Managing a Mu Online Server
This is a pretty different guide. It won’t include how to set your server files up; Instead, I will try to teach you the best pointers I know to help you manage your Mu Online server. People seems ^^ to think that having the latest Mu Server version will make a successful server but still you can see those servers die everyday and others with older versions get more and more players. Why? That’s what we will try to figure out in this thread.
Let’s split it in some categories to make it easier to read.
- Server Files
- Security
- Client Files
- Website
- Hosting
- Advertising
- Eventing
- Solving problems
- TeamMates & Finding Staff
- Being a longtime server
- Credits
1. Server Files: Of the big cake that hosting a Mu Server is, let’s say that your server files are only 1 piece of a 10 pieces cake. They are important but any files will do, let’s not try to use 99b+, they suck big time, instead try to choose from a 97 based version, or then go higher, to 1.xx. Server files are important as they are the base in which you will work on. Best thing is to get them translated but if they are not FIRST THING YOU NEED TO DO IS TRANSLATE THEM TO YOUR LANGUAGE OF CHOISE. Think you can’t? Wrong! It’s very easy to translate most files server side; most of them open in notepad.
Organizing and improving your Mu Server Files
Example (I opened EventItemBag.txt from some random server files):
[quote]
//
Re: [Guide] Managing a Mu Online Server
4. Website: There is no way around it, you NEED a website, registering users via msn is for the losers, email registering? Are you mad? Do you want 300 noobs on your msn? Registering via Forum? Pffffffff the only way that would happen is if you link both databases; that’s a good move if you have the knowledge to do so but if you don’t just try not to force your users to register to a probably ugly and empty forum and grab any website package you like from release section.
How can I choose what website package is for me? Easy, it depends on what computer you own, what internet connection you have, your php knowledge and last but not least what you expect your website to do for you and your players.
If you are on one of those pay per bandwidth consumed or limited bandwidth ISP then you will probably try to avoid most packages that contain 400 images like Mtoolz (MT), trust me they will make you spend bandwidth and for what? Just to lag users on the other side. Most players are not behind P4 3.2 so don’t make them have to wait 4 hours just to see your main web. If you probably want to customize your website on your own (and don’t know php) then don’t go Mtoolz, I mean, its great but its hard as hell to edit for some1 without any understanding on basic php/sql coding. On the other hand, john_d creates modules and interfaces, so if you can spend some cash on your website maybe pay him for some great stuff, I’ve used some of his latest and unique modules (friends that let me touch their servers ^^) and they are great. The CPU usage of Mtoolz is way lower than most normal packages, queries are great, not redundant and they save you lots of time. I’m only familiarized with Mtoolz and FragFrog’s (FF) package. FragFrog’s package is great, it loads really fast so it would be great for low specs systems and connections, though spearing images makes it look dull sometimes and may get boring after a while. A lot less features are the main difference between MT and FF package’s. In fact, there are no other websites that have as much options (and useless options why not) as MT. I’m not sure about the new FF package but the old one wasn’t coded in a practical way, 200 users online + 20 visitors + others made my Athlon 64 3200+ 1GB ram lag like hell. I thought it had something to do with my server but finally some1 (thanks DukeGR) told me it could be website. It was indeed. All my lag problems ended. BUT, this website is so easily coded that you can open it in notepad, read, think and understand it extremely fast. FF package brings that advantage, it helps you learn php and sql. It brings the joy of making stuff yourself and upgrading your website as users request it without spending hard cash. That’s a big + for FF package. If you want to learn download it, open and start getting ideas.
There are many other packages, I haven’t tried them all. If you can find SkyTeam Website package I would recommend you to use it. It’s both simple and effective.
It looks like in time most websites realized that giving users 2 many options was useless, you'll see now that most MT based websites have just a ranking, register, reset, pk clear, and stats adding. Im pleased :P. There are no real administration tools, maybe themad's website will make a difference but the rest of admin panels suck. They should all be renamed to gm panels, they only focus on their work (see chapter 9).
Important notes:
A: None of them validate on W3C. They look like crap on different browsers.
B: Only Mtoolz has a nice installation system and yet it’s the one that brings more problems
C: All packages posted on RZ have SQL Injection protection.
So as you see, most of the selection of packages comes from trying to find balance between bandwidth, CPU Usage, style and what you expect your players to be able to do.
Re: [Guide] Managing a Mu Online Server
5. Hosting: I have no affiliation with the hosting Im about to name, I dont get refferals not anything, this is not advertising. If you feel like this post was made to advertise then dont continue reading any further ^^.
Guys, This is that time when you have to decide if you are going to be a big boy or a server wanna be. Hosting is cheap, its not an excuse not to have donations. You must save for very little time in order to be able to pay for Hosting for your website. If you do not own a credit card raise de money go to dad and give it to him, it will make him understand that you want that and you worked for it, never steal credit cards!
GoDaddy
Deluxe Plan Features
• 100 GB Space
• 1,000 GB Transfer
• 1,000 Email Accounts
• Unlimited Web sites
• FREE! Software
• 25 MySQL Databases
• Unlimited Email Forwards
• Forums, Blogging, Photo Galleries
7usd x month You spend 7usd in so many useless crap everysingle day, in junk food, in cigarretes, in alcohol and you cant spend 7usd a month to make a great server? To please thousands of people that will play your server with direct downloads and good uptime? Thats 0,20679452054794520547945205479452 cents a day to pay for 1 year of hosting.
A domain costs something like 9 usd and its good for 1 year, thats 0,024657534246575342465753424657534 cents a day. People will remember your always up and easy to read website for 1 year for 0,024657534246575342465753424657534 a day.
So for 0,231452054794520547945205479451 cents a day you'll provide a great service, a service that, trust me, will bring more and more people back.
No excuses! If you use rapidshare to save 0,231452054794520547945205479451 cents a day maybe you shouldnt be hosting a server :p
If you are hosting your website at a hosting company you probably will have to allow sql port to be opened from that ip. A workaround this is to have frames on pages, this way you can have half your website at hosting and half at your server (with apache or similar). Why this way? Cause if you host everything at a no-ip addy when the server reboots website will be also off => players wont be able to find out what happens, if server is down, if its website, if its a problem their side. And if you fully host at a website hosting when your server is down players will get a load of errors (sql cant be reach & others) and you opened sql port (not that safe).
Re: [Guide] Managing a Mu Online Server
Re: [Guide] Managing a Mu Online Server
Re: [Guide] Managing a Mu Online Server
Nice to read guids like this :) . I liked the "never steal credit cards" part :D anyway nice !
Re: Managing a Mu Online Server
where is the rest of the guide?
Re: Managing a Mu Online Server
Great work, cannot wait for the rest of it :):
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Re: Managing a Mu Online Server
Dios you need to finish this :laugh:
Re: Managing a Mu Online Server
Very good guide, thanks. :)
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Re: Managing a Mu Online Server
you forgot the Archangel (AA) Staff
