Running a server (advanced topics)

Installation: Steam tool

Our dedicated server package in Steam will allow you to effortlessly install a server attached to your Steam account. It’s quick, easy, and should be up and running as fast as you can download it. This is an ideal approach for temporary / part-time servers. You will require a valid installation of Sven Co-op to continue.

Instructions are as follows:

1. Launch Steam and log in.
2. In the main Steam screen hover over Library and click Tools.
3. Scroll down the list of available tools until you see Sven Co-op Dedicated Server.
4. Double-click the package to install it.
5. Follow the on-screen installation.

That is it. You should now have the dedicated server tool ready to launch. Double-click the tool in the library and select Play Sven Co-op Dedicated Server to launch a server with a .

Gameplay

In-Game screenshot

Since Sven Co-op is heavily based on the original Half-Life, it is essential that you are at least familiar with Half-Life and its controls, and it is recommended that you have completed Half-Life’s Hazard Course.
The single-player campaign of Half-Life 1 is supported by Sven Co-op, but in a slightly altered form to create more challenge for multiplayer games.

SC levels are set as missions and are generally separate from each other. Many missions span several maps, and some are collected together in a series. The aim of most levels is to reach the end or to achieve an objective — obtaining a high score is not essential to beat a level, its just part of the fun. Map scenarios include settings set in Black Mesa, cartoony worlds, World War 2 in Africa, Fantasy-like maps and modern urban warfare set in the Middle East.

Some of the most major features of the mod include:

• In-Game Monster/Player Info System, that displays info about the monster or player you are looking at.
• The ability for mappers to create friendly monsters and let players issue orders to them.
• The ability for mappers to change the models and sounds of each monster and weapon.
• A medkit weapon that heals other players and allies.
• Major Monster AI improvement

Other credits

Installation: Standalone application

Our dedicated server package is also available as a standalone package available via the SteamCMD tool. Though it requires further knowledge to install and use you will benefit from a server that doesn’t depend on your Steam client, can be run as a console application, and even be run as an unattended system service. Permanent / full-time servers should opt for this approach. You will also NOT require an existing Sven Co-op installation to continue.

Do not use this method of installation if you are unfamiliar with some basic server administration concepts such as using a command prompt or terminal environment, and reading/writing configuration files.

Instructions are as follows:

1. Open a command prompt or terminal environment on your system.
2. Download and install SteamCMD .
3. Download our dedicated server package with the following command:steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir "C:\SvenDS" +app_update 276060 validate +exitReplace the path C:\SvenDS with a location to your preference.
4. Wait for the package to download and validate.

Once it has finished you can use the SvenDS.exe executable to launch a server. Launching without any arguments will start it with a , or if you specify the -console argument it will start with a .

The same command is used to update the server application too, however be sure you have no server instances running or the update will fail.

Monsters & Weapons

Sven Co-op includes several new monsters and weapons. Most of these come from the Half-Life Expansion Half-Life: Opposing Force, but have all been coded from scratch.

The new monsters included in the game are: The Pit Drone, Shock Trooper, Shockroach, Barney and Soldier Zombie, Baby and normal Voltigore, Gonome, Male Assassin including the Osprey, Otis, Cleansuit Scientist and the new Grunts, all from Half-Life: Opposing Force.

Sven Co-op also includes three other monsters, namely the Baby Gargantua, the Robo Grunt and the Heavy Weapons Grunt. The last two were originally supposed to be included in Half-Life, but were cut.

The new weapons included are the Barnacle, Pipewrench and M40a1 Sniper Rifle, from Half-Life: Opposing Force.

Sven Co-op also includes some original weapons, namely a Medkit, Single and Akimbo Uzis and a Minigun. There is also a small secret weapon included.

Starting a server: Console

This option is only available to the standalone application. You will need to open a command prompt or terminal environment on your system then change the working directory to your Sven Co-op dedicated server installtion (usually C:\SvenDS).

Next you need to build a command to launch your server. The following list of arguments and parameters will determine how your server starts. Be sure to split them up with a space. Pay attention to those beginning with a hyphen (arguments) and those beginning with a plus (parameter), as they will not work with the wrong symbol. Sections highlighted before the colon are the parts you type, and underlined sections are parts you change.

