SEGA Servers vs Private Servers(How can they do it)?

[Saligun]

I know sega must have had very large mainframe computer systems to run servers for a online game like phantasy star online so how is it possible for the many different people who operate the various privavte PSO servers to do the same thing with a simple home computer set up,the complex requirment to support a large online game community like PSO dosen't seem possible for a simple home pc rig.

[Z-0]

PSO uses extremely minimum bandwidth (like it's very small KB/s per player). I forget the exact numbers but the private servers can easily run on home connections assuming you have a relatively decent download and upload. There aren't thousands of people playing PSO anymore, so most servers only have to be able to handle a hundred or two at once.

PSO BB is mostly a client game unlike today's MMOs, which is why the bandwidth required for it is not much. Not that much data is necessary to be sent to the server (and vice versa), and this number is even less for the console versions since they communicate with the game host a lot more than the server.

The private servers (except 1, which is on a home connection) run on hosting that costs them around $20-40 a month (though one is using something a bit more expensive) and don't even get anywhere close to the bandwidth cap since they simply don't need it.

So the people running on the very laggy server that asks for donations to "keep the server alive"... yeah, you're getting ripped off.

[Saligun]

Thank the anwser,it's helpful i guess but since blue burst was brought up. Does the private servers operater have to store all player character data on their system?

[Z-0]

Login server of BB servers stores all the character data.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

I feel it's worth pointing out that PSO was originally designed to operate smoothly over a 56k or slower dial-up connection. That's in the neighborhood of 0.04% of the connection speed of a modern cable internet connection in the United States. That's why its bandwidth requirements are so trivial.

[Kroniedon]

As one of the operators of such a server (Gamecube only) maybe this can help a bit.

This is my server's bandwidth usage for the year thus far:

Spoiler!

A note: Interserver's bandwidth tracker isn't all that great a tool. The total under today is this month's total, and the rest is this years. Thought I might point that out. :P xD

Keep in mind this isn't just player usage, this includes everything from updates to Windows and Java, me messing about in remote desktop, website usage, and moving things over through dropbox. Subtract all the other stuff, and the amount of bandwidth used by the players is next to nothing. During our summer event last year, during it's peak at 37 players on at once, I measured it at just a bit under 1 mb. In 2001, this might have been a decent sized load, but technology has came a long way since then.

[deathsway]

As one of the operators of such a server (Gamecube only) maybe this can help a bit.

This is my server's bandwidth usage for the year thus far:

Spoiler!

A note: Interserver's bandwidth tracker isn't all that great a tool. The total under today is this month's total, and the rest is this years. Thought I might point that out. :P xD

Keep in mind this isn't just player usage, this includes everything from updates to Windows and Java, me messing about in remote desktop, website usage, and moving things over through dropbox. Subtract all the other stuff, and the amount of bandwidth used by the players is next to nothing. During our summer event last year, during it's peak at 37 players on at once, I measured it at just a bit under 1 mb. In 2001, this might have been a decent sized load, but technology has came a long way since then.

i am looking for gamecube servers debating on buying a modem adapter could i play on ur server??? do a lota people play there or is it private?

[AlexCraig]

Locking this thread due to necrobump, and poster is getting more attention in their own thread.