System Requirements for Dom III

[tibbs]

Do you think I can run a DomIII server on a 200mhz pent machine with 256 MB RAM?

I was thinking of putting UBUNTU server on the machine for the OS though I have no experience with Linux yet.

Thanks,
Chris

[Johan K]

A text mode dom3 server should not be any problem even with an old machine like that. Playing the game on it (as a client) might be a bit slow though.

[tibbs]

Thanks for the reply. Does running it as a server require a CD-Key? I would like to host the server in the text mode on an extra machine and play the normal client on another computer in the house.

Great game btw.

Chris

[Endoperez]

tibbs said:
Thanks for the reply. Does running it as a server require a CD-Key? I would like to host the server in the text mode on an extra machine and play the normal client on another computer in the house.



At least on Dom2, one of the players is allowed to have the same key as the server. Or at least something similar, so that one game is enough for a server and a client in the same multiplayer game.

[Gandalf Parker]

Yes it requires a working serial but it does not check it against the players. So it can be the same as your playing copy. I do that. Host on linux, play on WinXP. I think its the best of both worlds and I wish other games would follow suit.

And the slow server wont be a problem. The amount of memory is the problem. That can limit the size of the games you run, and the ability with Dom3 to generate the larger map sizes.

The text mode is fantastic. You can control all of the game starting options. You have tons of options for accepting turns including tcp/ip, email, ftp, etc etc. Plus the pre-hosting switch and post-hosting switch lets you call scripts. You can backup files each turn, or copy the scoreboard output to a web Directory.

Gandalf Parker

[tibbs]

Thanks for the advice. Btw, what brand of linux do you run Gandalf? My first attempt at installing the Ubuntu server resulted in the kernal attempting to load and then rebooting and it repeats over and over. Maybe I'll try another version of linux.

[Gandalf Parker]

Ive used redhat. I now use mostly debian. Ive also used many unix flavors. Im afraid that ubuntu is one I havent used altho I have friends in the newsgroups that have.

Gandalf Parker

[tibbs]

I gave up on ubuntu and decided to try debian. They say that one good thing about it is that it's commands are similar to Unix so that it's easier to make the transition over to Unix.

The installation seemed to go good.I chose the default desktop setup since I didn't really know what the differences in the installations types are. It is now downloading some updates via http. Now I just have to do a lot of reading to figure out how to work this thing.

Chris

[DominionsFan]

tibbs said:
Do you think I can run a DomIII server on a 200mhz pent machine with 256 MB RAM?

I was thinking of putting UBUNTU server on the machine for the OS though I have no experience with Linux yet.

Thanks,
Chris



ouch. what an old comp. I guess hosting a TCP/IP with 4-8 players wouldnt work on that very well...

Oh btw..Doms 3. requires a good internet connection to host TCP/IP games? Because my main comp is connected with a 6mbit dsl line, but it can go up to 24 mbit, since its not "locked"...I could run a mmorpg server on that even...however my laptop only got a 512k line. The laptop's hardware is pretty decent too, so it cant be a problem, only the slow 512k line I guess.
So my question is...the 512k line is good enough to host TCP/IP for 8+ players, or I will have to use my main comp for it?

[tibbs]

Yeah, it is old. And I lugged it and the LCD monitor all the way from Japan from my wife's parent's house. After all the work of carrying it here I have to use it for something. So you think it would only work as a play by mail server then? I am planning on running it as a text only server so I'm hoping it can host decent sized games and I was hoping tcp/ip would work as I do have a fast network connection.

I would be surprised if your 512kb connection couldn't handle an 8 player game. I wouldn't think this game would be that bandwith intensive.

[quantum_mechani]

DominionsFAN said:
So my question is...the 512k line is good enough to host TCP/IP for 8+ players, or I will have to use my main comp for it?

People with even Dial-up connections play and host dominions all the time.

[DominionsFan]

quantum_mechani said:

DominionsFAN said:
So my question is...the 512k line is good enough to host TCP/IP for 8+ players, or I will have to use my main comp for it?

People with even Dial-up connections play and host dominions all the time.



Oh nice, so then my laptop will be good for hosting even. I was always hosting the Doms 2. games from my main comp, so I didnt knew that even my 512k laptop could work very well to host the games.

[Gandalf Parker]

Dom3 requires a good connection (stable, no burps) but it doesnt have to be a fat one (many many megs). The only lag that you are likely to feel involves the fact that it can play on much larger maps and you dont have to have the map to join the game. If you dont have the map then it sends you the image (not the .map text file, just the tga or rgb graphic part). With really giant maps that can be slow for some people. But the rest of the game runs like a champ once you get that image.

Of course agreeing on a map ahead of time and downloading it takes are of that problem for dialup people. But its also alot of fun to play on a map that was randomly generated for the game and nobody has played it.

Gandalf Parker

[DominionsFan]

Gandalf Parker said:
Dom3 requires a good connection (stable, no burps) but it doesnt have to be a fat one (many many megs). The only lag that you are likely to feel involves the fact that it can play on much larger maps and you dont have to have the map to join the game. If you dont have the map then it sends you the image (not the .map text file, just the tga or rgb graphic part). With really giant maps that can be slow for some people. But the rest of the game runs like a champ once you get that image.

Of course agreeing on a map ahead of time and downloading it takes are of that problem for dialup people. But its also alot of fun to play on a map that was randomly generated for the game and nobody has played it.

Gandalf Parker




Well DSL is the best to host games, its absolutely stable, and the latency is excellent, much better then cable for example.
I always prefer smaller maps for TCP/IP games, because medium - large maps are requiring huge amount of time.
Btw Gandalf, I hope that you can join to some TCP/IP games. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif
Well the time difference is kinda makes it hard, but on weekends we can do it somehow I guess.

