Frequently Asked Questions
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Recent FAQs
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What do I need to play Half-Life2 Death Match ?
You will need a Half-Life2 installed from the CD or from online download and a valid Steam account.
To download and install HL2 Death Match, open Steam, click on Play Games and click on the greyed out Half-Life2 DeathMatch icon. It will install it for yo
So now where do I find a good server?
Look no further than SunLits.
SunLit Source of Horrors (HL2:DM)
IP: 69.28.221.147:27055
Public Slots: 12
Maps: Custom
Autodownloads: On
Is there a forum available for HL2:DM players?
Yes. You can discuss the joys and sorrows of HL2:DM with the SunLit community.
Another solid user base can be found at the official Steam HL2:DM forums
What are custom maps ?
Half-Life2:DM installs with 6 stock or standard maps. Custom maps are made by fans of the game and offer more variety.
SunLit's has over 60 custom maps in its HL2:DM library.
Are there custom skins for HL2:DM?
Not at this time.
Custom Crosshairs
The artists at BullsEye Crosshairs have come up with alternative crosshairs for both HL2 and HL2DM.
The xhair are still white but "brighter" and with a higher contrast. Download XHair Pack
How do I communicate to others in game?
The "y" key is the default for in game chat.
Just hit "y", type in your message and then press Enter.
The "u" key is the default (TEAM) chat key used in Teamplay HL.
Only your team members will be able to read this message.
Voice communication.
You will need a microphone and speakers, microphone and headphones or a headset.
Plug in the microphone (headset) into the sound card or input jack.
Fire up the game. In Options menu, under Keyboard tab, assign a key to Voice .
Under Voice tab, put a check mark in enable voice and slide transmit and receive bars over to the right.
What is a Console?
The console is the place to enter commands and settings directly into the game without using the Half-Life Option Menu.
Activate your console in Options --> Keyboard --> Advanced
The you can access the console in game with the tilde " ~ " key, and enter your commands there
The console allows you to fine tune game settings, enable tweaks, fixes and work-arounds.
This means you have the control to minimize ping, maximize frames per second, and configure your keyboard settings to be convenient for your individual requirements. These must be entered via the console or configuration files because menu options are not available to set them otherwise. Once you decide that a command is of benefit to you, you can add it permanently to a configuration file.
Frequently used commands are:
* Name Change
name "your name"
If there is a space in the name, surrround it by quotations or add an underscore
* Monitor FPS and Ping
net_graph 3
Shows a numerical value for frames per second(fps) and ping.
More complex commands require more typing. Doing this in-game inevitably results in being splattered on the nearest surface. Any command you enter from the console is temporary, lasting only for that session. Adding complex commmands and saving them for future games is easy using a configuration file.
Autoexec.cfg : your custom configuration file
To make your autoexec.cfg file, make a New file with Notepad or Wordpad.
Save as autoexec.cfg in the C:>Steam>SteamApps>youremail>half-life 2 deathmatch>hl2mp>cfg directory.
Type in your commands, binds, etc. Now right click on it. Choose Properties and then Read Only.
Once you have started up a game and the config.cfg file has received your custom commands, exit the game.
You can also make the config.cfg file read only.
This will prevent server side or Steam changes to your cfg. It doesn't hurt to have a back up copy of both files.
I was moved to spectator. How do I rejoin the game?
Open your console with the "~" tilde key
Type in "jointeam"
If you wish to enter spectator, type in "spectate".
I dont want to autoswitch weapons when I run over them.
You can disable auto weapon switch by adding the following cvar to your autoexec.cfg
cl_autowepswitch 0
Are there any rules or conventions to follow on line?
SunLits is the place for good sportsmanship and respect for fellow gamers.
Some players need to have the limits spelled out so here they are. :)
Facing the WallThe “Face the Wall†rule is a courtesy. If a player gets a phone call or is distracted, it is much easier to face a wall instead of logging off and on. They are obviously not in play, so please respect that and refrain from fragging them. If a new visitor to the server frags you, politely ask them not to do it again. Repetitive abuse of this rule will result of your removal from game by an Admin or Enforcer at their discretion
Cheating: with scripts, wallhacks, aimbots etc is pretty lame .You will be removed.
Spawn Killing: Mining spawn points, camping next to them, or sniping them, are in our humble opinion, cheap ways to frag players. An admin or enforcer will kick or ban a spawn killer as merited.
Spamming : Cluttering chat voice with repetitive or too many messages will kick in the spam/ overflow plugin and result in a kick. Voice spam such as singing will result in the same.
Offensive, Obscene or Hateful behaviour : Obscenities, pornography, racism and intimidation are not allowed and grounds for a permanent ban from all our servers. This includes spray logos, links to pornographic sites, voice communications or global chat.
If your nick implies any of the above you will be asked to change it.
This also applies to clan tags You have the option of modifying or reemoving the tag while playing here.
What is HL2:DM Teamplay?
