Re: CF: stable crossfire ?

["Mark Wedel" <mark@icp.siemens.com>]

On Jan 17,  1:07pm, Peter Mardahl wrote:
> Subject: Re: CF: stable crossfire ?
> > "Mark Wedel" on  wrote...
> > A meta-server to allow people to find currently running servers, version
> > number and (at last udp report to meta-server) number of people playing.
> > 
> > A bit like the xpilot meta-server.
> > 
> > Without this it is very difficult locating servers, especially with the
> > old and aging websites listing non-running servers.

 This of course requires that the meta server list is actually updated
better than the current server list.

> 
>   the metaserver could also serve as a player database, eventually.
> This is just an idea, I dunno how practical it would be.  Perhaps
> an import of a char from the metaserver would have to be ok'd by
> the server god.

 Yeah - this can get problematic.  If someone is playing on say
whitestar, they probably still want to be able to play even if the metaserver
is down.

 Problem with sharing characters is that the servers can vary quite a bit
in both maps and options which greatly change character abilities.  So
movement of characters between servers would certainly have to be allowed
by the server admins.

 How best to do this gets complicated and more complicated (adding support
to crossfire so it can broadcast to a server about its existance should
not be difficult.  But if a character logs in and the server then needs
to check with the metaserver if the character may exist there, and that
metaserver then has to check a bunch of other servers about the
character existance.  This could get pretty time consuming.  Note also
that when a character is relocated, he has to get removed from his
old server or you open up a new set of cheats (character A and server A
logs in and decides to play on server B.  He drops all his stuff and
character B picks it up, A quits the game or otherwise saves.  B then
logs in, and goes to server A, which still has character A - all the
stuff has now been duplicated).

 This could perhaps be mediated by logging into the meta server which
then grabs the character from some remote server and then asking
the player where he wants to play.  This would require some extension
to the protocol to allow redirection (ie, S->C: playonserver ip.address)

 However unless servers really get standardized on what maps and options
they are playing with, sharing characters is probably a ways away.  It may
make more sense for a player to have a character on each server, and he
just plays what character/server has the most people at the moment.



-- 

-- Mark Wedel
mark@pyramid.com
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