So we may have a problem. Ad revenue has dropped to the point where the payout is only occurring once every other month, meaning ANY amount not met by donations cannot be made up for.
This means that as soon as we stop having 100% of the donations met each month, the site HAS to be taken down or I'll get sent to collections.
I'm trying to figure out a way to move us to shared hosting or a cheap VPS, but I'm not sure if the site will work on those kinds of packages. While we don't have insane amounts of traffic 24/7, some of our scripts are indeed rather intense, which can cause RAM and CPU usage overages. On a dedicated server that just means the site gets slow or the server crashes or whatever.... but on shared hosting it means your account gets suspended and/or you have to pay fees for the overages.
Any suggestions?
My brainstorming was... not very productive:
Idea: Remove certain features that are intense on server resources.
Problem: EVERYTHING is pretty intense. Item making, browsing, forums, the automated cron jobs in particular (which HAVE to run), etc.
Idea: Host from home.
Problem: A million things... connection speeds, security, the fact that everything I do or download would cause the site to come to a crawl, etc.
Idea: Kill the site except for the forums, then move to shared hosting.
Problem: Why even bother? The forums aren't all that active anyways.
Idea: Shut the whole site down.
Problem: ... the site wouldn't exist anymore.
Idea: Continue to beg for donations.
Problem: Not likely to continue. The only reason the donations are met each month right now is because staff members have rotated in paying the entire bill in one go. That can't go on forever, and without it we'd only have like $15 in donations per month.
3
82 replies to this topic
#2
Posted 25 February 2012 - 03:52 PM
I don't have the ability to brainstorm anymore, and any ideas I could think of wouldn't really help or be better than your ideas.
I don't really understand how the inner workings of WoW-V go, but isn't there a way that's out of the box thinking that could minimize server resource usage and have everything still be automated? I can't really explain it. :(
If a home setup isn't gonna work that well, and if I remember correctly, you have horrible internet, couldn't you have some of the members help host, either completely, or through a split clustering system for scripts or something? I'd be willing to help with my home server.
Makes me sad. Really sad, but it's true. WoW is dying, WoW Private Servers are dying, and WoW-V is spiraling downward.
But I come here every day, multiple times, and I even click ads because sometimes I'm interested in server information that I could never afford.
Obviously the last resort, but none of us want you to ruin your life for us, and if you need to shut the website down, it's probably the best idea, if all others fail.
I couldn't donate if I wanted to. I have a bad driving habbit, and am Jobless, and now that gas is literally 5 bucks a gallon, I can't even drive anymore. I'm very thankful to all the staff members, whether they have donated to keep WoW-V alive or not.
Quote
Idea: Remove certain features that are intense on server resources.
Problem: EVERYTHING is pretty intense. Item making, browsing, forums, the automated cron jobs in particular (which HAVE to run), etc.
Problem: EVERYTHING is pretty intense. Item making, browsing, forums, the automated cron jobs in particular (which HAVE to run), etc.
Quote
Idea: Host from home.
Problem: A million things... connection speeds, security, the fact that everything I do or download would cause the site to come to a crawl, etc.
Problem: A million things... connection speeds, security, the fact that everything I do or download would cause the site to come to a crawl, etc.
Quote
Idea: Kill the site except for the forums, then move to shared hosting.
Problem: Why even bother? The forums aren't all that active anyways.
Problem: Why even bother? The forums aren't all that active anyways.
But I come here every day, multiple times, and I even click ads because sometimes I'm interested in server information that I could never afford.
Quote
Idea: Shut the whole site down.
Problem: ... the site wouldn't exist anymore.
Problem: ... the site wouldn't exist anymore.
Quote
Idea: Continue to beg for donations.
Problem: Not likely to continue. The only reason the donations are met each month right now is because staff members have rotated in paying the entire bill in one go. That can't go on forever, and without it we'd only have like $15 in donations per month.
