How can a server make money without donations?

ccash · Jan 19, 2011, 11:01 AM

I've been thinking about making a server for quite some time. Obviously if I was going to do it I would invest the money in a nice website, etc. and I would want a lot of people to play. I think if I didn't have donations on my server I would get a decent population. But does anyone have any ideas how I can make back enough money to just pay the costs for the server/website/etc?

l2ue · Jan 19, 2011, 12:52 PM

Get a full time waiter job during the summer and you'll make at least 1.6k in a month.

It can pay half my college tuition, fund my sinister schemes, and keep the server running for about a year.

Or if you want to make a server but don't want to pay for it, join my pirate crew.

http://www.ratemyserver.net/forum/general-chit-chat/pirate-crew/0/

For server protection services, contact Cheese Time on this forums. He is lord DDoS.

Scribbles · Jan 19, 2011, 01:10 PM

Sell AD space on your Site.

ccash · Jan 19, 2011, 01:42 PM

Was thinking about putting advertisments on a website but their's no way revenue from that would support a server with say 200 people playing on avg. Maybe a server with a donation shop, but you can get any item in the shop in game by doing quests, etc. Idk...

l2ue · Jan 19, 2011, 01:51 PM

I would like to play on your server if no donations.

Yukino · Jan 19, 2011, 02:40 PM

Or, you can try selling other services or merchandises... though I don't know how well they go. Some servers sell t-shirts from a website that does all the handling and shipping. You earn some part of the commission.
If your players truly love your server, they may donate just to keep the server alive. Hard to say if there are that many players out there who are like this, but people would be moved if your server has great potential.

l2ue · Jan 19, 2011, 02:50 PM

Like how I donate to Yukino's server for her customize God Items for $500. I own that server now.

Not those trash "balance" god items, which there is no such thing as balance god items, otherwise they won't be godly, but I mean the real +500 all stat stuff.

I'm also a Starlite Hero Contributor on the forums.

I am not even joking.

Yukino · Jan 19, 2011, 11:16 PM

I'm sure you do, seeing how we never got that many donations before. If you did donate, I would suppose that you liked the server lol (including the "fact" that you claim you are a Starlite Hero Contributor, which is just title that a person gets when he/she posts a lot on the forums). Are you trying to say that =D? Furthermore, those items can be obtained through quests lol. Not many people complained about my server's donation system seeing how everything can be obtained in-game.
They can be godly in a different sense. Who would actually put a +500 all stats for an item lol. Your potential server?
Say, why are you trying to provoke a stupid argument from out of nowhere? Look who's starting it now. Just love how you're always going off-topic.

On-Topic:
Anyways, seeing how some players would still donate, you can try to make a donation shop with the items obtainable through quests in-game as well. I don't know how successful that will go for you, but you can always try it out.

Usagimimi · Jan 20, 2011, 12:21 AM

Pretty sure l2ue was being sarcastic.

@ OP,

Get really popular and stick Google Ads around. Or get a job. Or run another popular website at the same time that gets a lot of visitors and stick ads on that one.

Yukino · Jan 20, 2011, 12:28 AM

I was being sarcastic back while giving evidence to his sarcastic lies (double sarcasm situation). Don't want anyone to go thinking in the wrong way about my server that he had to bring up oh-so-randomly. Grudge much?

If you can't get enough for both webhosting and server hosting, just mind the server hosting for now. You can always get free forums set up or a free website+template set up.

Scribbles · Jan 20, 2011, 01:49 AM

My friend told me about this service called "Swag Bucks" where they pay you to surf the internet (for market research) but you also may have to fill out "free" offers from other companies.

You don't get paid in real money, but they pay you in things that you could SELL for money X3

Orange · Jan 20, 2011, 01:54 AM

Quote from: Scribbles on Jan 20, 2011, 01:49 AM
My friend told me about this service called "Swag Bucks" where they pay you to surf the internet (for market research) but you also may have to fill out "free" offers from other companies.

You don't get paid in real money, but they pay you in things that you could SELL for money X3

pretty sure all those sites are inferior to mowing lawns

just sayin'

Scribbles · Jan 20, 2011, 02:28 AM

Money is Money.

mbl0128 · Jan 21, 2011, 10:56 PM

yah i heard about swagbucks but its probably just a scam i never bothered trying it

adhelle · Jan 22, 2011, 01:13 PM

Or you could let players donate for stuff like colored forum name, different auras, @font command, etc...
Google ads wont do it, I used to have ads on the front page, even with a lot of players it never made more than 30 bucks a month, and it makes the website really messy, so I ended up just removing it.

Nara · Feb 16, 2011, 05:15 PM

I know donations are something you aren't looking into, BUT you can still have them with out giving offers like god items cards etc. Just have a 'donation' for donation purposes. If you keep the server going, give new quests places etc you can probably gain 'favor' from players and they will donate. Or have minuscule prizes like gift boxes. People like to seem important on the internet, maybe a space for the top donator on the front page every month? Something really that doesn't influence the server gear wise will still keep the servers status up.