Cain's Lair
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Where is the Server Located ??
What is your server's Hardware & Internet connection speed ??
Who pays for all this ??
Why did you put up a server ??
What OS is your Server running ??
Why not Linux ??
Can I be an Admin for your ____ Server???
What is ping and why do I care about
it????
What is PL and why do I care about it ??
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Where is the Server Located??
I live in South Carolina, USA, my server is located in downtown Columbia. I live in a small town about 25 minutes from there. My server's current internet backbone is SPRINT. And no, the Server is not at my house, and I am not playing on the game server machine.
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What hardware makes
up your server ??
What is your server's Internet connection speed??
Check out my Server
info page, for the info on my server's HW and connection speed.
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Who pays for all this stuff??
I do. I spend about $250.00/year for the Web Page and domain name. Since I started running game servers in 1998, I have spent over $10,000 on server hardware and software, and I also spend $500-$1800 per year continually upgrading the hardware.
Recently many folks have sent money to help me defray the costs of keeping the best server around running. The contributions are MOST appreciated by me.
FORTUNATELY I do not have to pay for the tremendous amount of low latency bandwidth we use. The bandwidth is graciously donated by the good folks at LogicSouth, the premier ISP in South Carolina. If LogicSouth ever pulls the plug on us, that will be the end of "Cain's Lair".
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Why did you put up a game server??
I wanted to have the best game server possible for me and my friends to play on. I also wanted to create a virtual community around the server where people could meet new friends, and have a place they enjoyed spending time and sharing good times.
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What OS (Operating System) is your Server running??
I run Windows 2003, Server, which is the best OS I have ever run. I love it, and it is fantastic for any type of server. The only downside is it is very expansive. I have much shut down and disabled any non-essential service to maximize the OS for running these games.
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Why not Linux??
For many reasons:
1) I do not want to mess with learning any *nix OS. Some folks enjoy the challenge of learning other OS's, but I do not.
2) All of the games we play were designed on a WIN32 platform, and perform best that way (with enough CPU and RAM). Many of the games we run did not have Linux ports when they first shipped, and new games will likely be the same way.
3) Win 2003, Server is very stable. I only reboot the server once or twice per year, and then it really does not need to be rebooted. Linux definitely uses memory much more efficiently, but memory these days is very cheap.
4) For a LAN OS, Linux is unbeatable, but its network/TCP/IP/Internet performance is no better than Win32, many think is is worse (no flames from 'nix lovers please).
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Can I be an Admin for your ______ Server???
The general answer is, "If I want to make you an Admin I'll ask you". Now, that having been said I do from time to time allow players I do not know to act as Admins in the servers, but only if someone I know and trust knows and trusts that person also. Abusive Admins have the ability to ruin the fun for everyone. They can change server settings, maps, kick and ban players they don't like, and unfortunately some Admins just want to use their power to make life easy for them and their friends, to the detriment of the server and all the other players. BY FAR the most e-mail I get is complaints about Admins.
I strongly prefer
Admins in our server to be:
Over 21 years of age;
A long time regular in that particular Server;
Active in the Forums here;
Someone known and respected by the regular players in the server; and/ or,
Someone who has been referred to me as a recommended Admin by someone I know and
trust.
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What is ping and why do I care about it????
Briefly, ping is the time it takes for a packet of information to go from your computer through the Internet, to another computer, and back again. The longer this takes the more of a disadvantage you will have in that particular game compared to other players with a lower ping. They will see things more quickly than you will so they can react faster.
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What is PL and why do I care about it??
PL stands for Packet Loss. When you connect to a server, your computer sends packets, 10 a sec, 200 bits in size to the server, it in turn reads those packets and sends other packets back to your machine. The packets contain information such as where you are on the map, what you are doing, how many players are in the game, what they are doing etc. Lots of information is zipping all over the place. When packets get dropped, for whatever reason, it is FAR worse than a bag ping, because you or the server lost information about you and what you were doing. For example, let's say you were shooting some guy. Now the moment you fire the weapon that packet gets dropped... Guess what, you saw a projectile come out of your gun and head straight for that other guy, but the server never received the packet containing that info, so he does not get hit..
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The term "Cain's Lair" and all associated
images,
text, and photographs are the property of Cain.
Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
Unauthorized use or duplication is expressly prohibited.