But there might be the real crux of the issue. Do you need 50 servers? If you cannot comfortably afford these video game servers, then why are you asking your users to pitch in money (in the form of bugging them with ads) to cover your costs? It's not as if your server is providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and unless you're running some custom mods, they will be able to continue playing TF2 far after your servers go away. I cannot find any justification for signing up for more servers than you can pay for, then making your users foot the proverbial bill, or at least part of it.
I will not say that all ad plugins are inherently bad though - because I do not know of how many different kinds are out there. I would think the very existence of ads on a server just broadcast: "I'm only doing this because I don't want to pay for this server", which doesn't instill much confidence. It's probably why I don't bother playing on servers not my own. People seem to have strange ideas about what a game server is for. On Thu, Apr 4, 2013 at 1:34 PM, Erik-jan Riemers <riem...@binkey.nl> wrote: > You mean those few that still had the guts to force it on with the chance > of it crashing the clients? But for the sake of sharing: > > About +- 50 servers (css/l4d(2)/nd/tf2) in the high period (no forced motd > times) 400 ish dollars a month > Then they enforced that "must have completion ratio of xx in order to be > registered as a hit" came down to 150/200 ish dollar a month > Still some changes they needed to implement but I can see this going down > to 50/75 If I am lucky. > > Do note that I have never enforced people to watch it xx seconds (some do) > , but if it comes down to 50/75 dollars I can just as well remove it > totally. As far as I know it says in the explanation that if your average > completion ratio of a server goes down below a certain percentage you > won't get payed *at all*. Which means that if you have 20% valid hits and > 80% not valid hits, your under that percentage and you get nothing. But > they get the 20% hits still.. someone correct me if I am wrong though. > > Taken into account to keep 50 servers running is about 250 euro's a month. > This doesn't fall from the sky.. (yes, its beefy. But also websites, > hosting forum, download server, replay server.. about 10 to15ish tb > traffic a month) and we always try to help out people where we can (like > giving the guy from tf2pickup.net a chance, which is one of the few that > actually made something) > > -----Original Message----- > From: hlds_linux-boun...@list.valvesoftware.com > [mailto:hlds_linux-boun...@list.valvesoftware.com] On Behalf Of Cameron > Munroe > Sent: donderdag 4 april 2013 21:30 > To: Half-Life dedicated Linux server mailing list > Subject: Re: [hlds_linux] Mandatory Team Fortress 2 update released > > > > Proper use of ad plugins isn't bad in anyway shape or form. However, ads > for the sake of more and more ads becomes a slight problem. I really don't > think any server operator should force ads other then for join and map > changes. Otherwise you just are creating a mess. Same with people who put > 10 ads on one webpage. It just doesn't work well and in the end causes a > nightmare. > > Off topic question, anyone here actually making a profit off of Pinion > ads, or are we all still in the red after each month? > > On 04/04/2013 11:46 AM, David Fountain wrote: > > > MOTDs are > useful I don't think they should just be forced on the player > > either. > But it's funny valve cares about us advertising yet goldsrc games > > have > advertisements all over the stock maps lol > > > > SavSin > > On Apr 4, 2013 > 11:43 AM, "Gordon Reynolds" <thisisgordonsem...@gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > >> But as we've found out before, how do you delist them? Just hope > they play nice and use the 'ads' tag? Or wait for enough people to > understand that this behavior (triggering near-malware on a client's > machine for profit) isn't good, and hope the user blacklists them enough > times? If you're going through the hassle of subjecting your users to > these ads then I don't see why you wouldn't go the next step and just lie > about your sv_tags, or find some better plugin that just serves up ads in > a different way. Delisting them would work if the system was perfect. On > Thu, Apr 4, 2013 at 11:36 AM, Nomaan Ahmad <n0man....@gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >>> Delisting them is better choice > than disabling motd after the first view. On 4 April 2013 19:32, Gordon > Reynolds <thisisgordonsem...@gmail.com> wrote: > >>> > >>>> If people > cannot be trusted to run a server for a free game without blasting users > with ads then I hardly doubt they will play nice and put > >>> the > >>> > > >>>> proper tags in place informing people that they are about to blast > you > >>> with > >> know). > >> > >>>>> This change hardly affected our > servers due to most the benefits > >> users play with via the MOTD are for > donors only, which quickplayers wont have access to anyway. However, > this does mean that I will personally never click the quickplay button > again, due to potential lost user experience > https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux -- - > Gordon Reynolds _______________________________________________ To > unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, > please visit: https: > >> > >>> ________________ To unsubscribe, edit your > list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: > https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux [1] > -- - Gordon Reynolds ________________________ > >> __________ To > unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, > please visit: > https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux > [1] > >> > >>> > >> > >>> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > To unsubscribe, edit > your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: > > > https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux > [1] > > --- > Cameron Munroe > > Owner and Operator of (G-S.N) & > Munroenet.com > > Computer Tech > > http://www.munroenet.com > [2] > http://www.gaming-servers.net [3] > https://www.town-assembly.com > > > > > Links: > ------ > [1] > https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux > [2] > http://www.munroenet.com > [3] http://www.gaming-servers.net > _______________________________________________ > To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, > please visit: > https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux > > _______________________________________________ > To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, > please visit: > https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux > -- - Gordon Reynolds _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux
