Posted in: Coding
Posted 2014-06-18 at 09:39 by [R-DEV]AncientMan
Hey guys, time for another blog. No pictures, just a bunch of text, how boring hey...
So as I'm sure everyone is well aware, with PR:BF2 v1.2 it brings in support for PRMasterServer. But what is PRMasterServer, what does it do, why is it so important? Well let me explain...
With GameSpy shutting down, it takes with it the online services for Battlefield 2 (as well as many other games that were also announced in the shutdown). While BF2 is still playable right now (it shuts down June 30 according to EA), after the services are shut down you can no longer login to your online accounts, there's no more server list, there's no more online play. It will kill BF2, and all associated mods (unless you only play co-op offline of course).
So yeah, that's not good, not good at all. Screw that I say, PR:BF2 still has players, it needs to live right? So in order to keep it alive and kicking, we needed to develop a replacement for GameSpy. This means a new login server, a server list server, and CD Key verification (or rather, say yes to all CD Keys
). GameSpy also handles BF2 statistics, but since PR:BF2 doesn't support stats, it's not replaced. So off I go to code it up. I'd like to note here that there was some code floating around on the internets for a login server emulator. We did look into using this, but ultimately it wasn't up to scratch, and it wasn't used. Besides, the login server is only half the issue.
Before anything happened, FH2 contacted me to see what were our plans. Because I already had custom written code for all the client-side implementation of GameSpy's functionality, as seen in PRLauncher (login) and PRSPY (server list), it was not an issue for me to do the server-side functionality. So I told them that I'd get it done no worries and they could use our server if they wanted. They were cool with that (well of course they were
), so FH2 was on-board.
And yeah, when I had some spare time after work, I slapped some code together, and PRMasterServer was born. Took about 3 afternoons, maybe 20 hours all up to get it all working. Of course, after that testing had to be done, stress testing, bugs fixed, etc. But since releasing v1.2, apart from a couple of issues that were fixed reasonably quickly, it's been pretty solid. And PR:BF2 survives another day
.
Now that's all well and good for PR:BF2 and FH2, but what about the rest of Battlefield 2? Well there's been a few other people taking up the slack, ReviveBF2 being the main group that have been getting all the media attention. But they are yet to release their solution. Looks like they've run into some issues with their server list, but I'm sure they can sort it all out in the next 10 days or so. Which leads me onto my next point.
Because I'm a nice guy, in order to help the other people working on solutions for BF2, BF2142, and any other game affected by the GameSpy shutdown, I've open-sourced PRMasterServer under the GPLv3 license. Hopefully it can prove useful to others working on GameSpy replacements, and hopefully we can keep on playing our favourite games long after the publishers give up...
But alas, any online service does have a use by date, and PRMasterServer is no exception. It does cost money to run these servers, and yes the rumors are true that I pay for this out of my own pocket (I don't receive PR donations - they only go to the website and subversion server payments for PR:BF2, PR:A3 and PR2). But it's all good, PR:BF2 will continue for a long time yet if I have anything to say about it, today is not the day it dies.
That'll do for this wall of text, enjoy, and happy online gaming
So as I'm sure everyone is well aware, with PR:BF2 v1.2 it brings in support for PRMasterServer. But what is PRMasterServer, what does it do, why is it so important? Well let me explain...
With GameSpy shutting down, it takes with it the online services for Battlefield 2 (as well as many other games that were also announced in the shutdown). While BF2 is still playable right now (it shuts down June 30 according to EA), after the services are shut down you can no longer login to your online accounts, there's no more server list, there's no more online play. It will kill BF2, and all associated mods (unless you only play co-op offline of course).
