You should stick the server player counter/cap next to the listed games to encourage more people to join. And people should join more. Click on the Connect link on the left, folks. It's not a virus.

I actually wanted to do this when I first put it on the home page, but then I remembered that unless I want the home page to take 30 seconds or more querying the game servers, I would need to use JavaScript in order for it to work correctly.

Actually, no. I might be able to do that fine, but it'd require a JS user to view the home page first before a nonJS user does:

1 - javascript asks the server to query the game servers
2 - server caches and returns the value
3 - now, for non-js users, we use the cached value in the game server entry there by default using a simple variable when the index loads
4 - js users will query the server regardless but the server can also just return the cached value based on a cooldown to prevent digital self-harm

I'll see if I can get this implemented tonight, actually.

>unless I want the home page to take 30 seconds or more querying the game servers
Just have a background task query the servers every minute or so, save the results, and have the webserver use those results. Basically your javascript idea, but more reliable, without javascript and without the need to trust or verify whatever bullshit the clients could send you.

Coming right up real soon.

connect player counts.png

Minecraft Alpha can't have a player count because of how the server is designed AFAIK (aka I can't find any results on the Internet as to how I can grab it in this version)

I know I can get player counts for Terraria, TF2, Xonotic, and the others easily though so it won't be much of a problem

Can't you get the number of open connections on the port? You don't need any special support on the server for that.

I don't believe we'll be able to do that since everything is containerized, unfortunately. It does seem like the best and easiest way and could probably be done for all services though

Added: https://cy-x.net/connect

The chat counts will soon be displayed somewhere in the header, and game server counts will be added to the front page. This will make our services more noticeable to the common eye.