• SvenDS: The name of the application, does not need to have «.exe» on the end.
• -console: Required, or your server will start in .
• -game modname: Only needed if you are running a mod on our engine, otherwise ignore this.
• +ip ipaddress: Only needed if your computer has more than one IP address assigned to it, and you need to specify which address to listen on.
• -port 27015: Chooses the network port to listen on, usually 27015 unless you’re running more than one server on the same IP address.
• +maxplayers 12: The maximum number of players that can be on your server at one time (2-32). It will be 12 if you do not specify this.
• +map _server_start: Specify which map to launch the server on. If you do not specify this your server will remain stuck in an un-connectible state!
• +log on: Start a log file for the server console (recommended).

Here is a simple example to start an 8-player server on map stadium4 listening on port 27015 with logging enabled:

SvenDS -console -port 27015 +maxplayers 8 +map stadium4 +log on

Server administrators

Sven Co-op has a (minimal) framework for server administrators and owners to get some representation of their status and some basic functionality to help control the game session.

These players are given this status by declaring their Steam ID within the file adminsfile (pointing to «admins.txt» by default). To give a player administrative status simply write their Steam ID on a line in this file. You can write comments after if you want to keep note of the players’ handle.

Server administrators will be shown as such on the score board with the icon . If the server is yours you can also denote yourself as such by placing an asterisk ‘*’ before your Steam ID, for which you will get a tinted icon . No additional functionality is currently available to owners, it’s mainly for show.

Here is an example of how your administrator list file could look:

// Owners/operators
*STEAM_9:1:488201	# Paul (owner)
*STEAM_9:0:38195	# Jane

// Administrators
STEAM_9:0:95482		# Dave
STEAM_9:1:5828645	# Emily
STEAM_9:1:1522834	# sUpErDeAn
STEAM_9:0:864923	# Zamnuzi

You do not have to include your Steam ID if you are only going to be running a listen server (i.e. for a temporary map test session). As a player hosting a listen server, you are automatically given the ownership status.

The only administrative functionality built-in currently provided is the ability to use , primarily because this feature is fairly new to the game. We will be including more functionality in future releases, however our scripting platform is able to determine if a player is an administrator or owner. Anyone can write a server plug-in script to boost the functionality available without a complicated permissions base.

Cheat commands

The cheat commands built-in to Sven Co-op can only be used under certain conditions:

• If the server is for Internet players, it cannot have a maximum capacity of more than 3 players — LAN servers do not have this restriction.
• If CVAR «sv_cheats» is 1 anybody can use cheat commands.
• If CVAR «sv_cheats» is 2 only can use cheats, and will not be subject to the server capacity restriction.
• If CVAR «sv_cheats» is 255 anybody can use engine diagnostic settings (such as gl_wireframe) even in a multi-player game.

If a cheat command is attempted and these conditions are not met the player is told why, and the server will log this event (or print it in the console if logging is disabled).

Cheat commands are useful for private testing sessions, particularly for map authors as they provide some useful controls and limited debugging capabilities. If this is for you we advise you check the provided file «map_test.cfg» as this contains a range of command aliases and bindings to help you do this.

Here is a list of cheat commands currently available:

Network[edit]

In-game multiplayer settings.

In-game advanced multiplayer settings.

Connection types

Ports

This game does not support Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for automatic port configuration.

Interaction

In order to help your team complete missions effectively with allied characters, there are a set of commands you can use (and bind to a key) to interact with the allied characters around.

All allied characters will follow the players in the same way scientists or Barney does in regular Half-Life. Simply use them once to make them follow you, then use them again to make them stay where they are.

All allies that are following you can now be given simple commands. You can set keys to these commands in the control options.

There are some combinations you can set on these keys for better interaction, for example:

• bind X «grenade; say_team Look out!»
• bind Z «medic; npc_return; say_team Medic please.»

• Friendly opposing force grunts are dressed in jungle camouflage, and hostile opposing force grunts are dressed in the standard white urban camouflage. While this is different from opposing force, this is necessary to keep the same style as the standard grunts in Sven Co-op. Just remember, green is good, white is bad.
• Players caught by Barnacles will not be able to call for aid. Other players will only hear a struggle.

Connectivity

Once you have got your server up and running and you want players to connect to it over the Internet it is likely that your server will be behind a firewall, a router with a firewall, or a router using network address translation (NAT). This is likely to mean you will require some additional configuration of one or more of these in order to make your server world visible.

The most likely scenario particularly for game servers at residential properties is a router using network address translation. This is where one public IP address is assigned to a NAT router at home, of which is then shared between one or more computers/devices using a private address network. The easiest way to determine if this is the case for you is to do the following:

1. Open a command prompt or terminal environment on your system.
2. Submit command: ipconfig (on Windows) or ifconfig (on Linux).
3. Take note of the numbers to the right of the IPv4 Address row.

