Decision Flowchart: Which Game Server Setup Do You Need?

Decision Guide: Choose Your Game Server Setup

Version: 1.0
Audience: Client / Gamer / Community Manager
Purpose: Help clients select the most appropriate game server solution for their needs.

---

1. Interactive Decision Flow

Use this flowchart during discovery calls or for self-service selection.

flowchart TD
    A[What game server do you need?] --> B{Which game?}

    B -->|Minecraft| C{How many players?}
    B -->|Valheim| D{How many players?}
    B -->|Project Zomboid| E{How many players?}
    B -->|Palworld| F{How many players?}
    B -->|Other Game| G{How many players?}

    C -->|2-8 players| H[Basic Setup - $30]
    C -->|8-32 players| I[Standard Setup - $45]
    C -->|32+ players| J[Advanced Setup - $60]

    D -->|2-4 players| H
    D -->|5-10 players| I
    D -->|10-20 players| J

    E -->|2-8 players| H
    E -->|8-32 players| I
    E -->|32+ players| J

    F -->|2-8 players| K[Standard Setup - $45]
    F -->|9-24 players| L[Advanced Setup - $60]
    F -->|25+ players| M[Premium Setup - $75]

    G -->|2-10 players| H
    G -->|11-50 players| I
    G -->|50+ players| J

    H --> N{Need ongoing support?}
    I --> N
    J --> N
    K --> N
    L --> N
    M --> N

    N -->|No, just setup| O[One-time setup only]
    N -->|Yes, basic| P[Basic Support - $15/month]
    N -->|Yes, active| Q[Advanced Support - $25/month]
    N -->|Yes, critical| R[Premium Support - $30/month]

---

2. Quick Question Guide

Question 1: Which game are you hosting?

• Minecraft → Go to Question 2
• Valheim → Go to Question 2
• Project Zomboid → Go to Question 2
• Palworld → Go to Question 2
• Rust/Ark/FiveM → Go to Question 2
• Other games → Go to Question 2

Question 2: How many players will you have?

• 2-8 players → Basic Setup ($30-45)
• 8-32 players → Standard Setup ($45-60)
• 32+ players → Advanced Setup ($60-75)
• 50+ players → Premium Setup (custom quote)

Question 3: Do you need ongoing support?

• No → One-time setup only
• Yes, basic maintenance → Basic Support ($15/month)
• Yes, active management → Advanced Support ($25/month)
• Yes, critical uptime → Premium Support ($30/month)

---

3. Game-Specific Recommendations

3.1 Minecraft Server Recommendations

Small Private Server (2-8 players)

Recommended Setup: Basic - $30 Hosting: Pebblehost ($5-10/month) Specs: 4GB RAM, 2 CPU cores Support: Basic or none

Best For:

• Friends and family
• Small gaming groups
• Beginners to server hosting
• Budget-conscious users

Medium Community Server (8-32 players)

Recommended Setup: Standard - $45 Hosting: BisectHosting ($15-25/month) Specs: 6-8GB RAM, 4 CPU cores Support: Advanced Support recommended

Best For:

• Growing communities
• Modded gameplay
• Content creators
• Small public servers

Large Public Server (32+ players)

Recommended Setup: Advanced - $60 Hosting: GPortal ($30-50/month) Specs: 12-16GB RAM, 6-8 CPU cores Support: Premium Support recommended

Best For:

• Large public communities
• Professional gaming communities
• Revenue-generating servers
• Complex modpacks

3.2 Valheim Server Recommendations

Small Group (2-4 players)

Recommended Setup: Basic - $30 Hosting: Pebblehost ($8-12/month) Specs: 4-6GB RAM, 2 CPU cores Support: Basic Support

Medium Community (5-10 players)

Recommended Setup: Standard - $45 Hosting: BisectHosting ($15-20/month) Specs: 8GB RAM, 4 CPU cores Support: Advanced Support

Large Group (10-20 players)

Recommended Setup: Advanced - $60 Hosting: GPortal ($25-35/month) Specs: 12-16GB RAM, 6-8 CPU cores Support: Premium Support

3.3 Project Zomboid Server Recommendations

Small Group (2-8 players)

