Edited and maintained by kpl, aka [KT]Stress, rka Kevin Lee
for the use, enjoyment, and entertainment of the q2servers
mailing list and other people out there crazy enough to run a
Quake 2 server.
This is Revision 1.11 of this FAQ, dated March 12, 1998
The latest version of this FAQ can be found at: http://templars.digiweb.com/q2s-faq/
Note on Rev 1.1: There was some incorrect information in this revision, (about password protection of servers) and the error has been corrected in this version.
Q: What are the minimum requirements for a Quake 2 Server?
A: This depends on the max amount of players you want on the server. There is no set recommended specifications, but you need at the very least a 486. A high-end Pentium CPU is recommended. More CPU horsepower is required for more players. RAM should be at the very least 16 megs, with a recommended amount of 1 meg per player.
Requirements also depend on the map(s) being played, as some maps need more horsepower than others.
Last but not least, you need a good steady connection to the Internet. This means a digital connection, like a ISDN, DSL, T1, T3, or OC-12 connection. If you don't know what most of those connections are, best not set a server up quite yet. Remember, each q2 player requires about 2.5-2.8 kbps of bandwidth.
A: You can either use Windows 95 or 98, although it's highly recommend you not use either one. Windows NT would be a better choice. Quake 2 has also been ported to Linux, Solaris (dedicated server only), and Windows NT DEC Alpha. Ports to other systems like Rhapsody (MacOS) and other Unix platforms are being planned.
Q: Where can I find the latest Quake 2 server executables?
A: Latest Q2 patches are located at: ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake2, and are mirrored at ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/quake2/official
Q: How do you set up a dedicated server on Win95 or NT?
A: The easiest way is to just run the install program off the
CD. Then download and install the latest executable for Win32. (The filename for the
latest setup package for Win32 is q2-314-x86.exe. The new
deathmatch maps are in the file q2_313.exe, which is located
in the 'old' subdirectory.
Then run the game with:
quake2 +set dedicated 1 +set deathmatch 1
Q: How do you set up a dedicated server on Linux, or on Solaris?
A: Here's a step-by-step guide to set one up manually (manually is the only way possible with Linux)
'quake2' is recommended.'baseq2'. Under baseq2, create another subdirectory named
'players'. And under players, create two subdirectories,
named 'male' and 'female'./install/data/baseq2/ directory, copy the
pak0.pak file into your baseq2 directory./install/data/baseq2/players/male/ directory,
copy every file found there to your
quake2/baseq2/players/male/ directory. Copy every file
from the CD's /install/data/baseq2/players/female/
directory to your /baseq2/players/female/ directory.
(For Linux, v3.14's filename is
quake2-3.14-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz. Solaris v3.14 is
q2ded-3.14-sparc-sun-solaris2.5.tar.Z. If you want the new
deathmatch levels too, download and untar quake2-3.13-full-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz
in your 'quake2' directory first. Whether or not you have Linux,
just ignore the executable in that tar.)
quake2 executable in
your quake2 directory, and the gamex86.so file in your
quake2/baseq2 directory.quake2, then type in at
the prompt:
quake2 +set dedicated 1 +set deathmatch 1
Q: What game settings can I set?
A: Here are some settings:
dmflags- A bitflag that controls gameplay options
fraglimit- Number of frags until the next map is loaded
timelimit- Time before map end
map- which map to start
maxclients- Maximum players
hostname- Name of server
deathmatch- Set to 1 if you want to play deathmatch
game- What mod directory you want to use
port- What port you want the server on
dedicated- Start a dedicated server
You can set all these settings from two places:
1. Either in the command line by using the parameter:
+set 'settingname' 'settingvalue'
2. Or by typing in the console:
set 'settingname' 'settingvalue'
Note that some settings cannot be changed in the console, but only on the command line. These settings are said to be "write protected" when you try to change them in the console.
Q: Bitflags?!? What do I do with dmflags??
A: The dmflags setting uses bitflags to control specific rules on the server. Each rule has a number, which is a power of 2. For the rules you want to implement, you add their numbers together, and enter that as the dmflags value.
An easy way to get your dmflags configured is to go to menu, select multiplayer then select 'Start Network Server', select 'deathmatch flags', and you'll see a screen full of options. Set these up to what you want, start the game, then type 'dmflags' at console, it'll return a number. Use this number with 'dmflags' to custom configure your own game.
