Starting your Unreal Server

Using a Batch Script

 

By Tentacle-HunteR

 

 

*Note: This basic tutorial assumes that:

1)  You already know how to start a server using the Unreal Game Console.

2)  That you know how to setup your server's  settings in the advanced options of the server console.

 

<<Section 1 - General Info>>

 

QUESTION:  What exactly is a Script ?

 

ANSWER :  A script is a text file that contains instructions for a program to carry out. The instructions can be “scripted’ or written using a basic word processor.  

 

Some examples include:

 

and…

 

 

 

QUESTION:  Why should I make a Batch File ( .bat file)?

 

ANSWER:    In a nutshell, It's a much faster & easier way to start your Unreal Server.  Some mutators, can only be started from within a script.   Also, you can setup several batch scripts for starting different kinds of games or maps.  

 

 

 

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

 

<< Section 2 -  The Command Line>>

A basic understanding of what it does

 

The command line is the script that contains the instructions for starting the game and will look something like this:

 

Start C:\<Path_to_Unreal>\Unreal.exe <MapName>?game=<GameType>?difficulty=<0-4> -server

 

Note: the colored  items are what you'll have to fill in and are explained next.

 

 

 

Here's a breakdown of the sections and what they do:

 

‘Start’       tells the PC to Start the specified program  (in this case: Unreal.exe)

 

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

 

C:\<Path_to_Unreal>\Unreal.exe’   

 

The path to Unreal is:                 C:\Unreal\System\Unreal.exe

The path to UnrealGold is:          C:\UnrealGold\System\Unreal.exe

 

(Note:you must Include a blank space after "Unreal.exe")

 

 

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

 

<MapName>      This will be the filename for the map you want to use.

 

examples:         to start "Nyleve Falls"     the mapname is:  Nyleve

                        to start "DMdeck16"       the mapname is:  DMdeck16                 

 

 

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

 

?game=<GameType>    

 

The two most popular GameTypes are:

 

?game=Unreali.DeathMatchGame

?game=Unreali.CoopGame

 

 

Note: If you have Jcoop4 & want to start a Joss' coop game type: 

 

?game=jcoop4.jcoopgame

 

 

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

 

?difficulty=<0-4>   

 

This is NOT necessary for DeathMatch unless you intend to add bots to the server game.

 

The basic difficulty levels supported in the console are: 0 - 3

 

?difficulty=0          Easy /Novice

?difficulty=1          Medium / Average

?difficulty=2          Hard / Skilled

?difficulty=3          Unreal / Masterful  (Most Difficult)

 

 

?difficulty=4          This “difficulty=4” setting isn’t documented very well, and is NOT available in the game settings console.

BUT…    IT WORKS !!!

 

Try this and see for yourself:

1.       Open unreal and in the command console type:   open thesunspire?difficulty=3

2.       Play a little bit of the game.  Pretty normal, right?

3.       Now,  try it again but this time use:  ?difficulty=4.   

4.       Play the game. This time there is an extra SkaarjTrooper that shows up just beyond that wooden plank near the beginning of “The Sunspire” map.

 

 

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

 

 

-server      is a switch that tells the PC to run the game as a dedicated server.  Place this last in the command line.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

<<Section 3  -  Examples of command lines>>

 

Examples for regular Unreal:

 

Start C:\Unreal\System\Unreal.exe DMdeck16?game=Unreali.DeathMatchGame? -server

 

Start C:\Unreal\System\Unreal.exe vortex2?game=Unreali.CoopGame?Dificulty=4 -server

 

Start C:\Unreal\System\Unreal.exe vortex2?game=Jcoop4.JcoopGame?Dificulty=4 -server

 

 

Examples for regular UnrealGold:

 

Start C:\UnrealGold\System\Unreal.exe DMdeck16?game=Unreali.DeathMatchGame? -server

 

Start C:\UnrealGold\System\Unreal.exe vortex2?game=Unreali.CoopGame?Difficulty=4 -server

 

Start C:\UnrealGold\System\Unreal.exe vortex2?game=Jcoop4.JcoopGame?Difficulty=4 -server

 

 

Notes:  

 

 

 

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

Running a Mutator

Some mutators must be started from within the script.

                                                                                         

Read the Documentation that came with the mutator to find out how to install & use it.  

For example: Joss’s popular Jtool3 documentation tells you,   “Add "?mutator=jTool3.psiMut"  to the command line ...”

 

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

<<Section 4  -  Writing the Batch Script>>

 

Use one of the two following methods.   They are both very easy!

 

 

METHOD 1  -  Write a Batch (.bat) file

 

  1. Start NotePad.   If you don’t have NotePad, then any word processor will work.

 

  1. In NotePad, Type your command line:   (see examples above)

 

  1. Save the file as a plain text file (*.txt).   Name it something like: “Serverstart.txt” .    .

 

  1. Close NotePad & Move or Copy this file to your desktop.

 

  1. Right Click on the file & click “Rename”. Then, change the file extension to .bat      Example:   “Serverstart.bat”

 

  1. When you double click on this icon it will start the unreal server for you with the options that you specified.

 

 

 

 

METHOD 2  -  Create a shortcut on the Desktop

 

Since we are only using a one-line command, you can create a shortcut instead of a *.bat file.

 

  1. Right Click on the Windows Desktop.  A menu will pop up.

 

  1. Click “New”, then “Shortcut”.   A “Create Shortcut” window will pop up.

 

  1. You will see a white box in which you can type.   This is where you will type the command line  (see examples above). 

 

  1. Type the command line, but leave out the “Start” command; the shortcut itself replaces the Start command.  In other words, the command line for a shortcut will look like this:

 

C:\Unreal\System\Unreal.exe vortex2?game=Jcoop4.JcoopGame?Dificulty=4 –server

 

 

  1. Click “Next”

 

  1. Type a name for this shortcut in the white box.   Example:  “Unreal Server”

 

  1. Click “Finish”.   You’ll see a shortcut on the desktop that, when double clicked, will start the unreal server for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<< Additional Info>>

  

http://unreal.epicgames.com/Console.htm

Epic's web site that explains more command line parameters:

 

www.geocities.com/j88oss

Joss's website describes and contains lots of useful info, for running an unreal server