Considering opening a new server

[CannonFodder]

I've been playing Nexuiz about 3 months now, and I'm really enjoying it. I play under the same name, and I've had a blast, usually playing American or Canadian servers (The euro servers are too laggy for me.) Lots of fun, and lots of great people. If there are cheaters, then they're very polite about it, unlike many non- open source games I've played. The maps rock, the gameplay is fast and fluid, and the graphics par excellence.

Anyway, on to my ideas: I've had access to a server and a goodly amount of bandwidth for some time, and I think I want to run a server. It's a good machine, and based on several factors, I may run multiple virtual servers to handle several game types.

My use of the server is conditional, however. I'm supposed to try to make money with it. After a little thought, I decided I would go with full disclosure and approach this community for input and advice. I aim to not offend anyone with my commercial ambitions, but I'd still like to take a stab at monetizing Nexuiz. Honesty and openness never hurt, right?

So, aside from hosting at least one free Nexuiz server, there's several different things I could do...

1. - Provide private hosting service... basically allow people to purchase their own virtual server with X amount of monthly bandwidth. It would require an online interface to server controls, automatically setting up default Nexuiz installations, and I'd want to code an online Nexuiz control panel. Easy enough to do, I think, because the IRC remote control scripts are easily understandable, at first look.

2. - Design premium content and create a pay-to-play service, based on a subscription model. This would entail hiring a design team or doing it myself and going slow. I'm not a great 3D modeler or level designer, so incentive to pay for play would be weak unless I got a team together.

3. - In game advertising, ambient advertising (whatever website I set up for this will have ads.)

4. - Content Persistence service - A service that tracked your stats, gave you access to custom content and customizable models. An easy to use clan interface and clan forum service, combined with Clan logos on character models, etc.

---Things to remember while reading: Any code I commission or write myself will be released under compatible licensing with Nexuiz. Any content/maps/models/sounds designed for use for free hosting will also be freely available, either under creative commons or GPL. I'm a big believer in open source. ---

I have a bunch of ideas that are mostly offshoots of those 4 in various combinations. I'd like to plan a model that will at the very least pay for itself, and at best, I'd love to start a business that could contribute directly to the development of Nexuiz, and allow me to work in a field that I love. The value added will be in the services based on the game. My goal is to open up a server within the next two months.

So, these are my 4 questions for the community:

What would you pay for, if anything?

Does any of this sound reasonable, or even possible?

Has anyone attempted something like this before?

Are there enough clans to justify a commercial service geared toward them exclusively?

I welcome any and all input, and I want to thank the developers for creating such an awesome game. I hope to come up with a plan that utilizes the best of Open Source, and one that promotes and supports both this community and the Nexuiz software. Heck... at the very least, there will be another server with low latency and decent hardware (it was a streaming media server in a past life.)

-Thanks for reading!

[ai]

Well, I don't know how feasible it is what you're trying to do. First of, I don't believe there are enough clans as of yet to do anything with that, but I'm not sure, I don't have that good of a knowledge of that. But I do know that the official Nexuiz ladder isn't that active but that's almost my only source of information, don't know about clans under the radar.

Secondly, and kind of pay-to-play won't work especially with open source. As that effectively removes the 'open source' concept. A free game but has to pay to play it, not much open source-ish. Even commercial games doesn't use that (well for one cause they already sell their games) but no one would pay more to play them - not talking about single player now.
So this pay-to-play concept would never work.

About the other ideas, I don't know, I'm not even sure what you mean

[CannonFodder]

Secondly, and kind of pay-to-play won't work especially with open source. As that effectively removes the 'open source' concept. A free game but has to pay to play it, not much open source-ish. Even commercial games doesn't use that (well for one cause they already sell their games) but no one would pay more to play them - not talking about single player now.
So this pay-to-play concept would never work.

I'm glad you brought that up.

I would respectfully disagree. It's a common misconception that Open Source means you cannot make money with something. In fact, many people are upset when an Open Source software is monetized. I'd like to provide a service to Nexuiz players, however, and this is what I would charge for. You would never pay to play Nexuiz... That would defeat the purpose and spirit of the open source licensing. Providing support, services, or content for open sourced software are the only ethical and viable means of monetizing Open Sourced software.

Conceivably, however, people could pay to access custom maps and content, access vanity models and textures, and host clan servers. Everything would be easily affordable and well maintained, with support and things like forums, chat, and other standard community oriented utility. And like I said, any software developed in conjunction with this would be released under compatible open source licensing.

My goal is to create a worthwhile service geared to Nexuiz players and clans. I'm supposed to try to make money, but whether I do or not isn't entirely the point.

