Where's our pub server?

OUCH! Well, you might also want to check out GriffinRun. 12-player pub hosting for $90/month with only a $25 setup fee... Cheaper than what the other post lists.

EDIT:

Found a better offer than that... Clanservers.com offers a 12-player pub for $24 per month! That's almost as cheap as your webspace, you should have no problems affording that. :cool:
 
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James said:
OUCH! Well, you might also want to check out GriffinRun. 12-player pub hosting for $90/month with only a $25 setup fee... Cheaper than what the other post lists.
The $119 per month to 1and1 is for a dedicated box. This means that we install and run whatever we please (within reason, of course) on the box. It also means that we can run multiple servers (Counter-Strike, CS: Source, UT2004) on the same box.

Found a better offer than that... Clanservers.com offers a 12-player pub for $24 per month! That's almost as cheap as your webspace, you should have no problems affording that.
A 12-player Onslaught pub wouldn't draw much attention. If we were to load up a UTComp TDM or TAM server, though, that could work nicely.

It's something to consider, but I'd still like to get a dedicated box back online before we start soliciting donations for individual game servers.
 
GriffinRun is the Cadillac of servers. I ping as good to their Chicago servers as I ping to a normal Dallas one, and I'm in OK. LOB's private clan server is a GriffinRun.
 
I have a feeling tek is going to start to feel like he is beating a dead horse if he keeps replying. Bottom line, the lack of financial support by our members has sent a clear picture that they do not want ToJ to have a server. Which boggles my mind as we are a Christian gaming community and what better way do we have to witness and get people in our doors but through a server and even have fun doing it. Absolutely boggles my mind. Along the lines of church members agreeing "we want to reach people for Christ" but unwilling to tithe or give of their time to the Church to support events and missions. Mind boggling.
 
Why not start small with one of the plans mentioned and build-up to a dedicated box when the funds are available, instead of sitting and waiting for a huge influx of cash that may not come for quite a while?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I just want to explore all available courses of action.
 
You said that for the same money you could get a dedicated box, but I listed a shared one for $25/month. If you can get a dedicated box for that same amount then by all means go for it. :)

However, instead of hosting multiple games on one dedicated box, you could rent several shared boxes each for one game; the Clanservers site I linked above offers many games including HL/CS, Quake and UT. If you rent all three that's still only $75~ per month... Less than the cheapest dedicated box I could find.

Has this been seriously considered? Because I can't think of a downside to this plan... I know you mentioned that attempts have "blew up" in the past, can you elaborate?

The reason I am pushing for this is because as Plankeye mentioned, I think it would be better to get some servers up now -- even if they are shared -- and have our name out there both for fun and as a witnessing tool, than to wait for the top of the line l33t dedicated box and miss all the opportunities right now. As I mentioned at the start of this thread, I had an opportunity to plug our pub server on the Atari forums, but couldn't do it because we didn't have one. :(
 
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I'd like to settle a few points and prevent a flame war.

While the community has not donated sufficient funds to bring our servers back online, it should be noted that several individuals have contributed funds and their help is much appreciated. I also recognize that others may not have the finances available. Keep in mind that Paypal does not allow minors (18 and under) to open accounts; currently, we only accept donations via Paypal. Also consider that many of our older members play MMO games, pay monthly subscription fees, and do not play games for which Tribe of Judah will host servers.

In short, it's a complicated matter. I, too, am frustrated that we have yet to raise sufficient funds to bring our servers back online. It may be that members do not understand our purpose for hosting game servers and for that I am largely responsible. I plan to make a post explaining that I want to host these servers to create opportunities to minister to others and glorify God. If the community does not respond after that, then I can do little else. We may yet find businesses willing to pay for advertising on our game servers. Barring that possibility, members will only have a dedicated server if members are willing to donate funds.

This is not a matter of just having a fun place to play; rather, it is a matter of creating an environment in which God is glorified and people, both Christians and non-Christians, are welcome and blessed.

Again, I understand the frustration regarding this matter. I have had to check myself on this matter several times. I ask that everyone remember that the purpose of these servers is to glorify God. If we assume members' intentions and debate the matter in anger, we undermine the purpose and vision of Tribe of Judah.

I hold a strong preference for funneling all donations to a dedicated server so that we may deliver the most "bang for the buck" to our members and visitors. Paying $119 for three, four, or even five game servers is, in my limited understanding of game server rentals, quite a good deal.

That being said, I would not refuse to consider an individual game server. Just understand that the chances of my approving the allocation of funds would be very slim, except in situations where a single member would personally fund and oversee the server (as is the case with our current Counter-Strike server). Even approval for a server funded by a single member is not guaranteed, though.
 
While it's true that is always a possibility, it has not been my experience when playing on shared servers. However it seems the decision has already been made, and that's fine. I was just trying to provide a less expensive alternative seeing as how there is a shortage of funds, and game servers are a perfect ministry tool for us.
 
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