Help ! I wanna setup a gaming center

[lavanian]

I am planning to setup a LAN gaming center. I would appreciate help and support on the following:
1.Ideal (lowest cost) computer configuration
2. How to setup games on the LAN
3. Which OS to use
4. Where to purchase the OS and Games LEGALLY for the lowest rates
5. Which is the best (and cheapest) Gaming center admin software
6. Is any one willing to do the above for me as a consultant? and if so how much should I pay him?
7. What are the shop license requirements
8. Is it a profitable business?
9. Any other issue that I'm not aware of...

You can directly contact me on +919885023504 or email lavanian@vsnl.net
Thanks

[bharathbala2003]

well am not much of a pro out here in this topic...

try this..

AMD 2400XP + ASUS MOBO Rs.6500/-
kingston 256 MB SD RAM PC100 Rs.4000/-
AMD ATHLON CPU COOLER FAN Rs.155/-
Samsung 120 GB 7200 rpm Rs.4150/-
LG 17" Normal ( Black ) Rs.5700/-
Samsung 52x24x52 ( writer ) Rs.1450/-
ATI RADEON 9200SE,128MB
,TV OUT,DVI,11months warran Rs.2500/-
Creative SOUND BLASTER LIVE M 5.1 Rs.2450/-
Samsung Optical Mouse Black Rs.370/-
Samsung Window98 Keyboard 104 Key, Black/White Rs.205/-

this will cost u about 27K a piece.. (extra head phones) better in a gaming center.. also cost not inclusive of gaming devices..

if u set up make sure to put in atleast 5 PC's and recomended games r...

UT2003 Or 2004
NFS UG1,2
Half life Counter Strike,
Doom 3
Rome Total War
then smaller versions of games like roadrash.. nfs hp1,2 porche.. etc etc..

[Ethan_Hunt]

hmmmmm.....this will take a long while to answer...but just sort out some that i can
1.) most parts that bharathbala2003 suggested is ok.....just cutting out on some unwanted thingyy.....like the creative Sb live card (hey come on Lan gaming requires headphones at the most and not all Pc's will require those soundcards....instead go for a good onboard sound supportin mobo and yea not to forget lan support as well) also the cd writer (for one Pc i.e the server could do with it but remember not all) Samung 120Gb is way too much....consider a 80Gb at the least will be more than sufficient Now the Gfx card......ahhhh man wish ya had a grt budget for this as this would be most important aspect....go for a Geforce Fx5200 or the Ati 9600pro Good for gaming at normal resolutions

2.)in order to setup games on lan is very simple just get ur pc's connected via Lan card and there are cables available for this purpose which join ur pc's on a network.....game later on can be configured by its multiplayer opitons and a lan server being created and then other Pc's joining on

3.)OS would definetly be the WinXp home edition (fair enough for gamin)

4.)purchasing Os and games legally at low prices is a big issue in our country as they cost a bomb and no retailers are willing to sell em below the MRP in most cases as they only have a handful of stock to sell

5.)gaming admin software.....hmmmm not aware of many here mate....Anyways try this site http://www.cybercafepro.com/ also try http://www.mycafecup.com/eng_index.html and google for lots more

6.)now doin the consultancy job......well u must find someone out urself

7.)this u gotta ask some cyber cafe owner for the Licensing agreements of ur shop to get a round about idea

8.)well depends on what the trend is....now-a-days games are a rage and net cafes are just for name sake intead have become gamin cafe's....u just need a good hardware and the hot and running games and a time to time update on the same

9.)any other issue ehhhh.....now what am i not aware about??? :roll: :roll: lets seee....ahhhh oh yes the games yaarrr....the most important part of ur cafe.....get urslef the latest games in Lan gamings....hot Fav's being Ut 2004,Counter strike,Doom3,Fifa 2005,Nfs Uderground 2,Warcraft 3:frozen throne and some more as well 8)

Good luck pal....just also wait for others opinion if i may have left out on sometin

[theraven]

make that proccy a min of athlon xp 2600

if u go for 5200 or 9200 se ur game centre will collapse
get a min of 9600 pro
recommended 9800pro

ask fresh seasons for more help
he runs a gamin centre in nagpus with xpbpxs ps2s ans pc's

[Ethan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by theraven

if u go for 5200 or 9200 se ur game centre will collapse

true true but the cheapest arnd.....so hope budget extending to buy a new card....hate recommendin these cheap 5200 cards

