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absolution
rank 1
Posted:
Wed Apr 29, 2015 4:12 pm
quote : #1
profile : pm
Posts: 2
Like the title suggests, work on this server began in 2014 by a few individuals - and myself in some small role - to recreate and emulate a working TMBO Server. Our efforts are not completely finished but so far we do have a working server that is currently in Beta phase. Good news is that it is open to the public for playing. No cheat devices necessary and no LAN tunneling - all done through DNS redirection Smile

There are a few bugs here and there, but slowly and surely we are working to correct them.

The game is sparsly populated at this time, and tmalliance.com is often used to plan games, so hopping over there and saying hello would help. Wednesday and saturday evenings are generally when a small group play Team Last Man Standing games. And every so often I host Relic FFA games with Carnage damage scoring Smile

A few guides:

Revival of TMBO
General TMBO/Server FAQ
TMBO Server Setup Guide

Youtube videos:
Server Announcement
TMBO Bible - Leet Combos/Strats/Depth video
 
lordnikon
rank 59
Posted:
Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:21 pm
quote : #2
profile : pm
Posts: 2839
Type: NTSC-U/C
Hey absolution, welcome to the site. Cool

I have read about the TMBO server at TMAlliance and have seen (and also archived) many of the videos about the server restoration. Including some recent gameplay videos. Its great to see that you guys have a server setup and running. Smile We fully understand if the master list isn't that populated. Interestingly enough, we have been scheduling matches in online games like that here for years. Its the only way to get games going when there are few people online. You have to rally up some players on the board and meet up to play. If you put in the effort though it eventually pays off.

Are there any plans to release the server software to all fans of TMBO, so anyone can run the server on their own?

It would be great if the software was released and made available so the users are not in the same position that we were in when Sony ran the servers.
  _________________
The most effective, in this war?
The Bydo have it... and they control it.
absolution
rank 1
Posted:
Fri May 01, 2015 9:37 am
quote : #3
profile : pm
Posts: 2
Thank-you lordnikon,

Oh awesome I'm happy to know you are aware and like our videos! Yes we are enthusiastic and even though the game is over a decade old we are pretty loyal and even though we can never recover the sort of population numbers of the past, just seeing a live server is well worth it for us. Yes the effort pays off.

As far as future server plans go I cannot say for certain. I know that is a decision that our two lead devs have not fully decided yet and it would be another year or two before that would happen. I am more of a project supervisor/coordinator/tester and not so much management of the server or coding itself. Ideally I think we would want to see how our server does and try to get some key features in place with website/game intertwined functionality (in beta at moment) to make it the best experience possible. Sorry for unsure answer but that is an unknown at this time.

And it is nice to read about so many other games with server revival projects going on, I have helped with another PS2 project for the past couple years Smile
 
lordnikon
rank 59
Posted:
Fri May 01, 2015 1:12 pm
quote : #4
profile : pm
Posts: 2839
Type: NTSC-U/C
absolution wrote:
...And it is nice to read about so many other games with server revival projects going on...

Not really. The server binaries aren't being released for any of them. Its hard to feel excited about being in the same position as before, where a game's services are vulnurable to termination... again.

The situation is a bit of a paradox really. Members of the community code a server to repair what the Corporate Company (in this case Sony) broke, and yet they end up replicating the very same recipe for dissapointment that existed when Sony ran the servers. TMBO's server tech was indeed revived by TMA, but its on life support. In order for it to be truly alive forever, the server tech needs to be made public.

Hopefully the leads on that project will release what they have in the near future. Typically our standard here is, when we code something, as soon as proper network play is possible over the Internet, we release the server to the public.
  _________________
The most effective, in this war?
The Bydo have it... and they control it.
lordnikon
rank 59
Posted:
Fri May 01, 2015 10:37 pm
quote : #5
profile : pm
Posts: 2839
Type: NTSC-U/C
As a quick followup, OC has been around since 2003 and we have been doing our best to preserve the online experience for users ever since, especially over on the Dreamcast area where year after year we have been making incremental progress in rebuilding the Dreamcast's online infrastructure.

I myself am also an archivist, and am involved in many video game preservation projects.

Maybe talk with the lead developers and pass along some of the points I have outlined above. Hopefully in time they will see the benefits and need for the server tech to be in the hands of the greater community so TMBO's future is secured and players can invest time into the game without fear that the services will go away.
  _________________
The most effective, in this war?
The Bydo have it... and they control it.
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