In teamplay, players work together to defeat the othe team instead of gunning down everyone in sight. There are 3 kinds of teamplay.
Single Player Maps: The server is simply set to teamplay mode and teams work to gether to maximize their kills.
Objective maps (obj) : Each team has a set objective to complete. When completed, the map ends.
Capture the Flag (ctf) Each team needs to capture and escort the enemy flag back to the home base. A point is awarded for each successful capture and return.
The map ends after a finite number of caprture/returns, usually 10.
Team selection is simple. Just change to the model that the team you desire to be on is using.
Go to Options-->Multiplayer---> select your model from menu
Friendly Fire is an option to either take damage from your teammates or not. If it is enabled, when one of your teammates accidently shoots you,
it takes away your health. As of now, we have it disabled.
Lag, error messages, weird graphics..is it the server or me?
Neither. If you have cleaned out spyware and viruses and maintain your PC with regular defrags etc,
then you are likely experiencing the limitations of the Source and HL2:DM itself. A full list and descriptions can be found at the Steam Fourums
How do I enable fast in game downloads on my Source server?
Fast in game downloads work for all Source games, DODS, HL2DM and CSS, TF2.
A few things to do:
1) Autodownloads should be from a file download server separate from your game server.
http://www.yourwebsite.com/downloads/modname/auto
Files should be uploaded to their correct directory structures
<modname>/maps
<modname>/sound/<your sounds="sounds" folders="folders">
<modname>/materials - if you have custom skins etc
2)You direct your game server to download from your file server with the following cvars
In your game server.cfg file
//map downloads
sv_allowupload 0
sv_allowdownload 1
sv_downloadurl "http://www.yourwebsite.com/downloads/dods/auto"
If players are having trouble downloading bigger maps, you can also add in
net_maxfilesize 30 (or 40 or 50 just make it bigger than the file that is needed to be downloaded)
3) If there is more than just the *.bsp make a *.res file of the map's other required files. If the map only has a bsp file, go to step #4.
This file is tells the server what files to download to support the bsp file.
The res file can be created manually in this format, in Notepad as *txt and then saved as mapname.res
The format of the file is:
-----------------------------------------------
"resources"
{
"blabla.txt" "file"
"sounds/blabla2.txt" "file"
}
-------------------------------------------------
Note the "file" parameter, the .res file consists of key values pairs
and each value parameter must be "file" for map resource files.
The res file is needed for both in game downloading and for the http
external downloader.
On your file download host server, put map files in actual directory structure
..downloads/modname/auto/maps
..downloads/modname/auto/materials
..downloads/modname/auto/models
etc
4) Source maps are notoriously large. Bzip2 compression makes the file size manageable.
They are downloaded in compressed form to the client and Source itself unzips them.
**updated for Windows 7 Users **
Bzip2 is not fully supported for Windows 7
7-zip is an alternative program.
Install the 7-zip program. Open the 7zip File Manager
Browse to the desired *.bsp file
Right click --> select 7-zip from the menu
Select "add to archive"
Select "Compression Method Bz2" and "Ok"
Older Method - Windows XP Supported
Download Bzip2
( More info on main site http://www.bzip.org/downloads.html )
====================
SETUP FOR WINDOWS
====================
1. Move the download file (make sure it is for windows) into an empty folder in your default harddisk called "bzip2".
(without the quotes)
So an example of the path to the downloaded file's FOLDER would look like:
C:\bzip2
Change C to your default hardisk
2. Rename the file "bzip2.exe" (don't use the quotes)
3. Add your .BSP files that you want compressed into the bzip2 folder.
=================
BZIPPING for WINDOWS
=================
1. Go to Start menu > Run and enter "cmd" (without quotes) into the text area.
2. Click ok and a black window should open.
3. type:
cd C:\bzip2
Again, changing C to your default harddisk then press ENTER.
4. Now type:
bzip2 -v filename.bsp
Replace filename.bsp with your map name.
5. This will compress your .bsp file. To bzip another, press the up arrow and change the filename.
6. Once you have compressed all of your .bsp files, upload them to your WEBSERVER into the correct location, i.e.
"www.domain.com /game/maps"
and delete the non-zipped versions.
5) Upload the map itself , with all files in the correct directory structure, to the game server
Add the names of the new maps to the mapcycle.txt and maplist.txt files in the root mod directory.
</modname></your></modname></modname>
How can I maximize my RAM allotment in Source games?
**Note: as of the September 18 2010 CSS/TF2/DODS update the following should not be entered into launch options into these games or L4D and L4D2. They might still work with FAS, HL2DM, DOD 1.3
-heapsize [Kilobytes]: This command tells the Source Engine to allocate more RAM to the system heap, where it can be accessed by the game to improve performance by caching more game information in RAM and hence reducing loading pauses. The default heapsize varies, but can be 256MB or less. If you have 2GB of RAM you may wish to increase this to 512MB (a heapsize of 524288). You can use higher values if you wish, but I don't recommend exceeding half your physical RAM (e.g. for 2GB RAM, don't set heapsize higher than 1024000). You can't force the game to load completely into RAM, that's not what this command does.