Problem: Not likely to continue. The only reason the donations are met each month right now is because staff members have rotated in paying the entire bill in one go. That can't go on forever, and without it we'd only have like $15 in donations per month.
Look down, look down, you'll always be a slave..
Look down, look down, you're standing in your grave...
Look down, look down, you're standing in your grave...
#3
Posted 25 February 2012 - 04:06 PM
Have you considered taking the site in another direction, which targets another audience than that of WoW?
#4
Posted 25 February 2012 - 04:12 PM
Sick, would you mind sending me a breakdown on total site costs per PM or mail? I'll see what I can help out with, if not everything, I could help out some every month.
If anything, I'd be willing to set up the forum part on a different host and pay for all the forum and hosting expenses personally.
If anything, I'd be willing to set up the forum part on a different host and pay for all the forum and hosting expenses personally.
#5
Posted 25 February 2012 - 04:23 PM
@crow:
- v4 was the solution to optimizing the site. It's as optimized as it's going to get. It IS actually quite optimized for what it does, it's just that for shared hosting you can't run ANYTHING intense.
- Hosting through a home connection of any kind is not a solution, regardless of whether we do it via cluster or not (which wouldn't work anyways, as I'd have to completely redo WoW-V and we don't have that kind of time)
- Oddly enough, WoW-V ISN'T spiraling... it's exactly the same as it has been for the past year+, it's just that nobody clicks ads (and due to the Google ToS I can't ask people to)
@Foereaper:
The cost is just a flat $175 a month for dedicated server hosting. We can't split the forums unfortunately, as they are tied directly to the entire site.
@Angel:
Yeah, but that's a long term solution, not an immediate one. We need to figure something else out very very soon. If we can, then yeah, I'd like to expand WoW-V to other games, etc.
- v4 was the solution to optimizing the site. It's as optimized as it's going to get. It IS actually quite optimized for what it does, it's just that for shared hosting you can't run ANYTHING intense.
- Hosting through a home connection of any kind is not a solution, regardless of whether we do it via cluster or not (which wouldn't work anyways, as I'd have to completely redo WoW-V and we don't have that kind of time)
- Oddly enough, WoW-V ISN'T spiraling... it's exactly the same as it has been for the past year+, it's just that nobody clicks ads (and due to the Google ToS I can't ask people to)
@Foereaper:
The cost is just a flat $175 a month for dedicated server hosting. We can't split the forums unfortunately, as they are tied directly to the entire site.
@Angel:
Yeah, but that's a long term solution, not an immediate one. We need to figure something else out very very soon. If we can, then yeah, I'd like to expand WoW-V to other games, etc.
#6
Posted 25 February 2012 - 04:29 PM
Well, that's kinda outta my price range... I could spit in about 30$ every month though.. Too bad the forums and site can't be split up, I'd be able to keep the forums itself up easily..
There, least I helped out a bit for this month :)
There, least I helped out a bit for this month :)
#7
Posted 25 February 2012 - 04:45 PM
The current, best way to help is just through donations (at any amount). If we can keep the donations at 100% consistently, there isn't as much of a rush to figure out a solution.
It's when the donations aren't met that we have problems.
This month will be fine as the bill is already met, so we'll just have to see what next month is like (and the month after, etc).
I still want to figure out a cheaper solution though, as it seems kinda silly that we're on a dedicated server. Vamp and I are trying to figure out what kind of specs we'd need. A VPS might work, but downgrading to the point where we can actually afford it makes the specs insanely lower and I'm not sure how the site would perform.
It's when the donations aren't met that we have problems.
This month will be fine as the bill is already met, so we'll just have to see what next month is like (and the month after, etc).
I still want to figure out a cheaper solution though, as it seems kinda silly that we're on a dedicated server. Vamp and I are trying to figure out what kind of specs we'd need. A VPS might work, but downgrading to the point where we can actually afford it makes the specs insanely lower and I'm not sure how the site would perform.
