Guides
Community-written guides for game server admins, players, and modders.
Getting StartedCall of Duty: United Offensive versions explained
Everything about Call of Duty: United Offensive versions: why it needs the base 2003 game, the 1.41 vs 1.51 split and why 1.51 is the standard, the hard version-lock between them, the state of PunkBuster, the CoDExtended client for UO, and what the expansion added to multiplayer.
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Getting StartedCall of Duty 2 versions explained
Everything about CoD2 versions: the 1.0-1.3 patch history and what each changed, the protocol version-lock (115/117/118), why both 1.0 and 1.3 servers are still around, what a "cracked" server actually means, the state of PunkBuster, and the libcod / CoD2x tooling modern servers run.
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Getting StartedCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare versions explained
Everything about CoD4 versions: the 1.0-1.7 patch history, why 1.7 is the one that matters, the 2018 Steam update that broke it, what CoD4X is, why there are two different things called "1.8", and why clients and servers must match exactly.
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Server AdminCounter-Strike: Source Server Setup: SteamCMD, server.cfg, RCON & SourceMod
How to stand up a Counter-Strike: Source dedicated server: installing the free app 232330 with SteamCMD (anonymous login works), the srcds_run launch line and the +ip 0.0.0.0 RCON-binding fix, why CS:S is locked to 66 tick (the -tickrate flag is dead), which ports to forward, the sv_lan 0 visibility trap, enabling genuine Source RCON, the honest GSLT situation, and the SourceMod + Metamod:Source admin stack that still works natively on CS:S.
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Server AdminARK: Survival Ascended Server Setup: SteamCMD, WinLiveMaxPlayers, Ports & RCON
How to stand up an ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server: installing the free app 2430930 with SteamCMD (anonymous login works), running the Windows-only server under Wine/Proton on Linux, the launch command and the new dash-flags (-WinLiveMaxPlayers, -port, -mods) that replace ASE's ?MaxPlayers=/?Port=, why the query port is vestigial (EOS discovery) and you don't forward it, enabling genuine Source RCON from GameUserSettings.ini, and installing CurseForge mods.
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Server AdminARK: Survival Ascended RCON Commands: Server Admin Reference
ASA server admin over RCON: enable it with RCONEnabled and ServerAdminPassword in GameUserSettings.ini, why you drop the admincheat prefix over RCON, the EOS ID trap (kick/ban/chat commands take the 32-character Account ID, not a Steam64 ID), permanent-only native bans, the AllowedCheaterAccountIDs.txt admin whitelist, and the commands that actually work - ListPlayers, Broadcast, ServerChat, SaveWorld, DoExit, DestroyWildDinos.
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Server AdminTeam Fortress 2 Server Setup: SteamCMD, server.cfg, GSLT, SourceMod & RCON
How to stand up a Team Fortress 2 dedicated server: installing free app 232250 with SteamCMD (anonymous login works), why the 32-bit srcds_run is still the right default after the 2024 64-bit update, creating your GSLT under the correct app id, ports to forward, server.cfg essentials, the SourceMod + Metamod:Source admin stack, Workshop maps and FastDL with bz2, and enabling genuine Source RCON.
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Server AdminCounter-Strike 1.6 Server Setup: SteamCMD, HLDS, server.cfg & AMX Mod X
How to stand up a Counter-Strike 1.6 dedicated server in the modern era: installing HLDS (free app 90) with SteamCMD and the mod cstrike config line, why modded servers need the steam_legacy branch since the 25th Anniversary update, the hlds_run launch line, the single-UDP-port firewall reality, server.cfg essentials, why GSLT tokens do not apply to GoldSrc, the ReHLDS + Metamod-R + AMX Mod X admin stack, and FastDL that actually works.
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Server AdminGarry's Mod Server Setup: SteamCMD, server.cfg, Workshop Collections & RCON
How to stand up a Garry's Mod dedicated server: installing free app 4020 with SteamCMD (anonymous login works), the srcds launch line and built-in gamemodes, why your GSLT must be created under app 4000, which ports to forward, server.cfg essentials, hosting a Workshop collection so players actually download your addons, DarkRP and TTT setup, tickrate facts, and enabling genuine Source RCON.
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Server AdminARK: Survival Evolved Server Setup: SteamCMD, GameUserSettings.ini, Ports & RCON
How to stand up an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server: installing the free app 376030 with SteamCMD (anonymous login works), the launch command and map ids, which of GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini each setting belongs in and the command-line override trap, the four ports and the multi-server query-port collision, enabling genuine Source RCON, installing Workshop mods with ActiveMods, and the crossplay/mods trade-off.
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Server Admin7 Days to Die Server Setup: SteamCMD, serverconfig.xml, Ports & Telnet
How to stand up a 7 Days to Die dedicated server: installing the free app 294420 with SteamCMD (anonymous login works), the serverconfig.xml keys that matter and the ServerName vs GameName trap, all three UDP/TCP port groups to forward, the V3.0 SandboxCode change that silently ignores legacy difficulty/XP/loot properties, adding admins in serveradmin.xml, and remote administration over telnet and the built-in web control panel.
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Server AdminProject Zomboid Server Setup: SteamCMD, servertest.ini, Mods & RCON
How to stand up a Project Zomboid dedicated server: installing app 380870 with SteamCMD (anonymous login works), choosing Build 41 vs the Build 42 unstable branch without losing your save, the servertest.ini keys and both UDP ports that must be forwarded, raising the default Java heap, adding Workshop mods with WorkshopItems= and Mods=, and enabling the built-in Source RCON for remote admin.
