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I'm creating a game on UDK and i have some questons about the server. my game is a 3d mmorpg simliar to dayz/warz. I have some questions

Each map will consist of 30-60 players similar to dayz/ warz. should i use cloud servers or should i go for dedicated server?

should I get a server that can hold hundreds of players or should I host multiple servers for each instances(map)?

also what should the specs be for the server if I'am looking to host 200 players per server? how do other games make a profit from server hosting.. from what i know it would cost me around £80/month to host a server for 200 players. my game cost $20/£15 so 200 x £15 equals 3000. 3000- (80 x 12 months) equals 3000 - 960 which is 2040. does that mean if you buy my game I can only host for a year. how does minecraft,warz manage to keep their servers running without additional income for years?

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This question might be too broad for the site. But to answer one of your questions, most games charge people for servers. – Tony Feb 25 at 15:26
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AFAIK Minecraft and WarZ servers are run by users. – Byte56 Feb 25 at 16:07
so once the player buy the game, they also have to buy server space – Michael Odetola Feb 25 at 16:20
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I agree this question is too broad; voted to close. – Josh Petrie Feb 25 at 17:54
Just release a dedicated server applications so your players may host and run them. If the game is good and a lot of users run their servers, you can stop paying for your own servers, as they won't be needed any more. – user1306322 Feb 26 at 0:04

closed as not constructive by Josh Petrie, mh01, Sean Middleditch, Trevor Powell, bummzack Feb 27 at 10:12

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1 Answer

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If your game has high demands for server hardware/bandwidth you have a few options:

  • Require players to pay to use your servers, either via monthly fees or a pay as you go system.
  • Run the servers at a loss, if enough people continue to buy the game you can continue to run the servers.
  • Run the servers with some form of advertising to offset the costs.

  • Allow players to create their own servers.

  • Some combination of the above.

Companies that run servers are not doing so "without additional income for years". Once the money stops, the servers stop too. Consider a server option that allows you to scale your needs, like Amazon Cloud services. The requirements of your server will depend entirely on the requirements of your game, the number of users connecting and the quality of connection you desire.

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