Variables.................

filterban | Boolean
Toggles IP banning. Examples:
filterban 1 Enables IP banning
filterban 0 Disables IP banning.

hostname | String
This CVAR specifies your server's name. Example:
hostname "Counter-Strike 1.6 Server" (default)
Simply change Counter-Strike 1.6 Server to your server's name.

log | Boolean
Toggles logging of server events and chats between players. Example:
log 0 Wouldn't log events and chats. (default)
log 1 Would enable logging events and chats.

mapcyclefile | String
Specifies which file contains the map cycle. Example:
mapcyclefile mapcycle.txt Defines the mapcycle to mapcycle.txt. (default)

maxplayers | Integer
Defines the maximum list of clients that can be connected to the server. Maximum 32 and sevrer needs to be restarted to take effect. Examples:
maxplayers 32 Would set the maximum number of players to 32. (recommended for T1 and above)
maxplayers 10 Would set the maximum number of players to 10. (recommended for Cable and DSL)

mp_autocrosshair | Boolean
Enables or disables the autoaim function.
mp_autocrosshair 0 Disables the autoaim function. (default)
mp_autocrosshair 1 Enables the autoaim function.

mp_autokick | Boolean
Enables or diasables the auto kick feature in Counter-Strike. If enabled, your server will automatically kick team killers and idle players. Examples:
mp_autokick 0 Disables the autokick feature.
mp_autokick 1 Enables the autokick feature. (default)

mp_autoteambalance| Boolean
Toggles the team auto-balancing feature. If enabled, your server will always make sure that teams are balanced and that there is no advantaged team. Examples:
mp_autoteambalance 1 Enables automatic team balancing.
mp_autoteambalance 0 Disables automatic team balancing.

mp_buytime | Integer
Specifies the time, in minutes, that players are allowed to buy. Examples:
mp_buytime 1.5 Gives 90 seconds of buying time. (default)
mp_buytime 1 Allows to buy stuff for 60 seconds.

mp_c4timer | Integer
Specifies, in seconds, after how much time the C4 bomb will blow up. Examples:
mp_c4timer 45 C4 will explode in 45 seconds.
mp_c4timer 30 C4 will explode in 30 seconds.

mp_chasecam | Boolean
If enabled, it limits spectators and dead people to only the chase mode. Examples
mp_chasecam 0 Observers can use any mode. (default)
mp_chasecam 1 Observers can only watch other players in chase mode.

mp_fadetoblack | Boolean
If enabled, observer's screen will fade to black and won't be able to watch anybody. HUD and chat still works and this mode is ideal for LAN parties.
mp_fadetoblack 0 Observers can spectate. (default)
mp_fadetoblack 1 Observer's screen will be black and won't be able to spectate anyone.

mp_falldamage | Boolean
Enables or disables realistic fall damage.
mp_falldamage 1 Players will lose health if jumping from very high. (default)
mp_falldamage 0 Players will be able to jump from very high places without loosing any health.

mp_flashlight | Boolean
Let's you allow or disallow the use of the flashlight by pressing the F button in Counter-Strike. Examples:
mp_flashlight 0 Disallows the use of the flashlight. (default)
mp_flashlight 1 Allows the use of the flashlight.

mp_footsteps | Boolean
Toggles footstep sounds.
mp_footsteps 1 Players will generate footstep sounds. (default)
mp_footsteps 0 Players will run silently.

mp_forcechasecam | Boolean
Enables or disables team-only mode. Examples:
mp_forcechasecam 0 Observers can spectate anyone, any mode. (default)
mp_forcechasecam 1 Observers can only spectate his own team.
mp_forcechasecam 2 Observers can't spectate anyone and he'll only see his dead body.

mp_freezetime | Integer
Specifies the freezetime, in seconds. Examples:
mp_freezetime 2 Players will be frozen for 2 seconds at beginning of round. (default)
mp_freezetime 0 Players will be able to start instantly.

mp_friendlyfire | Boolean
Toggles friendly fire (teammates cause damage to other teammates). Examples:
mp_friendlyfire 0 No friendly fire. (default)
mp_friendlyfire 1 Friendly fire enabled.

