First off i would like to welcome you all to the first instalment of our “Home brew” series. This will be a series of articles focusing on hosting, development, programming/scripting and much more all done on windows machine. These articles are written by Blade and Silurian. We will try keep things simple and explain as much as we can. If you get stuck you are more than welcome to contact us on the FRAG IRC channel and/or pm us on the forums. Hope you enjoy our contributions. Have fun.

Right, so once you have downloaded UnrealIRCd, it’s time to install. To install its the usual next, next, finish setup. Here you can decide if you want to install UnrealIRCd as a service and you can change where to install it to. So now you have an IRC server installed on your PC or Virtual Machine where ever. Don’t jump ahead and install services because we’ll cover that in part 2.

To edit the configuration of your server you must create a file named “unrealircd.conf” in the root directory (“C:\Program Files\Unreal3.2\” by default).
Now for the the nitty gritty part. I will be giving a break down of all the “blocks” (as they are called) in the config explaining what they do what you can change and what you should leave as is. At the end i will give you all a link to a tried and tested config which you can download and edit to your hearts content.

Note: We will use pastebin to give you a example config that you can edit to your setting
The first two lines of your config are as follows

loadmodule “modules/commands.dll”;
loadmodule “modules/cloak.dll”;

These two lines are important and are dependent on which OS you are using, since we are using windows we have to utilise the above line as windows uses .dll files not .so files like Linux. So as long as you are running your server on a windows PC the first two lines of your configuration will always remain the same (good to know hey).
Next we will be initialising a few other Config files that will be used with your server and be called up on with different commands
include “help.conf”;

include “aliases/anope.conf”;
include “badwords.channel.conf”;
include “badwords.message.conf”;
include “badwords.quit.conf”;
include “spamfilter.conf”;

lets take a look at the include “help.conf”; this line tell the server to also look at the help configuration file which thanks to the unreal developers is already set up this config file will be used when people type the /help command on your server and it will blurt out a whole bunch of nonsense (it’s actually rather helpful) about certain commands ect the same is done for all the other “include” lines the only other line i would like to point out is the include “aliases/anope.conf”; this line will only be needed if you are going to be installing services with your IRC server (I suggest doing this as it’s just more to experiment with) i will explain it more when the time comes (this will be the second instalment of Home Brew IRC server)

hmmm what’s next, AHH yes
now unfortunately even though you have installed your irc server it really has no clue who it is what it does ect
this next line will remedy the first problem of who it is by giving your server an identity and a description

me
{
name “irc.namehere.net”;
info “namehere IRC Server”;
numeric 1;
};

Name – here we are naming our server this can be anything you like it doesn’t really matter but keeping it in the irc.namehere.net format is probably best                                                        info – this is just giving your server some info so when people join they will see whatever you put here  again can be anything                                                                                             Numeric – this is important leave this as one for now, it is mainly used for multi server setups no server can have the same numeric

right so now that your server knows who it is we can continue with the rest of the config
this next part is not important but i will put it here just cause i felt like it and it has it’s uses

admin {
“Bob Smith”;
“bob”;
widely@used.name;
};

Admin gives information on the server admin. you may put as many lines under admin { as you wish. What this does is when people who on your server type /admin it will show then whatever you have put in the above block useful sometimes though more often never used but hey it’s good manners to put it there for all those people who have no clue what they doing
next we have classes

A class is a group setting for connections. Example, server connections, instead of going to a client’s class, you direct it to the server class. you can define how many connections of a certain class are allowed to connect and other miscellanies settings

class           clients
{
pingfreq 90; (how often to ping a user/server in seconds better to leave these as defaults)
maxclients 500;(how many connections for this class this is the only option we would need to change)
sendq 100000;(maximum send queue from a connection again this is better to lease as default)
recvq 8000;(maximum receive queue from a connection again better to leave as default)
};

class           servers
{
pingfreq 90;
maxclients 10;        /* Max servers we can have linked at a time */
sendq 1000000;
connfreq 100; /* How many seconds between each connection attempt */
};

