I. Frequently Asked Questions[/u]
[list=1]
- Question : I see an error when I run my server!
It looks like this:********************
ERROR: G_ParseSpawnVars: found : when expecting {
********************
----- Server Shutdown (Server crashed: G_ParseSpawnVars: found : when expecting {) ----- or this:ERROR: SV_BotFreeClient: bad clientNum: 33551196
********************
----- Server Shutdown (Server crashed: SV_BotFreeClient: bad clientNum: 33551196) ----- Answer : Your game.qvm and tremded.exe files are not compatible with each other. You probably got a custom game.qvm from somewhere, or you failed to download an advanced tremded.exe. See Section IV, Part 2 for information on where to get a guaranteed-compatible pair of game.qvm and tremded.exe. You also might have installed them in the wrong place. See Section IV, Part 3 for the right places to install these files.
- Question : I see a different error when I run my server!
It looks like this:Hitch warning: 12830819 msec frame time
Resolving master.tremulous.net
master.tremulous.net resolved to 72.36.226.187:30710
Sending heartbeat to master.tremulous.net
Hitch warning: 601 msec frame timeAnswer : This is exactly what a correctly running server is supposed to look like. You server is running just fine. See Section V, Part 1.
[/list:o]
II. Introduction
This is a guide on how to create a server with TJW's administrative tools. You can also use this guide to create a server with more advanced administrative powers like the current "Risujin/Avenger 'Balance Lite'" release, or "Avenger's mod", etc. I'm assuming that you don't just want a simple, plain vanilla server using the default tremulous program. Although this has been discussed in other recent topics, the relevant information has become spread out and hard to find, and I keep seeing the same questions over and over. Plus, I wanted to add some things that no one has mentioned before.
This guide will focus only on Windows, because that's where I have experience. I don't know much about Macs, and for simplicity I've decided to leave out what I know about Linux for the moment.
I wrote this guide because of many people asking me server-related questions and/or having problems getting servers running. It's a first draft and input, feedback, and suggestions are obviously appreciated!
If your question isn't covered in this guide, please feel free to post your question in this thread, or start a new thread in the "Troubleshooting" forum. Before you post, if you're new to the forums, you may want to read the postscript on "how to ask questions".
III. Pre-installation: Things You Need To Know
1. Get Admin access.
In order for this method of installing Tremulous to work, to avoid worrying about permissions and things, you need full administrative access on your computer. You should be logged in as an administrator when you do everything below, including running the server. If you use Windows XP and you're the only user on your computer, you probably don't have to worry about this.
2. Know what you're looking at.
To avoid confusion it's important to know exactly what files we're looking at, and where they are. To do this, we're going to be sure that Windows shows us all the information we need. You can undo all of the changes in this section later if you want, you just need them for now so you know what you're looking at.[list=1] - Create a folder on the Desktop called "test". Double-click on the folder to open it.
- In the menu bar, select View->Toolbars and make sure that the "Address Bar" line is checked.
- In the menu bar, select View->Details.
- In the menu bar, select Tools->Folder Options...
- In the window that pops up, select the "View" tab
- There will be a list of options titled "Advanced Settings" In this list, do the following:
- "Display the full path in the Address Bar" should be checked.
- "Hide extensions for known file types" should be unchecked.
- Click "OK"
- Now, look in the address bar of the window. It should say something like "C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Desktop\test". Write down whatever YourUserName is, because you'll need to know it later!
- You can close the window and delete the folder "test" if you want. It's not needed for anything and it's not important at all.
[/list:o]So far this has nothing to do with Tremulous. We're just making it easier to see exactly what files you have and where they are.
3. Find the two important folders.There are only two important folders (directories) in any Windows Tremulous installation: the main Tremulous program folder, and the User-specific program folder. For the rest of this topic I will refer to them this way:
<Main> == "C:\Program Files\Tremulous"
<User> == "C:\Documents and Settings\
YourUserName\Local Settings\Application Data\Tremulous"
Here,
YourUserName is whatever you wrote down in the previous section.
