10 years later... it's time for a change. There have been hundreds of servers in that time and almost all of their owners were very happy with the service. However, over that time things have changed, I have less time to dedicate to some aspects of this service and the needs of the market have changed.
You may think that this hosting service is being run as a "business", when in fact it runs like a non-profit. This service always aimed to take a regular experience of having dedicated resources and elevate it with fully configured environment suited for OTS. No mainstream provider has ever offered such a service and it's not not surprising, this is a niche application and requires a very specific knowledge. The price point has always been balanced to offset the cost of the underlying infrastructure. You may have noticed that all the tools necessary to set up a server like that has been released open-source, for free, for many years. If you are willing to spend a few moments, you can get very far not even knowing Linux.
This hosting service always attracted a loot of people unfamiliar with Linux or used to running an exe from 10 years ago, who now want to run it "seriously". There's nothing wrong with that - that's what this service is for, because it made it possible to run Windows-compiled exes on Linux for years now (most of them work, not all). The problem of this service, however, is its sustainability. You probably realized that for a price of cheap VPS server, you are getting (here) dedicated resources, tweaked and pre-configured server, DDoS protection and unlimited support for server issues and questions. Yes, that was unlimited support for possibly as low as $25 a month. Essentially, the support is free, because the infrastructure costs money. Why? Because this service was always aimed at helping people run servers without many newbie pitfalls for the lowest price possible.
Unfortunately, the times when I can dedicate enough time to deliver all that help and support, for free, are gone. Furthermore, there have been instances where individual users would consume hours of my time only to later proceed with a PayPal chargeback. Or users who complain that they don't have enough money to pay for another month of server costs (45 EUR) because... wait for it... they paid over 600 EUR for advertisements on some popular otserv list and didn't make enough cash!
What changes?
I have, for many years, offered this hosting service entirely for FREE if you were running a non-profit server. The minimum requirements were to have a number of players online already, which was a requirement many couldn't meet. But many have, and there are still servers running with the free non-profit server. This time, I am going to try something new. I will be offering this service entirely for free, but without personal support. There will be certain conditions, of course but they are meant to be a formality. This service has always been a non-profit one, and I can as well provide it for free. Furthermore, I will no longer require that your server doesn't accept donations.
Yes, the service is going to be FREE.
Here are initial and ongoing requirements to be able to use this service entirely for FREE from now on:
There may be additional conditions added later on and obviously, you are not guaranteed to receive a server, depending on availability.
- You must be a member of Otland with no active criminal record (warnings), clean history and good character (assessed individually)
- Your server must not be dormant for prolonged periods of time (servers with no players for several days straight or not OTS running will be terminated without warning to make room for others)
- You must use the service only to host an OTS
- You can accept donations but your server must not be run purely for profit (i.e. if you're raking in the millions, don't expect a server for free)
What about the paid service?
You can still purchase this service for money to help cover the costs of running the infrastructure to provide free servers to others. By doing so, you are able to keep your server without the conditions listed above (i.e. your server does not need to be running or active at all times and you can run it for-profit). Keep in mind, that I will not be providing the unlimited level of support directly. There is, however, extensive documentation available (always has been).
In addition, to make it more fun, I will be accepting Tibia Coins as a payment!
How do I set up a server now with no support?!?!?!?
Fundamentally, it is unlikely that I was providing the kind of help you won't find anywhere else. There are many knowledgeable members in our community who help entirely for free, and help a lot! You simply will have to channel your questions into the Support Board. It may take longer but you will learn more.
TL;DR;
I will be posting instructions on how to get a free server soon. It will be a semi-manual process to limit potential abuse.
- There is no direct support provided by me anymore, even if you pay for this service.
- Free servers are now offered to everyone, without the need to have a currently active project before qualifying.
- You are still welcome to pay for this service to help run it in a non-profit way and are expected to contribute (by paying) if you run strictly for-profit server.
