Server and Client Builds

#1 Yes,

Build the dedicated server for dedicated servers.
And build the regular client for regular players.

Having said that, you can still run a dedicated server with a regular client by passing along -dedicated, or so i think.

Having a seperate server build would be useful for those wanting to host their own dedicated servers. No need to join the game, just run it, and watch people join.

#2 For the next beta of Trajectory Zone, I'm planning on deploying exactly what you ask about - here at the house, there's going to be a single TZ server running dedicated, and the clients will be client-only copies. Can't start thier own server, which helps me keep track of a lot of stats about the beta in a single location. In this case, even -dedicated won't start a server :-)

#3 Jimomighty

Our team has been using this "technique" for the past couple of weeks and it works great. The Client can't create new games (it does not have the functions and there is no code for it in the binary) and the server can't render anything or use any audio.

I don't know if this improves performance really but the binary size get's down a bit and you save RAM. Also, by limiting the client to only join games, the game code is a bit harder to hack and they simply cannot host their own servers.

Sincerely
Stefan Lundmark

#4 Oh, thanks peeps!