Master Server issues
by Joey Skinner · in Torque Game Engine · 09/01/2008 (4:13 pm) · 12 replies
I'm getting ready to publish a game. I'm a small indie but have some success in a niche market. I've been planning on taking advantage of GG's master server to broker the game server connections. It has been fine during testing until this weekend. Not sure if it is down or what. I can't ping it.
Just wondering what everyone's experience has been with the master server. Is it fairly stable? High availability? What other options are there other than buying some new license which enables me to run my own master server? I assume that is an extra license of the TNL or something.
Just wondering what everyone's experience has been with the master server. Is it fairly stable? High availability? What other options are there other than buying some new license which enables me to run my own master server? I assume that is an extra license of the TNL or something.
#2
09/01/2008 (4:57 pm)
I can't find any information about a free version of TNL. I only see the $295 offering. All I need is the matchmaking master server without any changes from what GG uses. I'm using the game networking from within TGE. Any ideas on where to find that master server? Or does anyone with the TNL license want to make $20 and sell me a master server binary that I can run on my server and not depend on GG's server? 
#3
09/01/2008 (5:10 pm)
How about here? www.opentnl.org/ It was the first listing under torque network language.
#4
09/01/2008 (6:12 pm)
Looks like it should work. I'll give it a try. Sorry, for making you search, I was searching for Torque Networking Library on the GG site and it wasn't showing up anything for the open source version which I didn't know existed. Thanks again.
#5
There is another masterserver here on the website in the resources. It should show up if you search master server. (had forgotten about that one.)
09/01/2008 (6:48 pm)
You are welcome. It was no big deal searching for it as I already knew what it was called. There is another masterserver here on the website in the resources. It should show up if you search master server. (had forgotten about that one.)
#7
The TNL compiles fine. It's code base has been genericized so much that I'm not sure where to start to get it working with TGE 1.4. For example, it is expecting packet types numbered 1-7 and TGE's enumerations for packet types are way different an don't seem to overlap. And the names aren't such that it is intuitive which ones to map to. I get the feeling that it would need to be reworked considerably to work with TGE.
The Stack Heap Server works and gets the original heartbeat and turns it into a game server ok but then doesn't know how to recognize follow-on heartbeat connections nor requests from clients. Just keeps saying "Received Unknown Packet". And since there is no source, documentation, or anything with it, it's hard to know where to go next.
The PBMS Server runs, correctly registers an incoming server request, correctly responds to heartbeat packets, but crashes every time a client tries to ask it about servers. I'm trying to compile it on my own to see what is going on since it is showing some promise at least.
It just seems odd to go to one of the PHP or Python solutions but I'll go there next if no luck with PBMS. If there is any advice out there I would appreciate it.
09/02/2008 (11:23 am)
Just so others know if they run into a similar gap...The TNL compiles fine. It's code base has been genericized so much that I'm not sure where to start to get it working with TGE 1.4. For example, it is expecting packet types numbered 1-7 and TGE's enumerations for packet types are way different an don't seem to overlap. And the names aren't such that it is intuitive which ones to map to. I get the feeling that it would need to be reworked considerably to work with TGE.
The Stack Heap Server works and gets the original heartbeat and turns it into a game server ok but then doesn't know how to recognize follow-on heartbeat connections nor requests from clients. Just keeps saying "Received Unknown Packet". And since there is no source, documentation, or anything with it, it's hard to know where to go next.
The PBMS Server runs, correctly registers an incoming server request, correctly responds to heartbeat packets, but crashes every time a client tries to ask it about servers. I'm trying to compile it on my own to see what is going on since it is showing some promise at least.
It just seems odd to go to one of the PHP or Python solutions but I'll go there next if no luck with PBMS. If there is any advice out there I would appreciate it.
#9
Why does it seem odd to go with something like a python solution??? It's the one I wrote and use myself so I can vouch for how solid and well it works.
09/03/2008 (4:38 pm)
Joey - There aren't any licensing issues with using the Garagegames master server except for the fact that you have no control over when it's up or down as you've seen recently.Why does it seem odd to go with something like a python solution??? It's the one I wrote and use myself so I can vouch for how solid and well it works.
#10
I fixed a couple of bugs in the PBMS solution and it works ok but seems to exit occasionally which I haven't found yet. So I'll try your Python solution and see how it goes.
Thanks
09/04/2008 (5:07 am)
Andy - I have no problems with a Python solution if I know it works. The problem is if it was just a prototype of a technology which I don't know and would have to harden. But hearing someone say they wrote it, have used it, and believe it's solid gives me confidence to try it. I'll download it and give it a shot.I fixed a couple of bugs in the PBMS solution and it works ok but seems to exit occasionally which I haven't found yet. So I'll try your Python solution and see how it goes.
Thanks
#11
09/04/2008 (7:44 am)
The Python solution seems to be working fine so far. Thanks for the resource.
#12
09/04/2008 (4:24 pm)
Yeah Python is a great solution to use with Torque for some of the backend servers, it's far easier to write in that using C++ for that side of things. So far for our game we've the master server, character server and patching server all written in python and they've been running for 3months without a single blip (and 25 people testing and using them regularly). 
Torque Owner Mike Rowley
Mike Rowley