For example, if I refer to the file
<Main>\base\server.cfg, what I mean is the file C:\Program Files\Tremulous\base\server.cfg. In other words, I mean the file named server.cfg located in the folder C:\Program Files\Tremulous\base.
4. Clean up and make a fresh install. (optional)If you've been trying (unsuccessfully) to install a server before now, you might have been moving lots of files around and put some of the wrong stuff in the wrong places. If you have any trouble at all I suggest you uninstall Tremulous and reinstall it from scratch.
Wait! If you have any
binds you want to save, they are stored in the file
<User>\base\autogen.cfg. Copy this file and put it somewhere safe, like the Desktop. After you re-install Tremulous, you can put it back where it was (replace the default one), and your binds will be restored.
Also, after you re-install Tremulous you'll have to re-install any extra maps you had. You can try to save your maps (they're the PK3 files located in
<Main>\base) and put them back later, if you want to. Just remember to save ONLY your maps and NOTHING ELSE from that folder.
So, do this:[list=1]
- Uninstall Tremulous.
- Find the folder <Main> and delete it by hand if it still exists.
- Find the folder <User> and delete it by hand if it still exists.
- Re-install Tremulous. You can download Tremulous 1.1.0 for Windows from www.tremulous.net.
[/list:o]
IV. Installation
1. The important server files, and what they do.
Now we're ready to get the server files. You'll need several files to have a successful server. Before I tell you where to get the files and where to put them, I'll list all the files you need and tell you what each one does:- tremded.exe - This is the most important file, the server program itself. The original v1.1.0 tremulous.exe program can run a server for you, but tremded.exe is more recent - it can run a server with administrative tools. The tremded.exe and game.qvm files must be a "matching pair" or tremded.exe won't be able to interpret game.qvm properly.
- game.qvm - This is the "Quake Virtual Machine" for the server. In this file are all the rules about how the game works: when an alien attacks a human, this tells you how he attacks and whether he hits. The game.qvm also rules how messages are sent between players and it's where administrative powers are created. It must be paired with a matching tremded.exe or it can't be read properly.
- server.cfg - Server configuration information. This file is where you specify the name of the server, the server password (if any), the length of the level, time until sudden death, whether friendly fire is on, amount of gravity, etc. Anything you don't specify takes a default value when the server starts. This is a simple text file (with .cfg instead of .txt because it has configuration information in it), so you can edit it and change it however you like using Notepad or Wordpad.
- maprotation.cfg - Map list file, it contains a list of the maps in the map rotation, in order of occurrance. You can edit this with Notepad or Wordpad.
- admin.dat - Administrative information. This file contains the list of administrative levels, a list of admins (and what level each admin has), and a list of the bans currently in effect. This is where you can specify which admin levels get which powers (should level 3 admins have !slap? Decide that here!) If you delete an admin from this file, that person is no longer an admin! If you delete a ban from this file, the ban no longer exists. You can edit this file with Notepad or Wordpad.
- tremserver.bat - This is a batch file which is used to run tremded.exe with some common options. A "batch" file is just a simple text file with a list of DOS commands to run, one command per line. You can edit this file with Notepad or Wordpad. You will double-click on THIS FILE to run your server.
The two most common problems that keep a Tremulous Server from running are:[list=1] - tremded.exe and game.qvm don't match.
- game.qvm gets put in the wrong place.
[/list:o]Don't worry, we'll address both of those problems below.
2. Where to GET the important server files.I have provided links to TJW's tremded.exe and game.qvm files because they are known to work and they are fully compatible with each other. If you have any trouble getting a server to run I suggest you use these files FIRST. I've provided links (below) to other game.qvm files, but you should really start with TJW's.
3. Where to PUT the important server files.Once you have downloaded each of the above files, you must put them in the following locations. The
<User>\base\vm folder might not exist. If it's not there, just make it yourself.
- tremded.exe - <Main>\tremded.exe
- game.qvm - <User>\base\vm\game.qvm
- server.cfg - <Main>\base\server.cfg
- maprotation.cfg - <Main>\base\maprotation.cfg
- admin.dat - <User>\base\admin.dat
- tremserver.bat - <Main>\tremserver.bat
V. Basic Server Administration1. Running your server.At this point, when you double-click on tremserver.bat, it should run your server successfully. If it doesn't, you probably did something wrong or put something in the wrong place. Try to figure out what you did wrong, and fix iit. If all else fails, I suggest reinstalling Tremulous and starting from scratch.
