Metin2 Server Launch Checklist: What to Test Before Opening

A Metin2 server launch day is the moment months of preparation get tested in a single night. The instant the first few hundred players try to register, log in and play at the same time, even the smallest detail you overlooked can spiral into a crisis: the registration form crashes, the payment system fails to credit yang, the first metin stone drops the wrong item, or the game core dies during the very first guild war. In this guide I've gathered every system you need to walk through before opening, as an ordered checklist. The goal is to turn launch night from a surprise into a routine inspection round.

Server infrastructure and processes

Before anything else, you need to be sure the machine will stay up. Launch load means many times more connections than a normal test day. What to check:

• Do the auth, db, game and channel processes start in order and without errors? No SYSERR lines should remain in the startup logs.
• If you run multiple channels, verify the port and core mapping of each. A wrong mapping dumps players into an empty channel.
• How do CPU and RAM behave on a single channel under 100-200 fake/test connections? Watch with top or htop.
• Automatic restart: have a watchdog (a simple bash loop or a systemd service) ready to bring the game core back up if it crashes.

# Verify the processes are actually running
ps aux | grep -E "auth|db|game" | grep -v grep
# Check the listening ports
netstat -tlnp 2>/dev/null | grep -E "1100[0-9]|net"

Registration, login and account security

The registration page is a player's first contact with you; an error there means a lost player on the spot. Before opening, run the entire signup flow end to end in a real browser:

• Do new account creation, email verification (if any) and first login work smoothly?
• Are passwords stored hashed, not in plain text in the database? Use a modern password_hash(); the old mysql_password alone is not enough protection.
• Is the registration form protected against SQL injection and XSS attempts? Make sure you use prepared queries.
• Is there a basic rate limit or captcha against bots that open hundreds of accounts from the same IP within seconds?

Payment and cash shop system

Most servers open their revenue gate on launch night. A bug here burns both trust and money. When testing, run both successful and failed scenarios:

• Does the callback/webhook from the payment provider credit the right amount of cash/coin to the right account?
• If the same payment notification arrives twice, does the system avoid a double credit? (Idempotency — process each transaction id only once.)
• Are the steps of buying an item from the cash shop, delivering it to the inventory and deducting from the cash balance all consistent?
• On a failed payment the player should receive no item, but their balance must not be reduced either.

If possible, make a small real-money test transaction and verify the end-to-end flow once with your own eyes.

Items, drops and economy balance

The launch economy leaves a lasting mark in the first weeks. An overly generous drop or a broken bonus can inflate the economy irreversibly. Check:

• Are item_proto and mob_proto consistent? A missing vnum, a wrong anti-flag or a faulty bonus definition can crash the game core.
• Do the drop tables of metin stones, bosses and grandbosses drop the items you expect at the rates you expect? Break a few metins and observe.
• Are yang and item duplication (dupe) exploits closed? In particular, stress-test trade, market/offline shop and mail systems.
• Do the EXP, drop and yang multipliers (CONFIG and related settings) exactly match the values you advertised? Players notice this on day one.

PvP, systems and quests

The heart of a Metin2 server is its PvP and systems. Before opening, test every prominent mechanic with a live character:

• Skill balance: no class one-shots others or is completely useless. Pit a few different classes against each other.
• Guild war and arena: does it crash under a crowd? This is usually where the first big crash happens.
• Active systems (costume, mount, pet, alchemy, belt, switchbot, etc.) — does each one open and work?
• Leveling and starter quests: can a fresh character progress through a playable flow from scratch? Do dialogues, rewards and quest timers work?

Backups, security and monitoring

This is the most neglected yet most critical pre-launch step. If something goes wrong on day one, you need a point you can roll back to.

• Is an automatic MySQL backup set up and actually running? Setting it up isn't enough; test that you can restore a backup.
• Are DDoS protection and a firewall (e.g. iptables rules) active? Launch day is an attack magnet.
• Is SSH access key-based with root password login disabled?
• On launch night, is a terminal ready to watch syserr.txt and syslog.txt live? You want to see a problem the moment it hits the log.

# Wire the backup into a scheduled job (example)
mysqldump -u root -p --single-transaction player account > backup_$(date +%F).sql
# Watch the logs live on launch night
tail -f syserr.txt syslog.txt

Frequently Asked Questions

How long before launch should I open a test server?

Ideally, open a closed beta/test server at least a week before launch and simulate real conditions with a few trusted players. Without a stress test, a system working with a single player does not mean it will work under launch load.

Which system crashes most often at launch?

In my experience the first big crashes usually happen in two places: the heavy registration/login traffic arriving all at once, and the first crowded guild war/arena. Going live without simulating both with a real crowd is risky.

Can I change drop and multiplier settings later?

Technically yes, but lowering settings that affect the economy (yang, drop, EXP) after launch causes a big player backlash. So choose your launch values carefully from the start; raising them later is always easier than lowering them.

If you're preparing for launch, I can help you audit every system of your server before going live and close the critical holes. For Metin2 server setup, stability and a launch checklist, get in touch with me.