Table of Contents:
Getting a server up.
Hosting from HomeHosting from home is easy once you meet the requirements. What'll you'll need to host from home is
To use the Blockland dedicated script, drop
this into your Blockland folder, and double click to run.
NOTE: If you're still having trouble with port forwarding,
this guide might be of use.
Hosting from a ServiceThere are plenty of services both specialized and general that you can host Blockland on. If you want an easy to set up and solid service, go with Pecon's
BlockNet hosting service. If you want more control over your server, you can spend a little extra and rent a VPS server. There are many VPS server providers, and their individual deals and limitations are all very confusing, but here are a few that Blocklanders have found to work well.
if you're going to use nfo/another vps service here's the specs you should get:
for cpu cores, you only need one, but two will do and it'll guarantee better performance for anything else you might want to host.
for ram, you could actually get away with only getting 512mb of it, but only if you're hosting exactly one blockland and nothing else. i suggest atleast 2gb of ram, as that is pleanty for bl hosting and should be enough for anything else you might want to host. but be VERY careful with your selection of add-ons. ive found that oRBs and RTB use up /absolute tons/ of ram. with battlemix, it would get up to using 1.5gb of ram with oRBs/RTB in less than 12 hours. without both of them, battlemix has been using under 512mb of ram (with like 20 players on the server as well) which is surprising because battlemix spawns literally thousands of projectiles every second.
for storage, you really only need 5 gigabytes max. blockland is not a very large game in terms of disk space used. nfo gives tons of space in storage, and most other vps services do too, so don't even worry about disk space at all
for bandwidth, according to my nfo control panel i don't use more than 125gb of data (my most amount used was 111gb, current usage for the month of december is only 31gb), and that includes requests from my website too. you're not going to need a terabyte of bandwidth if you're just going to be hosting blockland. a terabyte of bandwidth really is completely overkill for anything related to games really. nfo gives you thousands of gigabytes of bandwidth, so i wouldn't worry about it at all
Tips/tricks on hosting a quality server.
Please comment on things that have helped you host your server so I can add them to the list.
- Keep your server titles short. Things like "Add-Ons!!!" or "free admin!!!" may seem like they attract people, but they only serve to make your server look unprofessional. A short and attractive title will make your server look cool and clean and will attract new players better than the alternative.
- Make your player limit realistic. Having a 99 player limit may seem like its a good idea because it leaves enough room for everyone, but almost no one wants to be on a freebuild or RP with 99 active people; it'd be laggy and chaotic. Setting your player limit to something round like 12, 24, 32, 48, or 64 will help to make it look professional, and might actually get you more players than otherwise.
- Be original; while I will be eventually linking maps to use and gamemodes to host, make sure to always think outside the box and implement new ideas, events, bricks, maps, and maybe even vehicles into your server to keep players interested.
- Be present on your own server. People feel safer on a server when a host is activly participating in the server; while it can be bad for hosts to play on the server, as long as you don't make bans, mutes, or any punishment for others only beating you, you'll be fine.
- Do not enable all of your add-ons all of the time. Specialize your add-ons so to speed up loading times; no one likes downloading 2000+ bricks and weapons for a server that uses neither.
- Be careful with server add-ons. Having 20+ chat mods that do everything from changing clan tags to clearing clan tags can be fun, but it makes it hell for people to communicate. Remember that people need to know what's going on, and don't go too crazy with making your server different.
- Make sure people know why you banned them. While it is smart sometimes to get trouble makers out of your server as soon as possible, it is a good practice to write bans that will keep you out of drama and that will tell other players on the server what kind of host you are and what you expect of them.
Applying good admins.
Truth be told, if you're being present and not hosting dedicated, you might not even need admins. An admin has the ability to
- make bans/kicks,
- load bricks,
- drop camera/"orb,"
- and whatever else your add-ons allow them to do.