Just log in to the control panel (link in first post) and PM me your email address, so I know who to set up the server for.I would like to acquire one aswell in Canada if its available for the same reason (testing purposes), i'll probably move to your host services in case i get convinced
Me and My friends would like to make a (firstly) Private OT, but then later make it public when everything runs smooth and looks perfect!2020 ULTIMATE OTS Hosting Service - FULL DDoS Protection
NORTH AMERICA & EUROPE
I am offering an OTS-tuned hosting service. It's like getting a dedicated server, but completely ready to host OTS! Now available in Europe and NORTH AMERICA. You can choose the location when you launch your server.
The service has been provided since 2011 and there were hundreds of satisfied users who purchased over 700 servers so far.
Now you can run your Windows .exe on our Linux server!
Testimonials:
Hardware:
Software:
- 1 dedicated IP address
- Intel-based 4 cores @3.4 GHz
- Choose between 4 - 32 GB of guaranteed RAM memory
- 5 GB disk space for OTS
- Unlimited bandwidth, server connected with a 1 gbps NIC
- Advanced network-level DDoS protection:
- we have advanced, automatic malicious flood traffic removal
- handles DDoS attacks over 160 Gbps
- You can only obtain this level of protection using a global, data-center-grade network equipment. It's not possible to protect your home PC like that.
- Only Solid State Drives to dramatically increase you MySQL server performance
- Based on Ubuntu 20.04
- Fully configured and secured Ubuntu Linux operating system according to our perfect configuration recipe.
You do not need any Linux skills, you can learn how to use it in 15 minutes!- Pre-compiled forgottenserver 1.X (master) in /home/otsmanager/forgottenserver.
If you want to compile old 0.3/0.4 versions, all packages and dependencies are already installed, you just need to follow attached instructions. Old 0.3/0.4 releases form private SVN are available here.- Auto restarted to automatically recover from crashes and easily start/stop the server using systemd
- Fully configured nginx web server with PHP 7.X (based on PHP-FPM), serving files from /home/otsmanager/www/public_html
- MySQL Server (MariaDB 10) with root access, phpMyAdmin interface and daily backups in /var/lib/automysqlbackup
- All services configured for performance and DDoS mitigation
- Full root access
Support:
Price & Payment
- Documentation available as wiki
Unlimited priority support for starting up the server and website, provided in English and Polish.
Update: direct support is no longer included. Use community support on the forums.- Community support is provided at Spigu.net Support Board
Update: Servers available entirely for free.
Free Server Paid ServerRAM 4 GB 4 - 32 GBYour server must not be dormant Yes NoYou can accept donations Yes YesYou can run server for-profit No YesLocation First available Europe (France) or North America (Canada)Payment method N/A PayPal or Tibia CoinsPrice for 4 GB for 30 days Free 200 PLN / 1500 Tibia CoinsHow to launch? Respond in this thread to ask for oneGeneral guidelines for choosing amounts of RAM:
- PayPal or Tibia Coins both accepted
- The price of the service is determined by the amount of RAM you need
- The price formula is: 50 PLN (~10 EUR) / 1 GB RAM / month
- Minimum RAM is 4 GB, maximum is 32 GB
- It is possible to upgrade and downgrade memory anytime by paying just the difference in price.
Remember that the amount of RAM helps to increase MySQL speed and reduce lags if you have heavy MySQL operations in frequent globalactions or creaturescripts.
- real map (100+ MB map): 5-8 GB RAM depending on number of players and MySQL optimization used
- medium maps (30-100 MB): 3-5 GB RAM depending on number of players
- small maps (<30 MB): 2-3 GB of RAM depending on number of players
If you have improperly configured scripts or looped functions, the additional memory may not help you.
If your TFS always uses more than 50% of a core, there is something wrong with your scripts.
How to start?
Payments are handled automatically and you will receive your server within 10 minutes!
