How much $ can a good server make?

Descent · May 02, 2010, 09:29 PM

Quote from: ccash on May 02, 2010, 07:44 PM
Well say it costs $350 a month to run a server with 500 people on average. I would think most of them would agree to pay $1 a month. I would be able to make a profit, and not have to sell any unbalanced donation items. The server would probably grow since a lot of people probably don't like the whole donation = unbalanced items stuff. How hard would it be to implement a system like that?

Seriously, guy...stop talking profits where RO is concerned.

It'll be better for *everybody* in the long run...

Meimiko · May 02, 2010, 10:29 PM

Unless you were working with an official Gravity server like iRO there's very little profit to make without being a corrupt owner. While your players might (Probably only 10-20% on average every month) donate to help keep the server alive all the money you make has to go into the server to keep it going. Not only do you need to invest in the server hosting you would have to invest in advertisements and a nice website to attract new players. You might have to search for some top notch scripters to help set your server apart from others with some unique features. Not to mention the countless amount of hours you'd have to spend on your server making sure it's secure and your players are happy. Although I've never owned my own server, I'm pretty sure it's like a full time job to own one.

If you're after a quick buck you're looking at the wrong business. You'll most likely lose money anyways. Last time I checked server owners that made/currently have great servers weren't doing it for the money, they were doing it simply because they loved RO and wanted to go above and beyond to create an amazing server.

Habuka · May 02, 2010, 11:16 PM

And once they made those servers and had there fun. They rack in the 100 donators money and close down or act super stupid and sell hidden items so they can make even more money.

LemonCrosswalk · May 02, 2010, 11:46 PM

By the way, I charge a 10 dollar consultation fee per post. You will receive my bill in the mail.

DarkDevine · May 03, 2010, 01:20 AM

If you have that s*** of money to keep a server up without getting paid, do something for the community and make a GOOD server without donation stuff and payment.
That would be the only thing that could make your server popular.

Serious, RO is a f*** Game, not a place to talk about srs bsns.

Mushu · May 05, 2010, 07:57 PM

Step 1, Look at anthemro or talonro donation site and copy paste. Step 2, advertise. Step 3, get ALL DA MONIES.

No but seriously, I think the best way to make a profit is to have donation items that can be obtained through a very long and tedious quest, which I think the younger age players who don't have money will do to get the items and the older age players who have money will do the donation

Astraliche · May 06, 2010, 05:45 AM

no matter how good you are, your gonna get busted soon enough.

either by the players

or...no one, they'll leave you alone.

unless you have backup.

like LRO, the owner's nice, and they have a good record so far.

it'd be better if you have no intention to make money at all.

LRO...?

Skotlex · May 06, 2010, 12:16 PM

Aw, if only I had seen this when it was still a hot topic.

A lot of responders missed the point.... here's a "business man" which also happens to enjoy RO, and was considering making a server and spending time/cash on it as long as the turn-out was good. He was just asking how feasible that was.

Someone did point out that you can't outright make a server for profit because that gets you in hot-steam with Gravity. Therefore, no server will outright say they are in for making money (and because of this, no-one is going to reveal how much they are making). Instead, what servers do is claim to be "donation-based," but then these donations don't all go into the server (as most players would expect out of a "donation"), and the admins do what they can to reap the most money out of their user base, which in turn gets to be called "corruption" by the latter.

So no, you can't really get the numbers because it's like asking what's the income level of working in the mafia.

Cupid · May 06, 2010, 06:41 PM

Quote from: Astraliche on May 06, 2010, 05:45 AM
no matter how good you are, your gonna get busted soon enough.

either by the players

or...no one, they'll leave you alone.

unless you have backup.

like LRO, the owner's nice, and they have a good record so far.

it'd be better if you have no intention to make money at all.

LRO...?

If you're talking about Limit RO, no, the server owner ain't "nice".
Last time I checked, he was in the GM Hall of Shame.

DarkDevine · May 07, 2010, 07:11 AM

Quote from: Skotlex on May 06, 2010, 12:16 PM
Someone did point out that you can't outright make a server for profit because that gets you in hot-steam with Gravity. Therefore, no server will outright say they are in for making money (and because of this, no-one is going to reveal how much they are making). Instead, what servers do is claim to be "donation-based," but then these donations don't all go into the server (as most players would expect out of a "donation"), and the admins do what they can to reap the most money out of their user base, which in turn gets to be called "corruption" by the latter.

So no, you can't really get the numbers because it's like asking what's the income level of working in the mafia.

To earn donations you must be a public charity, at least that's what the law says, I wonder which is the situation with the law having a donation-based server, I think the income of this server is illegal as well, though I don't know exactly.

OP, you want to have numbers.
The PornRO admin once told me, he earned about 9000 USD the first three days when PornRO opened back in...when was it? 2005?
I heard about servers earning about 60.000 USD a month, though I don't know if it's true, no names.
Ecchi-RO currently has about...10 players? and earns enough money to be up for a few years now with the admin having a new Win7-High-End-PC.

So yes, you can make money with RO and obviously more than you need, some people out there just have too much money, want to be OP in a game so they steal the credit-cards of their parents and donate 1000$ in a bunch, this actually happens, other people have their normal income and can provide about 20$ USD a month for fun without problems, so why not donating in to a game they're playing.
The thing is, you need players. You will never get players having them paying 1$ USD/month, they could just copy the server and let it run for free, everyone could do that. The first thing when making a server shouldn't be "how to make money?" or "how much money will I get?", it should be "how will I get players?". If you have players, money will flow anyways.

Astraliche · May 07, 2010, 08:02 AM

Quote from: Cupid on May 06, 2010, 06:41 PM
Quote from: Astraliche on May 06, 2010, 05:45 AM
no matter how good you are, your gonna get busted soon enough.

either by the players

or...no one, they'll leave you alone.

unless you have backup.

like LRO, the owner's nice, and they have a good record so far.

it'd be better if you have no intention to make money at all.

LRO...?

If you're talking about Limit RO, no, the server owner ain't "nice".
Last time I checked, he was in the GM Hall of Shame.

Lu****RO.

the owner's nice (to people, as far as i know.), and they did donate the money to some people who needed them =/

Habuka · May 09, 2010, 12:57 PM

To awnser your question, there is NO such thing as profit in a Ragnarok Online Private Server.

AquarRO · May 09, 2010, 03:33 PM

my previous server that i open for 200 days i had about 12,000$

Descent · May 09, 2010, 04:12 PM

I'm surprised that this hasn't been said yet....

A good server isn't made for money.

Habuka · May 09, 2010, 04:14 PM

Better yet, a good admin doesnt make money.