After months of trouble tickets with multiplay, a workaround to their terrible platform has been found. The servers (Match and Gather) should work with:

NSL Mod
NS2 Stats
Player Badges
Custom HUD

All Custom Map cup maps
NSL versions of all vanilla maps (including biodome, descent, and eclipse - previously broken)
BONUS: ns2_turtle

I was also told they servers are 3.4ghz cores. Yes, that's not great. Let me know of any issues, plz.

Wait, you don't need to use Clanforge anymore?

well I thought they were 100% fixed, but there's still a couple of small issues. NS2 stats doesn't work always.

How did you work around Clanforge, tell us your secrets!

Oh my God! Thank you so much!

NS2Stats is great to have on things like gathers just so you can look at your own individual performance.

Yay Simba!

Ns2stats causing afk kicks and there is auto team balance on or something (3 A, 4 M, 5th M can't join). Also why there is complete list of mods on every map change? Afaik you put all the mods on cmd line, and then check in webadmin (put in mapcycle) the mods that load for everymap - hud, nsl, stats. the specific map will be loaded automaticly on consecutive map changes after restart. If everyone have to load 20 mods every map change and steam fucks up as is happening fairly often, there is much bigger chance players might never download all the mods and thus unable to connect.

VindalooNs2stats causing afk kicks and there is auto team balance on or something (3 A, 4 M, 5th M can't join). Also why there is complete list of mods on every map change? Afaik you put all the mods on cmd line, and then check in webadmin (put in mapcycle) the mods that load for everymap - hud, nsl, stats. the specific map will be loaded automaticly on consecutive map changes after restart. If everyone have to load 20 mods every map change and steam fucks up as is happening fairly often, there is much bigger chance players might never download all the mods and thus unable to connect.

Interesting. I do not load the mods via command line. I enter them in the mapcycle.json. I have no access to command line, thanks for multiplay.

If the maps are not added as mods, then the maps do not appear at all on the map vote list, or as options to sv_changemap.

Any changes I make on the server's webadmin also will not stay after a map change or server restart. If the answer was manipulating that, I would have never had issues in the first place.

Seems like we are being nicely fucked bu Multiplay. :(

Webadmin only edits the files for you. So if those changes are not keepers then Multiplay got wrong permissions on the files and user running the webadmin can't edit them, probably.

Is there a way to make UWE change the sponsorship to some other server provider? Or pay for dedicated servers - boxes where we could setup as we wanted including the OS?

VindalooIs there a way to make UWE change the sponsorship to some other server provider? Or pay for dedicated servers - boxes where we could setup as we wanted including the OS?

+1

VindalooIs there a way to make UWE change the sponsorship to some other server provider? Or pay for dedicated servers - boxes where we could setup as we wanted including the OS?

That would mean they would have to buy a bunch of PCs and rent places for them in datacenters around the world. Sadly I think this is very unlikely to happen. There is much more work and money involved for them compared to dealing with multiplay and they have pretty much moved on to their next game from what I gather.

Community servers could be the only solution at this point I guess. Big props to people like TWAT and NS2-FR who put their servers at the community's disposal.

Well, I didn't mean server collocation, dedicated server means you rent the box, they install the os and give you remote access - ssh/rdp/whathaveyou. I got box like that for 45 Euros, it's not the strongest, but was able to easily run full 16p servers with one spare core for os/mumble/overhead. It's just the matter of finding good datacenters with some kind of ddos protection and multiple transit carriers for stable pings and connections. If you base it on linux, you can run puppet/chef and manage/configure centraly and with ease - changing config once, redistribute it over all servers, mass/targeted updates/restarts, etc... There is also nice linux script for managing ns2 server. After initial setup it would be breeze.

Vindalootext
Gotcha, I don't know what they pay for their servers but I think they get some kind of discount for having all their servers at multiplay. That means they would still have to put more money into it than now, which makes it very unlikely to happen. Especially considering their economy is mostly focused at developing a new game at the moment. I'd call it wishful thinking at best.

Got the message through Pelargir.
We, NS2-Fr, are using online.net, more specifically http://www.online.net/en/dedicated-server/dedibox-classic 35€/month (with tax).
It easily runs 4 16slots servers, probably 5. 6 might be too much.
We ran public servers up to 24 slots, with no tickrate drop, no lag problem (never got DDoS'ed until now).
They also provide full root access to the machine through ssh.

However it's Linux only (Windows has the usual extra cost) and the machines are only in Europe.

If you need more specific information I'll get my server admin!

Edit: fixed link, formatting

Explosifbe35€/month (with tax).
I am trying to figure out why it's cheaper by 10E when the HW seems pretty much the same as I have. The difference I am seeing is I got it at one of the big Frankfurt datacenters and yours is somewhere in France. Might change providers soon. :)

I would love to have access to these servers via ssh linux only. The fact that I cannot do that really drives me up the wall. I think I have also annoyed Multiplay to a point where I get 1 response a week to my emails.

