Life is Feudal Official Forum

[DichBach]

I'm contemplating renting a server for a year and setting it up as a pretty much hardcore "uber realism" server. My goal with doing this is to give me and my buddies and anyone else who wants to join, a chance to get a feel for the game dynamics with settings that are as close to those which will be used for the eventual MMORPG sever as possible. My question:

What are all of the MMO server settings likely to be?

These are the settings available in the world creation window and what I am contemplating if I were to pay for a server:

Game Mode: (Colonization; Sandbox; Permanent Death Sandbox)
Sandbox (what does "colonization" even do?)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Skills and States Progression (says 1 is planned LIF Sandbox MMORPG rates)
1
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Skillcap
~2500 (I know this is high but long-term it might be necessary on a server with few people)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Terraforming speed multiplier
2.5 ?? I haven't mined much . . . 1 just seems masochistic to me
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Crafting period
24
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Animal breeding/Feeding period
24
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Plants Growth period
2
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Wild Animals amount
100
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I intend to password protect this server at least at first.

This would be hosted probably in Dallas, TX so it would be good for SE U.S. players. How many would be interested in such a server?

I would love to try Permanent Death Sandbox, but not knowing whether Admin can resurrect people I'm a bit reluctant.

Given that the current respawn system is dreadfully "unrealistic" I was thinking that, I'd like to make a mod that somehow requires your mates to perform an expensive 'resurrection' ritual to get you to respawn, but no idea if that would be possible.

Respawning with skill loss seems too mild and not enough of a deterrent to stupid aggressiveness nor enough of an incentive to promote teamwork. Total permanent irredeemable death seems too hardcore.

[MrMackeyMKayyy]

This would be hosted probably in Dallas, TX so it would be good for SE
U.S. players. How many would be interested in such a server?

Would this be an RP oriented server at all, if so would it be casual-hardcore. Thought that since you are going for the MMO settings that could help set apart your server and interest myself and my group of friends. Would love to hear back about this!

[KingOfHell]

mmo rates are in the config file on the dedi server, skill rate 1, cap 600, terraforming 0.8, animals and stuff 60, growing speed 3, max wild animals 50-100.

[DichBach]

@MrMackeyMKayyy: yes I do believe we are an RP oriented group. "My" clan, which I'll call "Anthro Clan" so far has 4 or 5 members (3 who aredefinite, 4 probable, 5 maybe). Just based on Steam friends, and friends from another server I played on, "my" group might well expand to about 10 to 12. We are all 30s to 40s and all are long-time roleplay gamers. I have had some good gamer friends who were under age 18, but for the sake of propriety I'd like to limit this server to adults only at this time. I'd be willing to entertain special considerations for teenagers who can convince me of their maturity and seriousness.

@KingOfHell: Thanks for that info!

I have rented a 64-person server for one year from Blackbox. I want to foster a long-term community on this server with ideally 3 to 4 separate communities/groups who are mainly interested in exploring how the game mechanics evolve over time, and not so much in pwning, griefing, and/or being a dick or godlike.

The overall goal here is to foster an active server on which the mututal goal of all participants is to have fun exploring the game dynamics with settings and 'houserules' that are as close of an approximation to those which will exist on the eventual MMORPG as possible.

The server is pw protected and if you would like to gain access please send me a Steam friend invite (Diche_Bach is my steam avatar). Please include answers to the following:

1. Are 18 years of age or older?

2. Do you live in a reasonable distance to Dallas, TX to get good ping from the server?

3. Do you have freinds who are likely to join you, and if so, roughly how many you foresee doing so?

4. Are you are interested in becoming a long-term participant on a Roleplay-oriented server with the intent to explore how game and group PVP dynamics evolve over time?

5. We are opposed to griefing, exploits, cracking, admin-abuse, or similar "gamey" breaches of a roleplay oriented gaming environment. Do you agree?

6. We expect an honor-based system limiting total players (not characters) per group/community of 14 (with temporary flex to 16). Do you agree to this?

At the outset I will ask that each group plan on a rough group membership limit of fourteen (14) total players, with flex to 16 in instances where players are likely to be absent or stop playing. Multiple toons per player seems fine, though I'd prefer if folks did not try to exploit the game by multi-bxoing multiple simultaneous toons using multiple client side machines.