Originally Posted by theraven

get a min of 9600 pro

already suggested.....costin arnd 7k good deal

Originally Posted by theraven

recommended 9800pro

Now we are talkin.....but then will end up spendin more on the Gfx card as it costs arnd 13.5k itself

Originally Posted by theraven

ask fresh seasons for more help
he runs a gamin centre in nagpus with xpbpxs ps2s ans pc's

yup was gonna recommmend him the same.....Goshhhh just slipped outta my mind hmmmm...now which reminds me he hasnt been arnd much these days

[lavanian]

You guys are gr8 and thnx for the info....
but as they say the real mazza is in the tastin....
I'm sure you guys must have played at many gaming dens !! So which is the place that really got you guys gung ho and what kind of Specs did THOSE places have???... any thoughts...??

[Ethan_Hunt]

not been to any special pc gamin zone as such.....but yea have been to many Ps2 cafe's......and to tell ya those ppl make some high business.....sometimes they even beat the Pc gamin zones.....cause the game variety's that ps2 ranges is just too good to resist...the only drawback being that it lacks efficient multiplayer support....u gotta buy an ethernet adapter for it and plus very few games have support for such online action.....

Btw the config's now possessed are not that High end though cause most multiplayer games can do with normal config's.....thats excluding heavy games like doom 3,HL2 and Far Cry kind

They usually have minimum of 10 Pc's connected on Lan and the majority customers today are a total addict on Counter Strike.....trust me this game raked more multiplayer action then most other games.....its like a trend of Fps genre games takin over the industry and are mostly dominated as are high and fast paced action.....So try and sum up ur budget and post how much u can spend a min on each config's....thus we will be able to answer accordingly.....

[bharathbala2003]

Originally Posted by allwyndlima

not been to any special pc gamin zone as such.....but yea have been to many Ps2 cafe's......and to tell ya those ppl make some high business.....sometimes they even beat the Pc gamin zones..... majority customers today are a total addict on Counter Strike.....trust me this game raked more multiplayer action then most other games.....

ritely said.. i ve been to a quite a few places.. they mainly offer PS 2.. and they have a few comps in standby incase u wanna play while u wait for ur chance at PS2.. and trust me PS2 ROCKZ!!! but since ya lookin for multiplayer PS2 wont b a gud option.. and as he said give ur budget first.. and then v can help u more

[lavanian]

Max 30K (rupees) per computer (incl the graphic card) I don't need a cd or floppy drive
WinXp
? for PS2
? for games---howmany?

And what do you guys feel is better Intel or AMD??

[bharathbala2003]

Originally Posted by lavanian

I don't need a cd or floppy drive

u need a cd drive m8!

Originally Posted by lavanian

WinXp

hmm its a gud choice one of the best OS that is STABLE

Originally Posted by lavanian

for games---howmany?

depends m8.. if u need LEGAL copies no way u can get em cheap.. will cos min 400 to 500 a piece.. and will go upto 3000 a piece.. and also depends a lot on wat games u install.. [/quote]

Originally Posted by lavanian

And what do you guys feel is better Intel or AMD??

dint u see the spec i gave above.. a piece costed about 27000... n if u change that sound card n put a better graphics ull end up havin min 28000 per comp..

Originally Posted by lavanian

for PS2

PS2??? legal one wit Bill about 12000.. and legal cd's min 400 n max 4000 but mind u not all games support LAN or networking..

[lavanian]

Wow I 'm really getting a lot of gyan
Im thinking of not using a CD drive as all games can be on the HDD only one machine will have a CD drive and will be for loading games thru the network.
BTW is it necessary for the CD to be in the CD drive? and if so how the hell can I load 20 game CD simultaenously?

Secondly, what do you think is the real demand for PS2 games...? and what ratio do you feel should I have between PS2 and Comp games? 1:1 or 1:2 or 1:3 or 1:4 ? After all I can get 2 PS2 for the cost of one comp.

