Questions for NFO community (pre sales)

[smeikle]

I am shopping around for a dedicated server for a gaming community I am putting together. I have been out of the "gameserver" scene for a while now, and getting back into it, I have heard quite a bit about the servers hosted through NFO.

My previous gameservers have been hosted through:

Counter-strike.com
Gameservers
Hostile Contact Game Servers
and a couple others that have seem to have gone out of business as I cannot locate their sites.

With the combination of providers I have gone through, I have had both great and horrid experiences in terms of server use, and therefore, want to make myself fully informed before jumping into renting dedicated servers.

So, now that I have bored you all with that, on to the questions:

How does the service (NFO) rate in comparison to the other companies I listed?

How stable are the servers (may seem like a stupid question, but I have had a server go down almost every hour for a week straight before)?

How easy is it to set up multiple servers using the Windows Managed option? (I know it states that it uses the regular order page to setup the servers, does that mean each server would take about the same amount of time to install as if I were to order them individually?)

Also, I am planning on holding a monthly "raffle" type thing in which the winner will get to have free use of a single "gameserver" hosted on the dedicated machine, is this against the TOU in any way?

Thanks to anyone and everyone that answers these questions, as I stated above, I want to be sure to get all my information together before making a decision as dedicated servers are quite a financial commitment.

[Edge100x]

How does the service (NFO) rate in comparison to the other companies I listed?

I'll leave this one mostly to others, but we do try our absolute best here to have the highest possible level of service

How stable are the servers (may seem like a stupid question, but I have had a server go down almost every hour for a week straight before)?

Our servers are extremely stable. We use top-shelf hardware and InterNAP bandwidth, and the combination results in a very high uptime. I can't remember the last time I saw a dedicated machine crash.

How easy is it to set up multiple servers using the Windows Managed option? (I know it states that it uses the regular order page to setup the servers, does that mean each server would take about the same amount of time to install as if I were to order them individually?)

Server setups are done through the standard order page, which actually makes them pretty darn quick. If you're setting up multiple servers of the same type, you can save time and effort by reusing the same form and just change the identifier at the bottom (it opens a new window whenever you submit, so what you choose isn't lost).

Also, I am planning on holding a monthly "raffle" type thing in which the winner will get to have free use of a single "gameserver" hosted on the dedicated machine, is this against the TOU in any way?

There's nothing against that, nope. You can even resell servers on your managed machine, if you'd like (except for BC2/MoH servers).

Thanks to anyone and everyone that answers these questions, as I stated above, I want to be sure to get all my information together before making a decision as dedicated servers are quite a financial commitment.

If you'd like to get a better feel for how a dedicated server would work without handing over any coin, I'd recommend checking out a 2-core managed VDS via a 2-day free trial: https://www.nfoservers.com/order-virtua ... server.php. A managed VDS has a nearly identical control panel to a managed full machine, and the processes for creating and managing servers are the same.

[smeikle]

I'll leave this one mostly to others, but we do try our absolute best here to have the highest possible level of service

Well damn, passed 11pm and getting a response from staff (and within 30 mins of initial post) is certainly a good start!

Our servers are extremely stable. We use top-shelf hardware and InterNAP bandwidth, and the combination results in a very high uptime. I can't remember the last time I saw a dedicated machine crash.

That is certainly good to hear, and I do have to say that the problematic server issues I experienced have forever turned me away from the "budget" hosting options.

There's nothing against that, nope. You can even resell servers on your managed machine, if you'd like (except for BC2/MoH servers).

Does this mean that I can host BC2 servers on the dedicated machine if they are not resold?
On a related note, what about voice server hosting? Is it possible to do more than the 8 slots that Vent allows for "free" or is that limitation still in effect?


I was planning on hosting a couple Valve type games (L4D, CS:S) and was wondering about the stats options and tracking, is there an option to have those autoinstalled as well?

