I've got several games being developed simultaneously and by the time they're ready to publish on html/pdf, I fear my dinky little university-provided webspace will fill up long before then. Further, the url for said host is inconveniently long, so I'd need a new domain as well. That's not my question though.

My question is, what are the requirements for a typical indie game designer page in its early stages? What bandwidth should I expect to require for a mostly text-based site with some bits of supplementary imagery and flash-based multimedia? Where is the best place to check if a domain name has already been taken? This information, and anything else, would be very helpful as I shop around for the best deal for webspace and a new domain.

The best place to check to see whether a domain is available:

http://www.betterwhois.com/

As for "indie requirements" there is hardly any kind of standard! For many, the key issue is the connection speed of your host server, often because people will be downloading large PDF files. I offered Dust Devils, which was a whopping 3 MB at one time, on a pretty darn slow server (it was on an ISDN line). This meant that folks on 56k modems didn't notice much problem, but that folks on most anything better (DSL, cable modem, or T1 line, for example) noticed a pretty damn sluggish download rate. My server has since been upgraded.

I recommend designing your web page with the following assumptions about your visitors:

They'll be on 56k modems, so the graphics load shouldn't be too intense. I wouldn't recommend any single .jpg or .gif you create at anything over 30k. In total, the graphics of a single page shouldn't go over, say, 100k (though that's even too much, probably).

As for Flash, it does a generally good job of keeping things neat a trim. Depending on your purpose of the Flash animation, files sizes shouldn't be too crazy. If you're creating a "trailer" for your game, I wouldn't exceed, say, 500k if you can help it. Make darn sure to include a "skip" link if that's what you're creating.

Otherwise, I'd keep Flash sizes damn small -- like under 50k. Heck, under 30k if possible.

Oh yeah, one more thing. If you intend for people to print out your pages or a PDF, assume they'll be using inkjet printers. Go easy on 'em! White space is your friend, and theirs.

JAGS is a free game so it may not be exactly approrpiate to what you're asking about but ...

We do about 200MB of downloads a month (we have a buncha different books).

We run off of a DSL line and the response times are pretty snappy.

I agree with everything Matt said about design (I would shy away from Flash even if you can afford the bandwidth--my opinion is that good flash requires "artistry" and bad flash is *everywhere*--I also dunno how much it helps sell things--it doesn't do much for me).

We have forums and chat on our site and while it's nice, it's not (IMO) necessary. You'll get feedback through email (if you get so much feedback that discussions require forums, you know, you're doing real well, IME).

Finally: The Forge hosts gaming sites--and while I've no real experience with it (and I assume it's still happening--but what do I know--I'd expect that Clinton does a fantastic job).

So I'd look into that.

Edit: Two hundred MB a MONTH.

-Marco
http://jagsgame.dyndns.org

Definitely take a look at the JAGS site. It's very appealing to the eye, and you could do a lot worse than that even with a for-pay site (which JAGS probably ought to be).

Mike

All good points so far. I've not much to add except agreement. Definitely assume that people will be using 56k modems, since it's good practice, and keeping file sizes down will help keep your bandwidth usage low. Like Marco, I go through about 200MB a month in bandwidth.

-Matt

Thank you for the advice, everyone. Now I've definitely got a good handle on what I should be shopping for. :)

I don't have a downloadable game on my website, but here are some of the stats I can share for what they're worth:
- about 1 GB of general traffic per month. Much of that comes from my forums, which have a few regulars.
- about 15 MB of storage space, though 3 of that is for the forum data/scripts and 10 of it is for a small number of large files (wallpaper images and cover samples).

I also allow artists to submit images through my website, which adds up considerably. Last month, I received almost 200 MB of files that way, but that's unusual, since covers are coming in on three different projects. Since bandwidth counts in both directions, that's going to add a lot there. So, if you get extra capacity, you'll probably find a way to use it.

By the way, a quick rule of thumb for downloads: a 28K modem takes approximately 1 second to download 1 KB.

Also, if you're looking at hosts, some will promise "unlimited space" but make sure you read the fine print. Generally, the unlimited space doesn't include file distribution sites (like an indie RPG publisher).