Left 4 Dead 2 Dedicated server

lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
edited January 2010 in Gaming
he connect method is different than I initially suspected. To make a lobby using my server, do the following:

open a console at the L4D2 main menu, and type:
sv_search_key icrontic
Then proceed to create a lobby as normal. The lobby leader has to have typed that command or it won't work.

You can also make a shortcut to start the game with that option. Add
+sv_search_key icrontic
after left4dead2.exe.

This method will only work if the server is empty.

Comments

  • TiberiusLazarusTiberiusLazarus Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    If I remember correctly from when we had a L4D server up, if someone is in the server when you try to connect from a lobby it will just sit there trying to connect and then it will timeout as if the server doesn't exist. Valve did a terribad job with the server moderation aspects of those games.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    I have at least a possible fix for it... servers can apparently be made private to a steam group, so I'll get one of the admins of the Icrontic steam group to tell me the number. That way it should only allow connections from members of Icrontic.
  • TiberiusLazarusTiberiusLazarus Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Yup. Iirc it was kinda buggy. Maybe they fixed that. Maybe not.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    Heh. Only one way to find out.

    This is my first time trying to set up a Source engine server though. I'm having trouble figuring out how to get the pings down on my connection speed. I think it has to do with the server tick rate.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    Well, I have several things to try and poke at when I get home from work.

    One site suggests that I can fix a problem I'm having with no connection to VAC by opening ports 26900 and 26901. The server has also sprung a new problem on me - it seems to have lost its data files. It gets reserved for a lobby, but when it tries to load in, it spews out a bunch of errors relating to missing files, and then goes back to sleep.

    At least I got the ping issue resolved. It wasn't any higher than other third-party servers last I checked.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    You can select a server manually from a servers window in L4D2. They placed the same function in L4D, its a console command to pull up the server window(no idea why just a console command). openserverbrowser and have fun getting it set up. Helping people set up a quick l4d server at a lan was a pain, just because it says vs doesn't always mean 8 people can join.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    There doesn't seem to be any trouble with players connecting to the server... the problem is the server can't connect to the Valve anti-cheat system, so it stays in "unofficial" mode and isn't listed on Valve's server browser lists.

    I'm not too sure on the whole data file errors thing. At the moment it looks like it's running an 8-player vs campaign without a problem.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Are you launching using the Steam dedicated tool or another tool/launching into cmd window?
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    I'm starting the server using a batch file for redundancy... basically whenever the server shuts down, it tries to run an update, and then restarts the server again.

    @echo off
    d:
    cd\dedicated\l4d2\left4dead2\
    :starting
    d:\dedicated\hlserver\hldsupdatetool -command update -game left4dead2 -dir d:\dedicated\L4D2\
    choice /t 5 /d Y
    cmd /r start /high /wait /d d:\dedicated\l4d2\left4dead2 srcds.exe -console -game left4dead2 +ip lordbean.ath.cx +hostport 27016 -netconport ##### +map c5m1_waterfront.bsp
    choice /t 15 /d Y
    goto starting
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    Seem to have it working properly. I can't connect to it myself for some reason unless there are already people on it, but it's now linking into the valve servers properly, and accepting/hosting games.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Are you going to set it to steam group only or steam group plus pub after join. And 4 or 8 slot server.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    The slots seem to automatically adjust to whatever game mode the server's running... I've seen it run 4-player and 8-player games both.

    Far as the Steam group, I think I can only set it to group + pub at the strictest. I still don't have Icrontic's group number yet though.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    I read the other day that sv_steamgroup_exclusive had 0,1,2 for its parameter. 0=pub 1=group+pub 2=group
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    Ah, that could be... the tutorials I found only suggested 0 and 1 (pub or group+pub). We'll have to see if 2 works, although honestly 1 would be fine because whoever starts the lobby could just do friends-only game.
  • TiberiusLazarusTiberiusLazarus Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    I believe only the lobby leader need be in the steam group to allow people to joi a specific group only server. If the leader the chooses to allow pubs into their lobby, those people should be able to also use the server eve if sv_steamgroup_exclusive is set to group only. Just an fyi.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    I was just thinking that if ever we started using the server regularly and we had just IC nights we could effectively lock the server down for just us instead of having to boot people.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    Even if pubs could technically use the server in exclusive mode, the requirement is still that the lobby leader has to be a member of the steam group. Because of that, the group still has control over whether the server accepts pubs or not - essentially, the friends-only or public lobby option controls it.

    It's worth noting here that my connection seems to be fairly limited in terms of the pings it can offer. There's definitely a relationship between rate, cmdrate, and ping, but I haven't figured out precisely what it is yet. The lowest I've ever seen someone other than me get on the server is about 140ms, with an average of about 200ms if the connection originates from North America.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Test run tonight will a full load?
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    Got the number. :)

    I can theoretically restrict the server to Icrontic only now.

    Edit - I think I've also managed to chop out any possible bottlenecks in the networking. In a 4-player game, I'm now seeing players with pings as low as 120. Pretty damn good for an 800 kilobit upstream, if you ask me.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    Edit - changed my mind, I'm just gonna leave it as an Icrontic-only server to conserve bandwidth.
  • UPSWeezerUPSWeezer Behind you... GENTLEMEN Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Just installed it today. Who wants to play tonight?
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    I got it for x-mas, too. I'll be back in SD on the 3rd, installed shortly thereafter. ;)
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited January 2010
    Just so you guys know, I gave up the server idea. It isn't feasible to run an enjoyable source engine server on a residential connection - the game will feel burpy below 66 tick, and I have to run it at 33 tick in order for players to get a decent ping. You're much better off selecting Official Dedicated as your server type.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    Search key Icrontic and you will pick up one.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    So the server is down right now but if you want it up send me a Steam message
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