mp_friendly_granades_damage | Boolean
Toggles granade damage for teammates. Examples:
mp_friendly_grenades_damage 0 No damage caused by grenades to teammates. (default)
mp_friendly_grenades_damage 1 Team granades attack teammates.

mp_hostagepenalty | Integer
Specifies how many hostages can be killed before players are kicked from the server. Examples:
mp_hostagepenalty 2 Allows players to kill 2 hostages before being kicked from server. (default)
mp_hostagepenalty 0 Allows players to kill an unlimited number of hostages.

mp_limitteams | Integer
Sets how many players can a team have over the opposite team. Examples:
mp_limitteams 2 Can have 2 players surplus. (default)
mp_limitteams 0 Can have unlimited players of surplus

mp_logdetails | Boolean
Sets what kind of attack information the log should contain. Examples:
mp_logdetails 0 Will only log ennemy attacks. (default)
mp_logdetails 1 Will log teammate attacks also.

mp_logmessages | Boolean
Enables or disables logging of chat. Examples:
mp_logmessages 0 Won't log chat messages.
mp_logmessages 1 Will log chat messages.

mp_mapvoteration | Integer
Sets the ratio of players that must vote for a map so that the new map would be accepted.. Examples:
mp_mapvoteratio 0.6 60% must vote for the map. (default)

mp_maxrounds | Boolean
Sets the maximum amount of rounds that one map can have. When the limit is reached, the map will change Examples:
mp_limitteams 2 Can have 2 players surplus. (default)
mp_limitteams 0 Can have unlimited players of surplus

mp_timelimit 20 | Integer
Specifies the time limit for each map in minutes. After this timeelapses, the server will change the map to the next map in the mapcycle.txt file. Examples:
mp_timelimit 0 Disables the timelimit, only one map will run on your server.
mp_timelimit 20 The maps will be changed after 20 minutes. (default)

pausable | Boolean
If enabled, players will be able to pause the game. Please note that enabling this feature isin't recommended as anyone will have the ability to interrupt and pause the game. Examples:
pausable 0 Disables the pausing feature. (default)
pausable 1 Enables the pausing feature.

sv_aim | Boolean
Enables or disables the auto aim function of Counter-Strike which will act like a legal aimbot. To use this fuction, the player must have the autoaim feature enabled in it's counter-Strike options. Examples:
sv_aim 0 Doesn't allow the use of the auto aim feature. (default)
sv_aim 1 Allows the use of the auto aim feature.

sv_cheats | Boolean
This CVAR specifies if to enable cheats or not. Remember that if enabled, Half-Life cheats will be legit but Hacking or unofficial cheats are still illegal on any Half-Life (and it's mods) server.
sv_cheats 0 Disables cheats. (default)
sv_cheats 1 Enables cheats.

sv_downloadurl | String
There is a whole page on this CVAR. Please click here.

Commands
addip
Bans someone's IP from the server for a specified time. Examples:
addip 0 10.0.0.1 Would permanently ban players from the 10.0.0.1 IP address.
addip 10 127.0.0.1 Would ban local players for 10 minutes.

banid
Bans someone's SteamID from the server for a specified time. Examples:
banid 0 STEAM_0:0:2913745 Would permanently ban players from the account which has the "STEAM_0:0:2913745" SteamID.
banid 10 STEAM_0:0:1852958 Would ban players with the "STEAM_0:0:1852958" SteamID for 10 minutes.

banid kick
Bans someone's SteamID from the server for a specified time and kicks him/her also. Examples:
banid 0 STEAM_0:0:2913745 kick Would permanently ban players from the account which has the "STEAM_0:0:2913745" SteamID and kick him/her.
banid 10 STEAM_0:0:1852958 kick Would ban players with the "STEAM_0:0:1852958" SteamID for 10 minutes and would kick him/her.

changelevel

How-To Section CS Server Setup Section.......

The Counter-Server team have devoted this section to the basic requirements of running your HLDS (Half-Life Dedicated Server).

Hopefully this will serve as a good basis for your server set-up. If you would like to see something else posted up here, let us know.

