EvilPolygons
Survivor
From what I've read, you're better off running a dedicated server even for playing solo. Because of performance reasons. I haven't tried it myself, though.
PC V2.0 b292 EXP Update
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From what I've read, you're better off running a dedicated server even for playing solo. Because of performance reasons. I haven't tried it myself, though.
Few people will bother with settings files and other things related to a dedicated server. It is much more convenient to configure the parameters from the in-game menu. And the difference in performance will not be very big, and for a single-player game you most likely will not notice it at all.
For example those managed servers you can rent at bluefang or similar services are "dedicated servers". I rented such a server for my private co-op group of 4 when A16 was the new thing. Because of insufficient performance and unreliable updates of the service (it wasn't bluefang by the way) I dropped that in A17 and have been using a rented barebones virtual server since then. I put linux on it and have been hosting our co-op games on this server since then.
Those managed servers usually are at the lower end of performance, you probably can't really host open 7d2d servers on them with acceptable performance (judging by my experience with such managed servers). They are there for friends to have a separate server independant of any one player, independant of bad home internet connections and PCs just sufficient to act as clients.
We live in slightly different realities. It's easier for me to assemble a computer, set up a server on it and put it at home. A bad Internet connection is something from 10-15 years ago. And rent has turned into a very serious quest in the last 3 years. Bank cards only work within the country and just paying for it is a very serious problem. I haven't been able to buy anything on Steam for the last 3 years. Therefore, for a cooperative game with friends, the one with the more powerful computer is usually chosen and a regular network game is launched.
And open servers, at least those that people advertise on VK, are mostly home servers. Very few people rent a virtual server.
And computer literacy is also important. Very few people are able to set up Linux and a server on it. Most people fall into a stupor when they see the command line.
This is why managed servers are a thing. You don't need to do anything on the OS level and don't need to install the game, this is all taken care of. The most you can do is copying generated worlds or mods to the server, editing serverconfig.xml, and starting or stopping the game server.
In some sense, it's a matter of habit. It's easier for me to set up everything, including the OS. And besides mods, there can be various scripts. For example, on the server where I usually play, there are scripts that occasionally reset part of the map to its initial settings. I don't know if managed servers support this.
EvilPolygons
Survivor
Plenty of us grew up using command lines before Windows even existed.
But I agree that bad home internet is mostly a thing of the past. Even small towns across the country have 1,2 and 3 gigabit fiber.
Riamus
Hunter
Remember that not everyone is in the US, or another country that has good internet in most locations. Also, unless someone wants a dedicated computer set up to host the game 24/7, a server is an easy option that may people do choose to make use of for friends. It lets everyone play whenever they want without having to rely on the host to have the game running. It is actually a very good setup for a group of friends who want to play on the same map but can't always play at the same time... if you can afford it.
That map reset is a typical thing for open servers with lots more than 8 players. You probably won't find managed servers with enough performance to host those, otherwise they couldn't be offered as cheap as they are.