+ Frequently Asked Questions - General Half-Life

Q: How do I set the rcon password?
A: Edit server.cfg, and set rcon_password to the password you'd like. By default the server uses a randomly generated password that is different for each server.

Q: How do I set the server name?
A: Edit server.cfg, and set hostname to the server name you'd like.

Q: How do I add a password to my server?
A: Edit server.cfg, and add a line like the following:

sv_password "password"

The password will be set on the next level load or server restart.

Q: How do I change the mapcycle?
A: Edit mapcycle.txt, and add maps in the same format that they are already in there. Afterwards, you will need to restart the server for the changes to take affect.

Q: How do I change the screen that appears after somebody joins the game, which defaults to "This is a Nuclearfallout server"?
A: Edit motd.cfg; whatever is in that file is shown on that screen.

Q: How would I go about adding Cheating Death to my server?
A: First, you'd have to disable the VAC (Valve Anti-cheat) by unchecking its box in your control panel's Control tab (if applicable). Then you'd download the Cheating Death server program from United Admins and unzip it locally. You'd then need to follow the instructions they provide you in the distribution for installation onto your server.

Q: Can I add a ping booster to my server? They are supposed to make it a lot better!
A: No. Ping boosters cause the machine to be used less efficiently and can result in ping spikes and choke, among other things. For more information, read the response in our Lag FAQ.

Q: How do I restart the stats on my server?
A: With statsme, you can use "rcon sm_clearrank". If that doesn't work, you will need to use your FTP access to the server to reset statsme -- stop the server and delete addons/statsme/statsme.log.

For Psychostats, there is an option to reset the stats on the Stats manager page in the control panel.

For csstats, use the command "rcon csstats_reset 1", or, if that doesn't work, shut down the server and delete addons/amx/csstats.dat.

Q: Do DoD servers come with the CAL-required maps (missing maps.zip, clan maps.zip, railroad.zip, dod_harrington)?
A: Yes.

Q: What maps are included with your Counter-Strike servers?
A: Most games come with just the default maps. For CS 1.6 and CS:S, however, we include some extra, 3rd-party maps. These maps are included by default with every CS 1.6 server:

aim_ak-colt
aim_map
as_oilrig
as_tundra
awp_city
awp_map
cs_747
cs_arabstreets
cs_assault
cs_assault2k
cs_assault_upc
cs_backalley
cs_bloodstrike
cs_deagle5
cs_estate
cs_havana
cs_italy
cs_militia
cs_office
cs_siege
de_airstrip
de_aztec
de_aztec2
de_cbble
de_chateau
de_clan1_mill
de_clan2_fire
de_comrade
de_comrade_3rdroute
de_contra
de_cpl_strike
de_cpl_fire
de_cpl_mill
de_cevo_crete
de_cevo_russka
de_dawn
de_dust
de_dust2
de_dust2002
de_dust4
de_dust4ever
de_inferno
de_karachi01
de_nuke
de_piranesi
de_prodigy
de_rats
de_rats_2001
de_russka
de_storm
de_survivor
de_torn
de_train
de_tuscan
de_vegas
de_vertigo
fy_iceworld2k
fy_pool_day
scoutzknivez

Q: On the MOTD above the window it says 'Server name goes here+++' why?
A: Steam currently has a problem correctly loading a server name with the '#' sign as the first character. If this is happening to you, remove the # from the front of your name.

Q: How do I make maps and other resources download faster (using sv_downloadurl)?
A: You can do this quickly and easily through your control panel's Website tab, by clicking "Sync files". Or, you can do it manually as we describe below: The Fast HTTP Asset Downloading (sv_downloadurl) function for Half-life significantly speeds up resource downloads by retrieving them from a website instead of through the game server. Because the map downloads are limited only by the speed of the web server (up to 100mbps), instead of the poky 10 to 20 KB/s that the game server can send at, the end result is clients not having to wait as long for custom maps and sounds to download. When you connect to a server using Fast HTTP Asset Downloading, and you are missing one of its resources, it remembers your connection attempt and disconnects you so that your Steam client can automatically download the map from the website specified by the server's sv_downloadurl variable. When it's finished downloading the resources, your Steam client reconnects to the game server and you re-take the slot that the server saved for you there. The whole process requires no user intervention. Here's how to use Fast HTTP Asset Downloading on your Nuclearfallout Half-life-based (Counter-strike, TFC, DoD) server.

1. Create a free webspace if you don't have one already by clicking on the Website tab in your control panel and filling out the form, then waiting for an email back from us with your information.
2. Use the FTP to create a directory on your webspace called "server". Within that directory, create another folder called "maps". This will be the starting directory structure for your custom maps.
3. Take your custom maps/sounds/wad files off your game server's FTP and upload them to the same place within the "server" folder of your free webspace. For instance, if you download "fy_iceworld.bsp" out of the "maps" folder on your game server, you will put it in the "server/maps" folder on the free webspace. A ".wad" file would go directly into the "server" folder since it is not in a subfolder on the game server. If your custom files came from a folder on the game server that does not exist in the "server" folder of the webspace, you will need to create the folder there.

   Note: If you are uploading previously untested custom maps, we highly recommend uploading them one at a time and testing each individually (by changing to the map on the server and having someone connect who does not have the map). Many maps are missing links to important resource files or those files themselves, which may force you to upload more files than you thought and potentially fill in the gaps with a .res file for the map.

4. Update the server.cfg on your game server and add a line at the bottom like this: sv_downloadurl "http://yourwebspacesubdomain.nuclearfallout.net/server"
5. Restart the server or wait for a map change for the setting to take effect.