Unless you admin someone wants it to load bricks (which you really shouldn't do anyways), or you're working on a project where someone needs to orb, you can make all the bans and kicks yourself as to keep everything in your control; fnding solid admins is a difficult task, and if you're not up for it, you don't have to do it.
Of course if your server is dedcated and you plan on having it up while you're not there, it is vital for you to have people that can handle the server while you're gone. Follow these simple (yet not set in stone, mind you) guidelines while applying admins.
- Do not apply people just because they are your friends; if your friends are trustworthy, and know how to handle a server, then go ahead, but I'm sure not all of us are lucky enough to have all of our friends be good admins, so be careful about who you appoint.
- Remember your admins represent your server, and if they have a crap attitude or a short fuse, then they probably aren't going to be good representatives of your server.
- Being a good admin has no correlation with how many bans they make. If they make no bans because they're good at dissolving situations with words, fine. If they make a ton of short bans because that's how they deal with people, fine. As long as what they are doing is helping people have fun on your server, it is fine.
- Do not admin people solely because they play on your server a lot; while experiance on the server can help someone be admin, it is not the sole arbitor of their character.
- Treat your admins the way you want them to treat your players. Being a richard to an admin because he made a mistake will only make some of your other admins think that they can be a richard to players that make mistakes; it will ultimately make players feel unwelcome on your server.
do not ever actually host admin applications
the kind of people who you want as your administration are not likely to actually want admin and you're just going to waste time cutting through fluff
admin people who regularly come to your server and behave responsibly with what little power they have, even if you don't necessarily like them, because they're the kind of people who just want to play the game and want to make sure that others can play the game without hassle as well
Add-On repositories.
List of popular gamemodes and minigames.
Since I, myself, haven't hosted a lot of servers, I'm only going to add in the ones that I've hosted before; if you have hosted something before, and would like to be considered an authority on it please PM me/post below your description of what you host with links to required add-ons or links to maps if you have them.
Title (written by author)
Description/tips and tricks on how to host x server.
Links to appropriate add-ons.
Link to starter map downloads/description on how to build a map.
CityRPG (written by log)
A gamemode originally made as a Blockland version of DarkRP in 2008 by Jookia. It was later leaked and edited by Iban; most of the gamemodes in circulation are edits of iban's mod.
Link to add-ons:
Gamemode,
WeaponsLink to maps: No map links; maps should be easy, make a road layout with space for lots, a bank, real estate office, police department, spawn, mine, forest, and jail.
Dogfight (written by log)
The dogfight server is a vehicle based team deathmatch server. Most Blockland Dogfight servers have had islands or carriers as spawns, and have had islands or so for land based fighting.
Add-Ons:
Slayer, and your choice of planes and weapons from any of the add-on repositories.
Maps: No map links.
Freebuild (written by log)
Freebuilds are easy servers to host because they do not require any setup; that being said, they still do require attention because it'll be hard to get players to join your server if you do not do something to make it special (such as downloading add-ons, or setting up a theme or different zones for building), and Freebuilds are also often targeted by malicious players, so you'll need to have moderation.
Add-Ons: Your own choice of weapons, vehicles, scripts, events, ext. from the add-on repositories.
Grapple Knife TDM (written by log)
A Grapple Knife TDM is a platform-raised TDM between four teams with butterfly knives and grapple ropes. Games are normally short and sweet with a last man standing end game.
Add-Ons:
Butterfly Knife,
Slayer,
Grapple RopeMaps: No map links: maps are easy to make, just a ton of cubes with different colored platforms on them. You can add lava or kill plates to the bottom to make sure people don't cheat.
Trench CTF (written by rggbnnnnn)
Trench CTFs are servers that allow players to dig dirt bricks and place dirt bricks. They are usually CTF, but you can make them various other Gamemodes.
Add-Ons: Trench Digging, your choice of weapons, and Slayer + Slayer CTF.
Maps: No map download. Map should consist of dirt bricks if you want them to be able to be digged up.
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