When your server runs successfully, a blue "console" window will open and scroll. The last few lines in the console window should look something like this.
This is what it should look like when your server is running correctly:Loading vm file vm/game.qvm...
...which has vmMagic VM_MAGIC_VER2
Loading 881 jump table targets
VM file game compiled to 1205079 bytes of code
game loaded in 34179296 bytes on the hunk
------- Game Initialization -------
gamename: base
gamedate: Dec 27 2006
------------------------------------------------------------
InitGame: \g_suddenDeathTime\35\g_maxGameClients\0\sv_maxPing\350\sv_minPing\0\sv_maxRate\25000\sv_maxclients\13\sv_hostname\My Very First Server\timelimit\55\sv_minRate\3000\g_unlagged\1\version\tremulous 1.1.0 win_mingw-x86 Aug 27 2006\protocol\69\mapname\atcs\sv_privateClients\1\sv_allowDownload\0\g_needpass\0\gamename\base
!readconfig: loaded 6 levels, 1 admins, 0 bans, 0 commands
2 teams with 2 entities
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Hitch warning: 12830819 msec frame time
Resolving master.tremulous.net
master.tremulous.net resolved to 72.36.226.187:30710
Sending heartbeat to master.tremulous.net
Hitch warning: 601 msec frame time2. Port forwarding through routers and firewalls.At this point your server is running, but it is not necessarily able to receive incoming connections. If you are behind a firewall or router, you will need to provide a "hole" in the firewall or router so that players from outside can connect to your server.
Firewalls come in a wide variety of forms. Windows has a "software" firewall that is often turned on by default. If you're running a server from your home and you have a router or wireless router, that router is probably acting as a firewall. I don't have the time or the ability to detail every possible firewall and how to punch a hole in it. But here's something to get you started:
In order for this to work, you need to do three things:[list=1]
- You need to give your server computer a static IP address.
- You need to set up your router/firewall for port forwarding a specific port.
- You need to set your server to use the same port number you set in step #2.
[/list:o]So, rather than take a long long time making a how-to for you, I did a few Google searches and here's what I found:
[list=1]
- http://portforward.com/networking/staticip.htm - This page will walk you through one method for getting a static IP address with your router. (You'll have to choose your operating system.) Remember the IP address you set in this step, you'll need it in the next step.
- http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/routerindex.htm - This website will walk you through setting up port forwarding on various routers. Select your router from the list. (Each router has specific instructions for some games, but not Tremulous. That's okay, the "Default Guide" for your router has everything you need to know.) Make sure you read the instructions carefully and don't skip any steps.
I suggest that you use a random port number like 32123 instead of the Tremulous default (I'll explain why later). When you're done, your setup should look more or less similar to this:
I left blank the spot where you need to fill in the static IP address you got in step 1.
- Among your server files, you should have a file called tremded.bat (or tremserver.bat if you used my guide. This file should be located at C:\Program Files\Tremulous\tremserver.bat. You will need to edit that file using Notepad or Wordpad. When you're done it should look like this:
tremded.exe +set dedicated 2 +exec server.cfg +set net_port 32123[/list:o]
That's all! When you run tremserver.bat, your server should start up and talk to the master server, and with luck that's all you need.
Once you set up the port forwarding in the firewall, you can start your server, and players from everywhere will be able to connect. However, YOU might not be able to connect without a bit more work. See "Why can't I see my server?" below...
3. If you can't see any other servers: a note on ports.
You might need to set your server to use some totally different, random port like 32123, and do your port forwarding for that port. Here's why: if you have an older, simple, dumb router, and you port forward the standard Tremulous port to your server, then your gaming machine might never be able to talk to any other Tremulous server.
Let's say you have a gaming machine with local IP address 192.168.1.10, and your server has local IP address 192.168.1.20, and your server is set to use the default Tremulous port, 30720.
