Luthier,
I understand you saying the dedicated server was shipped with the game, but it's function doesn't really work like a dedicated server.
Let me explain: The dedicated server for IL2COD, brings up a DOS looking box/console that gives off the appearance of a dedicated server, and it very well may act like one too, but here's the major fault: The dedicated server connects like a client.
What I mean is, you load up a dedicated server for virtually every single other steam game out there, and steam is not required to run it. It is it's own standalone dedicated server that streams data through steam for showing on steam's master browser / for anti-cheat etc. I guess what I'm getting at is: If globally, steam goes down for maintenance, so does the server for IL2COD. This does not happen in CSS, TF2, COD4, CS 1.6, etc.,etc., etc.. The server always remains up. It may not appear up on steam's list, but steam doesn't effect it's ability to remain running, just it's ability to show up.
Now, if this was the only concern with connecting like a client to run a dedicated server, I could probably live with that. We've had to code various things to keep the server up and running when steam fails because of it - which is annoying, but it does work. But the main thing without having a real standalone server like the other steam games is made the ability to host multiple servers from the same machine, virtually impossible. I understand Repka has re-imaged their operating system (made virtual machines inside their normal machine) for each and every single instance of the server they want to run. Basically, this is ludicrous. I should be able, just like all other steam servers (such as the examples listed above) install as many and run as many dedicated servers that I please. Having the dedicated server act as a client is just flat out wrong.
Can you please tell me you are getting rid of that system and going to a system like other steam games, where you don't even need the steam service running to run a server. We have one hell of a dedicated machine, and it's sad we can't run more than 1 instance of the game (as a server on it) because of servers acting/connecting like clients.
Can you shed any light on this?
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