Basic Requirements
» Windows
» Linux/*nix
» The Configuration Files
» Maps
» Server and Client on Same Machine
» Rcon
» Kicking and Banning
» LAN Server

Server Tweaks
» Minimum/Maximum Rates
» Using Screen With Linux

Client Tweaks
» Enhancing Your XP Installation

Other
» Writing Progams/Scripts for hlds

---------------------------------------------------------

Basic Requirements / Linux

» Basics ::
» Installing the server ::
» First start ::
» Internet-server ::
» LAN-server ::
» Running the server as non-root-user ::
» this and that ::
» Server behind a router ::

» Basics
Before you start - some hints:
Make sure you're allways using the newest files (both, HL and CS). Cause this guide isn't updated every day it's possible that the files mentioned here are out-of-date.
So make sure you look at our news - maybe there are updates available.
If you need more help have a look at our forums and our IRC-channel-- #counter-server @ gamesnet.net.
If you have any questions, comments or something else, feel free to mail me: jwm

Here you will find step-by-step information on how to download, install, set up, configure, and optimize your Linux box to become a great Counter-Strike server. This how-to was designed to make it as easy and fast as possible to get your Linux box up and running with a dedicated Counter-Strike server.

I know that there are many flavors of Linux, so in order to keep things simple and make this tutorial applicable for all versions, we will configure and setup your Linux box exclusively from the command line interface (CLI). The only notable exception to this will be for downloading the files for running your server. To do so, you need to have an internet browser installed, configured and working, but after all, if you are reading this then you already have that set up!

For many CS server admins, Linux is the operating system of choice due to its stability and its speed compared to Windows based servers. However, for most, because of operating system familiarity, Windows based CS servers may be easier to set up and tinker with, but Linux offers many advantages over the win32 server. If you have decided, or are trying to decide if you want to use Linux to run your CS server, read on!
*NOTE: After reading through this, don't forget to check the files / scripts page for some great scripts to help you run and maintain your Linux based CS server!

I will assume that you already have a *newer* version of Linux installed and configured correctly on your network. If you need help with this, I suggest you use "linuxconf" to configure it and/or head on over to linux.org to get some help. Here we go!

Log in to your Linux box, as "root" if you can - but be aware that you do not need to log in as root if you have another user account created that has the necessary access and privileges. In fact, it is not recommended that you run your server as "root" at all due to inherent security risks. There are many tutorials here that can help you create additional user accounts on your Linux server if you need help.

» Installing the server
Once logged in, do not start x-windows, rather stay in the command line interface (hereafter referred to as the CLI). If your Linux box automatically starts x-windows don't worry... when it starts up, just click on the Terminal Emulation icon - you may have it on your taskbar or you may need to look in the "Start Menu" to find it. When you do find it and click on it, a box should open up that has something similar to this:

root@jwm [/root] #

What you have may differ slightly depending upon who you logged in as and the name of your Linux box. In this case, user "root" is logged into the Linux server named "jwm" which defaults to the directory "/root".

Now at your CLI, you want to type:

cd /

Now type this:

mkdir /hlds

Now type:

cd /hlds

If all is well, you should see this at the CLI:

[root@jwm /hlds]

Again, it may differ slightly depending upon who you logged in as and the server name, but you need to make sure you have the "/hlds" part in there. If you don't see it there, go back and start again from the beginning - you did something wrong.

Now a quick side note that you do not have to use this directory ("/hlds"), and in most cases it would be better to use a directory such as "/usr/local/games/hlds" to install your Counter-Strike dedicated server into. If you choose to use this directory instead (usually there is more disk space there) simply substitute

/usr/local/games/hlds

wherever you see

/hlds

And just start over at the top using this new directory. Just remember to substitute your directory (/usr/local/games/hlds) wherever you see (/hlds) for the rest of this tutorial if you chose to go that route!

Now you have a new directory at the top level called "hlds". This is where we are going to install your Counter-Strike server. We need to download 2 files to get started. You should be in the "/hlds" directory on your server, so when we download the files, they will be saved in this directory. If you are not in the /hlds directory we created, or are not sure, simply type:

cd /hlds

You should now be in the correct directory.

Next, click here to download the latest full version of the Half-Life dedicated server for Linux. The most current full version is called "hlds_l_3111.full.bin".