If you'd like to get a better feel for how a dedicated server would work without handing over any coin, I'd recommend checking out a 2-core managed VDS via a 2-day free trial: https://www.nfoservers.com/order-virtua ... server.php. A managed VDS has a nearly identical control panel to a managed full machine, and the processes for creating and managing servers are the same.

Thank you for that option, I will give that a try in the morning!


Oh, one last question for the night (lol)

For comparisons sake:

a 20 slot CS:S server stock set up runs about $40 on the single order.

The low end dedicated system runs about $180.

My question is this, with those numbers, I can get 4 CS:S (single)servers for $160, how many of those same type servers (stock, 20 slot) could I run on that dedicated machine?




I found a page on the ordering site showing ping tests based on location and I have to say that if those numbers are right, then I can say that the network portion is certainly the best I have seen. Considering I am within a couple hours of San Fransisco, and the ping time to the other coast is only 118ms...that is amazing. (I was getting 120ms+ when pinging a Dallas server while testing other options today)

[Edge100x]

Well damn, passed 11pm and getting a response from staff (and within 30 mins of initial post) is certainly a good start!

Does this mean that I can host BC2 servers on the dedicated machine if they are not resold?

Yes, you can run as many of these on a managed machine as you'd like, as long as you aren't selling them. (Our contract with EA/DICE does not allow for reselling of those server types.)

On a related note, what about voice server hosting? Is it possible to do more than the 8 slots that Vent allows for "free" or is that limitation still in effect?

The managed machines support game servers only at this time -- a Ventrilo server would need to be ordered separately.

I was planning on hosting a couple Valve type games (L4D, CS:S) and was wondering about the stats options and tracking, is there an option to have those autoinstalled as well?

Yes; the Psychostats and HLStatsX options are free for managed game servers, so just check the box to add one of these when you are selecting a server to create.

Oh, one last question for the night (lol)

For comparisons sake:

a 20 slot CS:S server stock set up runs about $40 on the single order.

The low end dedicated system runs about $180.

My question is this, with those numbers, I can get 4 CS:S (single)servers for $160, how many of those same type servers (stock, 20 slot) could I run on that dedicated machine?

I'd say that with full 20-slot CS:S servers, you could run maybe 2 per core fairly comfortably on the X3350 machine, depending on the maps played, FPS selected, and plugins used (for a total of . It's hard to say exactly, though.

I found a page on the ordering site showing ping tests based on location and I have to say that if those numbers are right, then I can say that the network portion is certainly the best I have seen. Considering I am within a couple hours of San Fransisco, and the ping time to the other coast is only 118ms...that is amazing. (I was getting 120ms+ when pinging a Dallas server while testing other options today)

I'm happy to hear that

[smeikle]

I'd say that with full 20-slot CS:S servers, you could run maybe 2 per core fairly comfortably on the X3350 machine, depending on the maps played, FPS selected, and plugins used (for a total of . It's hard to say exactly, though.

So I would be looking at about a 50-100% increase in available server capacity (theoretical) than if purchasing the same amount (dollar wise) in individual servers. That is certainly a huge incentive right there.


I have to say that from a purely customer service POV, NFO wins hands down over the other servers I have contacted. I have yet to receive a single response from any of them (although I submitted emails and/or other types of communications well before even landing on this site, not to mention one other I contacted two days ago).

I am gonna go do some actual testing now (fun part!) and find some CS servers hosted by NFO to get a feel for how they handle.

[Edge100x]

Please let me know how it goes

I also just realized that the forum converted my "8 )" to a -- grr!

[smeikle]

So far, everything has been great. I tested three different CS:S servers found on your server page (different locations/size and capacity) and the ping times as well as overall feel was great, no matter which one I was in.

I also just realized that the forum converted my "8 )" to a -- grr!

Haha, well luckily I am an expert at "smiley" conversion!!

Right now, I do have to say that NFO is looking to be the option I go with, however, I did manage to come across a problem (not on NFO's end though) regarding the latest update to CS, and that is that the update broke a lot of functionality on mods and such.
However, one of the servers I tested was running a WCS mod, and it seemed to be working just fine, so I don't expect it to be a huge issue, just one I will need to investigate a bit more.