#8
Posted 25 February 2012 - 05:00 PM
As I had said previously, the big issue is that interest in WoW is waning heavily across the board, they've lost in the millions of subscribers, and the game is on its way out right now.
Is it even worth it to keep the site up? I understand the work and such you've put into it, but at the same time how many people are really using the tools to their capacity? How many people are just on here making random crap with no purpose.
A shorter term solution would be feasible, but this also needs to be approached in the long term as well. If WoW-V is survive without the WoW, what's next?
Is it even worth it to keep the site up? I understand the work and such you've put into it, but at the same time how many people are really using the tools to their capacity? How many people are just on here making random crap with no purpose.
A shorter term solution would be feasible, but this also needs to be approached in the long term as well. If WoW-V is survive without the WoW, what's next?
#9
Posted 25 February 2012 - 05:24 PM
If nobody is using the tools I have no problem just turning the site into a community site for those of us that want to stick together for gaming or just general forum jabbering (which can definitely be done on shared hosting).
#10
Posted 25 February 2012 - 05:39 PM
Quote
If nobody is using the tools I have no problem just turning the site into a community site for those of us that want to stick together for gaming or just general forum jabbering (which can definitely be done on shared hosting).
That'd be sweet to be honest. Turn wow-v into a gamer's lounge in a way.
That one guy.
#11
Posted 25 February 2012 - 05:43 PM
Quote
That'd be sweet to be honest. Turn wow-v into a gamer's lounge in a way.
Agreed. If anything, someone could make a Java version of the item creator, should be a lot more efficient than the php or whatever language the creator is written in.
#12
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Posted 25 February 2012 - 05:48 PM
Just my 2c - I only really use the forums, to me this site is just a forum with a load of fancy buttons that I never click. |:
Elaboration: Create creator, keep MySQL database & a Java server on a dedi, make the two communicate, ???, profit. The webserver doesn't have to handle the item creation, and the java server can do it relatively easily and faster (benchmarks show that PHP is around the order of ~65x slower than Java).
Quote
If anything, someone could make a Java version of the item creator, should be a lot more efficient than the php or whatever language the creator is written in.
#13
Posted 25 February 2012 - 05:57 PM
How long would it take to reach a broader audience SickBoy?
Site modifications, and stuff...
I mean ditching the Item Making part of the site, and turn it into a community website instead could open up for new oppertunities.
Vendetta Servers for different popular games or whatever.
Like TF2 and shiz.
Communities within the community, like for SWTOR, the upcoming GW2 and so on. There are a lot of options if we go that direction. Honestly the Emulation scene is bleeding and dieing, just like wow slowly is any way.
Site modifications, and stuff...
I mean ditching the Item Making part of the site, and turn it into a community website instead could open up for new oppertunities.
Vendetta Servers for different popular games or whatever.
Like TF2 and shiz.
Communities within the community, like for SWTOR, the upcoming GW2 and so on. There are a lot of options if we go that direction. Honestly the Emulation scene is bleeding and dieing, just like wow slowly is any way.
#14
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Posted 25 February 2012 - 05:58 PM
Quote
How long would it take to reach a broader audience SickBoy?
Site modifications, and stuff...
I mean ditching the Item Making part of the site, and turn it into a community website instead could open up for new oppertunities.
Vendetta Servers for different popular games or whatever.
Like TF2 and shiz.
Communities within the community, like for SWTOR, the upcoming GW2 and so on. There are a lot of options if we go that direction. Honestly the Emulation scene is bleeding and dieing, just like wow slowly is any way.
Site modifications, and stuff...
I mean ditching the Item Making part of the site, and turn it into a community website instead could open up for new oppertunities.
Vendetta Servers for different popular games or whatever.
Like TF2 and shiz.
Communities within the community, like for SWTOR, the upcoming GW2 and so on. There are a lot of options if we go that direction. Honestly the Emulation scene is bleeding and dieing, just like wow slowly is any way.
