[Guide]Coding in sense, when do i optimize ?

[Xanderॐ]

Since TDU2 servers are down for updates and i cant play the game that i paid 50 euros to just play online, ill try to make time fly by posting a guide regarding how and what to code when having a goal to open a server.

 

Defining the problems:

 

There are countless of problems when you are opening a server regarding the code you use. The lack of security, optimization, base retail gameplay, custom features are some of them. A pack usually, has one or many of the previous aspects missing or incomplete. Your work as a server owner/developer is to start tackling those issues by spending your manpower equally or not in some or all of those features. The thing that most users ( even advanced ones ) in this forum are doing, is tackling the wrong problem.

 

Defining your goal:

 

When you open a server, you always have a specific setup in your mind. Will it be a retail lowrate, or a custom highrate ? Will i aim for 400 people or for 2000 ? How long do i plan to keep the server ? How fast do i want to get rewards ? What type of players do i attract and where do i advertise ? What chronicle am i going to use ? All those questions and others too, will help you define your goal. What exactly you wanna do. The goal of your server, is the one that will define what problems you will need to tackle.

 

Combining them together:

 

There is no ultime guideline on how to spend your coding time based on your goal. The main idea, is that you code , for what will bring you the greatest reward. For instance, lets say you can spend 40 hours coding, and it can either be server optimization or implementation of new features. If you code for optimization, then you may be able to get the same performance with a cheaper machine, saving some money from the server rent. But if you spend those hours coding for new features, you may attract new players to the server and have higher donations. The profit you will get by higher donations may be much bigger than the money you will cut down from server budget buy having code that can run in a cheaper machine. I hope you get the idea ;)

 

Here are some bad examples:

 

1) I see high class server owners in this forum, that are posting optimization guides for mysql when their servers have about 30 people online. When you get such a low population count, you do not care about optimization. What you should focus, is making your server interesting.

 

2) An optimized pack isnt always the best pack. Default optimization can give you up to 1000 players in a 120 euro/month machine given that you spend some time coding something that attracts the players. On the other hand, fully optimized server, without any interesting in it, will get you zero players, but just the bragging rights to call your pack more stable in a forum fight.

 

 

Personal opinion:

 

Optimize, only when its needed. The year is 2011, an i7 and a couple of GB's of ram is something very common. You will be astonished to imagine how fast an i7 is. So before you go optimize , always think if its needed. Cause you may end up wasting your time in something that wont attract players, wont save you a penny, players wont even understand its impact in a 100 players server.

 

Players judge features by their existence. But they only judge optimization, by its effects. They will complain about missing features, but they wont complain about missing optimization, if its consequences are not visible ( lag ).

 

Have a nice day :)

[Kràtos]

I agree in some parts... but is only discus and not an guide for me, no one have the time to spend at last 20 sec to read your or mine bla bla guide... they want facts.

 

 

[Azumaril$]

totally agree at all,and i like your personal opinion..Hope to see guides from you based on java(l2j)..maybe ...someday...who knows ! :P Anyway Thanks

[Intrepid]

2) An optimized pack isnt always the best pack. Default optimization can give you up to 1000 players in a 120 euro/month machine given that you spend some time coding something that attracts the players. On the other hand, fully optimized server, without any interesting in it, will get you zero players, but just the bragging rights to call your pack more stable in a forum fight.

 

Thats actually true BUT optimization is always different and always for the better its not only to get more players but its for stability too.

 

For example take memory...usually ppl have a pc with 8gigs which is more than enough for quit some time BUT the memory leaks and stuff still make the pack unstable he just dont notice it until a certain amount of player when hes at a point where he cant allow such freezes or shutdowns to happen.

 

Or lets take a cpu optimalization doesnt matter how strong cpu you have it still matters so it always necessary.

 

In my opinion optimalisations are must do things as far as any pack goes if you want to know why look into the "proud to be shit" aionemu and than look into l2j and than l2emu :)

 

PS.: There can be really big differences beetwen packs if you watch only l2j you cant see it but even aion which was like 1gb at boot for memory footprint can be so fats with proper reworks to use under 300mb(the private pack of mrpoke currently use under 200mb) :)

 

[Xanderॐ]

When your server starts lagging due to tenured generation getting full in one day, then that would be an indication that your server succeeded and its time to optimize ;) But if you never reach the point of lagging in a good machine, you should know that your population count is bellow the excepted one.

[Tryskell]

There is all time one thing to optimize (code speaking), and code optimized = more players with same machine, or better use of hardware ressources. Stability is essential aswell, who cares your server can go 2 weeks if it crashes alone/voluntarly by evil ppl.

 

So improving code, whatever level it is, can :

- help to have more players using same computer specs.

- give a better/smoother quality of play if you had already a good computer (and avoid, for exemple, to reboot every day but every week).

 

Personally, I think you have to code anytime you can in order to optimize. One little + one little + one little... 2mo + 3mo + 1mo ram saved... As Intrepid said, there can have huge differences between packs. I won't begin on IL differences, but just know there is a difference of 200 mo between the heaviest and the lightest (which is the lightest :D It's easy, else I won't talk about :)).

 

It's the same for any chronicle, ad basically, 200mo saved it's a lot of new players, or ram used for internal program.

 

Ofc at one moment, you optimized all.... This is only during this time you can take a break IMO.

 

----

 

Another part of optimize is about configs themselves, and about hardware/softwares. I'm not in fond of this part, so I will just let my turn. I just point the fact even the code is essential, it doesn't do all. Take a shitty hardware, and you got same result than using a crappy pack (and even worse).

 

Well, thread is about coding so :).

[flaguz]

great reflection, I managed after little more or less 80 hours to make use of ottimizzazzione high rate pvp server to my 600 megs of ram and only 2 virtual cores, holds 50 people comfortably without any lag. so I wonder why people who have super server with 2 i7 and 8gigs of ram is not concerned about optimizing your emulator to make additions without being useless? sorry for the bad English I'm using google translator

[Xanderॐ]

so I wonder why people who have super server with 2 i7 and 8gigs of ram is not concerned about optimizing your emulator

Simple.

 

The time it takes to optimize your server to save 40 euro/month rent by buying a cheaper machine, during that time, you can code custom things that will attract more people and bring more donations.

 

Its all about the money at the end. Code what brings you more money :)

[flaguz]

repeat im using very bad server , vps with 600mb ram and 2 virtual cpu optimized at max no unecessary script etcetc and server max player withiut lag is 50-55 can make pvp

 

with doble of ram can reach 100 char simply? (ps pay 10€ for this hardware and i can delete donation)

[flaguz]

p.s i need to learn good english XD

[Intrepid]

If your pack would be optimized properly you could reach 100 player with your current hardware.

[flaguz]

hardware i know but is connection speed the problem italy was into 200° into nation adsl speed (need d a lot a € for 10/1 down up )  and for student is  big problem pay hosting society

[Intrepid]

hardware i know but is connection speed the problem italy was into 200° into nation adsl speed (need d a lot a € for 10/1 down up )  and for student is  big problem pay hosting society

 

Well network is a problem indeed but you can get a really cheap VPS easily so...

[Nosti21]

wow uber duper guide.. thank you for the share mate.. keep sharing awesome things.