe and players can resume play again anywhere from a minute to a half hour. Reasons for being kicked are, insufficient funds, too many Cold Blooded kills, IE innocent kills, and generally being abusive like spamming the server with "nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger" or over use of the word fag. Unless you are using the Germain vernacular for a pile of sticks or the English vernacular for cigarette then please refrain from using them. Use of any other words is acceptable and often times I may be using them myself.
I have been asked before, do I like bots. No I do not. However an empty server is a boring server.
One last thing. Online play means everyone plays. I do not consider "The Ship" to be an age appropriate game for persons 13 or younger. In other words, I do not not care if there are minors playing on the server. It is not my choice or my responsibility to police the content they are allowed to view. Nor am I responsible for the comments made by other players. If you have a problem with foul or explicit language then please play a more age appropriate game. That does not mean I will tolerate harassment or racial epitaphs.
Let us all have fun and remember, it is just a game.
Weapons are simple enough. They can be located in a variety of places like bedrooms, closets, boxes, and everyone favorite the secret room. We can not reveal the location of secrets as that would compromise the crux of the game. The available weapons are:
- Shotgun
- Handgun
- Tommy Gun
- Flare gun
- Blunderbuss
- Machete
- Kitchen Knife
- Butcher Knife
- Hunting Knife
- Claymore
- Katana
- Short Sword
- Mannequin Arm
- Knitting Needles
- Driver
- Lead Pipe
- Screw Driver
- Hammer
- Spanner
- Monkey Wrench
- Paddle
- Cane
- Letter Knife
- Frying Pan
- Sauce Pan
- Rolling Pin
- Pool Cue
- Syringe Poison
- Syringe Sleeping Potion
- Scalpel
- Shovel
- Wallet Bomb
- Umbrella
- Traps
- Croquet Mallet
- Have I missed a weapon?
Just because you have a good weapon does not guarantee success. Items like the sauce pan, letter opener or claymore cannot be used in areas under surveillance. Weapons that can be used in areas under surveillance are guns, used in doorways that are safe, and wallet bombs, the only weapon you can use directly in front of guards, cameras and witnesses without getting arrested.
Surveillance is a touchy subject, because there are parts of the ship that are under semi surveillance. Cameras that rotate back and forth can present difficult kills when following that pesky bot down the hall. Guards are always alert and will not hesitate to throw you in jail. It is possible to pay off a guard to get in a kill, but beware just because you hand him 500 in cold hard cash does not guarantee he will look the other way. Be prepared to doll out some serious dough. Other forms of surveillance includes witnesses. They can be troublesome especially if you are after a kill in a densely populated area. You can generally tell if you are under surveillance by whether or not the ever watchful eye in the right corner of the screen is red or green. The game is flawed so be careful where you draw your sword. I have been caught a few times with a green eye.
Trespassing is another way to end up in jail. When entering a surveillance area, an exclamation mark will appear above the eye. Areas with cameras, the eye will start to count down and fine you. Staying in the area till the clock reaches zero results in jail time. Areas without cameras, count down is triggered by witnesses.
Needs. We all need something whether it is sleep, food a shower or sleep, ship has it. Needs adds another layer of complexity to the game. While it is not necessary to see to every need, not attending to them will result in missed kills and loss of weapons upon death. Running will make you tired as well as not showering. Eating and Drinking will require a visit to the loo. Visits to the loo require you to wash up and thus the whole cycle continues. Want to ignore needs and succeed? Find your hunter, he can solve all of your problems
Buttons and there are several. I have remapped a few buttons to make items easier to access. Here is a list of the buttons and their options.
- I for inventory
- Left Shift for Run
- N for Needs
- P for maps
- Left mouse button for main fire
- Right mouse button for discarding items
- Middle button pressed for drawing weapons and putting weapons away
- Middle button scroll is used for scrolling through weapons in inventory
- Tab for checking to see the leader board
- M for top weapons list
Kicks and Bans. I do not like Bans. There are already too few players. Players make the online experience more fun. Kicking is less severe and players can resume play again anywhere from a minute to a half hour. Reasons for being kicked are, insufficient funds, too many Cold Blooded kills, IE innocent kills, and generally being abusive like spamming the server with "nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger" or over use of the word fag. Unless you are using the Germain vernacular for a pile of sticks or the English vernacular for cigarette then please refrain from using them. Use of any other words is acceptable and often times I may be using them myself.
I have been asked before, do I like bots. No I do not. However an empty server is a boring server.
One last thing. Online play means everyone plays. I do not consider "The Ship" to be an age appropriate game for persons 13 or younger. In other words, I do not not care if there are minors playing on the server. It is not my choice or my responsibility to police the content they are allowed to view. Nor am I responsible for the comments made by other players. If you have a problem with foul or explicit language then please play a more age appropriate game. That does not mean I will tolerate harassment or racial epitaphs.
Let us all have fun and remember, it is just a game.
Death Match Scores
Now that it is possible to get some insane scores in DM. What is your highest score? Come on and brag about it.
Ship VIP Team Death Match
Last night talking with Acru, he tells me, "I created an elimination server". Elimination? Novel idea, but not one that works with Bots. Solution, Team VIP DM. The bots are all a quiver lining up for their chance to kill. Come on down and add some meat to the blender.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Ship Lag
As I have noticed and experienced myself, there is from time to time a considerable amount of lag. While we cannot address every issue concerning lag, due to externalized issues, we are working to improve performance. The Hunt server is running on a dual core 2 with 2 gigs of ram. The Deathmatch server runs on a Quad core with 4 gigs of ram. For those of you who love D.M. I am apologize for the frequent down times. For reasons unknown to myself at this time the server usually fails loading new levels. If anyone has any recommendations or insight as to why srcds fails to load new levels please let me know. The current connection is a measly 15/15 FIOS connection which Acru has volunteered calling my ISP and renegotiating the contract for a 20/20 connection. This should improve playbility during times of high network traffic.
Hopefully this blog will serve as a forum to help build a bigger ship community.
Hopefully this blog will serve as a forum to help build a bigger ship community.
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