poweruser

Hello everyone Hopefully you all already know what the current situation is: On May 31st Gamespy is shutting down and we will lose the masterserver that serves the server IPs to us. Or by the time you read this (after said date) it is already gone. I haven't seen anyone else who came up with a long term solution in time, so here is my offer: My solution is composed of two programs that will work together: 1. PowerServer (Project at: https://github.com/Poweruser/PowerServer) Download link: Releases Wiki link: The project's wiki (all important information is summarized there) PowerServer is a open source masterserver that I wrote myself from scratch in a little bit over a month. (It's there therefore somewhere between alpha and beta stage. The basics are working, but it is yet far from finished.) It tries to mimic Gamespy's masterserver by implementing their most important protocols (or at least simliar custom ones). So far it only supports OFP:RES/Arma:CWA which is enough for our purpose, but it is possible to expand it for other games, at least I designed it with this in mind. Details for hosters of this master server: We don't need many master servers, two or three should be enough to provide a good coverage. Important: It is highly desirable that we better have a few servers that stay around for a decent amount of time, rather than many that come and go like dayflies. Every time a master server ceases operation, the game server admins, whos servers had reported to it, have to change their configs then. This can be quite annoying and damaging to their player base when the server is not listed in the mean time. Consider this when deciding whether you want to provide this service. If you want to host this service you must fullfill these requirements: - You're somebody credible and known within the remaining online community - The server, you are going to host it on, must have a static IP address (!important!) and a domain registered to it - Provide me your email address, so I can get in contact with you to inform you about updates and/or important changes To get your server added to the system, post your infos here on this topic or send me an email at: poweruser.rs@hotmail.com Details for hosters of the game servers: In your server's config file you'll find a setting called "reportingIP". In this setting you can define the domain of a master server, that your server is sending so-called heartbeats to. The master server uses these heartbeats to enlist new servers, to determine what servers are still online and to detect game status changes. Right now it is probably set to Gamespy's master server address "master.gamespy.com". But as Gamespy's server is going away, that setting needs to be changed, if you want other players to be able to find your server on their own. The following list contains all the available PowerServer master servers that are currently added to the system. I will update this list as new ones are set up or old ones go offline. Which one of these server domain you set in your server's config, doesn't matter as long as that one it is online and providing the said service. Current master servers: (last update: 02.01.2017): master.ofpisnotdead.com ________________ 213.92.133.197 (offline - status unknown) Example config entry: reportingIP="master.ofpisnotdead.com"; When you notice that the one master server that you chose is not available anymore, then switch to another available one. 2. OFPMonitor (Project at: https://github.com/Poweruser/OFPMonitor) Download link: Releases OFPMonitor is a open source client tool for monitoring online servers of OFP:RES and Arma:CWA and controlling various aspects of the game's multiplayer mode. Initially this program was supposed to be my private helper for finding waiting games swiftly, managing modfolders and downloading the current server list from Gamespy. With the growing interest of other players in my tool the project continually shifted towards satisfying the needs of all players, and not just mine. Details for players: Everything should work out automatically for you there, without you having to do anything special. As long as you keep the setting "Update master server list at start" (Settings -> Master servers) enabled, OFPMonitor downloads the current list of available master servers for you and will query these, the next time you get a new server list. Make sure that the setting "Query the community master servers" (Main menu -> Server list) is checked as well.

I've set up a temporary back up, until retro gets around to check what's wrong. Update: Main server is back up. Shutting down the backup

I had edited that part in the first post already, last time. You can also look up the current master server, that is in use, in OFPMonitor. (Settings -> Master server). Or in that certain txt file on github

Corrected I'm using eclipse. Simply export the project as runnable jar there

Done There's the command 'addserver': addserver opflashr <IP:QueryPort> Example: addserver opflashr 50.3.86.141:2303 But loading them from a file, would be more handy, especially on a restart. And: saving the current ones before exit

Hey retro, haven't seen you for a while. Oh, you registered just to post on here. Looks like my Thunderbird broke somehow or MS changed the required server login settings. Strange that it did not complain about that. And I was wondering, why everything was so quiet the whole time. Last email, I had gotten, was from Nov 16th, Sorry. Luckily this account here is registered on a different one. So where to start ... Yes, we do need a new one (at least for the mean time). PFC's website is offline as well, haven't gotten a notice from Rozek First one to report was LP (Dec 23th), meaning it is that way for a week already.

There are a few more servers, that are either still reporting to gamespy or haven't noticed, that the community master server's IP had changed: PioneerNet CTI Server - 109.238.81.81:2302 [GGC] xrofp CTI Server - 176.9.119.55:2405 Gamepower.at Serverhoster - 78.142.142.7:2500 CGS OFP Server - 96.89.191.129:2302 [ALC]ohol Server CZ - 77.93.208.5:2302 (private one though, requires a password) If one you (whoever reads this) is in contact with their admins, maybe let them know.

