Hi, I am Harry_James and this is my journey at IORP.
ABOUT ME
I am a developer, I like to create software. In my childhood, I play sa-mp in a gaming zone with a local host server. We had so much fun with just the basic server script. When I become an adult, I started my career in software development.
BEFORE IORP
In college, I started again to play sa-mp but this time on the internet. I found only one good server out there, which was from Italy. I have become friends with many players and that is the first place, where I learn roleplay. But when I learned the basics of roleplay and online samp server, I started to feel like the server have many scripting issues that lead to hacked like every day. And there are only a few things to do. But main this was roleplay factions.
In college, I don’t have much to do, so I started pawn scripting. Then I make the server owner an offer to code for him. He agreed and I started to code new scripts for him. Everything was growing, I got a developer role and working as much as I can to improve. After few days, I started to feel like something is capping my limits. I talked to the owner to allow me to improve his game mode script. But he rejected to do so, however, he was friendly but did not want to do any extra with game mode. So, I was playing there but then, I started IORP to put all the ideas, I have into one script. Everything was going okay but suddenly the server where I was playing is shut down without any words. Later, I don’t have any server to play. so I made IORP public and around 2017, IORP was public. From there, new problems are started.
NAME OF SERVER?
I wanted some name, which unequally identifies my server. I looked on the internet and but did not found anything useful, Then I was looking around and searched for the largest ocean on earth. I found the Indian Ocean is the largest ocean on earth. I then decided that the server name will be Indian Ocean Roleplay aka IORP.
WHERE TO LAUNCH IORP EXACTLY?
I just know about coding pawn, I don’t have any experience in running a server. I launched the IORP in Europe at starting, I then invited players to play on my server. Everyone join and comment on the server, However al comment was same. "you got good script but you need more players.
SEARCH FOR PLAYERS?
As I know the server was ready, I started to invite players around random places to play on the server. But did not go well. I have found few players who are good at sa-mp. I have started a discussion of IORP with them, and keep working on the script for improvements. Well, I don’t forget few players who helped IORP the best and they are MJ (my real friend), PeytonP, Sarah_Rose. You can say, they were the founders of IORP. because everything that IORP is today because of them and their ideas.
CHANGE OF SERVER MODE TYPE?
I like the sims game, that is good. So I changed the normal server game mode to real life and I started working on it, Me and MJ were roommates at college, so he and I started to found new factions. He helped me so much with the forum. Then we created real IORP, with real-life ideas. you can check our life guide where we created a basic concept about life and why you don’t have kids and all. But still, you can marry someone, become a friend with someone and many more.
PROBLEM: LOW PLAYER BASE.
When everything was ready like website, forum, server. Now it’s time for more players to come, but no one showing interest. So, I decided to buy hosted tab to show the server on the internet tab in sa-mp. I bought it. Then more players are joining IORP. We hit the best player base with over 40+ players. Everything was awesome. But when hosted tab over, we lost the player base again. I don’t have money to keep the server in hosted tab. Then I decided that more players are not a good thing I want. I want only good players to make friends and enjoy sa-mp just like my childhood. Then left hosted tab and I also stopped personally inviting players. I committed that day, “I will not shut down IORP because it best server to play. I don’t find any other good server like this. So, I decided not to shut down and I will play alone if no one joins ever but I will keep the server up”. At the time of this article, IORP has 1726+ valid registrations and keeps growing.
PROBLEM: MANY COMMANDS VS COMMAND LESS SERVER AKA UCP.
In the early stage, IOPR has over 600+ commands because scripts are growing, when IORP has around 200+ scripts. I decided that commands are waste of time, however, it’s the basic concept of sa-mp. Sa-mp players are offended by this whenever I say this. But commands are time-consuming and it’s hard to learn all the commands. So I decided to make the command less server, I started to remove all commands and create one single menu which is called the user control panel, User control panel show required commands to players when need. And rest were used by pressing enter at specific locations. Normally, all things visible to the player only when available. On the date of this article, there are only commands less than 10 for players. And there just normal commands like /pocket, /help, and roleplay commands.
PROBLEM: FRAUD PLAYERS, WHO CAUSE TROUBLE ONLY.
I came to know that many players are just causing trouble and fake accounts are created daily. I have to stop this otherwise server never have peace. So I upgraded to https://iorp.in, only registered players from https://iorp.in are allowed to join the server. This will reduce the fraud player accounts. It did but not well because they create accounts with fake email Ids, so I have to whitelist email providers and then IORP becomes a safe place, no fraud accounts. However, we monitor the server daily and validate all registration, if we found a fraud account. We disable it and ask for additional verification.
MANAGEMENT OF SERVER
Now I am graduated, I don’t have time to manage the server. So in early 2018, I found @Priyanshu_Aggarwal who is currently managing IORP. Was always with me to manage IORP. And I decide to make server admin less. That means no admin should be required on the server. And that is how IORP is a self-maintained server. you will understand this point if you are a player of IORP.
Then what are the jobs available for admins?. Well jobs like keeping eye on valid registrations, managing leaders of factions, and working of them. Which is just a normal job to keep everything in place. And what’s in it for me, well as far as management, I don’t have any. So I just mind my own business which is to keep sever out of technical problems. I just manage suggestions and server technical problems. Nothing more there for management in IORP. That’s why IORP can leave for a long time without any admin. We are at our final stage of development which is keeping every system out of issues. There are only a few lefts for it. so we are working on it.
PROBLEM: SEPARATION FROM REST WORLD.
Well, players from other countries just don’t like the name of the server, it’s not about the server, Because I code for other servers in the world. They just told me one this, which I don’t agree with that. They said, its name is Indian Ocean Roleplay and it’s Indian server. However that was not the truth at that time because the server hosted in Europe and the Indian ocean is the largest ocean, I guess those people, who said to me this is not educated. They should first learn about our oceans to claim such a thing. So that claim however not true at that time. But now it’s true. Because I later moved the server to India because of this problem and decide to give Indian players the best server in India to play with low pings. So IORP separated from the rest of the world.
FUTURE OF INDIAN OCEAN ROLEPLAY SERVER.
Well as the long world is playing san andreas, IORP will be active that should be the main reason, why you choose IORP to play. It’s a safe place to play. We only allow good players to play on our server. So currently it’s been 4 years since IORP is active. It will be active for years because right now I am maintaining it. But in a couple of years, I will hand over IORP to my primary company, which is a software development company. It will keep the server up forever even if I am not available. And the development of the server will be public, I have this idea since the beginning. And now there are tools out there to become it true. So everyone will contribute to the development of IORP. These few things I have said in this article are not yet ready but they will be.
HOW BIG IORP BECOME IN A MATTER OF DEVELOPMENT?
Well IORP has more than 359+ scripts that make your gameplay safer. We keep adding new features.
HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO IORP DEVELOPMENT?
you can report problems and good suggestions so that we can create a safer place for everyone to play. you can also share our server with your friends to play with you.
THANK YOU FOR READING, HAVE A NICE DAY
note: I will keep posting more of my experience whenever I have something to share.