KNOWN ISSUES:
1. afkkick
2. auto team balance is enabled (even though it's not)
3. Load times

For 1 and 2 above, this is an issue with NS2 stats, I believe. They are just settings I have to set to false in the ns2 stats config file, however I have no access to that config file via clanforge. I am waiting to get a response to get access to that file and maybe I can fix it. It isn't a TERRIBLE issue, as others have stated, since people like having NS2 stats.

For #3, it is really the only option I have if we want the custom map cup maps on the server. The alternate way, as suggested in this thread, is how the servers were set up previously, and thus conflicted with some random clanforge settings, and did not allow those maps to be visible or loaded (File not found, etc) errors. Since we need the custom map cup maps on these servers, I don't see any other option. Perhaps after the CMC, I will remove them, and leave just the NSL versions of previously NSL approved maps.

I can actually probably host one server on ENSL website/ts3 server if someone wants to help me with the server costs. It's Linux, i7-4770 @ 3.6Ghz quad, and I can put up optimized kernel too. You can have SSH linux and do whatever.

Seriously though, what do you need hosted? Gameserver? Something else?

I've had a multiplay server before and you don't need to load every single mod unless needed.

You have to add them through their clanforge stuff so they get properly downloaded, but then you can simply edit the mapcycle.json with their web-editor so it looks like a normal mapcycle and that takes care of everything (only loading the correct mods as needed).

pls fix the server ...
its not that diffcult

MendaspI've had a multiplay server before and you don't need to load every single mod unless needed.

You have to add them through their clanforge stuff so they get properly downloaded, but then you can simply edit the mapcycle.json with their web-editor so it looks like a normal mapcycle and that takes care of everything (only loading the correct mods as needed).

Yes, of course, trying the obvious! Wish I thought of doing that the first time around...

No, for reals though, that's what is broken. I add a map via their web-editor and it won't appear on the in-game vote list, or be switchable via sv_changemap command. It will give "File Not Found" error. It's what I've had as open tickets with them for 3 months now, and they keep passing the ticket to a new low-level representative who says "oh I fixed it", but he/she didn't.

The only way to make the custom map cup maps work was to do what the current setting is. As far as I know, the servers work, they just have slightly extended load times. Sorry.

Can you c&p the mapcycle.json of a server?

{
"time": 999,
"mode": "random",
"maps": [
{
"map": "ns2_nsl_biodome",
"mods": [ "a8c04e7" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_nsl_summit",
"mods": [ "735cebc" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_nsl_tram",
"mods": [ "7741098" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_nsl_descent",
"mods": [ "7d527cc" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_nsl_veil",
"mods": [ "78ac3ed" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_turtle",
"mods": [ "486CEF9" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_caged",
"mods": [ "63c559c" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_tanith",
"mods": [ "a2e8799" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_prison",
"mods": [ "7f8f8e6" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_uplift",
"mods": [ "89ad845" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_yana",
"mods": [ "a0d51e0" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_nsl_eclipse",
"mods": [ "c41c8df" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_fracture",
"mods": [ "8f1b64d" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_kodiak",
"mods": [ "88fecb5" ]
},
{
"map": "ns2_nsl_jambi",
"mods": [ "9d2eabc" ]
} ],
"mods": [ "5f42a0c", "812f004", "a2ddae8", "5fd7a38" ]
}

That looks correct, it only loads all the maps on server restart, right?

Except on server bootup, because I don't have access to the server.txt file.

excessive mod loading seems to be resolved. Auto team balance and afk kick as well.

pls remove all the nsl maps.

all you need to add is CHUD, NSL Mod and Jambi

I was under the impression we are keeping the nsl maps, since there are extra things they suppress for gameplay. Has this changed?

As per this: http://www.ensl.org/topics/1038
Mendasp is our king and Dragon our savior.

I am setting up new machine and will dedicate one of the servers to NSL, no NSL maps, but ns2_jambi (and whatever comes for S4), CHUD mod, NSL mod, (?Player badges?).

That leads me to, should we update or make a new post as to how exactly servers should be for S4, consistency config, ensl stuff rights, etc?

With the new Low light system of NS2, Mendasp was able to use all lowlight of his NSL maps aswell as other stuff to be put into only one mod. CHUD.

This means that you dont need anymore of the NSL maps.
The NSL maps wont be supported anymore anyway, since they are not needed anymore.
Mendasp does only need to update chud, instead of all NSL maps. This is saving him a lot of time.

So please change the offical servers to use the vanilla maps.
The Mods you need on the Server are:

NSL MOD
CHUD
ns2_jambi

AiorosWith the new Low light system of NS2, Mendasp was able to use all lowlight of his NSL maps aswell as other stuff to be put into only one mod. CHUD.

This means that you dont need anymore of the NSL maps.
The NSL maps wont be supported anymore anyway, since they are not needed anymore.
Mendasp does only need to update chud, instead of all NSL maps. This is saving him a lot of time.

So please change the offical servers to use the vanilla maps.
The Mods you need on the Server are:

NSL MOD
CHUD
ns2_jambi


So those changes are already made? Can I get confirmation from Mendasp?

And yes, if there's a specific way we want the NSL servers set up for Season 4, let me know sooner rather than later in the event I run into clanforge issues.