If you set up port forwarding for port 30720, then ANY signals coming from the Internet on port 30720 get AUTOMATICALLY sent to your SERVER at 192.168.1.20. Why is this a problem? Well, when your gaming computer talks to the master server (and most Tremulous servers), it sends signals out on port 30720 and the master server sends signals BACK on port 30720. The signals you send out aren't affected, but the signals coming BACK, which are meant for your gaming computer, are routed by the Port Forwarding to your server!
So your gaming computer can send signals on port 30720, but it can't receive any signals. Only your server can receive signals on port 30720. As a result, your gaming computer can try to talk to an outside Tremulous server, but it will never get a reply... because the replies get misdirected to your server because of your port forwarding!
The end result could be that you won't be able to see any servers on the master server list at all!
This is not a problem for all routers. In fact, newer routers are smart enough to know what you want to do, and generally don't have this problem.
4. If you can't see your own server.
Most computers are not good enough to run a Tremulous server and client at the same time. So, you probably want to run a Tremulous client on your gaming computer and log on to play on your server computer. But wait! Where's your server? It doesn't show up in the master server list, does it?
If your gaming computer and your server are both behind the same firewall/router, your gaming computer MIGHT NOT be able to see your server on the master server list EVEN IF YOU DID EVERYTHING RIGHT. Some routers do this. It's an unavoidable side-effect of port-forwarding. In order to connect to your server you need to manually add your server as a "favorite" in Tremulous. Put in whatever name you want, and set the IP address to 192.168.x.y:port#, where "192.168.x.y" is the server's static IP address from the port-forwarding step, and "port#" is the server's port.
VI. Advanced Server Administration
At this point you should have your server running. You should be able to successfully connect to your server both on your local network at home, and from somewhere else. You're using TJW's basic build with some simple features and administrative tools.
However, once you get that working you might be interested in advanced tools or game.qvm files with more features. You can find a list of the most popular ones in this thread in the tremulous.net forums. Some distributions give matched pairs of game.qvm and tremded.exe, others will only provide the game.qvm. If you only get the game.qvm, it's possible (but not guaranteed) that it will work with TJW's tremded.exe.
I usually put all of my game.qvm files in one directory, with names like game.qvm.Risujin and game.qvm.Avenger. When I want to use a particular one I copy it to <User>\base\vm\game.qvm. But I'm pretty sure there are better ways to do it than that... someone want to enlighten me?
At this point you can play with settings in setup.cfg to change aspects of gameplay, and you can change settings in admin.dat to change what permissions different level admins have. I could write pages about that stuff, but that's for another article.
VII. Troubleshooting: Where and How to Ask Questions
Please, do NOT join a tremulous server and start asking people how to make a server! People join Tremulous servers to play the game, not to offer advice or troubleshoot server issues. If you join a server to ask for help, you will only annoy people. Come to THIS FORUM to ask questions. This forum is the best place to ask for help!
Now, if you've followed this guide and you still need help, here are some things you can do:[list=1] - Read this guide again, more carefully, and follow it step by step from the beginning. Most people have problems because they make a mistake or don't follow the guide correctly.
- If you still need help, read the FAQ to try to find an answer.
- If that doesn't help, search the forums for what you're having trouble with, using the handy "search" feature.
- If that doesn't help, post in this thread asking a question, or post a new topic in the "Servers" forum.[/list:o]
Please, when you ask a question, follow these simple guidelines:- Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Make complete sentences. Don't use ALL CAPS, l33t speak, etc.
- Ask specific questions, not open-ended questions. "I'm trying to start a server, can someone help me?" is not a good question.
- Provide as much information as possible. If you get an error, provide error messages, or a copy of the log. If you don't know what to do next, provide a list of what you've done so far.
Following these simple steps will help us help you, and it will make it much more likely that someone will WANT to help you.
For a longer (and slightly condescending) guide on how to ask questions on the Internet, you can read "How to Ask Questions the Smart Way".
VIII. Have fun!
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Edit: Sept. 26, 2007 -- Added FAQ section, changed some language for clarity, updated the "asking questions" section. Added section and subsection numbers to make it easier to read, and to improve clarity.