The intent with this sort of "group size cap" is to foster a server on which there are multiple different groups, each fo which will get a chance to get going with developing a community unharassed (or at least relatively unharrassed) by other groups, and on which aggregation of multiple groups into one overly-large group that dominates the whole server is discouraged.

With a 64 player login limit, a cap of 14 will allow for 4 large groups of 14 and an additional fifth group of 8 players.

I find it disappointing that LIFYO servers are presently hard capped at 64 . . . 128 with group size limits in the 20ish range would be much more interesting . . . but then we do only have a roughly 9^2km map to work with for now anyway . . .

I'm not aware of any method for me as the admin to truly "enforce" membership count limits on groups on the server, but I'd ask that anyone who ask for access acknowledge that this is the intent and that they agree to it. I think with a skill cap of 1600 it should be possible for a group of 14 players to get quite far along with developing communities and this should help defer conflct or war until multiple communities are pretty far along.

Here are the settings I'm going to use (for now):

<name>Margelian Sunbeam</name>
<password>###############</password>
<adminPassword>###############</adminPassword>
<mode>Sandbox</mode>
<isPrivate>0</isPrivate>
<isActive>1</isActive>
<skillsStatsMult>1</skillsStatsMult>
<skillcap>1600</skillcap>
<terraformingSpeed>4</terraformingSpeed>
<craftingPeriod>24</craftingPeriod>
<animalBFPeriod>24</animalBFPeriod>
<dayCycle>3</dayCycle>
<animalsCount>90</animalsCount>
<maxPlayers>64</maxPlayers>
<port>43460</port>

600 skillcap seems even slightly low for the MMO, and I had heard it was projected to be 800. But since the MMO will have hundreds if not thousands of players, a skillcap that forces each toon to be a true specialist is not such a big deal.

I have my doubts that a 64 person server, with more than two separate communities/groups, could run well long-term with a skillcap that low.

So while I'm slightly concerned that 1600 might prove to be too high in one way or another, I'll hold off on lowering it until we have 15 to 30 regular participants.

I'm very happy with the 1 skillcap modifier, and I feel that this is really the way the game is meant to be played.

I just increased the daycycle from 2 to 3 and could conceivable go as high as 4, but probably no higher than that.

2 = 1hr (realtime) for one day (ingame) 1hr for one night
3 = 1.5 day and 1.5 night

We had played it a bit at 100 animals and had a small number of crashes so I have lowered it to 90 for now. We are getting some other bugs and glitches that may be a result of bugs introduced by the last update or it might be the server . . . I have inquired with blackbox and will go from there if it does appear to be a game bug and not a server bug.

The 24 crafting seems okay though I'll remain receptive to user input on that.

I am not entirely sure whether 24 for AnimalBFS will be relatively too slow or too fast, so that may well be adjusted too.

On the whole, I'm very open to input, advice and feedback from anyone who is interested in this server or in participating on it. Though I will for the duration of this one-year period, retain complete control over it as a "Benevolent Server Monarch"

I will try to make it a very popular and fun server and have zero interest in playing the role of a narcisistic or megalomanic Lord of the Flies. Mostly, I am a 'scientist,' and I enjoy games as ecological/social and psychological 'simulations' . . . though a bit of Genghis Khan 'making them cry and stealing their women and horses' from time to time can also be fun.

Ideally, I would like to see two or three maybe even four separate groups operating on the island for long periods of time, engaged in trade, competition, intrigue, war, whatever. A server on which all groups are locked in eternal peace and harmony does not seem like it would be fun long-term. But then again neither does a server with social dynamics approximating the typical PVP server, i.e., constant bickering, ganking, griefing, thieving, if not hacking, stalking and/or constant war.

I also dislike servers that effectively operate as the admin's personal God playground. I will be extremely selective in giving admin access to anyone else, and I will avoid using GM mode myself except in truly extreme circumstances.

So far, I've used it once for about 10 minutes just to see how it works and I do not intend to use it again until it is absolutely necessary. I would consider absolute necessity to be: 1. correcting bugs; 2. eliminating vandalistic acts (e.g., excessive numbers of fireplaces); 3. helping players to accomplish tasks that realistically SHOULD be doable but simply aren't yet for one reason or another (e.g., not implemented).

As the admin I have no desire to either become the Godking of the server, nor to be steamrolled, but rather to blend in with the rest of the players, and contribute what I can to mutually fun play.