I'm a Server Noooooob (its running just fine, need advice)

[Liz-Taylor]

Hi all,

I started a server a couple of days ago called "Beverly Hills Shooting Club". So, I figured I would join the forum here. I DON'T need to know how to forward ports... lol. I've pretty much figured out how it all works, as a conceptual whole.

So far, I've gotten the big blacklists, and clan whitelists (originally from TYD and others) and some assistance DES Mayhem. SODA...ME has also been giving me great advice (Thanks so much guys).

Anyway, I am still a server/admin noob. If there is any good links, how-to's, security advice, maps... anything related to running a server...you guys could point me to or advise me to do/learn, I would really appreciate it.

If it matters, I run a Linux box (Xubuntu 10.04). I run the server on a user account that basically has no permissions (I read this is a good idea) and was solely created for the purpose of running the server.

Anyway, thanks to everyone involved with AC.

[Edward]

http://wiki.cubers.net/action/view/Serve...nistration

Edit : I just realized that you quote yourself :p

[Liz-Taylor]

edit--

Good grief, how did I manage to get this server running...

[Edward]

If you are french I can give you some link and vids.

Btw to edit your post, search for :

[SELECT ALL] Code:

[quote='Liz-Taylor' pid='102040' dateline='1341675655']

and delete until you see :

[SELECT ALL] Code:

[/quote]

Hope some server owner will help you :p

[jamz]

This is slightly out-of-date now, but is indispensable and still very relevant. Read it through twice.
As for security, if your server was secure before you started running the AC server, it will be fine now.
Most of the advice that's already prepared for you, you've already surpassed. There are more advanced options open to you, such as log rotation, archival and distribution of demos, finding reliable admins to cover your server as often as possible. Take a look at kiwi.ac for good examples.

[tempest]

If it matters, I run a Linux box (Xubuntu 10.04). I run the server on a user account that basically has no permissions (I read this is a good idea) and was solely created for the purpose of running the server.

Noob? Nah. With that setup, I'd say you're among the top 5% of AC server hosters ;P

[[SODA]___ME___]

You may want to add contact info (like an email just for AC stuff or AC forum ID) on the extended server info in case someone needs to report problems on your server or even range bans or any reason. I doubt 99.1% of people even know about pressing F9 to find it but that is their loss.

[blueberry]

Server info is also a button on the menu. You could always put contact info in the MOTD if it's not already too full.

[Liz-Taylor]

edit-- sorry, my simple question turned into a rant...

THE BIG QUESTION for server-running veterans,

Should I "allow" camping or not?

/mutters... /starts ranting...

Really, is this something I need to decide? I mean I hate campers, too. There is nothing worse than getting fragged by a talentless dork when he is camped-hard-scoped-crouched-shielded-around-blind-corner. I hate that. And the only way to stop camping on my server (on an ongoing manner) is to allow client vote-kicking. And then my server becomes degenerates into a vote-kicking war. The client vote-kicking solution is worse than the original camping problem. And, I kind of feel bad for the genuine noob campers. That is just a sign of player who sucks, and knows it. I don't think kicking the noobs is really appropriate either.

I mean I HATE vote-abusers infinitely more than the campers. I regularly get voted off other servers for "camping"...or even "tkilling"... while I am playing at my best (even if I charge every round and have not tkilled once). Then repeatedly, I might get kicked for "hacking" or "sucks pygmy goat cock" ,etc, etc, etc. Great, I just got kicked out of a server for winning (the pygmy goat reason might make me smile, though).

At the start of a round... I charge. I'm certainly not a really great player, but I am a good player. Charging is just more fun for me. But below are some examples that still happen to me on other servers (with client vote-kicking enabled).

--Sometimes I am briefly afk (taking a drink, eating, smoking) and I start playing a few seconds late in a round... I get kicked for "camping", when I shoot somebody coming out of the base.

--If I have door-block-noob-teammates prohibiting me from charging out of base? ... I get kicked for camping...