[Alien]

Yes, you could ask money for the subscriptions, but you must consider attracting new player base (and provide smth different like even better ping times, constant server moderation, contests with prizes, etc...) cause there are lots (I mean lots of servers) which are most often empty. Then it may will work (but you need BIGGER player base). It's up to you how you'll advertise.

Btw, if you release any content as open source, you better release it with GPL compatible license so it could be included into the main source. CC is incompatible.

[TVR]

1. - Provide private hosting service... basically allow people to purchase their own virtual server with X amount of monthly bandwidth. It would require an online interface to server controls, automatically setting up default Nexuiz installations, and I'd want to code an online Nexuiz control panel. Easy enough to do, I think, because the IRC remote control scripts are easily understandable, at first look.

Given the number of Nexuiz servers hosted by commercial server at the present, unless your service or price is exceptional, it is unlikely for any business to divert to your speciality hosting.

2. - Design premium content and create a pay-to-play service, based on a subscription model. This would entail hiring a design team or doing it myself and going slow. I'm not a great 3D modeler or level designer, so incentive to pay for play would be weak unless I got a team together.

Such niche simply does not exist, either one purchases a commercial game, or downloads a FOSS game with no cost expected.

Furthermore, it would require a high initial paying playercount in order to sustain, less the content remain unused due to player nonexistence.

The existing resources also cannot be utilized, as a restrictive content subscription is futile under GNU General Public License Version 2.

3. - In game advertising, ambient advertising (whatever website I set up for this will have ads.)

This game engine is open-source, thus in-game advertisement is easily removed by deletion, either the texture or game code.

Website advertisement is equally futile, given Adblock Plus .7.5.5.

4. - Content Persistence service - A service that tracked your stats, gave you access to custom content and customizable models. An easy to use clan interface and clan forum service, combined with Clan logos on character models, etc.

Not unlike a content subscription, a service subscription would require vast server operator support, which is unlikely as extremely competitive and complete stat tracking interfaces already exist, courtesy to Nil and [-z-].

[halogene]

I wonder how you plan to do that - provide custom maps that are worth paying for. I mean, the maps get loaded onto the client when people are playing on your server, making them reusable and distributable without effort... I don't know how people feel that are active in clans, but I for one wouldn't pay for any of these services. Ok, the hosting service might be interesting, but then again there are many hosting companies already around, so competition is hard.

The idea of in-game advertising seems to me the only one that could actually work - though it would be easy to circumvent due to the game being open source. But I guess that some players wouldn't care about the advertising, others may be too lazy to do something about it and few might just not know how to do something about it. I'd be really surprised, though, if charging money from the players is going to work.

[The mysterious Mr. 4m]

Todays 4tuna cookie says:
"Things that don't seem to make much sense considering the situation can turn into a self-fullfilling prophecy, especially if enough energy to overcome the resistence buffers is put into it."

back on topic:
i believe "Open-Source" needs more character. Some clans may be put off by Nexuiz's "lack of seriousness" (Peoples feelings aren't always backed by empirical facts.), so premium content and services might bring a change. Just don't expect it to take off like a rocket - It may actually require patience and work!

I'm not sure about advertisement, as i'm growing to realize its adverse effects.

[merlijn]

You might get somewhere with hosting game servers, but if you want to make some money I would really suggest betting on more then one horse and offering game servers for a lot of different games.

There is actually lots of nexuiz servers, and it's usually the same ones that get played often. If you decide to open up a server for players to test their pings and see if everything is smooth, and let's say your server does have benefits other servers don't have - what is going to make people purchase their own server and not just play the public one?

The premium content sounds like a decent plan, some servers (like the ToT minsta) have a special nex with their logo. More people might be interested in that sort of thing, I doubt anyone would want custom maps.

As for advertising, that would personally scare me away before even having a look at what you're offering.

[PCLizard]

Ok.....

First off, I don't think the whole "Premium content" thing would fly very far, if at all As previously stated, it would be too easy to upload your "Premium content" to a server for people to download for free. A good idea, but a bad foundation for that idea. The private hosting service sounds like it would do ok, however, it would have to offer something that other server services don't. Even a cheaper price would be something, but the point is: For that to work, your service would have to stand out from the others. On the ads idea, how would that work? Would it only be a bot displaying text ads?

The "Content Persistence service" sounds like a good idea, but I don't think that would get too far. As stated by someone else, the "custom content" could/ probably would be distributed throughout the community.

My answers to your 4 questions:

1. If you had any thing outstanding to offer, then sure. Outstanding as in multiple maps, models, game modes, etc. Even then, I would only pay for the service if there was activity going on.

2. Some of it sounds very possible, while others seem highly improbable.

3. I'm not sure if anyone else has attempted to do what you're talking about. I don't think so.

4. TBH, I really don't think there's that many clans that would even be interested in using such services. There's only a few clans here in the NA scene, that are decently active.

I do like the "statistics idea" though