Administering an Expert server during a match --------------------------------------------- This is just a quick guide to help match admins avoid some of the pitfalls of administering Expert servers during matches. For full documentation of the server, read "expert.txt". RCON ---- "rcon" means remote console. rcon is a very simple mechanism that just allows you to send commands to the console of the server you are connected to. You set your rcon_password like so: rcon_password foobar and you send commands to the server like so: rcon [command] [command] will be executed on the server console. Changing maps ------------- use sv loadmap mapname or sv gamemap mapname [WMC]INCINERATOR ------------ This section is outdated -------------------- Always use the gamemap command to change maps, for example: gamemap q2ctf1 In general, don't use the "map" command to change maps. The "map" command essentially causes the server to restart, and although players will remain connected, a lot of important state information will be lost, such as which players are on what team. ------------------------------------------------------------ There is a situation in which you will need to use the "map" command to change maps. Certain settings, such as "maxclients", are "locked" so that they cannot be changed without subsequently using the "map" command to change maps. You can tell when you are dealing with a "locked" settings because, when you try to change the setting, the server will respond: "[setting] will be changed for next game" for example "maxclients will be changed for next game" At this point the server has remembered the setting you are attempting to set, but it won't actually take effect until you change maps using the "map" command. If you attempt to change maps with the name of a map that doesn't exist, YOU WILL CRASH THE SERVER. Therefore, always carefully check any map-changing command after you type it in. Note: the server crash thing is a problem with Quake2, not Expert. Unfortunately it can't realisticly be worked around. Update to server crash docs --- there is a workaround built into this 4.0.1 release ..[WMC]Incinerator Changing settings ----------------- Some settings don't actually take effect or will not function correctly until you change maps after turning the setting on or off. For example, Alternate Restore. If Alternate Restore is not enabled and you enable it, there will still be health in the level. If it is enabled and you disable it, health won't suddenly appear. To be safe, change maps immediately after changing settings. WATCH OUT for the level scripting system. Every time the level changes automatically (fraglimit, timelimit or capturelimit hit), the server may have executed a .cfg file as part of the functioning of the level scripting system. So every time the level changes automatically, check that the settings important to the match have not been affected. If they have, change them back and change levels.