Recommended Setup: Basic - $30 Hosting: Pebblehost ($10-15/month) Specs: 3-4GB RAM, 2 CPU cores Support: Basic Support

Medium Community (8-32 players)

Recommended Setup: Standard - $45 Hosting: BisectHosting ($20-30/month) Specs: 8GB RAM, 4 CPU cores Support: Advanced Support

Large Community (32+ players)

Recommended Setup: Advanced - $60 Hosting: GPortal ($35-50/month) Specs: 20-24GB RAM, 8+ CPU cores Support: Premium Support

3.4 Palworld Server Recommendations

Small Group (2-8 players)

Recommended Setup: Standard - $45 Hosting: BisectHosting ($20-25/month) Specs: 10-16GB RAM, 4 CPU cores Support: Advanced Support

Medium Community (9-24 players)

Recommended Setup: Advanced - $60 Hosting: GPortal ($30-40/month) Specs: 18-20GB RAM, 6-8 CPU cores Support: Premium Support

Large Community (25+ players)

Recommended Setup: Premium - $75 Hosting: Custom quote ($40-60/month) Specs: 24-32GB RAM, 8+ CPU cores Support: Premium Support

---

4. Support Tier Recommendations

4.1 Basic Support - $15/month

Best For:

• Small private servers (2-10 players)
• Casual gaming groups
• Budget-conscious users
• Basic maintenance needs

What You Get:

• Monthly server updates
• Basic troubleshooting
• 2 configuration changes per month
• 48-hour response time

4.2 Advanced Support - $25/month

Best For:

• Medium communities (10-50 players)
• Modded servers
• Content creators
• Active communities

What You Get:

• Bi-weekly updates
• Mod management
• Performance optimization
• 4 configuration changes per month
• 24-hour response time

4.3 Premium Support - $30/month

Best For:

• Large communities (50+ players)
• Business-critical servers
• Professional gaming organizations
• Revenue-generating servers

What You Get:

• Weekly updates
• 24/7 monitoring
• Emergency 4-hour response
• Unlimited configuration changes
• Phone support

---

5. Hosting Provider Recommendations

5.1 Budget-Friendly Options

Pebblehost

Best For: Beginners, small servers Price Range: $5-20/month Pros:

• Affordable pricing
• User-friendly control panel
• Good customer support
• One-click mod installs

Cons:

• Limited performance on budget plans
• Fewer server locations
• Basic DDoS protection

Recommended For:

• Minecraft (2-20 players)
• Valheim (2-8 players)
• Project Zomboid (2-10 players)

Shockbyte

Best For: Minecraft specialists Price Range: $8-30/month Pros:

• Minecraft specialization
• Good performance
• Instant setup
• Daily backups

Cons:

• Limited game selection
• Higher prices for premium features

5.2 Mid-Range Options

BisectHosting

Best For: Performance and reliability Price Range: $15-40/month Pros:

• Excellent performance
• Great customer support
• Multiple server locations
• Advanced DDoS protection

Cons:

• Higher pricing
• Complex control panel
• Limited budget options

Recommended For:

• All game types
• Medium to large servers
• Modded gameplay

GPortal

Best For: Global coverage and premium features Price Range: $20-60/month Pros:

• Global server locations
• Excellent performance
• Advanced features
• Professional support

Cons:

• Premium pricing
• Complex setup
• Contract requirements for some plans

5.3 Premium Options

Dedicated Server Providers

Best For: Maximum control and performance Price Range: $50-200+/month Providers:

• OVHcloud
• Hetzner
• DigitalOcean
• Vultr

Pros:

• Full control
• Maximum performance
• Custom configuration
• Better value for high usage

Cons:

• Requires technical expertise
• Higher costs
• Self-management required

---

6. Cost Analysis

6.1 Total Cost of Ownership (First Year)

Small Minecraft Server Example

Setup Costs:
- Server Setup: $30 (one-time)
- Domain (optional): $15/year
- Subtotal: $45

Hosting Costs:
- Pebblehost: $8/month × 12 = $96/year
- Support: $15/month × 12 = $180/year
- Subtotal: $276/year

Total First Year: $321
Monthly Average: $27/month

Medium Valheim Server Example

Setup Costs:
- Server Setup: $45 (one-time)
- Subtotal: $45

Hosting Costs:
- BisectHosting: $20/month × 12 = $240/year
- Support: $25/month × 12 = $300/year
- Subtotal: $540/year

