Questions about hosting

[YuanShi]

I am thinking on hosting a small game. Maybe starting in September (if possible).

I have a lot of questions I would like to get answered.

First of all, that's my hardware and connection:

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HW: iMac Intel 2x2 GHz Intel Core Duo / 1 GB RAM and 180 GB HD.

Connection is 4Gb ADSL, that will be upgraded shortly to 20 Gb.
The iMac is connected via WiFi (in case that matters).
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The first question is obviously: ¿Are the settings right?
Second is: Is it necessary that the server is on 24/7?

Let say that I set up a game for 4-7 players. And lets suppose that we are all in the Euro timezone.
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1) How often will the players connect to run their turns?
2) How long will it take until hosting?
3) What happens if I need to shut down the server temporarily?
4) Can I make copies of the game in order to restore it in case of need?

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I have some more questions, but I will ask them as soon as I get find out if my system suits the needs of hosting a game.
I will of course be searching in the forums and RTFM http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Regarding question 3 the answer is quite obvious: In case of needing to shut down I have to post in this forum. But I want to know if there is something special to keep in mind.

I will be in Spain until 26 August, I will keep watching the forums nonetheless.

Thanks http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[thejeff]

The computer/connection is certainly sufficient.
The server does not have to be up 24/7. It only has to be up when players connect to it. It's generally easier to leave it up, since you don't know when players will want to connect.

1/2) That depends on you and your players. There's a timer and a quickhost option. The timer forces the game to host after a specified time, even if everyone has not played. Quickhost tells it to host as soon as everyone has. Games usually start with quickhost and a 24 hour timelimit. The first turns go quickly, then it slows down.

3) Not much. Try not to do it when someone is connected. You can restart the server without a problem. The timer will reset itself though. Not much point in having a 48-hour timer if your shutting down everyday.

4) Yes. Copy the game directory in savedgames. You can use the --postexec (or --preexec) option to do this automatically. There was some discussion about this around here quite awhile back.