Open Steam Game List
Right click on the Source game of your chocie
Click on Properties
Click on Launch Options
Add the following
-heapsize xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Where xxxxxx is 1/2 RAM on your system
4gb - 2097152 (Windows 64 bit)
3gb - 1572864 (Windows 64 bit)
2gb - 1048576
1gb - 524288
512mb - 262144
256mb - 131072
128mb - 65536
How can I generate a complete list of my server's maps?
This procedure takes about 2 minutes to complete
1) Log onto your Server
Click on Start --> Run
Type in the Open: field,
cmd
This opens the old
MsDos Prompt Window
2) Switch to your map directory by typing in its location and hit Enter
It should look something like this,
cd C:\YourGameServerName\dod\maps
(if you dont know it, right click on the map directory, select properties and copy and paste the line you see in Location)
3)Then copy and paste this line into the command line
dir *.bsp /L /B >filelist.txt
Enter
This will generate a list of ALL .bsp files in the map directory as a file called filelist.txt
The list gives the names of all maps with the .bsp extension.
Remember, the maplist.txt file can not be read with the bsp extension in the name
4) To remove all the .bsp extensions in one step, simply open filelist.txt with Notepad
Click on Edit in the toolbar
Select Replace
Type in the Find What: field, .bsp
Leave Replace with: field empty
Click on Replace All button. Done
5) Save the final document as maplist.txt and paste into the server root dod directory
Thanks to [I&S] Pvt_John for this slick trick. :)
I've alt tabbed out and now have invisible players, players with wrong skins or other visual oddities
Visual problems fix
You got lagged or you alt-tabbed out of game and you got a visual problems?
That is fix for misplaced items, players holding wrong weapons, invisible players.Add this bind to your autoexec.cfg
bind "key" "record fix; stop"
I lagged or alt-tabbed out of game and now have a visual problems?
Visual problems fix
This is afix for misplaced items, players holding wrong weapons, invisible players, missing cart indicator and wrong team color models(Blue medic with red needle gun)
Add to your autoexec.cfg
bind "key" "record fix; stop"
The crosshairs are hard to see. Can they be edited to colour?
Yes they can. Tutorial can be found at Bulls Eye Crosshairs
I get a looping sound of fire burning, weapon firing or ambient noise.
Type snd_restart in console
How can I disable the center screen "hint" messages at the start of every map?
VALVe thought we need to play a map more than 50 times before we finally don't need telling how to play it anymore.
Navigate to
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\youremail\team fortress 2\tf\media
open viewed.res with notepad
change the view number to "50" or higher on each map.
How do I change may name in game for OrangeBox Games Day of Defeat Source and Team Fortress2?
There are several methods:
1) In game, open the friends overlay (Shift+Tab) and click 'View' -> 'Settings' you can change you name pemanently over a map change.
2) use console command- setinfo name "name" - this will last only for that map and needs to be retyped
3) add to your autoexec- bind "key" "setinfo name yournamehere"
- add to your autoexec- bind "key" "exec name.cfg" , where the name.cfg contains the name you want for that circumstance.
For instance, bind "kp_5" "exec name_pub.cfg" and bind "kp_leftarrow" "exec name_league.cfg"
4 ) f you want to have spaces in your name this is what I had to do:
Make a separate cfg file for the first name with spaces in it: name1.cfg
and add this to it:
setinfo name "=ligs= Cpt. Jack"
Make a separate cfg file for the second name with the spaces in it: name2.cfg
setinfo name "Some Other Name"
add this to your autoexec.cfg file:
bind "F11" "name1"
alias name1 "exec name1.cfg; bind F11 name2"
alias name2 "exec name2.cfg; bind F11 name1"
5) Use the Name Enabler plugin
The newest version 0.5 also automatically adds a name field in the advanced options in multiplayer tab.
20 Second Respawn ! Is it supposed to be this way?
Valve's explanation:
Respawn waves occur on regular intervals, based on the map settings. Most of our maps use a 10 second respawn wave time. That 10 seconds is then modified by the map state, generally reduced for the team that controls the most capture points. Each team's respawn wave time is then scaled down if the team has less than 8 players in it, to a minimum of 5 seconds if team has 3 or less players in it. When you die, you are assigned to the respawn wave after the next one. So if the respawn wave time is currently 10 seconds for your team, you'll respawn somewhere between 10 and 20 seconds from your death. Your individual performance doesn't affect your respawn time in any way.
My "net_graph 3" is huge has too much information. What's wrong?
The OrangeBox engine has a new netgraph. Net_graph 3 produces the multiple graphs.
Net_graph 1 is the cvar for the old style but no longer shows loss and choke . They have been replaced by LERP.