Total First Year: $585
Monthly Average: $49/month

Large Palworld Server Example

Setup Costs:
- Server Setup: $75 (one-time)
- Subtotal: $75

Hosting Costs:
- GPortal: $40/month × 12 = $480/year
- Support: $30/month × 12 = $360/year
- Subtotal: $840/year

Total First Year: $915
Monthly Average: $76/month

6.2 Cost Optimization Tips

Reduce Hosting Costs

• Choose appropriate player limits - Don’t overprovision
• Use annual billing - Most providers offer 10-20% discounts
• Compare providers - Prices vary significantly
• Consider location - Closer servers may perform better

Reduce Support Costs

• Learn basic management - Reduce configuration requests
• Use automation - Scripts for common tasks
• Community resources - Use forums and documentation
• Multi-server discounts - Bundle multiple servers

---

7. Technical Requirements Guide

7.1 Hardware Requirements by Player Count

Minimum Requirements (2-8 players)

CPU: 2 cores (Intel i3/AMD Ryzen 3)
RAM: 4-8GB
Storage: 50GB SSD
Network: 10 Mbps upload

Recommended Requirements (8-32 players)

CPU: 4 cores (Intel i5/AMD Ryzen 5)
RAM: 8-16GB
Storage: 100GB SSD
Network: 25 Mbps upload

High-Performance Requirements (32+ players)

CPU: 6+ cores (Intel i7/AMD Ryzen 7)
RAM: 16-32GB
Storage: 200GB+ NVMe SSD
Network: 50+ Mbps upload

7.2 Network Requirements

Bandwidth Needs by Game

Minecraft: 0.5 Mbps per 10 players
Valheim: 1-2 Mbps per 10 players
Project Zomboid: 1 Mbps per 10 players
Palworld: 2-3 Mbps per 10 players
Rust: 2-4 Mbps per 10 players

Internet Connection Recommendations

• Minimum: 10 Mbps upload speed
• Recommended: 25 Mbps upload speed
• Optimal: 50+ Mbps upload speed
• Critical: Stable connection with low latency

---

8. Decision Matrix

Factor	Basic Setup	Standard Setup	Advanced Setup
Player Count	2-8	8-32	32+
Setup Cost	$30-45	$45-60	$60-75
Hosting Cost	$5-15/month	$15-30/month	$30-60/month
Technical Skill	Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Support Needed	Basic to None	Advanced	Premium
Best For	Private groups	Growing communities	Large public servers

---

9. Next Steps

9.1 After Making Your Decision

1. Schedule Consultation - Book your server setup call
2. Choose Hosting - Select provider based on recommendations
3. Provide Requirements - Share game, player count, and preferences
4. Setup Process - We configure and optimize your server
5. Training Session - Learn to manage your server
6. Ongoing Support - Choose support tier for maintenance

9.2 Preparation Checklist

Before Setup

• Game selected and confirmed
• Player count estimated
• Hosting provider chosen
• Budget allocated
• Technical requirements understood

During Setup

• Hosting account created
• Domain configured (if applicable)
• Mod list prepared (if modded)
• Admin preferences documented
• Backup strategy planned

After Setup

• Server tested with players
• Performance monitored
• Documentation reviewed
• Support contact information saved
• Maintenance schedule established

---

10. Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Q: Can I change my plan later?
A: Yes, you can upgrade your setup and support tier at any time.

Q: What if my player count changes?
A: We can help you migrate to appropriate hosting as your community grows.

Q: Do you offer refunds?
A: We offer satisfaction guarantees within 7 days of setup.

Technical Questions

Q: Can I host multiple games on one server?
A: Generally not recommended due to performance and security concerns.

Q: What about mods and custom content?
A: We support mod installation and management in our support packages.

Q: How do I access my server files?
A: Through FTP, SSH, or provider control panel, depending on hosting.

Support Questions

Q: What counts as a configuration change?
A: Server settings, plugin configuration, mod updates, and similar administrative tasks.

Q: Is emergency support available?
A: Premium support includes 4-hour emergency response time.

---

Last Updated: February 2026
Guide Version: 1.0