How AE built WARDOGS 50v50
The dates, the data and the rules behind AE Gaming's 50v50 servers, from the first line of code on 11 September 2026 to the open source release.
Timeline
Every date below comes from our own build logs.
- 13:11 UTC
First line of code
The first test of moving a player between factions through the official server API, from our admin console. The balancer is built on this action.
First AE 50/50 server live
US East 50/50, 100 slots.
- 13:53 UTC
Automatic red v green balancer
Written from 13:53 UTC. It moved its first live player at 14:20 UTC the same day.
Second 50/50 server
A second AE server converted to 50/50 the same night.
Open source release
MIT licence, v1.0.0, published on GitHub as WARDOGS RVG 50v50. See it on GitHub.
01Telemetry and stats
All of it comes from the two interfaces BULKHEAD gives server owners. We use no mods and no client software.
The game's kill feed (WDServerFeed)
Each server pushes this to our endpoint. It carries killer, victim, Steam IDs, weapon or vehicle, distance, and tags such as headshot, roadkill and penetration.
The server admin API (WDRCON)
We read it every few seconds for the player list (side, score, kills, deaths, cash earned and ping), match status (faction scores, map and the active control zone) and server health.
What our event engine records
- Joins, leaves, side picks and side changes
- Cash earned
- Match start and end, with final scores
- Map changes and restarts
What it powers on ae-gaming.com
- Live server cards on /50v50
- Leaderboards and career stats
- A record for each player
- The red v green record: wins by side, map and server, average score, close matches
The game doesn't give out player positions, damage, revives, vehicle or build logs, or zone capture events, so we don't collect any of them.
02Two teams on a three-faction game
We did not modify the game or its engine. There is no server setting that switches a faction off; we checked the full server config on 15 September. The server runs at 100 slots. The two-team format is enforced from outside, with the same "move player to team" action an admin uses through the official API.
Lonestar (blue) is closed
Anyone who picks it is moved to whichever of Valkyra (red) or Manticore (green) has fewer players, every round.
The game itself is untouched
It only uses the game's own team change, so spawning, scoring and the game mode are untouched. Nothing crashes; the player just respawns on the new side.
98 public slots
Two reserved slots are held back for admins. That leaves 98 public slots, about 49 a side when full.
03Balance rules
What the balancer does on every AE 50/50 server.
- A settled player is never moved mid-match.
- New arrivals go to the side with fewer players, with a private message saying they may be moved.
- There is a hard cap of 50 a side.
- The closed door. A settled player who switches onto a full side, or onto a side already more than 3 ahead, is put straight back. Switching to the smaller side is always allowed.
- Teams are evened at each match boundary, when everyone is respawning anyway. A boundary is detected three ways: the map changes, the scores reset, or the server restarts.
- Clan tags are kept together where the cap and the gap allow.
- State is saved every 2 seconds, so a restart picks up where it left off instead of reshuffling a live match.
- A separate standby process takes over within about a minute if the balancer ever stops, and alerts our admins.
The public version adds
- A dry-run mode.
- An admin exempt list.
- An optional rescue, off by default: if one side drops under 40% of a server with 20 or more players, and the leading side is 15 or more points clear for 3 minutes, it warns the server, gives 90 seconds to fix it, then restarts the match.
We built nothing specific for spawn camping or logistics. Matches stay fair through the team balance, plus active admins and server rules: Infantry Only on several servers, ping and AFK kicks, teamkill protection, and one ban list across every server.
04Open source
The balancer was released to the community on 29 September 2026 under the MIT licence. It needs no database and installs nothing, and it ships with its own tests.
Quick answers
When was the first line of AE Gaming's WARDOGS 50v50 code written?
On 11 September 2026. That day AE Gaming first tested moving a player between factions through the official WARDOGS server API, from its own admin console, at 13:11 UTC. The automatic red v green balancer built on it went live on 16 September 2026.
When did AE Gaming open its first WARDOGS 50/50 server?
On 15 September 2026: US East 50/50, a 100-slot server. A second AE server was converted to 50/50 on 16 September 2026.
How does AE run two teams on a three-faction game?
Without modifying the game. The server runs at 100 slots and the balancer uses the game's own move-player-to-team action through the official server API. Lonestar (blue) is kept closed and players are placed on Valkyra (red) or Manticore (green).
Is the AE 50v50 balancer open source?
Yes. It was released on 29 September 2026 under the MIT licence as WARDOGS RVG 50v50 on GitHub, version 1.0.0.
What data does AE collect from its WARDOGS servers?
Only what the game gives server owners: the kill feed and the official server admin API. The game does not give out player positions, damage, revives, vehicle or build logs, or zone capture events, so AE does not collect them.
This page is AE Gaming's own record, taken from our build logs and the public code. Last updated .