[bharathbala2003]

Originally Posted by lavanian

After all I can get 2 PS2 for the cost of one comp.

wel wel thats true.. but each PS requires a TELEVISION.. and it would look nice only if u have a min of 25" Flat TV with gud speakers.. but recomanded a 29" Flatron.. mayb a 25" flat frm LG (SONY is da BEST but bill will go BONKERS) costs bout 16K a piece(EX-MUMBAI for detailed cost of LG tv in ya city chck http://www.lgindia.com so if u get mayb 5 PS2.. with about 60K ull b spendin roughly another 75K on TV.. but chck the prices i quoted abve m8 for a PC.. all inclusive is bout 28K so with in the place of 5 PS2's u can get 10 PC's.. but mayb ppl prefer playin in PS2.. but not every game gives NETWORK option.. above all this whch eva u use.. ther is one more main thing u shld consider.. THE PLACE.. make sure u get a place where lotsa crowd can b attracted.. not in some small alley!

[djmykey]

Hi man lavanian u better get in contact with freshseasons. Hes got a gaming centre. So he wud give ya sound advice. For a gaming centre or a cafe u need a shop act liscence.(Atleast I have 1 ). N u'll be up and running. And also don't forget to pay service taxes. Coz those officials drop in at anytime.

[lavanian]

how stupid of me I FORGOT the TV!! thanx Bala
djmykey does freshseasons have an email? u c Im at hyderabad
thanx all u gr8 gyz .... and keep the advice coming!!

[bharathbala2003]

wel wel.. its ok m8.. try PM ing Fresh Seasons..

[beaditya]

well when u setup ur gamin zone................PM me dude.....i'll dropin with my frnds.....................thatz the least i cud do to a fellow hyderabadi !!!!!

[djmykey]

yeah try pming him. Hes in Nashik and Pune (actually ping pong ball) So try and ask him. Lemme tell ya hes got a cafe with PS2's and XBox's i think I'm not kinda sure but he has a cafe run on games

[freshseasons]

Originally Posted by djmykey

yeah try pming him. Hes in Nashik and Pune (actually ping pong ball) So try and ask him. Lemme tell ya hes got a cafe with PS2's and XBox's i think I'm not kinda sure but he has a cafe run on games

Errr make that Ping Pong from Nagpur to Pune... . Ping Pong Nice term that .
And yaa no cafe'e here. No internet nothing. Just a good hand on Gaming consoles , Gaming Zone ( parlour ) .
Please please please stay out of PC gaming. Your Pc will be old enough before you feel spell " Ouch " feeling the cost to play the latest games. Forget a good configuration Pc will cost you more than 30K and it not worth it.
INVEST PLEASE INVEST in PS2 and Lovely Xbox. All paisa Vaasul man. I Earn daily 3K on the Stuff and i dont even have to invest time ..Formating . Defraging the harddisk or those blue screens.
A PS2 Costs 10K around..( Please Avoid the slim version at it doesnt have the harddrive Upgrade Option ...) and Xbox around 13K . Get a LG 21 Inches TV..and good decoration and you are set to earn 60K per month.
All investment returned in 9 months ..how that for business...
But but but there are few nifty grities that have to be sorted out. Rest is smooth sail. ( Dont Purchase the Stuff directly from market if you cannot mod it ) .
If interested PM me
Freshseasons

[Ethan_Hunt]

u said it freshyy.......man thats why i hail consoles all the way........

Not much upgradation required....no installation.....no Gfx card compatibility probs 8)

the place that i go to play the ps2 games.....believe it or not is full from the time it opens up in the morning.....and i see ppl just waiting in line outside the shop just to get a glimpse of the games that ya play......the Major crowd puller these days on the PS2 is definetly THQ's WWE Smackdown wrestling seires......they are a huge hit next to Gta San Andreas.....i see kids literally spending hours on playing it......and Dammm this sure is good businesss Plus u dun have to worry a lot after invetment cause this can be secured for say until the Ps3 is out which wont be anytime near in India for a few years now So rest assured Ps2 Cafe all the way baby

Btw the lack of multiplayer support is of course a drawback.....which brings me to the point that Freshhyyy is there an ethernet adapter that u can attach to the ps2 for multiplaer action if yes then which one and how many games are supported for that.....i know that XBox has the Multi Link feature to connect upto 16 Xbox's at a time but what about Ps2

Freash Seasons is indeed rite, as PC games parlour will cost a lot & will be slow in 1 year only, console gaming parlour

U can consult to the other thread in which fresh seasons was asking help for opening his Cafe, to take a few tips

as for console mania, don't foget to get Mortal Kombat, Tekken series, & Dead or alive series, they are the maony makersd, alongwith NFS Series,

Buy normal 20" TV, flat from Lg or Samsung, or even Thomson, no need to invest a lot in them they just work, make sure they got NTSC

XBOX & PS2 both supports Lan gaming to some extenct, by not going for PCs U are saving a lot of money better spend it on logitech or netgear gaming gears, networking stuff

[lavanian]

Great vibes here!! you guys can contact me at lavanian@vsnl.net or call me at +91-9885023504 .
Fresh Seasons, I'd specially look forward to a call frm u for obvious reasons....