Okay...and now I just ran into one more issue, NFO has too many good options to choose from

The issue comes from the suggestion last night to look into the VDS/VPS option for testing, and I came across the option for the four core option which states that it is good for running between 4-12 gameservers. I looked a the price and it is only $139.99 vs the $179.99 of a dedicated machine.

Would it be more feasible to go with the virtual option instead of a dedicated one?



And wow...I just noticed that the reseller option is very cheap here, only $25 (one time fee) to be a reseller for life?!

[Edge100x]

I did manage to come across a problem (not on NFO's end though) regarding the latest update to CS, and that is that the update broke a lot of functionality on mods and such.

Valve keeps releasing new versions of CS:S and these do regularly break 3rd party addons which rely on direct .dll hooking (instead of the official interfaces provided by the SDK). Generally, plugin authors address this by keeping a list of function offsets in a configuration file that they can release separately -- so there's a good chance that you can stay up to date by looking for an updated file after a new update.

The issue comes from the suggestion last night to look into the VDS/VPS option for testing, and I came across the option for the four core option which states that it is good for running between 4-12 gameservers. I looked a the price and it is only $139.99 vs the $179.99 of a dedicated machine.

Would it be more feasible to go with the virtual option instead of a dedicated one?

The full-on dedicated machine should be a bit faster, with a bit more RAM, as well. But, VDSes do offer better flexibility, because the OS can be changed/reinstalled at any time (to switch to/from a managed configuration, for instance) and the machine can easily be upgraded or downgraded. This means that you could start small and work your way up, or work your way down if you are not using as many resources as you thought you'd need.

And wow...I just noticed that the reseller option is very cheap here, only $25 (one time fee) to be a reseller for life?!

Yup, that's true.

[smeikle]

Ran into a small (hopefully) issue when trying to order a virtual server.

Your order was automatically switched from a 3-month to a month-to-month subscription because it exceeded the maximum amount we allow (for anti-fraud purposes). If you have a good payment history with us and need an exception to this, please contact us through email at support@nfoservers.com.

The way I was looking at it, if the server worked out after the two day test run, then I would want to keep it, and the three month block would make sense for me at this time. Is this an option available after the first month perhaps, or is there some other way to get it?

[Edge100x]

We do have that check in there for anti-fraud reasons (we get a ton of fraud attempts). We can override the check for you after your first payment or if you fax/scan+email some additional information -- please hit us up through our support system if you'd like to go that route.

The payment won't occur until after the free trial, so you can also start that now, while the final payment amount is still being figured out.

[smeikle]

That is completely understandable, and I do have a few choice words regarding those types of "people" but they aren't really appropriate for an open forum.

I will go ahead and complete the order and submit a ticket once everything is rolling. Thanks for all the info and help, and I do have to say that if the servers are anywhere near as great as the customer service has been thus far, then I will be in gaming heaven!

[smeikle]

Alright, wanted to say thank you for the great experience!


I am not able to extend passed the trial at this moment as it appears my account (bank) has been compromised. This has nothing to do on NFO's end however, and I am simply postponing until this matter is settled. I do have to say that the servers and customer service here is the best I have seen, and I cannot wait to get my stuff up and running!

[smeikle]

Got the issue with the bank taken care of and came back to subscribe, and have to say I was really, really surprised at how easy it was! Control Panel > Pay now > done!


This is easily the BEST server company I have used by far, great job guys!

[Edge100x]

[rustydusty1717]

Got the issue with the bank taken care of and came back to subscribe, and have to say I was really, really surprised at how easy it was! Control Panel > Pay now > done!


This is easily the BEST server company I have used by far, great job guys!

If I may ask, what did you end up going with? I'm guessing a VPS, but which one did you go with? They are all amazing, just curious how many cores you got, servers you are gonna run, FPS level, OS choice, etc.

Enjoy!