Dedicated server control - xShunter

[xOR]

Just wanted to inform you that I am working on an OpenTTD server controller I call xShunter. While PeterT is already of great help testing it I could use some more testers. I consider it being in early alpha stage, although it's running my 6 servers and those of PeterT just fine so far (also pretty stable).
So if you always wanted to have a server with goal functionality (company value only) and a voting system (restart, kick, ban...) and IRC link this is your chance to get it

You could compare xShunter to autopilot as it's attaching to the server console to control OpenTTD. However, in my opinion the size of autopilot has outgrown what TCL is suitable for, so xShunter is written in C#. I am testing it on Windows (.NET Framework) and Linux (Mono). Using Mono it should also run on a mac but I don't have one to test that.
Anyway, I don't think it makes sense to repeat everything here again that I have already listed elsewhere. Just check the feature list here.
If you have any questions feel free to ask them here.

[XeryusTC]

I've seen the feature list and it seems like it is a very good server control, it might even be better than ap+ especially on competative servers. I've got one remark though: it might not be very wise to have auto restart on server crash. We (as in #openttdcoop) have had that in the past and we had a problem with it once, we had a faulty savegame. It resulted in the server getting stuck in an infinite restart loop, I advice you to have some kind of failsafe for this in your server control.

[Kogut]

@Voting system
It may be wise to add timeout for starting voting (stupid player may start mass voting).

[xOR]

@XeryusTC I already had the exact same problem while testing. so it lead to the server flooding itself out of IRC because of the mass of "restarted" messages. Luckily I am testing this on my own IRC network, but when you are running that on a trusted IP on a bigger network you might get into trouble.
That's what I had added this bug tracker entry for, so I will address that issue.

@Kogut that's already in there. You can only start one vote at a time and after the vote ended there is a "cooldown" time of 120 seconds (by default, but it's configurable) until a new vote can be started.

[petert]

That's what I had added this bug tracker entry for, so I will address that issue.

Perhaps a configuration setting whether to auto-restart if OpenTTD crashes would solve this.

[xOR]

That's what I had added this bug tracker entry for, so I will address that issue.

Perhaps a configuration setting whether to auto-restart if OpenTTD crashes would solve this.

For the people that want to use this feature the problem still has to be solved. And when xShunter acted correctly and didn't start going crazy when starting OpenTTD fails I believe most people would want to use this feature.
Anyway, adding such a configuration setting is a good idea in any case.

[City Builder]

I have registered and posted on your forums the other day to join you to test it out on our windows computers with OpenTTD dedicated servers (latest stable release) if you need assistance in doing so.

[xOR]

...and I have answered you in a PM there the other day

[City Builder]

Thanks, I guess I'm not subscribed to get notifications of new messages and or PM's over there, will try to change that.

Edit: Just checked the PM's at xbase, no PM came through.

[xOR]

Whoops, my bad. I forgot I had changed my mind exactly because of that and sent you an e-mail. To the mail address you registered with on the forums.

[City Builder]

Ok, I'll look for it, since it was my birthday yesterday and over the past xx years I've registered on many many forums, you can imagine when I say that I dumped a whole lot of email straight to my trash box because of the huge amount of "Happy Birthday" emails that are sent out, one from each forum. So I'll look for the message to see if I can find it.

[xOR]

Or you could just come to our IRC channel, find the infos at the bottom of the X-Base main page or at the "Contact" page.

[petert]

I'm running my SimulationNation servers with xShunter. Come join #sn on OFTC (irc.oftc.net) and check them out if you wish.

[Riptokus]

Is there a feature you can add in so that when no people are logged in the server, it pauses and doesn't progress time?
(Edit: Like, so you don't have to edit the .cfg file, for this server management program, to make it easier to change this, not that it is hard to change it, I just like having it all in one.)

[Zuu]

It's available in OpenTTD by default. All you need is to edit your openttd.cfg and set the min player count accordingly. Keep in mind that if you do not use a dedicated server, then your OpenTTD program that works both as a server and a client will count as one player while a dedicated server itself does not adds to the player count.

[petert]

(Edit: Like, so you don't have to edit the .cfg file, for this server management program, to make it easier to change this, not that it is hard to change it, I just like having it all in one.)

What a silly reason to ask for a feature in a program when it's already there. You will have to modify the config file to fit your needs anyway when/if you run a server.

[Riptokus]

I'm sorry, but I fail to see how the request for this feature is silly. Mind breaking it down as to why this particular feature is so outside the scope of the project that it counts as a silly request?

Thanks.

[petert]

I'm sorry, but I fail to see how the request for this feature is silly. Mind breaking it down as to why this particular feature is so outside the scope of the project that it counts as a silly request?

Simply because it's already in the game, just see nnetwork.min_active_clients in config. If you want it to pause the game when nobody is there, set network.min_active_clients = 1.

[Riptokus]

I'm sorry, but I fail to see how the request for this feature is silly. Mind breaking it down as to why this particular feature is so outside the scope of the project that it counts as a silly request?

Simply because it's already in the game, just see nnetwork.min_active_clients in config. If you want it to pause the game when nobody is there, set network.min_active_clients = 1.

I see... actually I don't.

So let's get this strait, you are saying that because I can open up a file in notepad, and change a value in notepad, that it is silly to ask for it in a centralized location that can be executed via in-game commands and monitored to see who makes such changes in the game?

petert, I understand that your time of watching xOR develop this program is precious, therefore I will no longer make you take the three seconds it requires to examine such a "silly request" as well as the 12 seconds to answer something that didn't require a answer on his behalf anymore. Fair enough?

If by some miracle configuration changes are possible in the xShunter program without doing anything else when it gets out of the testing phase I'll sit back and be grateful, but besides that, I think my "silly requests" are done, since I don't like the attitude to requests taken here.

[petert]

So let's get this strait, you are saying that because I can open up a file in notepad, and change a value in notepad, that it is silly to ask for it in a centralized location that can be executed via in-game commands and monitored to see who makes such changes in the game?

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. The command can be executed in game, and nobody other than those with proper privileges should even be allowed to make such changes anyway.