HOW TO: Team Fortress 2 Dedicated Server

[spidEY]

I'm going to show you how to set up your own Team Fortress 2 Dedicated Server.

• Open up your Steam account and install Source Multiplayer Dedicated Server. It's under the Tools tab.
  
  
• Start Team Fortress 2 Dedicated Server and under the game list select Team Fortress 2. Don't forget to put the RCON Password, it doesn't have to be anything complex. Once the server starts, close it.
  
  
• Go to your server root directory (Default: Steam\steamapps\<your username>\source 2007 dedicated server\tf)
  
  
• To get things running smoothly, we need to get a nice copy of server.cfg. Download it and put it in the root\cfg. Yep, you guessed it. You have to create the cfg folder.
  
  
• You don't want your server to be just another yourserver.com TF2 Server. Let's change that in your brand new server.cfg!
  
  Server name
  

  // Hostname for server.
  hostname yourserver.com TF2 Server

  
  Number of players
  

  // Overrides the max players reported to prospective clients
  sv_visiblemaxplayers 24

  
  Contact address
  

  // Contact email for server sysop
  sv_contact [email protected]

  
  Region
  

  // The region of the world to report this server in.
  // -1 is the world, 0 is USA east coast, 1 is USA west coast
  // 2 south america, 3 europe, 4 asia, 5 australia, 6 middle east, 7 africa
  sv_region 0

  
  RCON Password
  

  // Password for rcon authentication
  rcon_password yourpw

  
  
• If you are actually going to join the server, you will have to change your game ports by going to My Games tab in your Steam account, then right clicking on Team Fortress 2 and going to Properties --> Set launch options. All you have to add is this:
  
  

  +port 27016 +tv_port 27021

  
  
• Go to your server root directory, create steam_appid.txt and inside that file write 440
  
  
• Once again, run Team Fortress 2 Dedicated Server and start up the server. How do you expect to join the server if it's not running?
  
  
• Great! Now you can start Team Fortress 2 and join the server as if you were joining any other LAN game. You will see your server in the server browser under the LAN tab.

Using the remote console

• Once you are connected to the server, type rcon_password <password> in the console to gain access to RCON.
  
  
• You can now use rcon <command> to send a command to the server.

Setting up admin via SourceMod

• So, you want to have admin access on your server? We'll be using SourceMod because it's so powerful. SourceMod also requires Metamod to run properly.
  
  
• Download the latest Metamod and extract the zip to the server's root folder. You should get the following structure: root\addons\metamod
  
  
• In order for plugin to load on the server, download this VDF file and place it in the root/addons folder.
  
  
• Download the latest SourceMod and extract the zip to the server's root folder. You should get the following structure: root\addons\sourcemod and root\cfg\sourcemod
  
  
• Next thing we have to do is getting you the root status on your server. You can do this by editing root\addons\sourcemod\configs\admins_simple.ini. At the end of the file add a line like this:
  
  

  "STEAM_0:1:123"		"z"

  
  
• This will give you full admin powers. If you don't know your Steam ID, visit the MAUL Page.
  
  
• For actions to take effect, restart your Team Fortress 2 Dedicated Server. Simply close it and start it again.
  
  
• To access the admin menu in game, type sm_admin in the console.

Making server available to other people

• A server isn't a server if other people can't join. Let's be quick about it.
  
  
• If you don't know how to forward ports. I suggest you take a look at PortForward.com
  
  
• You need to forward the following port:
  
  
  • 27015 as TCP and UDP
  
  
• Well, you're just about done. The final step is to find out your IP address, so you can connect to the server. Easiest way to do it is to visit www.whatsmyip.org
  
  
• To connect to your server, start Team Fortress 2 and type connect <Your IP> in the console.

Thanks to Team Fortress Wiki for providing me with the server.cfg

 

[b0bfath3r]

awesome how to! This will be useful when setting up private games!

 

[LIZard]

Nice how-to! Very detailed and user friendly.

Thanks!

 

[PieSauruS[EMB]]

http://lurkmore.ru/images/8/89/A_winrar_is_you.png

 

[PieSauruS[EMB]]

 

[Captn Bean]

Cool. I'll be sure to use that info!

 

[?moddedu]

Ports need to be open though correct?

 

[spidEY]

Ports need to be open though correct?

If you want other people to connect, yes. I've listed all the ports that need to be open.

 

[MrQ]

If you don't have a static IP, as most people do, there is program you can use that will automatically adjust your IP under a domain name.

Its called No-IP DUC, plus its free you just have to register with their website so it can keep track of the IPs

http://www.download.com/No-IP-DUC-Dynamic-DNS-Update-Client-/3000-10248_4-10055182.html

 

[Captn Bean]

Is there a video out there that shows you the steps too?

 

[ubersauce]

So... would the port forwarding essentially work for just creating a multiplayer server ingame?

 

[bull55dog]

Nice how to, THANKS

 

[Ice hearted killer]

If you don't have a static IP, as most people do, there is program you can use that will automatically adjust your IP under a domain name.

Its called No-IP DUC, plus its free you just have to register with their website so it can keep track of the IPs

http://www.download.com/No-IP-DUC-Dynamic-DNS-Update-Client-/3000-10248_4-10055182.html

thank the lord, id be chaging the ip every day otherwise,
grat how to, might have to try

 

[Ice hearted killer]

damn it i dont know how to forward ports, and that site dont have zone alarm down

 

[Baddspelwer]

Is there a video out there that shows you the steps too?

Yeah I agree with Capt'n, would someone be willing to make one if theres not one on youtube already?

 

[Ice hearted killer]

ok iv done everything as the guide says, but when i open dedicated server it doesnt come up with the settings i put in on the cfg file, so i have no idea what i did wrong.

edit: scratch that when i ran it through it works fine thanks
how do you edit the front page when pubs have just join. e.g. for eGO me have ubercloked's advert as the front page.

 

[spidEY]

how do you edit the front page when pubs have just join. e.g. for eGO me have ubercloked's advert as the front page. [/B]

Create a new file called motd.txt and put it in the root of the server. You can write anything you want to.

 

[Ice hearted killer]

thanks

 

[Jugg]

quick question... when creating the .cfg file...do you put in the // blah blah blah (description of what the next line does) or can i just type in the commands? Basically can i copy and paste what you have? or does it need to be edited? i have little to no experience doing anything like this and i am kinda stuck at the .cfg part of the process : ) thanks for the help!!

 

[Xzero]

GardenGroveVW had a similar thread in the 'Tech Help' section. (http://www.edgegamers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=52554)

But I guess yours has a little more info on adding yourself as an admin using SoureMod. Thanks for the guide.