Dedicated Server Setup 2

This page is still a Work In Progress

This page was created since I can't update the one here. I'm still working on it (but don't have enough time to do it all at once), so it may seem incomplete. - TESLA-X4 12:01, 3 April 2011 (CEST)

Prerequisites

• A basic understanding of filesystem paths (i.e. orangebox/hl2 refers to the folder hl2 inside orangebox, not both the folders), and the different path representations between Windows and *nix (i.e. \ in Windows is the same as / in UNIX[-like] operating systems).
• A basic understanding of the operating system's command-line interface (i.e. Command Prompt for Windows and Terminals for Linux and Mac OS).
• A fast broadband connection (preferably one without a data transfer limit) to prevent premature aging waiting for the uploads to complete.

Note: At the time of writing, no binaries are publicly available for Linux and Mac OS.

Base Server Install

Step 1: Download The HLDS Update Tool

Windows

Download this file to a temporary location: http://www.steampowered.com/download/hldsupdatetool.exe

Linux

Adapted from http://www.srcds.com/db/engine.php?subaction=showfull&id=1098643920

In a Terminal (On Ubuntu: Applications → Accessories → Terminal) window, execute the following commands:
mkdir srcds_l
cd srcds_l
wget http://www.steampowered.com/download/hldsupdatetool.bin

Mac

Unavailable at time of writing.

Step 2: Install The HLDS Update Tool

Windows

Adapted from http://www.srcds.com/db/engine.php?subaction=showfull&id=1097362093


This could help : http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HL2Guides.Detail&id=4&game=3
.
Double-click on hldsupdatetool.exe and follow the instructions given by the wizard.
For the purpose of this tutorial, we will assume that you have installed the server to c:\srcds.
Open a Command Prompt (Start → Accessories → Command Prompt) window and execute the following commands:
c:
cd srcds
hldsupdatetool

An updated version of hldsupdatetool will now be downloaded to replace the one installed by the wizard.

Linux

Adapted from http://www.srcds.com/db/engine.php?subaction=showfull&id=1098643920

In the same Terminal window as Step 1, execute the following commands:
chmod +x hldsupdatetool.bin
./hldsupdatetool.bin
./steam

An updated version of steam (the executable) will now be downloaded to replace the one extracted when you ran ./hldsupdatetool.bin.

Mac

Unavailable at time of writing.

Step 3: Download The Base Server Files

Windows

Adapted from http://www.srcds.com/db/engine.php?subaction=showfull&id=1097362093

In the same Command Prompt window as Step 2, execute the following command:
hldsupdatetool.exe -command update -game "orangebox" -dir .

A breakdown of the command:
hldsupdatetool.exe: The executable to run.
-command update: Omnipresent, never omit this.
-game "<game>": The set of files to download, specify list instead to see what can be downloaded.
-dir <directory|.>: The directory to install the files in, specify '.' to automatically use the directory hldsupdatetool is located in.

The base server files will now be downloaded. It will take a while, so don't go staring at the window waiting for it to complete. ;)

Linux

Adapted from http://www.srcds.com/db/engine.php?subaction=showfull&id=1098643920

In the existing Terminal window from Steps 1 and 2, execute the following command:
./steam -command update -game "orangebox" -dir .

A breakdown of the command:
./steam: The executable to run.
-command update: Omnipresent, never omit this.
-game "<game>": The set of files to download, specify list instead to see what can be downloaded.
-dir <directory|.>: The directory to install the files in, specify '.' to automatically use the directory steam is located in.

The base server files will now be downloaded. It will take a while, so don't go staring at the window waiting for it to complete. ;)

Mac

Unavailable at time of writing.

Step 4: Setting Up The Folder Structure

After Step 3 completes, you should end up with something like this:

Windows

hl2\
orangebox\
orangebox\bin\
orangebox\hl2\
orangebox\platform\
orangebox\reslists\
orangebox\hlds_steamgames.vdf
orangebox\srcds.exe
orangebox\steam_appid.txt
ClientRegistry.blob
HldsUpdateTool.exe
HldsUpdateTool_<tool version>.mst
InstallRecord.blob

Linux

.steam\
.steam\clientregistry.blob
hl2\
orangebox\
orangebox\bin\
orangebox\hl2\
orangebox\platform\
orangebox\reslists\
orangebox\hlds_steamgames.vdf
orangebox\srcds_linux
orangebox\srcds_run
orangebox\steam_appid.txt
hldsupdatetool.bin
InstallRecord.blob
steam
test1.so
test2.so
test3.so

Mac

Unavailable at time of writing.

Now, because Valve didn't set up the files properly on their server, you'll need to fix it yourself.

GUI Approach:

Delete the orangebox/hl2 folder and copy the hl2 folder (the one outside) in its place.

Command-Line Approach:

Windows

In the existing Command Prompt window from the earlier steps, execute the following commands:
rmdir /s orangebox\hl2
xcopy /s /e hl2 orangebox

Linux

In the existing Terminal window from the earlier steps, execute the following commands:
rm -R orangebox/hl2
cp -R hl2 orangebox

Mac

Unavailable at time of writing.

Campaign Content

Campaign content is stored only in GCFs downloadable only via the Steam client, so be prepared to upload the extracted files to your server. You will need this application in order to proceed.

Things are a little easier for Windows server operators with Remote Desktop access to their servers since they can simply install Steam on their servers and do everything directly there.

Note: The Obsidian Team might offer to copy the extracted GCF content onto servers via their Windows server to save upload time in future, in which case you can safely ignore this section.

Half-Life: Source

half-life source.gcf

Extract everything from the hl1 folder (in the GCF) to your dedicated server's orangebox/hl1 folder, creating the folder if it doesn't exist.