next up we have the block of configuration that tells your server who exactly is allowed to connect

allow {
ip             *@*;
hostname       *@*;
class           clients;
maxperip 5;
};
right so above we are telling the server that any ip may join the server and well as any host name we have no restrictions here it’s easier to do it this way also, we are also saying that the class clients is allowed to connect with these rules Basically for clients, it allows them to connect so you can have some control

allow           channel {
channel “#help”;
};
this allows a user to join the specified channel even if they have an unregistered nickname ect ect you don’t really need this but it’s good to put it in so anyone can join your default channel on your server

official-channels {
“#Help” { topic ; };
“#Home” { topic ; };
};
it’s kinda obvious as the block title states but for those of you who are a little slow this sets your default/official channels on your server you can set as many channels as you like by putting the second channel under the first line and so on
moving right along next i will show you a the oper block this is how you gain control over your server and lets the server know whose boss IRC operators are there to keep sanity to the server and usually keep it maintained and connected to the network.

oper bobsmith {
class clients;
from {
userhost *@*;
};
password “CHANGEME”;
flags {
netadmin;
can_gkline;  //This is global kill line. A global network ban that can be applied to a user.
can_gzline;
can_zline; //This is zap line. Similar to gkline but applied to user IP ranges and only used it extreme cases.
can_restart;
can_die;
global;
can_override;
};
swhois “Example of a whois mask”;
snomask frebWqFv;
};

this block allows you to log into oper status by typing /oper username password (/oper bobsmith CHANGEME in this example) and it will set your permissions this block can be repeated as many times as you like with a whole bunch of different flags (you can find a list of flags in the unreal documentation) the block show above gives the oper all permission he is basically the server boss and can do what he likes
The next block in this seemingly endless explanation on configuration is the listen block this is what makes it possible for other people to join your server and start talking to each other it is a rather simple block in design and should be left as is to make life easy though you can edit it to allow SSL(security socket layer) connection for those wanting to be extra safe

listen *:6667 {
options {
clientsonly;
};
};
basically(well it’s pretty basic to begin with but anyway) you are listening on all ip’s (that’s the *) on port 6667 for a irc client to initiate connection the clients only flag mean only clients can connect on this port(kinda Obvious)

listen         *:7000;
this second listen block is for your services which we will be doing in the next article

link            services.yournetwork.net
{
username    *;
hostname     127.0.0.1;
bind-ip     *;
port         7000;
hub             *;
password-connect “password”;
password-receive “password”;
class           servers;
options {
};
};
this block is so your services can link to you server and go about it’s business of nick and channel registrations and any other services that are requires

drpass {
restart “calciareasino”;
die “calciareasino”;
};
the block above will set the two password needed for an oper (defined above somewhere) to restart and shutdown the server

log ircd.log {
flags {
errors;
kills;
oper;
kline;
tkl;
connects;
server-connects;
oper-override;
};
};
this block is used for logging purposes and there really isn’t a need to change anything here all you need to know is that your server will be logging all connection made any error when an oper signs in (pretty much everything that happens on your server)

ulines {
services.network.net;
};
this line

and now for the last and biggest part of the config it can get confusing i woudl advise agains’t changing too much here everything that has change me as a name is safe to change but lets just go ahead

set {
network-name “CHANGEME”;”;/* Put your networks name can be anything remember it*/
kline-address *@*;
auto-join “CHANGEME”;/* Put any channel you would like your user to be auto joined too*/
modes-on-join +nt;
options {
hide-ulines;
show-connect-info;
dont-resolve;
allow-part-if-shunned;
fail-oper-warn;
};
hosts {
local oper.CHANGEME.net;”;/*these should be changed to oper.network.net*/
global oper.CHANGEME.net;
coadmin oper.CHANGEME.net;
admin oper.CHANGEME.net;
servicesadmin oper.CHANGEME.net;
netadmin oper.CHANGEME.net;
host-on-oper-up yes;
};
oper-only-stats *;
allow-userhost-change force-rejoin;
services-server “services.network.net”;
cloak-keys {
“adfhpua4pbPUFH938JJcnedk3″;
“JDJiov834kJJDklfah3dkLnvl”;
“9384KJHdkcv83JnvnJfaAv034″;
};
hiddenhost-prefix “hide”;
maxchannelsperuser 15;
default-server “irc.networkhere.net”;”;/*should be your server name as defined in the me block*/
help-channel “#help”;
};

