WARDOGS servers are coming soon
WARDOGS community servers come only from BULKHEAD's Approved Hosting Partners, which also get the server files: there is no public download. WARDOGS opens on Wilderack once BULKHEAD and Team17 make us an Approved Hosting Partner. These guides are ready for the day WARDOGS opens on Wilderack.
A WARDOGS match is one of the busiest a game server can run: up to 100 players on three teams, vehicles, helicopters, artillery and buildable defenses, all fighting over a control zone. This guide covers what we plan for, and what we’ll measure before WARDOGS opens.
WARDOGS servers can’t be ordered on Wilderack yet. BULKHEAD hasn’t published server requirements, and the server build only goes to its approved hosting partners. The numbers below are our plan. We’ll measure real matches on our own machines once we have the build, and change them if they’re wrong.
What we plan for
| Your server | RAM we plan |
|---|---|
| Matches up to about 50 players | 8 GB |
| Full 100-player matches | 12 GB |
We plan at least 8 GB because a 100-player shooter with vehicles and destruction keeps a lot of the match in memory. Our RAM calculator uses the same numbers.
CPU matters as much as memory
The server works out every shot, vehicle and building piece for 100 players many times a second. That takes fast CPU cores. When the server falls behind, players feel it as rubber-banding and hits that land late, even when memory is fine.
Ping and where players are
WARDOGS servers kick players whose ping stays above the server’s limit for a while. Official servers use 250 in every region. Community admins set their own. Pick the region closest to most of your players, then set a ping limit that fits them. US East and Europe are open now.
Keep a busy server smooth
- Size for your busiest hour. A full server at peak needs the bigger plan.
- Restart daily at the time you set, when the server is quiet. It clears out memory that builds up over many matches.
- Watch the graphs. The Overview tab will show CPU and memory over time.
What we’ll measure before we open
- Memory and CPU for a full 100-player match
- How long the server takes to start and to change maps
- How much network traffic a full match uses
We’ll update this guide with what we find.
Questions
How much RAM does a WARDOGS server need?
We plan at least 8 GB for matches up to about 50 players and 12 GB for full 100-player matches. BULKHEAD hasn't published server requirements, so we'll measure both on our own machines before we open.
Why is a WARDOGS server heavy?
A full match has 100 players, vehicles, artillery and buildable defenses fighting over a 2 by 2 km control zone, with destruction. The server keeps all of it in step, so it needs fast CPU cores as well as memory.
Do WARDOGS servers kick players with high ping?
Yes, when a player stays above the server's ping limit for a while. Community admins set their own limit.
Sources we checked
- WARDOGS on SteamValve
- Season 02 Patch NotesBULKHEAD
- Season 03 Patch NotesBULKHEAD