BF2: Server-Interiew & Demotermin

IGSOA Will there be a Linux version of the dedicated server at game launch? DICE Yes, the linux server will be available at launch. We are also working on a 64-bit version of the Linux server, with significant performance increases..

IGSOA Will the demo have a dedicated server and will there be a Linux Demo Server ? DICE Yes, a standalone server for the BF2 demo will be released to the public. We are planning to release a linux server for the demo as well.

IGSOA Can we expect at least the same set of rcon controls as BFV and BF42 and are there any new rcon controls to look forward to? DICE The rcon controls in BF2 work slightly different than BF42/BFV but you can expect a level of functionality very similar to previous titles.

IGSOA Will there be a remote server tool at launch DICE Yes, BDSoft (the makers of BFVCC and BFCC) will be releasing a server manager (called BF2CC) when BF2 launches and will provide post-launch support and updates as BF2 is updated. EA and DICE are working very closely with BDSoft to make sure these tools will be the be-all and end-all of server management software.

IGSOA Can admins universally unlock or lock the unlocked weapons and features for use on their server? DICE As a server admin, you can choose to allow or disallow the unlocks and ranks that players have earned by playing on official Ranked Servers (a feature requested by our community). An admin cannot give players ranks or unlocks that they haven't earned.

IGSOA Can admins change how Commanders are selected (e.g.: remove the link to rank) and disable the mutiny vote? Plus will there be rcon controls to assign a commander and to remove a commander (w/o booting from the server)? DICE As previously stated, server admins can choose to allow or disallow the ranks that players have earned by playing on official Ranked Servers. So if all the commander applicants are of the same rank (which is indeed the case if ranks are disabled), then it's first-come-first-served. At this time there are no server options or admin commands that can modify the way that commander works. You cannot disable the mutiny vote.

IGSOA Will there be a custom combat function like BFV? DICE Custom Combat is not a part of the Battlefield 2 feature set at launch.

DICE Is there a Co-Op function? DICE The only mode in Battlefield 2 that includes bots is Single Player.

IGSOA What options are there for setting up the VOIP? (can it be disabled entirely?) DICE VOIP can be enabled or disabled as a server option. Also, you can choose to use a separate machine to run your VOIP server, thus sparing some bandwidth and CPU on your dedicated game server. There are a few other options which allow you to set the ports used and customize the sound quality.

IGSOA What options are there for setting up Battlefield Recorder recording and download? (Can it be disabled entirely?) DICE On a basic level, you can set the demo file storage and publishing paths, or disable demo recording entirely.

IGSOA Will BF2 require more, less or about the same bandwidth and processor resources as previous Battlefield titles? DICE Bandwidth usage is about the same as BF42/BFV, but CPU and system resource requirements are higher.

IGSOA EA has announced that only official EA servers and servers leased from EA will be able to participate in BF2's new ranking system. Currently the vast majority of Battlefield server space is on privately run servers not leased from EA. Obviously most (if not all) admins will want to run servers that are part of the ranking system, will you consider working with the community to find a verifiable and secure way for admins to have their non EA-leased servers part of the official 'ranked' system? DICE We absolutely want to find a way to have admins participate in the ranking system, as long as it does not jeopardize the integrity of the scoring. Currently we are looking into how we can make this happen. As a solution in the meantime, we are signing up partners from around the world to host free ranked servers in trusted environments, so we hope that this will fill the need for ranked servers.

IGSOA Will DICE/EA work with the community to develop an independent ranking system with full access to all the unlocks? DICE We would also like to do this, especially on a server-by-server basis, so players can see who are the top rated people on any given server.

IGSOA EA leased servers are currently limited geographically, significantly more expensive than other servers, and don't allow admins to load any mod. If EA is determined to have a monopoly on leasing 'ranked servers' will EA make their servers competitive priced ($4/space/month), add modding functionality, and be available in every country that has an active BF community? Also, will EA offer competitive fixed price dedicated boxes which can run multiple server instances (including other games)? DICE As mentioned before, we are signing up partners around the world to provide free ranked servers to the public. We are also working with the company who hosts our rented servers to ensure that the prices are competitive with the market. That said, it is unlikely that we will extend ranking to Mods, as we have no control over the balance of these entities, so if you plan to run a Ranked server, the concern regarding running mods is somewhat mooted