Q: Can I have my Quake server on port different than the default port (27910)? Can I have more than one port?
A: You certainly can. Add this to your command line:
+set port 'port_number'
Note that this setting cannot be changed in the console. Also, you can set different ports up (for example, one port could have different settings than another) on one machine as long as the port is set to different ports.
Q: How do I list my servers on the Master Servers?
A: All you need to do is to set the 'public' setting to '1'. You do so by typing this into the console:
set public 1
Also, you can specify which master server you want your server to be listed on. By default, Quake 2 automatically selects id's master server. You can specify to use other servers (like q2master.planetquake.com) by using the command:
set setmaster 'master server addr'
Q: How do I use mods or patches?
A: Install the mod in a subdirectory of the Quake 2 directory. Then start the server with the "+set game" switch.
i.e. If your Quake 2 directory is c:\Quake2\, you would place your mod into c:\Quake2\ModDir. To use that game in a server, add:
+set game ModDir
to the end of your command line.
Q: Where do I put new skins, models, maps, etc?
A: Don't worry about skins or models. Quake 2 does not need these files on the server for clients to use.
Map files can be placed in the Quake2/baseq2/maps/ directory. If that directory doesn't exist, go ahead and create one.
Q: How do you enable custom map cycling?
A: Map cycling/rotation is not implemented in Quake 2 as of v3.14. There are many mods that can let you cycle through maps you specify, one mod that can is ServerConfigMod, found at: http://www.quake2.com/sconfig other mods can be found at http://www.openquake.org/
Many have mistook the 'maps.lst' included with the v3.12+ release as the map which facilitates map rotation. It doesn't, it is just a list of maps.
Q: Does downloading work through the server like Quakeworld?
A: No. The downloading of maps and Skins is broken as of v3.14. This feature may be implemented in a later executable release.
A: You cannot do so via the Quake 2 Server software, as of v3.14. This feature may be implemented in a later executable release.
Q: How do you enable frag logs?
A: This feature is not implemented in Quake 2 as of v3.14. There are mods that can record frag logs, one mod that can is ServerConfigMod, found at http://www.quake2.com/sconfig, other mods can be found at http://www.openquake.org/.
Q: How do you do remote administration? How do you use "rcon?"
A: Come up with a clever password that no one can think of. Enter this command into the console, replacing 'your_password' with your password:
set rcon_password 'your_password'
To access the server, launch your client, connect to your server, and type into your client:
set rcon_password 'your_password'
Now, to send commands to the server's console, replace 'command' with your command and type:
rcon 'command'
Or, you can bypass setting the rcon_password in your client, and just type
rcon 'your_password' 'command'
but this method is a bit tedious when you want to enter more than one command.
With 'rcon', you can send any command available to a server's console, except for 'rcon_password'. The changing of maps, timelimits, and other variables remotely are usually done over 'rcon'.
Q: How do you password protect a server?
A: Password protection works very similarly to the system used on Quakeworld. First, select a password, and give this password to the folks you want to play on the server.
Enter this password into your server with the 'password' cvar by typing in the console:
set password 'your password'
Clients that wish to connect will need to type the same command into their consoles:
set password 'your password'
before they connect with the server.
Q: Where do I find a list of console commands?
A: Check out Planetquake's list at http://www.planetquake.com/f176.
Q: BUT WAIT!!! I HAVE A QUESTION YOU DON'T HAVE HERE!!!
A: You can subscribe to the q2servers mailing list, at: http://list.criticalmass.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=q2servers
There are plenty of people who are happy to help, as long as you
turn your caps lock key off.
Also, you can check out Gamers Extreme's Quake 2 Bible at http://www.gamers.com/bibles/quake2/. The page has a special section for all aspiring server admins, especially those setting one up on a LAN.
Thanks to who have provided the answers to this FAQ:
Michael Sims (MichaelS@141.com) Killy (sgentzen@mci2000.com)
EX-PeOnS (peon@nabi.net)
Kyle (janda@seanet.com)
Wilko (wilko@cwc.ac.uk)
Akira (akira@shreve.net)
kpl (kpl@oz.net)
This FAQ was edited by kpl (kpl@oz.net), and created with the subscribers of Planetquake's q2servers mailing list.
HTML assistance by Death Fire (deathfire@sk.sympatico.ca)