The package is no longer distributed as a tar/gz file. It is distributed as a .bin file that needs to be directly executed. So, after downloading the file, make it executable and then execute it. For example:

chmod a+x hlds_l_3111_full.bin
./hlds_l_3111_full.bin

You will be presented with a EULA, after which the usual tar/gz package will be extracted. From there you gunzip and untar as usual.
So let's type:

tar zxvf hlds_l_3111.tar.gz

The computer will then proceed to unpack and install the dedicated server in the hlds directory we created earlier in a directory called "hlds_l". When it finishes, type:

cd hlds_l

You should now be in the directory "/hlds/hlds_l". Now you need to download the Counter-Strike mod. Click here to download the latest full version of it for Linux dedicated servers. The most current version is called "cs_15_full.tar.gz".

Once the file has downloaded, type this in the CLI you are at:

tar zxvf cs_>15_full.tar.gz

This will unpack and install the Counter-Strike mod on your dedicated server.


» First start
You should now be able to run the basic Counter-Strike dedicated server. Let's test it and see if it works. Make sure you are in the "/hlds/hlds_l" directory and type the following in the CLI:

./hlds_run -game cstrike +maxplayers 10 +map cs_assault

The computer should then proceed to start a dedicated 10 player server with the cs_assault map. At the end of starting the server you should see the following if all went okay:

root@jwm [/hlds] # ./hlds_run -game cstrike +maxplayers 10 +map cs_assault
Using JWM Optimised binary.
Auto-restarting the server on crash
Console initialized.
Protocol version 46
Exe version 3.1.1.1
Exe build: 21:44:58 Jun 5 2003 (2415)
WON Auth Server
Server IP address 192.168.1.1:27015
Downloading Security Module from Speakeasy.net ...
Completed downloading Security Module from Speakeasy.net
Server is in Secure Mode.
[...]
Adding Auth server 65.73.232.251:27040
Adding Auth server 65.73.232.253:27040
Adding master server 65.73.232.251:27010
Adding master server 65.73.232.253:27010
Adding master server 65.73.232.252:27010

. . .

If you see something similar - congratulations, first step is done. If not, don't worry - we will have a closer look at the 2 possible ways to start the server.
Let's have a closer look at the INTERNET-server.


» Internet-server
The easiest way to start a internet-server is as told above:

./hlds_run -game cstrike +maxplayers 10 +map cs_assault

This line is very important:
WON Auth Server

If you see it: great. If not - let's check it step-by-step.
Maybe your server uses the wrong IP. As you see above, the server used for the example uses 192.168.1.1 - the LAN-IP (and interface) of the server. So we should change this.

quit

Now let's try running it again with a new line, type:

./hlds_run -game cstrike +ip +maxplayers 10 +map cs_assault

For instance, if the IP address of my server were 213.128.127.2, I would type this:

./hlds_run -game cstrike +ip 213.128.127.2 +maxplayers 10 +map cs_assault

Now after you run that, let the game load and wait to see if it gives you "WON Auth Server" this time. If it does, you re set!

If you still do not get the "WON Auth Server" it could be that you are behind a firewall. If so, the only hope for you my friend is to speak to the network administrator and have him open the ports you need (27015 is the default). In any case, he will be able to help you get it opened up to the internet.


» LAN-server
The LAN-server has a different commandline. He doesn't show up in the masterlist, he doesn't load the anti-cheat-stuff and is only for LAN - so we should tell him this:
./hlds_run -game cstrike -insecure -nomaster +sv_lan 1 +maxplayers 18 +map de_dust

After typing the above you should see this:
Using JWM Optimised binary.
Auto-restarting the server on crash
Console initialized.
Protocol version 46
Exe version 3.1.1.1
Exe build: 21:44:58 Jun 5 2003 (2415)
Auth Server
Server IP address 192.168.1.1:27015
Master server communication disabled.

Now the server should be visible in your game-browser - except for 2 cases:

1) either your server or/and your client has internetaccess at the same time
2) you're trying to use the +ip - switch with a LAN-server

Don't ask me why this happens - but it happens. In this case you have to connect via giving the IP (at the console, type connect XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX).

» Running the server as non-root-user
As told at the beginning, running the sever as root is a possible security-risc. So you should run the server with the permissions of a normal user. This user and his group must exist.
So when all the stuff is installed, you should change the ownership of the files so that the non-root-account is able to run the server:
chown -R USER:GROUP /hlds

That's it ...

