First off let me start off by saying ETG is unlike any other network currently around. Not just because of our staff, or what we offer, but because the way we are run/setup. ETG is made on some very strong rules, standards, foundations. When ETG was made, it was made to be different from all other networks. It was designed in a way to provide you with the maximum stability, performance, and service. I have been on IRC so many years I choose not to even count them or remember them anymore frankly. Those years have shown/taught me alot of things, one of the many things it showed me was how the other networks didn`t work and nobody cared about them and why.

ETG was made for, a place for the good people to come, not have to worry about problems etc. A place where the gaming community could come together and actually get along (weird dream I know but for the most part, that is what we all do.) Among the other things these years have taught me is how much the different networks don`t actually care about their users, and the network itself really. Mostly run by power tripping people who expect you to bow to them. If there is a real problem on the network they won`t do anything to help you unless you are a close personal friend of theirs etc.

Most networks are setup in such a way if you are a friend with an existing network admin and want status either he brings you on as an IRCOP on his server or you setup your own with you and your friends as ircops and he links you into the network. Also on these networks the ircops don`t actually do anything beneficial other then idle. The sole purpose for having ircops is to have the status of saying you are one and having the power to kill people. This is one of the things that disgusted me with the other networks. First off what`s the point of having an ircop? They are supposed to be there to oversee the network and keep it running. Next question is why have ircops if they don`t do anything? Well answer to that is simple, there is none. They server no real purpose on the other networks. If the network is setup right its very rare you would ever need an ircop to do something with the server.

One of the next faults with most networks is as I said every server is run by different people and implementing standards is very hard if not impossible. EFNet took years to implement time stamping etc because many of the admins refused to do it, they liked the ability to split their servers and takeover channels. Same thing with other networks, people tend not to agree to change unless it directly benefits them directly. Even once a decision for changes is made, actually implementing them takes forever as the admins all have their own stuff to do and never seem to get around to it. This leads to many different versions of IRCDs being run on the same network, causing conflicts and crashes and other various problems. There is no real unity in the way each server is setup as they are all setup and made by different people.

Anyways basically our solutions to the different problems was a unified system. Rather then people making servers and linking in. We basically accept donated shell accounts from different people. They donate the usage of that account to ETG and the Gaming Community for us to install, configure, and run an irc server off it. This allows ETG full control over upgrading and configuring and making sure the server runs smoothly with the rest of the network. It also allows us to remove trouble makers from the irc server in an instant if a major problem occurs.

Next thing is we don`t have ircops on each servers. We have an actual admin staff that globally takes care of the users on the whole network. And 2 actual network admins who take care of networking problems. And only one server admin who sets it all up/configures the servers and oversees their operation. After all the 2 later positions are rarely needed.

When a server is brought in, the server owner is offered an ETG Admin staff position if they would like to help out on the staff too. Most of server providers choose not to do that as they don`t have the time for that. After all them donating the server account/bandwidth alone is a great contribution. Another point to make here is our admin staff does has its own rules and is required to actually help out etc. Just because someone runs a server doesn`t mean they wouldn`t be bound by those same rules if they choose to become an admin. After all it is unfair to the rest of the volunteers if they have to do hard work and others don`t have to do anything. So we ask if you choose to be an admin you actually pull your weight. We have had to delink servers over admins refusing to help and refusing to not be on the admin staff. Basically they wanted the status of being able to say they were an admin without actually having to do anything.

We don`t have much to offer anyone who links in a server here. Basically you know you are helping out the gaming community. And you get a warm fuzzy feeling inside. We also list on our website who provides the link be it a company, a clan, or an individual. Basically that`s all we really have to offer you though. Like the admin staff who volunteer all their time to help keep the network running, having a server is pretty much just volunteering your server for use.

If you are interested in donating a server for our use below is a list of some of the qualifying questions that you basically will have answer. You can e-mail it to whiz@enterthegame.com.

• Where is the server located?
• What the agreement for its co-location?
• How fast is the machine?
• What type of connect does it have?
• What else is the machine used for?
• What`s its current/average uptime?
• What`s its average processor usage?
• How stable is the server?
• How long would you want to run the server for? (we look for servers that aren`t fly by night ops but are a permanent addition to ETG and the community)
• Who are you?
• Do you (or your company) own the server? (this has to be a yes)
• Are you the admin of the server?
• How trustworthy are you?
• How do we know that?
• Do you have red hair? ( =p )
• Will you mess with the irc server in any way shape or form?
• Is you machine secure?
• Are you running SSH?
• Do you have any kind of DoS Attack protection/logging?
• How often are you available (if your server crashes sometime can we get a hold of you?)
• What OS are you running?
• Do you keep the OS relatively up-to-date/patched?
• What are your reasons for wanting to provide us with a server? (Personal Gain=No, Providing a service to the community or your company`s gaming customer base=Yes)
• Are you a likeable person/do you get along well with others?
• Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.. how many pickled peppers did peter piper pick?
• Do we need a server in that area?

Basically that is some of what we ask/try to determine to even consider anything. The biggest one being "Can We Trust You?" Having a server run on a machine gives the owner of that machine a unique ability to really fuck with ETG if he/she so desired. So we don`t jump at extra servers that easily because of  bad past experiences.

Currently we are looking to expand off and get even more international users/servers off in Europe/Asia. But any trust worthy person offering is considered.

VD-WHiZ