http://pastebin.com/f6fc61784

there is a complete example config file which you can copy and edit
there we go you are finally done with your configuration ( was long and slightly boring wasn’t it) but if you still reading you can now save your config and start your server and play around have fun and if you have any problem you can come onto mirc and join the shadowfire server come over to #frag and talk to either me or blade and we will be more then happy to help

Blizzard representatives have made posts defending their decision, but the whole rationale behind it suggests Activision meddling to me…

As mentioned by Rob Pardo in interviews, piracy is a serious problem and often times tie in closely with LAN. At the end of the day, we want the best for the community and fans that support our games, and having chunk of the community pirate the game actually hurts the community.

1) Pirated servers splinter the community instead of consolidating all players who love to play the game. Battle.net will bring players together in skirmishes, ladder play, custom games, and allow everyone the opportunity to share a common experience.

2) More people on Battle.net means more even more resources devoted to evolving this online platform to cater to further community building and new ways to enjoy the game online. World of Warcraft is a great example of a game that has evolved beyond anyone’s imagination since their Day 1 and will continue to do so to better the player experience for as long as players support the title. The original StarCraft is an even better example of how 11 years later, players still love and play this title, and we will continue to support and evolve it with patches.

We would not take out LAN if we did not feel we could offer players something better.

If I were to buy StarCraft II or any other title, I know the money I spent would be going to supporting that title. Personally, I would be upset that others were freeloading while others are legitimately supporting a title that has great potential and goals of making this title have ‘long legs.’

If you like a song a lot, buy it, and that artist will only come out with more awesome songs for you. If you like a game, buy it, and we will promise to constantly work to make the player experience better at every corner we can.

Support the causes you believe in (This is applicable to all things, not just gaming).
Don’t be a leech to society, innovation, and further awesome creations.

Want to know what the reaction has been? Flames, flames, flames, – and the occasional well thought out comments, but still mainly flames. I suppose you would be able to enjoy LAN play if the LAN has an Internet connection, but given the broadband situation in South Africa, it would be the exception rather than the norm in these parts.

The release notes contain all the information on all the changes between 3.0 and 3.5, as well as a Known Issues section (which I really suggest you read).

Blizzard have elaborated as follows:

“As with all of the features and services we offer, we intend to incorporate the faction-change service in a way that won’t disrupt the gameplay experience on the realms, and there will be some rules involved with when and how the service can be used. The number of variables involved increases the complexity of implementing this service, but we plan to take the time needed to ensure that it lives up to expectations before officially rolling it out. We’ll go into much more detail on all of this here at www.WorldofWarcraft.com as development progresses. In the meantime, we wanted to let you know that because this type of functionality requires extensive internal testing well in advance of release, you may be seeing bits and pieces of the service in the test builds we use for the public test realms moving forward.”

To say that this service will be programatically complex is a bit of an understatement. For once, you probably won’t end up with a night elf on the Horde side; your character would more likely become whatever the closest equivalent is. That spills over into race specifics and dynamics – what would happen to anything that’s race specific? Then, consider that if you’re on a PvP realm you’d have to convert all your characters at the same time, and you get the idea: this is not going to be an easy thing for Blizzard to pull off. Still, they’ve got the skill and raw talent to do it.

Due to the aforementioned complexity involve, as well as Blizzard’s release standards (“it will be released when it’s ready, and not a moment sooner or later”), I wouldn’t expect to see this any time soon. Still, it would be welcome for the poor sods who choose the Alliance, only to realise that all their mates are Horde and are quite happily ganking them.

