Command line argument for starting a server with GUI

[pavlukivan]

TL;DR

A command line argument to enable GUI when hosting a server via --start-server

What ?

It's a pretty simple suggestion, so the TL;DR describes it completely.

Why ?

Currently, you can either load a save (or connect to a server) with GUI, or start a server without GUI. I wanted to implement p2p Factorio to make sure anyone can connect to the server at any time without hosting a dedicated server (so you only have to centrally host a light web server as opposed to a resource-heavy proprietary x86_64-only Factorio server), but it turns out you can only start a server without GUI. Obviously I could make the client connect to a local server, but it would create a lot of overhead with 2 simulations running at the same time. So, to properly implement p2p Factorio I need to be able to run a server with GUI. This is quite a niche use case, but it's necessary for me here.

[ssilk]

Ehem. You start a server and then you still want a GUI? Sorry for asking me stupid questions (I’ve no clue about multiplayer server): Why? Isn’t it possible to start Factorio and then host a game as server? Why do you need the GUI?

[Shadow_Man]

Other idea about server:
Maybe add feature when start hosting game from main menu, add button "Start dedicated server" with selected options in GUI?

[Rseding91]

I'm confused. Isn't that just "start the game, click multiplayer -> host game" ? It makes a multiplayer server with a GUI.

[ssilk]

Other idea about server:
Maybe add feature when start hosting game from main menu, add button "Start dedicated server" with selected options in GUI?

Why?

[quyxkh]

I wanted to implement p2p Factorio to make sure anyone can connect to the server at any time without hosting a dedicated server (so you only have to centrally host a light web server as opposed to a resource-heavy proprietary x86_64-only Factorio server)

The server runs the full map. A "light weight web server" isn't a Factorio server, the data traffic for shipping the sim results around every tick would be out of this world so everyone runs the full sim and the only traffic per tick is the user actions. If you "connect to the server" it sends you an on-the-fly save of the current state, which nobody had to send it because it's running the full sim, and then you play catch-up with everything everybody's done since it took that save.

Factorio *used to be* p2p, there was no host, but while I was never there I do know networking a little and I dare say it was too fragile for a whole host of reasons, some of them boiling down to open research problems—afaik there aren't any mesh-network algorithms suitable for maintaining a multiplayer game's broadcast mesh over the open internet. Chances are, there's going to be one rig that's got really good network bandwidth anyway, and everybody knows who's got it, so ffs just make that the server.

[Shadow_Man]

Other idea about server:
Maybe add feature when start hosting game from main menu, add button "Start dedicated server" with selected options in GUI?

Why?

In the graphical interface, it is convenient to configure the server startup parameters and then start it with one button. It would also be convenient to make it possible to save / load the configured parameters. There is a separate utility FactorioServerLauncher, I would like to have similar functionality in the game itself.

[ssilk]

A) this last post is a new suggestion - has nothing to do with this topic. Please make an extra suggestion!
And when you do that, please follow the suggestion template which makes everything easier to read. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47316
B) on the Wiki command line page, there is everything explained that enables you to copy the created map string to the server.
C) I understand “dedicated server” so, that it means it runs not at home. Because what sense should be behind running on the same computer/host a Factorio-server and a -client? You can configure the host to mirror you the output of the graphics-card that Factorio creates to you at home. But that cannot be part of Factorio. What you eventually mean is a web-server interface, something that rolls out a web-page which looks like the Factorio interface, but can be managed inside your browser (Mozilla, chrome, edge….)?
D) I don’t know the server-launcher and I can’t even look, what it does, because I’m using macOS; and a suggestion should not refer too much on “should be as XXX”. Please explain suggestions so, that you don’t need to refer on external sources, because they tend to change or be deleted.

In any case I try to help you that the suggestions are interesting enough and simple enough to understand, so that it gets interest from forum members and devs.

[pavlukivan]

A "light weight web server" isn't a Factorio server.

I know! The point is not to run a Factorio server for coordination, but instead let anyone "hop in" as they like, and if they are the only person online, they become the host. If nobody is online, the server simply doesn't run. It can technically be done already, but only manually - I'd like to automate that.

[ssilk]

I think that “automatically switching” can be done by a mod. Which needs to be written of course.

Nothing which has much use (still having problems to understand the use case) and so should not be implemented into vanilla.

moving to won’t implement