Half-Life Deathmatch: Source

Incompatible at the time of writing.

Half-Life 2

half-life 2 content.gcf

Extract the maps folder from the hl2 folder (in the GCF) into your dedicated server's orangebox/hl2 folder.

source 2007 binaries.gcf

source 2007 shared materials.gcf

source 2007 shared models.gcf

source 2007 shared sounds.gcf

half-life 2 2007 base content.gcf

For all of the above GCFs (in given order, with source 2007 binaries.gcf being extracted first and half-life 2 2007 base content.gcf being last), extract the hl2 folder (in the GCFs) into your dedicated server's orangebox/hl2 folder, overwriting if prompted to do so.

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast

lostcoast content.gcf

Extract the lostcoast folder into your dedicated server's orangebox folder.

Half-Life 2: Episode One

episode 1 shared.gcf

Extract everything from the episodic folder (in the GCF) into your dedicated server's orangebox/episodic folder, creating the folder if it doesn't exist.

half-life 2 episode one.gcf

Extract the maps folder from the episodic folder (in the GCF) into your dedicated server's orangebox/episodic folder.

episodic 2007 shared.gcf

Extract everything from the episodic folder (in the GCF) into your dedicated server's orangebox/episodic folder, overwriting if prompted to do so.

episode one 2007 content.gcf

Extract everything from the episodic folder (in the GCF) into your dedicated server's orangebox/episodic folder, and everything from the hl2 folder (in the GCF) into your dedicated server's orangebox/hl2 folder, overwriting if prompted to do so.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

episode two content.gcf

episode two maps.gcf

episode two materials.gcf

For all of the above GCFs (in given order), extract everything from the ep2 folder (in the GCF) into your dedicated server's orangebox/ep2 folder, creating the folder if it doesn't exist and overwriting if prompted to do so.

Half-Life 2: Episode Three

You must be living in the future.

Additional Game Content

Note: If you download any of the following (sans Portal) using the HLDS Update Tool after downloading orangebox, you will be forced to download a new set of engine binaries incompatible with the current release of Obsidian Conflict. A telltale sign that this has occurred is when you see an engine error along the lines of SetupArrayProps_R: array prop '(null)' is at index zero or Host_Error: IDLLFunctions::DLLInit returned false when you try to start the server. To workaround that, simply rename the bin folder (inside orangebox) to something else (e.g. bin_se2007) before downloading the game's files. On completion, delete the newly created bin folder and rename the old one back to bin.

For the curious, the reason for this is that almost all official Valve games now run on Source Engine 2009, but most mods (sans Garry's Mod) continue to run on the older Source Engine 2007 (Source SDK Base 2007). These two versions are incompatible with each other, and Valve has yet to release a version of Source SDK Base for Source Engine 2009.

Portal

Incompatible at the time of writing.

Team Fortress 2

Incompatible at the time of writing.

Downloading And Installing Obsidian

Copy the obsidian folder from a fresh install of Obsidian Conflict into your dedicated server's orangebox folder. Template:Todo

Mounting Content

Content mounts are controlled by a set of files in the obsidian/mount folder. Each file determines whether or not the respective game's content is mounted. These files are merely blank files without any extensions - their contents do not matter since the mod merely checks if the file is there, mounting the content if the file is present. Valid file names are:

css ↔ Counter-Strike: Source

dod ↔ Day of Defeat: Source

ep2 ↔ Half-Life 2: Episode Two

episodic ↔ Half-Life 2: Episode One

hls ↔ Half-Life: Source

lostcoast ↔ Half-Life 2: Lost Coast

Optional: Installing Metamod:Source and SourceMod

Preface

SourceMod, in combination with Metamod:Source, make a very powerful toolset for administration of a Source engine-based server. Sourcemod has a large library of plugins available, along with an active community making Sourcemod one of the easiest choices in administration mods for a server.

Preparation/Downloading

Platform Independent
Grab the latest version of Metamod:Source from their website. Make sure you download the one that is built for your operating system, otherwise it will not function. Don't forget to download Sourcemod as well.

After you have downloaded both, extract them to their respective directories. Metamod:Source will go in the addons folder (see the note below), and Sourcemod has folders that belong in the addons folder and cfg folder.

A note about addons

It seems that at some point in the development process of Obsidian Conflict, a decision was made to change the name of the addons folder from the standard Source engine-associated name "addons", to a hyphenated name of "add-ons". As the server operator, you must be weary of this, and make sure that any references to the addons folder have the hyphen inserted.

Update: It seems that renaming the "add-ons" folder to "addons" will still retain functionality. It also seems that it may be necessary to have it named "addons", otherwise it appears that Sourcemod will not work.

Installation

According to this topic (with which this section was made by), it seems that Obsidian Conflict does not load .VDF files (or path references are significantly different compared to other source games), so an older method involving modifying the gameinfo.txt file is necessary.

Open gameinfo.txt. Find

		SearchPaths
		{
			Game				|gameinfo_path|.
			Game				|all_source_engine_paths|hl2
		}

And replace it with

		SearchPaths
		{
			GameBin            		|gameinfo_path|add-ons/metamod/bin
			Game				|gameinfo_path|.
			Game				|all_source_engine_paths|hl2
		}

Final words

At this point, Metamod:Source and Sourcemod are configured, and will start up when you start your server. To confirm that they're working, you can type meta info in the console once the server has finished starting up.

To start off, you'll want to add yourself as an administrator. You can follow the Sourcemod article here to do so. If you're looking for any other information regarding Sourcemod, a wealth of said information has been posted in the Sourcemod Documentation.