As you probably know there have been huge problems with master servers lately (see: Master Server, This is the end…, and Serverlist of Monsterbrowser). With the going offline of ID Software master server the situation has become dramatic because the builtin server-tracker of all SG clients is now useless (as are MonsterBrowser and XQF), and it’s complicated for newbies to figure out how to join an online game. If this situation would last for long, SG would be at risk of extinction.
In these last few day some new master servers have been created by ricochet and Joe Kari, while barto (with his batchfiles connecting directly to single servers), dansh (with his precompiled binaries) and a.k47 (with his video tutorials) tried helping players in configuring their clients in order to connect to online games. Thanks to all of them for their efforts (I hope I haven’t forgot anybody … it’s not simple to follow a discussion that spreads along three threads).
So now we have an official master server to query: master.smokinguns.fr. In order to be able to get in-game server list you have to edit your q3config.cfg adding the line: seta sv_master1 "master.smokinguns.fr" [I’ve already updated our FAQ consequently].
Warning: not all servers are reporting to these master servers yet (due to mysterious problems, BB, SB and TN are not listed yet, for instance). If you have added servers to your MonsterBrowser manually, some of them might disappear when you reload the server list.
Latest news: given these problems and given the fact that most part of SG developers is inactive at the moment, Joe Kari took the initiative to start distributing a new SG version that should bury both SG 1.0 and SG 1.1b4 under 2 meters of soil. The new release is named “SG 1.1 beta 5a unofficial“. Read Joe Kari’s call for help and download the new release here: A CALL to the community – SG 1.1 beta 5.
Waiting for a better hosting service, at the moment the download is slow, but keep in mind that it’s not just a simple update, it’s a complete SG binary ready to be run. No Windows installer until now, simply unzip it to some place in your hard drive, enter the directory and run smokinguns.exe.
It’s probably better if you backup your q3config.cfg before running the game.
Until now I don’t know of any server that is ready for SG 1.1b5a, so you can test it only in single player mode or in LAN.
Once you have played some games you should also vote in the poll about your experience with it.
Smokin’ Guns lives as long as it has a community behind him, and you can take part into it by helping with tests. Hopefully, SG 1.1b5a will soon evolve in a stable SG 1.1!
Get 2 coffins ready for SG 1.0 and SG 1.1b4!
[Click on image for full strip. Source: A Fistful of Dollars ]
Stay updated, because it’s a rapidly evolving situation.
This is what you find connecting to Smokin’ Guns site today.
Looks sadly ironic: “What you need, when you need it”.
Damn it’s not good news to hear that the site is down 🙁
On Friday I will check the new update and give feedback!
Wait a day or two. Too bad that SG site is down now and we don’t don’t know when it will be up and running again 🙁
Yes, I noticed it. If you go to http://www.smokin-guns.net/ you are redirected to http://www.networksolutions.com/RV19.jsp?siteid=8. Seems like they have forgotten to pay the annual fee for the registered domain. Too bad that this happens in the exact moment when something new was happening, and “our boys” were actively testing the new beta 🙁
Bad timing!
With P bind I mean the sentence we use to say ‘welcome to the wild west’ etc. for me, it happens when I push ‘p’ and you can edit it in the q3config, right?
If we publish the IP’s of the servers somewhere visible here, we could add it to the bind and publish it from time to time in-game. It’s not the best way since players are already in-game,
but they can spread the word too.
http://www.smokin-guns.net/ is gone/down.
Meanwhile you can edit your MonsterBrowser Settings:
1. Go to Settings
2. Got to Game configuration
3. This will open then mods.ini
4. Find this entry:
[Smokin’ Guns]
mod=smokinguns
regKey=HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Smokin’ Guns Productions\Smokin’ Guns\InstallPath
exeName=smokinguns.exe
exePath=C:\Program Files (x86)\Smokin’ Guns\smokinguns.exe
5. Add this line
masterServer=parttimegeeks.net:27950
6. Save & close
7. Go to check for new.
Thanks Jippi, it helped )
I always tried to ignore a bit the fact SG was getting slowly and slowly more like a fossil. Some call it boring or bad graphics, I called it back-to-basics and essentials. Picmip only made that effect bigger 🙂
But with the crash of the monsterserver…SG could get really in danger. The changes to do in the Q3config are a heavy task for newbies and only improve their first impression of a crappy game.
We should make this new version as soon as possible a new standard version and indeed bury the ‘damaged’ versions.
Very good to see a player like Joe taking the lead. I can only fully support him.
In the meantime, can we publish the IP’s somewhere ‘sticky’ or at least very visible, like in the FAQ?
We could make a reference to this topic in our p-bind…
Hoping the best,
Zap
Zap, as I said, there is a problem with BallerBude, SpecialBude and Terra Nova not showing up in the official master server. Joe Kari is trying to find where the problem is, but probably we have to wait until Tequila (the owner of the master server) come back to see the problem solved.
I published this post because I was really really really tired of SG 1.0, and tired of SG 1.1b4 crashes, and tired of no servers-in-game, but I understand that we need some time before everything is well tested.
The “boys” are working hard, really hard, but give them the time 🙂
no worries, I won’t run away if it takes some time. I’m just scared that no new players will find their way…
@Zapa, again.
1– We can put a sticky link to “official” master server somewhere, just wait few hours when at least the major problems get solved.
2– What do you mean by “our p-bind”? I feel stupid, but I don’t understand what you mean, sorry 🙂
3– The most useful thing we can do at the moment is to download the new beta (this is a faster link added by /dev/random ftp://mirror.loop8.net/smokinguns/sg_1.1b5a-unofficial.zip), test it in Single Player mode, and report our experience in SG forum (here: http://www.smokin-guns.net/viewtopic.php?p=23094#23094 and here: http://www.smokin-guns.net/viewtopic.php?t=3035 ). They really need users feedback!
First nice strip
Second, good that someone take the lead so SG will not die in the future. I saw it a bit bad the last days, because nobody was looking for a solution for the Monsterbrowser,Etc. And that is important for the youngsters, they are our future.
Tnx Joe!!! Hope the new version will be a good one, also I hope that the new TN maps will be available in Ballerbude and the other servers. Because there are very nice maps (see our thursday CW). A bit new things will be good for the game.