#15
Posted 25 February 2012 - 06:35 PM
@angel: Just making a forum for any number of games takes only a few minutes to put up. If you want an ACTUAL site with different features for different games, that's something entirely different (and happens to be what I'm talking about).
Also, do you guys even understand the difference between java and php? They aren't even remotely in the same realm. If you want to make a game or desktop app, go with java. If you want a WEBSITE, you do it in php (among other things like html, javascript, css, xml, etc). WoW-V is a website, not an in-browser game. Java would never work for us (and isn't intended to) unless I wanted to make a desktop app... and I don't. That was the whole point behind WoW-V: to be a web resource. I also don't code in java (nor do I have any desire to).
And having multiple servers? I don't think some of you are understanding the problem here... we need LESS, not more. A dedicated server costs the same regardless of what you're using it for. We are on the cheapest possible plan.
Also, do you guys even understand the difference between java and php? They aren't even remotely in the same realm. If you want to make a game or desktop app, go with java. If you want a WEBSITE, you do it in php (among other things like html, javascript, css, xml, etc). WoW-V is a website, not an in-browser game. Java would never work for us (and isn't intended to) unless I wanted to make a desktop app... and I don't. That was the whole point behind WoW-V: to be a web resource. I also don't code in java (nor do I have any desire to).
And having multiple servers? I don't think some of you are understanding the problem here... we need LESS, not more. A dedicated server costs the same regardless of what you're using it for. We are on the cheapest possible plan.
#16
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Posted 25 February 2012 - 06:42 PM
Quote
Also, do you guys even understand the difference between java and php? They aren't even remotely in the same realm. If you want to make a game or desktop app, go with java. If you want a WEBSITE, you do it in php (among other things like html, javascript, css, xml, etc). WoW-V is a website, not an in-browser game. Java would never work for us (and isn't intended to) unless I wanted to make a desktop app... and I don't. That was the whole point behind WoW-V: to be a web resource. I also don't code in java (nor do I have any desire to).
Edit: In no way was I expecting you to do the coding either, I am proficient in Java, as are other members of the forum. :)
#17
Posted 25 February 2012 - 06:57 PM
I have no interest in being part of desktop tools in any respect. WoW-V was always meant to be a web tool, not a desktop app or hybrid (where an app interacts with a website). You guys can make what you want, but if the WoW-V tools were removed they wouldn't be replaced with anything officially... they'd just be gone.
#18
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Posted 25 February 2012 - 06:59 PM
Quote
I have no interest in being part of desktop tools in any respect. WoW-V was always meant to be a web tool, not a desktop app or hybrid (where an app interacts with a website). You guys can make what you want, but if the WoW-V tools were removed they wouldn't be replaced with anything officially... they'd just be gone.
#19
Posted 25 February 2012 - 07:14 PM
What I meant by multiple servers, was if the community grew, and attracted different crowds, so we prospered further, it would be cool.
But what kind of features were you thinking of, if different games were introduced? Because I was not implying different functionality for different games on the site.
But what kind of features were you thinking of, if different games were introduced? Because I was not implying different functionality for different games on the site.
#20
Posted 25 February 2012 - 08:34 PM
Yeah, as far as im concerned, there's no real "Gamer Lounge" Sure, you got sites like reddit and so on, but most of them focus on something else than games, like pictures of cats or a very tunneled down vision on gaming.
I mean, it would be pretty damn awesome if we could have a section for nostalgia games, BioWare games and so on. Even a small "internet lounge" where the boards could be more.. internetified, Anime/Manga & Ponies would be a perfect example of this.
*burns with passion*
I mean, it would be pretty damn awesome if we could have a section for nostalgia games, BioWare games and so on. Even a small "internet lounge" where the boards could be more.. internetified, Anime/Manga & Ponies would be a perfect example of this.
*burns with passion*
That one guy.
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