Updated the master server list, that feeds OFPMonitor. And thank you again for still providing this service for everyone

I got around to fix the failing https connections (http error 403 - Forbidden) in OFPMonitor, which prevented the download of the master server list (and therefor the query of the master server for new installations, as they couldn't get it's IP) and the update information (which breaks the auto-updater). Both files are stored in the wiki repository on GitHub and are still present and accessible there through any other means (with a web browser, a few lines of Java code). My guess is that they did "something" on their webserver(s), which caused it, as it has worked quite some time before that. Well, that is the price I pay for depending on them. I yet have no clue what this change is, or how to adapt my previous implementation (with the Indy 10 library) to it, to make it work again. So I threw the Indy library overboard and started over with the WinINet API. The fixed version is 1.7.4.0 and is available here: https://github.com/Poweruser/OFPMonitor/releases/

Alright, let me install ArmA1 and see what's necessary for it.

That depends on what you specifically want to see getting done through that. Support for dedicated ArmA1 and 2 server and for their clients a working in-game browser?

What is the exact message you get back when you join?

This server requires several things: 1. Game version 1.99 (Arma:Cold War Assault) 2. you have to start your game with the same modfolder as the server: @xrofp Download link (The setting "equal Mods required" is enabled on this server) 3. You need to join in time when everyone is waiting/setting up the teams. During a game this server is usually locked a) to prevent lag, caused by the players that connect during the game b) a few of the crCTI mission scripts do not work correctly anymore when players are in the lobby/not in game (specifically the town group spawn scripts fail then)

Yes it does work with mods (or rather: mod folders), though I am not sure what you specifically mean with "this". The master server application (PowerServer) is merely managing server addresses, it does not care what mods the servers are running. And OFPMonitor let's you create start-up/mod configurations for your selected games (each one got its own) in the lower part of the settings tab "Mod configurations" (Main menu -> Settings -> Mod configurations). These startup configurations are then selectable when starting a local game (Main menu -> Local game), or when joining a server (Right click on a server in the list -> Join)

Edit: It is back online PFC's master server seems to be not reachable at the moment. I've set up temporary master server at poweruser.no-ip.org which you may use to get the ingame serverlist to work again. In OFPMonitor you've got to change a little setting for that:

To the ones suggesting changes, pay attention to the title of this thread: ... basic ... support By throwing in suggestions that go all over the board you just manage to discredit it. Rozek is already correctly suspecting that there won't be coming much, if anything at all. That means: Focus on small, but critical, changes/corrections, which don't require a dev to give up his current occupation in the ArmAverse in order to delve back deep into such an old project @source code

The remaining master server hosted by PFC is currently offline too. I haven't received any notice from Rozek, so I guess this downtime was not planned or could not have been forseen. Edit: Everything's back up

Then check your private messages

The parameters -server and -cfg do not exist for the dedicated server, you can leave them out. But they should not be the problem as the config is loaded. The search goes on then.. In your config check that you have the reportingIP entry only once in there, and that the maxPlayers setting is below 128 (I restricted that setting to 1 - 128 on the master server). Those two were issues for other hosters in the past Apart from that I can only offer you a connectivity test then, to check whether something is failing on the master server, and your server is reachable from the outside. I don't have access to the logs of the current master server, so I'll host one on my connection and you let your server report to it.

Well, no. It did not. By doing 2) you just added your server to your local server list in OFPMonitor, but that does not enlist it on the master server, so that others can see it too. But as you managed to add it locally, you may tell us now if your server has loaded the config file. Just compare the server settings that OFPMonitor reports about it, with the ones in the config file.

Is the config file being loaded? In your batch file you have to use the parameter -config=server.cfg (or whatever your config file is called) in order to let it load the settings from there Check that by 1) searching for LAN games in the ingame browser, and see if the server name has changed to what you have set it, or 2) add it manuall in ofpmonitor (Settings -> Servers -> Add) and enter localhost:2302 - (I assume you run the server on the same computer), and check its settings there)

You also need to forward the ports, that the server is running on. By default those are UDP 2302 and UDP 2303. OFPR_Server.exe is the 1.96 server, if you want to host one for 1.99 that'd be ColdWarAssault_Server.exe

The master server at operationflashpoint.be is currently offline (not just the master server, but the whole host), you may use the other one in the mean time. I don't know what the situation there is, I've sent an email but didn't get a reply yet. Edit: Got a reply. It's planned to continue the service, but may take a little time until the server comes back online

This guy rocks. I owe quite some tribute to him as I'm using some of his GameSpy related work in my two programs here

Maybe, but I won't do it all by myself. I'd prefer a bit of assistance/help there or at least someone providing a full documentation about the used GameSpy protocols. I'm a bit tired of having to analyze network traffic in order to find the details of the protocol that I require. And with the master servers gone, it has become quite difficult as I can't get any example replies from them anymore. Also I don't play enough ArmA1/2, if at all, to be motivated enough for this task. So don't expect me to work towards that, like I did in the last 3 months for OFP.