Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with the creator of RaftDedicatedServer (popularly known as RDS): TeK, whom we are proud to call a BisectHosting partner. Here, we discuss the origin of RDS, TeK's future plans for the service, and how working with BisectHosting has helped expand the possibilities of the popular survival adventure game Raft to new heights!

Can you tell us about RDS and how it got started?

TeK: "At first, I wanted to create a minigames server and a roleplay server on Raft, but, sadly, there was no dedicated server, so I had no other choice than to make my own. Additionally, hosting a Raft server would've required a second Raft copy. So, we decided to make our own NetworkingLayer by removing Steam so that users can host a server without needing a second Raft key."

What have been the most challenging parts of developing RDS?

TeK: "Replacing the game networking by using our custom solution was quite challenging. We had to reverse engineer the Steam networking, and we had to make sure the game worked as intended gameplay-wise when there wasn't a "host." Like sleeping, for example. In the Raft base game, all players need to sleep on the server, but the 'server,' which is a hidden player, never sleeps."

How does RaftTCP (RTCP) improve player experience?

TeK: "RDS totally removes the dependency on Steam networking and uses TCP/IP so you and your players are directly connected to the server using raw packets rather than going through Steam and being relayed to other players instead."

What is your ultimate goal for RDS?

TeK: "My ultimate goal for RDS is to make it more stable and more performant. And eventually, to be able to make it almost "server authoritative" so players cannot cheat their inventory or position. We are starting to get there with our light Anticheat, but this would require a major rework of the Raft networking."

What has been your favorite part of working on RDS?

TeK: "My favorite part of working on RDS was creating the frontend systems to make the server owner's life easier (permissions, ranks, plugins, easy support for mods, chat commands, etc.), and the first time RDS really worked without Steam!"

How did you hear about BisectHosting, and what made you want to partner with us?

TeK: "BisectHosting reached out to me first. I never knew Bisect. I was nervous at first but then I discovered their awesome team. The team and the devs were so nice during our meetings, and implementing RDS on Bisect was very easy while working with the devs was also a very cool experience. Now, I run most of my services using Bisect servers and recommend my users to use them as well rather than self-hosting our software. It is even more stable with Bisect than self-hosted setups with their awesome panel and integration using Proton."

What BisectHosting features are the biggest benefit to players with Raft dedicated servers?

TeK: "The feature with the biggest benefit to players is their panel. With it, you can keep track of every player that has connected, schedule daily tasks, see the console and send commands, and you can monitor your server usage very easily."

Do you have an example of how BisectHosting has directly improved RDS?

TeK: "Bisect was able to use Proton using their proprietary code to run RDS with improved performance. We were not able to get it running with Proton, but Bisect did, and it improved overall performance. Their panel is also seamlessly integrated with our software and automatically manages license keys."

Has there been a piece of feedback from your community that reinforced the value of your work?

TeK; "Definitely one-click installations. Our users have reported to me that self-hosting RDS can be challenging because it requires Linux knowledge. On Bisect, however, you can simply buy it, click install, and boom - it works!"

Is there anything you would do differently if you were able to start all over again?

TeK: "If I were to start all over again I would have probably gone with Bisect first rather than wasting HOURS on Linux stuff to get it "partially" running. Their talented Linux experts also helped me set up everything needed on my own server as well!"

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about your experience with BisectHosting or RDS?

TeK: "I won't lie, BisectHosting is one of the only providers I'm happy to work with. Their teams really feel professional. They know what they are doing, and they know what they are talking about. I'm very pleased to work with Bisect, and in the future, I'm definitely looking forward to offering them dedicated server software for new games!" Are you looking to start your own Raft dedicated server today? Have any questions about BisectHosting or RDS? Our support staff is available 24/7/365 to help with whatever you need!