
EDIT: I posted this in to the off-topic section just because it affects a lot of games, not just UT. Sorry if it's in the wrong section.
Cross-posted from http://333networks.comSo far, only a handful of people are using the 333networks master server with success, almost 60 servers do an uplink to it. The server is still running in "beta 1" version, which means that the server may be unstable or unreliable. Soon we work our way to "beta 2", which is more structured and efficient. None of these versions have been tested by the full audience, so we do not know how this master server responds to 800 servers and 400 players using it.
We honestly do our stinking best to get this master server to work for the masses. Currently, we only support Unreal Tournament games, but we are rushing other game support into action with the hope to prevent those games from going down with the master server. We realize how abstract all of this is for people, so we also took it upon ourselves to write documentation about the master server and its functions. The following links may explain more about how everything works.
Master Server documentation (unfinished)
Instructions on adding the 333networks master server (needs an update)
Source code for the master server operated by 333networks (open-source, but pretty cryptic)
Recommended reading:
IpServer information
Not everything is done. Most of what you see around here is a work in progress. All of this is done in spare time and late hours. We hope to be ready for May 31st!
So... blame Epic for not renewing their account for UT.There have been a number of reports regarding the recent discontinuation of service to several online multiplayer games previously supported by GameSpy Technologies. We recognize that fans of games where the publisher has elected to discontinue GameSpy Technologies support are frustrated. However, reports that GameSpy Technologies “shutdown servers without warning” are simply inaccurate.
GameSpy Technologies – a separate entity from GameSpy.com – is a service provider to game publishers. Each publisher contracting with GameSpy Technologies elects at its sole discretion whether or not to maintain support for its titles.
A number of our publisher partners elected to allow their contracts for GameSpy Technologies’ services to lapse by not continuing to pay for these services. In some cases this lapsing ranges back as much as four years. GameSpy Technologies has continued to provide months, and in some cases years, of service support for free. However we cannot be expected to provide a service free of charge to publishers who choose not to renew their service agreements and in some cases remain delinquent in delivering payment for past services.
In each case reported in the press where there was a discontinuation of GameSpy Technologies’ services, the applicable publisher was well aware that they had not made the required payments under their agreements with GameSpy Technologies.
For the sake of clarity - the situation is identical to fans attributing fault to the hosting company of a popular website for ceasing hosting services, when the website owner refuses to pay its hosting bill.
While we would hope and expect our publisher partners to message their user communities on changes in status of their games, often this is not done. The result is user confusion and frustration.
It is regrettable that these publishers chose not to inform their users of the impending discontinuation of support. We understand the frustration of fans that until now weren’t clear on why their game has lost some of its functionality, but hope that this clarifies the situation.
Thank you.
I'm with TheDane on this one. It should be your own choice whether to use a third party custom server. My best guess is that we should educate people as good as possible. I am writing a tutorial/documentation on master servers (link in my previous post). When it is finished, I guess we should make a web version of it in multiple languages, lowering the threshold for everybody to do this on their own.ShaiHulud wrote:It's quite difficult to come to terms with the implications of this. What are the possibilities of creating a small mod that could be installed to any participating server which would update the UnrealTournament.ini file of any visitor to add the 333networks replacement master server?
For servers it is only 1 line of text to pick the 333networks master server, for clients it is 1 line of text and 1 or 2 entities that change from "True" to "False".maximdymok wrote:So does that mean without putting in another master server IP in some text file we won't be able to see any servers when GameSpy shuts down? Because that would be bad.. very bad..
Epic is in it for the $$$$, they gain zero $ by doing so, but they "Waste" bandwidth on their server doing so. Best shot with Epic it so convince them to release the master server scripts - like that would ever happen.maximdymok wrote:Why can't Epic just start hosting the utmaster server again? I assume it was hosted by them, right? If Darkelarious hosts his own master server, I can't imagine Epic not being able to.