Can i ask money for setting up a factorio server?

[dunpealhunter]

Hello. I was thinking of setting up a small Factorio server hosting service, where you can rent (for a small fee) a server from me that has been configured completely to your own and that of your friends needs.

I was thinking of the following features it could possibly have:

* Automatic updates to the latest version of Factorio.
* whatever multiplayer mod that you want installed and if a new version comes out updated to that version.
* Statistics on who plays on the server and how many hours they have played.
* automatic back-ups that can be emailed or can be located on a separate server in case something goes wrong.
* Server availability around the world, USA, EU, Asia and Australian.

But before i start coding, and actually setting everything up, i was wondering is this allowed? Can i set up a server hosting service and ask money for that? Can i add mods and scripts to that server without the permission of the owner of that mod? Just to be clear, i am doing this because i love this game, and i want it to be easier to setup a server for multiplayer games. The fee i ask is for paying the servers i would need to run everything, and is not really meant for me to make a profit from. To be honest its more an experiment to see how good something like this would work, since i doubt ill get that many orders for a making a factorio server anyway, if it is allowed.

[jordan882]

Im sure not sure if this is allowed. But personally I would rent a server for Australia.

[Bisa]

not providing any definitive answer; rather adding to the conversation:

I'm pretty sure you cannot provide downloadable mods unless you have the explicit permission to distribute the mod by the mod author (unless the mods license allows it to be freely distributed that is)

Also take note of the license when it comes to doing it "for profit", some open source licenses actually do not permit you to make money of of the source and any derivatives you make from the source. To be sure this works out for you I would suggest that you get written permission from all involved parties starting with the factorio team and working your way up through the popular mods to start with.

[Smarty]

moved to general discussion

This needs to be discussed further

[ssilk]

In short: why not?

I see this in the same way as installing linux-distribution on a webserver; here: Factorio includes a headless server. It can be used by anybody. The big question: Can this be installed on more than one server?
I cannot speak for the devs, but why should they forbid it? In theory everyone who plays on this server needs to buy a Factorio-licence. The more easy it is to play it the better.

And for the mods: Of course you need to respect all licences, also the mods, but as far as I know most mods allow such usage - think: This is not distribution, it is simply the usage of a mod. Why should a modder forbid the usage of a mod?

Summary: I think this is not a problem, and why should someone not be payed for alle the work of installing and running Factorio as a service?

But to keep the discussion about this short: I think for pure politeness reasons you should wait for an "official" answer of the devs. I made them a note about this.

[slpwnd]

I don't see a problem in this. As long as it makes the experience for people who actually paid for the game better then it is fine. Pretty much same what other services are doing already: see creeperhost.net or zaphosting.com

[ssilk]

Moved back to Multiplayer board, leaving a link in General.

[Peter34]

I don't see why Wube would - or could - object either. Paid server hosting is a thing for MP games, including games such as 7 Days to Die and (I presume) Minecraft.

I also personally don't object to paid server hosting for profit, although of course any profit-making enterprise needs to build and then maintain a reputation for quality service. E.g. uptime and so forth. Added features provided by the paid server host, such as automated download and installation of mods, would be super nice and would make people be willing to pay more, whereas I think that the server manager taking it upon himself to manually update all mods n an ongoing basis would lead to a huge workload, making the endavour unprofitable if measured in income-vs-work-hours.

[AntonTheGamer]

i dont think its legal but i would buy one of those

[Saltan]

I would definitly be interested in one server too !

That's actually a realy simple but great idea : Provide a simple and relativly cheap way to setup a multiplayer server.

i don't think that could be illegal : You don't "steal" anything from anybody : All players still have to buy their own version of the game, and you have to buy one more for each running server. The fee you ask is for the service provided, not for any part of the game. To be confirmed by a dev ofc

[daniel34]

i don't think that could be illegal : You don't "steal" anything from anybody : All players still have to buy their own version of the game, and you have to buy one more for each running server. The fee you ask is for the service provided, not for any part of the game. To be confirmed by a dev ofc

Assuming you are a gameserver hoster you only need to buy one copy of the game to run an arbitrary number of servers. But yes, all players still need to have their own copy of the game.
I actually think that allowing server hosters to run factorio servers can be beneficial to the devs as it is also a sort of advertisement on the hoster's pages and people might be more willing to buy the game / recommend it to friends if easy-to-use serverhosting is available.
Asking licensing fees from the serverhosters would be bad for the devs as
(1) it increases the price of the server
(2) fewer hosters might offer servers
(3) some serverhosters would ignore that anyway / hard to track down

Disclaimer: This is only my personal opinion and not that of the devs, although I would love a response from them, possibly before the steam release.