So yeah, that's not good, not good at all. Screw that I say, PR:BF2 still has players, it needs to live right? So in order to keep it alive and kicking, we needed to develop a replacement for GameSpy. This means a new login server, a server list server, and CD Key verification (or rather, say yes to all CD Keys
). GameSpy also handles BF2 statistics, but since PR:BF2 doesn't support stats, it's not replaced. So off I go to code it up. I'd like to note here that there was some code floating around on the internets for a login server emulator. We did look into using this, but ultimately it wasn't up to scratch, and it wasn't used. Besides, the login server is only half the issue.Before anything happened, FH2 contacted me to see what were our plans. Because I already had custom written code for all the client-side implementation of GameSpy's functionality, as seen in PRLauncher (login) and PRSPY (server list), it was not an issue for me to do the server-side functionality. So I told them that I'd get it done no worries and they could use our server if they wanted. They were cool with that (well of course they were
), so FH2 was on-board.And yeah, when I had some spare time after work, I slapped some code together, and PRMasterServer was born. Took about 3 afternoons, maybe 20 hours all up to get it all working. Of course, after that testing had to be done, stress testing, bugs fixed, etc. But since releasing v1.2, apart from a couple of issues that were fixed reasonably quickly, it's been pretty solid. And PR:BF2 survives another day
.Now that's all well and good for PR:BF2 and FH2, but what about the rest of Battlefield 2? Well there's been a few other people taking up the slack, ReviveBF2 being the main group that have been getting all the media attention. But they are yet to release their solution. Looks like they've run into some issues with their server list, but I'm sure they can sort it all out in the next 10 days or so. Which leads me onto my next point.
Because I'm a nice guy, in order to help the other people working on solutions for BF2, BF2142, and any other game affected by the GameSpy shutdown, I've open-sourced PRMasterServer under the GPLv3 license. Hopefully it can prove useful to others working on GameSpy replacements, and hopefully we can keep on playing our favourite games long after the publishers give up...
But alas, any online service does have a use by date, and PRMasterServer is no exception. It does cost money to run these servers, and yes the rumors are true that I pay for this out of my own pocket (I don't receive PR donations - they only go to the website and subversion server payments for PR:BF2, PR:A3 and PR2). But it's all good, PR:BF2 will continue for a long time yet if I have anything to say about it, today is not the day it dies.
That'll do for this wall of text, enjoy, and happy online gaming
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i really asked myself how the gamespy workaround works
its sick you have to pay it from your own pocket, how about donations?
playing PR since 0.4 , i think i could finally invest some money into the game i probably played more time than all other games togetherPosted 2014-06-18 at 22:58 by Nugiman 
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Fantastic work. You saved this mod.
Also this goes to show how big of a shit EA gives about their consumers. You did it by your self and they don't offer solutions for anything, and yet continue selling, despite how big their company is.Posted 2014-06-19 at 03:08 by Fir3w411
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Shame on EA.. May they burn in hell and suffer forever !
Unless they release BF2 code source of course.Posted 2014-06-19 at 06:49 by KaB
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Thanks alot!Posted 2014-06-19 at 08:16 by HunterMed
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Fantastic work.
Posted 2014-06-19 at 08:23 by OldSchoolSoldier
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Thx for you awesome work
Posted 2014-06-19 at 11:51 by [F|H]Zackyx
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Thank you so much Ancient Man, if only there was a a way to pay you personally.
Posted 2014-06-19 at 14:29 by houdaifatam
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Thank you Project Reality! None of this exists without the folks who created, maintain and play this unreasonably large piece of my life.
Thanks to all!Posted 2014-06-19 at 22:39 by CR8Z
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Quik story, i promise...
Bored with R6:AS, the ORIGINAL Ghost Recon FOR PC, Op. Flashpoint, SWAT4, AA etc., I remember lookin at my old BF2 CDs and thinkin "maybe there's a cool mod that would make me wanna play that again". Whats this? Mod of the year 2008? PR v.85 had dropped that morning, no lie. It was exactly the kind of game i was lookin for. I know, i was late to the party but last January marked my 5 yr PR anniversary. March marked 5 yrs with my PR clan. Still the best. Still my favorite. Nothing has really ever come close to stealing me away for long. Id like to thank all Devs past & present for all their hard work & especially for sticking to their guns (for the most part) on what PR was supposed to be. What the Devs have been able to do is amazing. Not just what they've accomplished within game limitatons etc. (which is rediculous), but this post as well. That & the PR community, although needy, greedy & often deserving to be JDAM'd, are why a lil mod for a 9yr old game known as PR is STILL best of class imo. Whatever happens in the NEXT 5 yrs BF:2 Project Reality now has living legend status. First ballot PC Tac-sim Hall Of Fame, hands down. And it just keeps getting better.
Respect.Posted 2014-06-21 at 05:15 by De4dByD4wn