[sandeeprao]

hey guys...i think ur forgeting something
in most game cafe u see guys playing only UT2004 warcraft3,conter strike(1.6 or condition zero) And others like nfs u2 etc.there is no need to upgrade the comps after a year or so cause ppl r gonna continue playing these games and in case u get a profit of abt 60k like fresh season said then u can upgrade once in 2 yrs think about it mate!!!

p.s:there a lan center here in chennai called zap.that guy mints money like hell!!!
he's got about 3 centres with abt 30 comps each and 2 ps2 and 2 xboxs so u could do the same!!

[Ethan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by sandeeprao

hey guys...i think ur forgeting something
in most game cafe u see guys playing only UT2004 warcraft3,conter strike(1.6 or condition zero) And others like nfs u2 etc.there is no need to upgrade the comps after a year or so cause ppl r gonna continue playing these games and in case u get a profit of abt 60k like fresh season said then u can upgrade once in 2 yrs think about it mate!!!

p.s:there a lan center here in chennai called zap.that guy mints money like hell!!!
he's got about 3 centres with abt 30 comps each and 2 ps2 and 2 xboxs so u could do the same!!

Hmm....lets see out here....u say that there will be ppl playing the same games throughout the year and u can get a profit of 60k.....dun suppose so mate....cause with games like Doom 3 and HL2 makin a late entry and a good impact on multiplayer action it will be demanding more high end rigs which will have the Pc to be upadted within a very short period of purachse.....plus the Pc maintainance would be more than The Ps2 and selecting each and every part of the rig would be even more tiring and if u miss out something in the end then ur screwed Ps2 on the other hand has no such hassles just a TV,Ps2 console,Extra contollers,Game DVD's,Mem Cards (if reqd),Or some other stuff for add-on and thats it

Btw the 60k profit that freshseasons made was on his Ps2 gamin business and not Pc gamin

[bharathbala2003]

Originally Posted by sandeeprao

p.s:there a lan center here in chennai called zap.that guy mints money like hell!!!
he's got about 3 centres with abt 30 comps each and 2 ps2 and 2 xboxs so u could do the same!!

i know bout ZAP but rem u need LUCK also and moreover u need to select the proper places to start it.. and i too feel after freshseasons reasoning out.. PS2 is better..

[lavanian]

Originally Posted by sandeeprao

there is no need to upgrade the comps after a year or so cause ppl r gonna continue playing these games and in case u get a profit of abt 60k like fresh season said then u can upgrade once in 2 yrs think about it mate!!!

p.s:there a lan center here in chennai called zap.that guy mints money like hell!!!
he's got about 3 centres with abt 30 comps each and 2 ps2 and 2 xboxs so u could do the same!!

Too much input....Ummmmm :roll: Thinking...:roll: Thinking... :roll: Thinking :roll: ARRRG I;m growing crazy THINKING....

[bharathbala2003]

Originally Posted by lavanian

Too much input....Ummmmm :roll: Thinking...:roll: Thinking... :roll: Thinking :roll: ARRRG I;m growing crazy THINKING....

wel wel.. lissin m8.. wats ur total cost estimate?? how much u plannin to invest??

[lavanian]

not exceeding 30K per computer ...

[Ethan_Hunt]

then that would definetly mean the specs provided before in ur post......reducing the drives and soundcard and the 120Gb storage.....it will leave ya with a good processor and a Gfx card....which has also been suggested in the post....just inquire abt their prices from ur dealers and then post them here 8)

[bharathbala2003]

ya exactly.. jus minus the soundcard.. and jus upgrade the gfx ull keep rocking..

[sandeeprao]

u guys r right a PS2 is better than a comp....
hey lavanian what u can do is start off a gaming centre with a couple of PS2's and if business is good then u can think buy a couple of GOOD pc's and start a lan gaming centre also...