If you decide to watch the video interview, keep in mind that you have to wade through a bunch of Swedish chatter. The interview itself in in English though.

If you’ve been living under a rock and have never heard of rAge before, here’s what it’s about (taken from the horse’s mouth itself):

rAge 2009 is set to thrill visitors with the latest in PC and console gaming, computer hardware and software, gaming peripherals, digital lifestyle gear, home entertainment technology, gaming apparel and accessories, mobile technology, comics, anime, figurines, trading cards, board games, the latest tech gear, movies, music and much more.

The tournaments to be held are still to be confirmed, although there appears to be a strong indication that Call of Duty 4 and Counter-Strike: Source will feature. The community is making a strong case for Team Fortress 2 and DotA to be featured as well, although whether the event organisers will be convinced remains to be seen.

For those interested in going up, there is a thread on the FRAG forums dedicated to making the trip.

“In film a system of cultural tax credits has long helped to sustain a wide range of films that speak to a British narrative, rather than the cultural perspectives of Hollywood or multinational collaborations. Other countries such as Canada, for similar reasons, extend the model of cultural tax relief beyond the film industry to the interactive and online worlds. CGI, electronic games and simulation also have a significant role in Britain’s digital content ecology and in our international competitiveness. Each of these has the same capability as the more traditional sectors, such as film, to engage us and reflect our cultural particularism. They may in future have a cultural relevance to rival that of film.”

According to the Guardian’s story, it would appear that the real motive is protection of Britain’s own games development industry:

“Two years ago, the UK was the third largest creator of gaming output in the world. Now it sits in 4th place, behind Canada and marginally ahead of South Korea. The concern is that without tax breaks, British game talent, considered some of the most creative, best-trained and highly skilled in the world, will continue to be tempted by the packages offered at foreign development studios.”

Needless to say, this was published on Slashdot as well, and the readers over there had a field day coming up with games that could indeed be “culturally British” – imaginary but perfectly apt titles such as The Sims – Football Hooligans, Personal Space Invaders and Tom Clancy’s Surveillance Society were put forward. I suppose an important question here that hasn’t really been answered is: what would be classified as “culturally British”? For example, in the No Mercy map in Left 4 Dead, if the subway section was the London Underground (as one Slashdot reader hinted at), would that count? Also, in this day and age of globalization, how justifiable is protecting ones own industries?

The concept is brutally simple – pick a song that’s lying around your computer, then race around a track picking up coloured blocks as you go. Seriously, that’s all there is to it – doesn’t get much simpler than that. It’s the execution of this concept that stands out. For example, the pace of the game actually responds to the music – slow for quiet parts, fast for the more intense bits. It comes with 14 game modes, from a casual mode (which is what I use – I play this to chill out, after all) to modes more suited to people who want to take this game more seriously than I do.

I think the best way to illustrate this all is with a demo. Here’s a clip of me audiosurfing – nearly a perfect run, apart from picking up the grey block at the end (which you’re supposed to avoid). For the demo, I picked an old trance favourite of mine (Plastic Boy – Silver Bath), which really shows off how the game reacts to the changing dynamics of the music. (As an aside, I’ll probably be playing a remix of this track in my live trance set at the June LAN.)

If I’ve got you interested enough, the game is available as a digital download (around 350MB if my memory serves me correctly) on Steam.

This is my very 1st blog post as you can tell by the heading. It took me a while to find out how to even get here so this 1st post is just for me to see how everything works, checking if my IRC bot’s RSS feed for the blog is working and i promise gaming news will follow.

Please also comment on this post and tell me what kind of gaming news you would like to see. International/Local, Consoles/Computers, and what ever else.

Peace,

–Blade

This little corner of the interwebs will be used for selected members of the community to post anything gaming related. You may also be fortunate enough to receive a “behind the scenes” look at the events from time to time.

I do have a question for you lot though: what is it that you really want to see here? If there’s anything else that you feel should belong up here (besides what’s mentioned above), feel free to leave your comments in the comments box.