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Server AdminDayZ Server Setup: SteamCMD, serverDZ.cfg, Mods & BattlEye RCon
How to stand up a DayZ dedicated server: installing the server app with SteamCMD (and why anonymous login does not work), the serverDZ.cfg keys that matter, launching with the right ports, adding Workshop mods with their .bikey keys so signed clients can connect, and enabling BattlEye RCon for remote admin.
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Server AdminCS2 Dedicated Server Setup: SteamCMD, GSLT Token, Game Modes & RCON
How to stand up a Counter-Strike 2 dedicated server from scratch: installing app 730 with SteamCMD, the GSLT login token every public server needs (and why yours is invisible without one), the game_type/game_mode number pairs that pick Competitive vs Casual vs Deathmatch, server.cfg, Source RCON, and the ports to forward.
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Server AdminCounter-Strike: Source (CSS) RCON Commands: Server Admin Reference
CS:S server admin over RCON: the Source protocol (same as CS2/TF2, not the GoldSrc protocol CS 1.6 uses), native kick/ban commands with persistence, the SourceMod admin layer most servers run, match cvars, and how to persist bans.
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Server AdminRust Server Admin Guide: Convars, WebRCON, Admins, Wipes & Mods
How to run and administer a Rust dedicated server: SteamCMD install, the convar launch line that configures everything, WebSocket RCON (and why Source RCON clients do not work), granting owner/moderator admins and persisting them with server.writecfg, kick/ban, how map and blueprint wipes actually work plus the monthly forced wipe, and adding Oxide/uMod or Carbon plugins.
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Server AdminInsurgency: Sandstorm Server Admin Guide: Launch Params, RCON, Tokens & Mods
How to run and administer an Insurgency: Sandstorm dedicated server: SteamCMD install on Windows and Linux, the map?Scenario= launch syntax and why a wrong scenario name silently loads the wrong map, the Game.ini location trap, enabling real Source-compatible RCON, Admins.txt, the two tokens (GSLT and GameStats) and which app ID the GSLT really needs, mod.io mods and mutators - including the config-file change most guides still miss.
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Server AdminKilling Floor 2 Server Admin Guide: WebAdmin, Config Files & What Changed in 2020
How to run and administer a Killing Floor 2 dedicated server: SteamCMD install on Windows and Linux, the generated per-platform ini files, launch URL parameters for map, difficulty, length and game mode, enabling the WebAdmin panel, why WebAdmin can no longer ADD kicks and bans (the 2020 change host guides still miss), how banning actually works today, Workshop custom maps, the map cycle, and the Server Takeover footgun.
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Server AdminSpace Engineers Server Admin Guide: Promotion Levels, Admin Screen & the VRage Remote API
How to run and administer a Space Engineers dedicated server: SteamCMD install, the SpaceEngineers-Dedicated.cfg vs Sandbox_config.sbc trap, adding admins and the six promotion levels, the Alt+F10 Admin Screen and F3 player list, how kick/ban actually works (no chat commands), the real vanilla chat-command list, VRage Remote API setup with HMAC auth, Torch, and the crossplay caveats.
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Server AdminArma 3 Server Admin Guide: server.cfg, #Commands, Bans & BattlEye RCon
How to run and administer an Arma 3 dedicated server: the SteamCMD login trap, ports, the server.cfg options that actually matter, logging in as admin (#login, admins[], voted admins), the full in-game # command set, the two separate ban systems (ban.txt vs BattlEye bans.txt), BattlEye RCon setup, mod signatures with .bikey keys, and headless clients.
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Server AdminValheim Dedicated Server Admin Guide: Commands, Admin Lists & Backups
How to administer a Valheim dedicated server: every launch argument that matters, adminlist/bannedlist/permittedlist and their crossplay ID trap, the F5 console commands admins actually get (and why cheats do not work on dedicated servers), world backups, graceful shutdown, and the folklore flags that do not exist.
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Server AdminPalworld Dedicated Server Admin Guide: REST API, Commands & Settings
How to actually administer a Palworld dedicated server in 2026: the REST API on port 8212 (the supported tool - RCON is officially deprecated), every in-game admin command, PalWorldSettings.ini and its one-line format trap, going public with -publiclobby, bans, and the version-mismatch join error explained.
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Server AdminCall of Duty 4 RCON & Server Admin Commands: Complete Reference
Every RCON command a CoD4 1.7/1.8 server admin needs: logging in with /rcon login, kicking and banning by slot or name (and why there is no unbanClient), the GUID-based ban.txt, map rotation syntax with the full 20-map code table including the free Variety Map Pack, the six real gametype codes (TDM is "war", not "tdm"), reserved slots, server logging for B3, and what CoD4X actually adds - plus the folklore traps most guides repeat.
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Server AdminGarry's Mod Server Admin, RCON & ULX Commands: Console Reference
Every Garry's Mod admin command an operator needs: enable Source RCON (and why "GMod RCON is broken" is folklore), the built-in kick/ban commands and what users.txt actually does, install ULX and bootstrap your first superadmin, the full ULX moderation command set with its real default groups, sandbox limit cvars, and Workshop content hosting - plus the traps: timed bans never persisting, ULib bans living in SQLite since 2022, and the dead sbox_plpldamage cvar.
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