» this and that ...
Now that you have your server running, we need to optimize it. You can run the server just as it is now - stock - but your clients won't get maximum performance from your server. You need to edit your server.cfg file in your cstrike directory (/hlds/cstrike/server.cfg). Look here for some cvars (command variables) that you can add to this text file (server.cfg) to customize and improve your server.

If you get miscellaneous errors or are otherwise unable to get your server running, see the Linux Q&A section, and browse the forums.

For all the folks who read the whole text, here's the goodie:
The only file-mirror i know that is up since more then 2 years, no adverts, allways the actual files for server and client and located in the country where i spend my hollidays:

- Dzamas FTP-server (a big thx to dzama!! )
-> http://ftp.physics.auth.gr/pub/win/valve/


For you Linux newbies, here is a really good resource link:
http://linux.com/howto/DOS-Win-to-Linux-HOWTO-4.html


» Server behind router
If the server is behind a router there are a few things you have to check.
You must FORWARD the port your server runs on from your router to the server (unless you change it with "-port 270XX" it's port 27015).
Also these ports needs to be open in the given direction:

TCP 7002 out
TCP 5273 out
UDP 27010 out
UDP 27012 in and out
UDP 27015 in (if your server runs on this port)

So let's get it clear with an example. We have a little LAN, connected with a linux-router to the internet. The router is called jwm, it's LAN-IP is 192.168.1.1, the WAN-IP 195.158.153.161. The box which run's the server is called heike, the IP is 192.168.1.4. And there is another client called lukas, IP 192.168.1.3.
At the router NAT (masquarading and routing) is enabled and ipchains is configured this way:


/usr/sbin/ipmasqadm autofw -A -v -r udp 27015 27015 -h 192.168.1.4
/sbin/ipchains -A output -p udp -s $ANY 27012 -j ACCEPT
/sbin/ipchains -A output -p udp -s $ANY 27010 -j ACCEPT
/sbin/ipchains -A input -p udp -s $ANY 27015 -j ACCEPT
/sbin/ipchains -A output -p tcp -s $ANY 7002 -j ACCEPT
/sbin/ipchains -A output -p tcp -s $ANY 5273 -j ACCEPT

Now every internet-client can connect to this server by giving the WAN-IP. The in-game-serverbrowser doesn't work - you must give the WAN-IP.
If the server is started like this:

jwm@heike [/hlds] >./hlds_run -game cstrike +map de_dust +maxplayers 18


the other LAN-box called lukas can connect to this server via play cs - lan-game

Remember, the above is only used as example - there can be any other router, any other IP-range and so on!
Just check that
the serverport is FORWARDED
the other ports are opened in the right direction
and don't forget: internet-clients have to connict via giving the WAN-IP

Creating a Spray Logo......

Introduction (Page 1 of 3) by Sebastian · 956,407 views · comments
Call them spray logos, spray decals or spray tags., Making them is fairly simple and you don't even need to be a graphic artist to make one, just about any image can be turned into a spray logo or you can create your own image and convert it into a logo. We assume you already have an image you want to convert into a spray.

What you need

Before we get started, you're going to need a program to be able to resize images. Free image editing programs are scarce so you may not have much choice,. Gimp works quite well and is free, available here., alternatively you can download a 30-day trial of paintshop, available here. Hopefully you already have some sort of image editor installed so you are able to resize some images.

Decal Restrictions

In Counter-Strike 1.6 you can have a spray decal up to 256 pixels wide and 256 pixels high, Below is a chart to illustrate the dimensions allowed.

Counter-Strike spray dimensions (not source)
Counter-Strike spray dimensions (not source)

The shaded green means the image size is supported. Keep in mind these dimensions are for Counter-Strike and not CS Source. The best way to avoid problems with image dimensions is to resize the image to around 96x96 pixels. The image doesn't necessarily have to be square as long as you keep the dimensions within the green shades as illustrated in the image above.

I wouldn't worry too much about dimensions, as in this guide we'll be using some tools that will resize and adjust the image ratios automatically. So for now, ignore the dimensions above.. for obvious reasons don't start with a huge image. Keep it small to around 400 pixels or below.

On the next page we'll show you how to create a spray logo for CS 1.6.
Next: CS 1.6 Spray decals »