--I circle the whole desert map, and make a kill (from behind) back in my original base?... I get kicked for camping...

I have no idea how many times I have been vote-kicked for "camping" when I am charging at the start of every single round (and winning the game). I really don't want that garbage to happen on my server. I don't want that to happen to any other player. That plain sucks. I'd rather have a server where players (primarily for the sake of really good players) just cannot be vote-kicked at all. I see lots of other good players getting kicked for BS reasons, the most common reason "camping". I see so many false "hacking" accusations, too. UGH! That's what I was thinking when I set up the vote-kicking permission string. So, I just denied kicking permission for clients.

I'll try to blacklist the hackers, intentional-tkillers, and the real abusers. The players will have to deal with the lessor evil of campers.

But I really don't know... That's just what I think... Is this a bad approach? Am I wrong?

I really do want my server to be a server popular with GOOD players. After all... Good Players=Fun Server. I just had a situation when I joined my server this morning. There were a couple of really good players (the kind that i definitely want to play on my server with me, regularly) wanting me to kick some campers. The campers were good enough to be very annoying, and were constantly camping. The good players were still kicking the campers' asses, though.

I did NOT kick the campers. The annoying campers stayed. The good players left.

crap...epic server host fail...

Opinions?Comments?Suggestions?

[paulmuaddibKA]

XD, first that comes to mind is :enable kick, its indeed very annoying when you can´t kick an an asshat out of a server (regardless if camping or not).
On the actual vote situations that you describe, it sucks when n00bs/trolls/anger spam votes like "camper", and mostly its an unavoidable thing; if not an admin around.
So, stick for a while with kick vote enabled; find reliable players to hand admin to; and put a blinking message saying: "Campers (mostly) allowed" (XD), as welcome message.

[blueberry]

I agree with paul. Without vote-kick enabled and no admin present, your server can go downhill fast. Anyone can do as they please without being kicked. I think allowing users to vote-kick is essential.

[Edward]

Camp is part of the game. You cant forbid it ... Btw you need talent to camp.

You should allow vote (allow map vote, kick and even ban vote). If there is no admin, how players can ban hacker or annoying guys? The vote abuse is not the main problem since you can ignore votes.

I have been kicked for many reasons but never for camp. Wait are you playing tosok?

I did not read the second part of your post sorry. Too long for my poor English skills.

[RAMPAGE]

Camping can be annoying but really it's part of the game so generaly it shouldn't be reason for kicking players out of a server. However, for some modes like OSOK, TOSOK, LSS, PF where players need to wait for campers to frag eachother to start the new round can be annoying as hell, cause it usually takes them a lot of time to do so and we all have to wait over and over again. So for this modes I think camping is really GOOD reason to kick them.

[Liz-Taylor]

I agree with pretty much everything said. I appreciate the thoughts.

My big takeaway is this:
I guess I have to come to grips that I have no real control of anything when I am not there***. My server might suck to play on. And I am going to have to be ok with that. There is not a combination of permissions that will address every issue, and make it ideal.

And this discussion really all about vote-abuse... man... vote-abuse is my biggest pet peeve (if you can't tell from my rant). GRRRRRR... I hate vote abuse. I think it makes me angriest to see some other players (usually those better than me) getting kicked out of a game for being excellent.

As an admin, I have been asked everyday to kick excellent players for hacking (along with those who actually are hacking). I've been playing for 1-2 years, so I can certainly see most hacks when I play or spectate. For many/most of those accusations, the player is often just very good. I am aware some hackers are good at making the hacks look pretty natural (or use them sparingly). Many of those accusations are aimed at folks we all know and recognize as good players.

*** and when I am playing there, I will have get some keyboard shortcuts made for some of the adminning duties. f*ck all you hackers, trolls, tkillers and such...

[W@rr!0r]

Lol, just bind your keys that is what I did like I used f3 to claim admin f4 to kick and f6 to ban. This comes to be very helpful when getting ready for a match or just for killers on gemas.