How to Calculate how many people your server can hold! [Copied from ProphetX]
I often see threads pop up asking "how many players can my server hold?". This thread should help clear things up.
First, you need to go to Speedtest.net and test your speed. The number that is the most important is your upload speed which is measured in Mbps (millions of bits per second). Do not confuse this with MBps (millions of bytes per second).
For average gameplay, each player uses about 20Kbps of your upload bandwidth. In heavy raiding situations this number can double, so to be safe you should assume that each player will use 40Kbps MINIMUM.
So how do you work out the theoretical max players your server can hold? Simple. Use this formula:
your upload speed in Mbps / 0.04
For example, if you have a 1Mbps upload speed you can assume that you will be able to hold 25 players (1 / 0.04 = 25).
However, 25 players will completely max out your bandwidth and your players will experience lag, disconnections, and other annoyances. Remember that this number is just the theoretical max players that you can hold. To be more realistic, you need to assume that only 75% of your total bandwidth will be available to your server at any given time.
To work out the realistic max players your server can hold, use this formula:
Theoretical max players * 0.75
Using the example above, we see that 25 * 0.75 = 19. So for a 1Mbps connection you should probably limit the number of available connections to 19.
Keep in mind that the information I have provided will allow you to estimate the max number of players in a heavy raiding situation. Regular gameplay takes up less bandwidth, and therefore you will probably be able to hold more players than this formula tells you.
Disclaimer: The bandwidth tests that lead to these conclusions were performed on a retail server. The bandwidth used on private servers may vary greatly. These formulas are intended to provide owners of small, non-dedicated servers with an estimate of what their player cap should be. Owners of dedicated servers are advised to conduct their own tests rather than relying on the estimations given by these formulas.
