This is how it starts:
Not that this was not expected. Heck, it is something Oracle feared when we started the AvP2 Fortress project. So, Sierra decided to pull the plug on the master server for 21 games, including Aliens Vs. predator 2.
A master server is a specialized server, where all Internet game servers register themselves in order to be visible by the client. What happens is, when you create an Internet multiplayer game, the game server contacts the master server and says something like "look at me, I am running this type of game mode!". The master server then stores the broadcasted information, like the IP, port and game mode for that server. When a user selects "Find Internet Games", the game client first contacts the master server and retrieves the list of game servers from the master server's database.
So, if a master server is taken down, the clients can't "see" any available Internet game servers for that particular game.
This leaves pretty much only one option for AvP2 players out there: build and maintain a community master server. And this is what Project "Savior" is aiming for: a master server for AvP2. Bare in mind that if you change both the game client and the game server, the protocol of registering a server or retrieving the list of available servers doesn't have to be the same protocol as the original master server used. Heck, this way you can use a plain web server!
So, it starts by an announcement of pulling the plug on the AvP2 master server. We hope it will finnish by the project releasing the components needed to use a community driven master server.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