[Gandalf Parker]

Why? So you can have more sword fodder? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
Im not much of an opponent.

But I will be running games on my servers. Starting slow at first since I dont want to promise more than they can keep up with without hurting their other purposes.

game.dominions.com will be handling small games. At the moment the settings are 640x480 and 30 province maps that are generated fresh for each game. Suitable for a 2 or 3 player blitz.

I also have an ai_blitz and chaos_blitz for variations later on. The ai one switches to 50 provinces and adds 3 AI's. The chaos one sprinkles random monsters all over the maps.

www.Dom3Minions.com (http://www.Dom3Minions.com) is the better server and will be running large special games with a web directory for the game. Probably to start out it will be just a game for the first age that will autostart as soon as the slots are filled. (no pre-registering so dont bother) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[DominionsFan]

Gandalf Parker said:
Why? So you can have more sword fodder? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
Im not much of an opponent.

But I will be running games on my servers. Starting slow at first since I dont want to promise more than they can keep up with without hurting their other purposes.

game.dominions.com will be handling small games. At the moment the settings are 640x480 and 30 province maps that are generated fresh for each game. Suitable for a 2 or 3 player blitz.

I also have an ai_blitz and chaos_blitz for variations later on. The ai one switches to 50 provinces and adds 3 AI's. The chaos one sprinkles random monsters all over the maps.

www.Dom3Minions.com (http://www.Dom3Minions.com) is the better server and will be running large special games with a web directory for the game. Probably to start out it will be just a game for the first age that will autostart as soon as the slots are filled. (no pre-registering so dont bother) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif



Gandalf but those will be PBEM servers only, am I correct?

[Gandalf Parker]

No they will be tcpip only.
Later on I might automate the handling of email games since I could run alot of those.

[BigJMoney]

Have any idea what the schedule for those TCP games would be? 1/day?

=$=

[Gandalf Parker]

The large games on the main server would be set for 24 hour turnaround.

The small games like blitzes would be set for quickturn. Each time all the nations have uploaded their turn it would host whether it was every 10 minutes or 10 hours. Its been requested to support IRC or some chat mode in combination with blitz games. Im looking into that.

Im also going to make a pitch in some linux groups to try and get some other people with servers interested in Dominions. There is 10 times as much power and options than I plan to make any use of. I will make my scripts available to anyone that is interested.

Gandalf Parker

[DominionsFan]

Oh very nice! Count me in for TCP/IP games. I will also host TCP/IP, but only when I am online. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

[Daynarr]

I just wonder if we can setup 50+ player game with most of the forum playing in it. A Gandalf said, no need to setup ladders, lets put EVERYONE in one game. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Gandalf Parker]

Fine with me. I can host it.
Here is a thumbnail of my favorite map for a game that big.
http://www.dom3minions.com/games/PvK-e-Oceania/gameMap.jpg

[DominionsFan]

Daynarr said:
I just wonder if we can setup 50+ player game with most of the forum playing in it. A Gandalf said, no need to setup ladders, lets put EVERYONE in one game. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif



That would be hardcore. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Kristoffer O]

> lets put EVERYONE in one game.

That's bizzare! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Gandalf Parker]

It would violate the game-logic. Kristoffer put alot of work into the feel of it all. We should hold of crossing and mixing ages I think until people have played the game for awhile as it was meant.

And if I remember correctly. To put players in on all ages requires that everyone have a MOD. The best Ive been able to achieve without a mod is everyone playing one age and then I can add the other two ages as AI's using map commands.

Gandalf Parker

[Cainehill]

Plus, you get 50+ players into a game, it'll go to hades pretty quick. Anytime there's even been 18 or so, people starting going AI, or simply staling 20 turns in a row without notice.

And it's not even that it's dilettantes or bad people, just that the more people you have, the greater the chance that some of the people wind up having to move, find new jobs, have a death in the family, a war start, or otherwise have their lives disrupted to where they can't put time into game playing.

[Daynarr]

Thats true, I was thinking of a veeery slow game with 1 week turns. Long and big game. Of course, big question is how many ppl would play it.

Gandalf is right, of course. People need to get a feeling of vanilla Dom3 before they start checking weird stuff. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/stupid.gif

[DominionsFan]

Daynarr said:
Thats true, I was thinking of a veeery slow game with 1 week turns. Long and big game. Of course, big question is how many ppl would play it.

Gandalf is right, of course. People need to get a feeling of vanilla Dom3 before they start checking weird stuff. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/stupid.gif



I would. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif I think that we should host TCP/IP games for 18 peoples maximum with a ~80 province map.
The only problem is the EU - US time difference.

[Gandalf Parker]

Well anyone can host one game like that so the EU crowd could have their own. Of course on a 24-hour host setting it might not matter.

[tibbs]

Well, I got a dom2 command line server running on Debian Linux in text only mode. I found a couple very old threads on the dom forums that really helped me do this.

Thanks for the assistance.
Oh, one more thing. What is the best method to administer a command line linux machine remotely? I have found plenty of remote desktop software but they require a GUI like X-Windows.

[Gandalf Parker]

tibbs said:
Oh, one more thing. What is the best method to administer a command line linux machine remotely? I have found plenty of remote desktop software but they require a GUI like X-Windows.



Lets start a new thread for this. Look for Linux Admining.

[Arralen]

Webmin (http://www.webmin.com/) might do the trick, but I must admit I used it for 3 years from my Windooze desktop but have no clue if you can really set it up to run on a X-less server (or how I should do that). As it's only a webserver and a bunch of perl scripts I guess it should, but better check yourself ...