- Go to our control panel at Spigu Cloud
- Log in with PayPal (it's safe and works just like Login with Facebook). Login with PayPal means you don't have to remember another password. You are not giving us your PayPal password, you only enter it on official PayPal website!
- Go to OTS Hosting -> Launch New OTS Hosting Service (Spigu Cloud)
- Choose location, operating system and amount of RAM
- On the last step you will be shown the total cost for a chosen term (
1 day, 14 days or30 days)- Before you can finish your order, you need to add funds to your account (Spigu Cloud)
If you want to renew your service, make sure that "Autorenew" option is turned on and that you have enough points on your account for the next term. Your service will be renewed automatically right when it expires. This way you don't have to spend the funds until the last minute and you can use them later for any service provided by us.
If you don't renew your service before it expires, all data will be permanently deleted. It's important that you add funds to your account for renewal in time.
How to use ?
When your server is installed, you will see a page with all the details how to use the server.
You will use PuTTY (SSH client) to manage your server and WinSCP (SFTP client) to upload files.
Further instructions are provided once you log in with PuTTY.
Disclaimer
Remember ! We never use your files or data pack, it belongs to you.
We DO NOT take any money you make with it. All donations belong to you.
Your files are kept PRIVATE and will not be used or shared with anyone.
FREE OTS Hosting Service
We have decided to provide our service completely for FREE for promisingNON-PROFITOTS projects!
Update: as explained here, this service is now available for free to almost anyone. The main requirement is that you are not blatantly for-profit.
To qualify for free hosting, you need to:
I will only choose applicants that provide sufficient proof of work and commitment.
have an established server (can be hosted at home) with at least 25 players onlineperform regular updateshave absolutely no donations/payments on the server (SMS shops, etc.)not have a download & run server- contact me through PM with details
You can start accepting donations/payments at any time by paying regular price for the server.
Already gave 4 servers away this week, but I still have more!Me and My friends would like to make a (firstly) Private OT, but then later make it public when everything runs smooth and looks perfect!
Would love to hear from you! <3
Alright, glad to here! My OWN account is currently restricted, I will use a friends one for later payments etc.Already gave 4 servers away this week, but I still have more!
Just log in at the website linked in first post and PM me your paypal email address you used to log in.
The control panel uses Login with PayPal feature, it's the only way to log in - that's why.But why you need that NOW? Im just curious
Gotcha. With my account being blocked ( didnt payed my finace plan/but payed it, still my account got blocked.. dont ask me lol) theres no possibility to make use of the free service EXCEPT i get my friends paypal? (thats not a problem at all, just asking) Also when using your services, finalize early no problem tooThe control panel uses Login with PayPal feature, it's the only way to log in - that's why.
Okey since no reply. I will come back to you when I have a PayPal Account avaible. Thanks! Have a good day.The control panel uses Login with PayPal feature, it's the only way to log in - that's why.
Yes, free hosting service is available. You have to login with a PayPal account though first and then PM me the email you used to log in (link in main post).Hello @Don Daniello I would like to know if your free vps is still available to host my server. And if so, it could be Canada (if available) where I'm testing.
I am looking forward to your response
You can reach out via PM but remember I don't provide any support.Hi! i'd like to test this free service! can we talk?
If the server has real players and therefore isn't dormant, it's eligible for free service indefinitely. Naturally, as a free service, I can terminate it at any time, so it likely won't be forever.Quick question
if someone has always like 20 players online, do I will keep then always the free service?
Or how does your system work?
AngeLOT
You can reach out via PM but remember I don't provide any support.
If the server has real players and therefore isn't dormant, it's eligible for free service indefinitely. Naturally, as a free service, I can terminate it at any time, so it likely won't be forever.
Yes, you can keep it. There are some servers hosted for free continuously for over a year now.Yes no question but what I mean:
If I do have stable player base
do I keep stay on your free service or would I get kicked anyway after a time
Yes, you can keep it. There are some servers hosted for free continuously for over a year now.