Ignore any network device that shows one of these address ranges, because they are not connected to the Internet anyway:

• .0-255.0-255.1-254.
• 127.0-255.0-255.1-254.
• 169.254.0-255.1-254.

Check if your IPv4 address is within the following ranges:

• 10.0-255.0-255.1-254.
• 172.16-31.0-255.1-254.
• 192.168.0-255.1-254.

If this is the case you are definitely behind a router using NAT. You will need to configure port forwarding on your router in order to make your game server world visible. Because there are literally thousands of different home router models worldwide we are not going to guide you on how to do this. Instead visit www.portforward.com to find a set of instructions specific to your router. You will also need administrative permission on your router in order to make this adjustment, so if it isn’t yours ask for permission first.

Our server application only uses the following transport ports. You can amend these using the corresponding command line parameter.

Introduction

Sven Co-op is a co-operative based game based around Valve Software’s Half-Life. In this game players must work together against computer controlled enemies and solve puzzles as a team.

It is ideal that you are at least familiar with Half-Life and its controls, and it is recommended that you have completed Half-Life’s hazard course.

While Sven Co-op is similar to Half-Life with similar weapons, monsters, and characters, the difficulty has been increased to suit team play.

Sven Co-op’s levels are set as missions and are generally separate from each other. Many missions span several maps and some are collected together in a series. The aim of most levels is to reach the end or to achieve an objective — obtaining a high score is not essential to beat a level, its just part of the fun.

Monster models

The monsters

Setting up Sven Co-op

Here is how to install Sven Co-op:

1. Install Steam and register an account if you haven’t already.
2. Launch Steam and log in.
3. Visit the Sven Co-op store page so you can activate Sven Co-op on your Steam account.
4. In the main Steam screen click Library.
5. Scroll down the list of available games until you see Sven Co-op.
6. Double-click the package to install it.
7. Follow the on-screen installation.

Once completed Sven Co-op will appear in your Steam library. Simply double-click it to start.

Before playing you should set your game options. To do simply select Options from the title screen, then go through the tabs until you’re happy. Be sure to check out what the controls are.

Once you’re ready click Find servers to find a game server to play on.

Video[edit]

In-game video settings.

Field of view (FOV)edit

Changing the FOV can be done with the CVAR.

Borderless fullscreen windowededit

High frame rateedit

fps_max "<desired FPS value>"
fps_override 1

Disable texture blur (bilinear texture filtering)edit

gl_texturemode GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR

gl_texturemode gl_nearest_mipmap_linear

The weapons / equipment

Previous contributors

Mechanical

These mechanical foes often aid the human military class and are immune to common weaknesses humans have such as poison and Barnacles, but not Gargantuas. Bullets often have much less effect.

Artists

The music

Thanks to the new FMod sound library from Firelight Technologies more than just MP3 files can be played using the in-game music player.

Use the included play list editor tool «playlist.exe» to easily create a list of music files or import a play list to use in the in-game player.

In case you’re having trouble running this tool, all you should need is Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. This is available free of charge for all Windows users:

• via the Windows Update website for Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 users.
• via the Windows Update tool (Start » All Programs) for Windows Vista, 2008, 7, 2008 R2, 8, and 8.1 users.
• via the Programs and Features control panel for Windows 10 users.

Sven Coop в конце недели

В это воскресенье (12 октября 2014) всем порталом играем в Sven Coop, а именно проходим кампанию Fortified. Приглашаются все желающие.Начало: 12 октября 2014 18:00 (время московское)Количество мест: 32Место проведения (адрес сервера): s20.hldm.org (195.191.250.139:27015)Скачать Sven Coop: http://hldm.org/files/others/208-sven-co-op-48.htmlSven Co-op — кооперативная модификция для Half-Life, где игроки должны убивать контролируемых компьютером монстров, разбирать головоломки и выполнять различные цели (указываются в MOTD) в команде. Игра полностью бесплатна, для игры потребуется установленный Half-Life клиент.Fortified — карта от разработчика «Nih», где игроки являются бойцами секретного подразделения и должны напасть на защищенный объект. Один из игроков должен взять на себя командование, у него отсутствует возможность непосредственно передвигаться и убивать противников, он наблюдает сверху и помогает подразделению, посылает атаку с воздуха, выдает оружие другим игрокам. Карта поделена на несколько секторов, каждый из которых предстоит захватить.

The allies

Mapping and Modeling Community

The community has slowly dwindled over the years, but Sven Co-op still remains one of the mods with most custom content.
This success might be because of several reasons:
Due to Sven Co-op’s single-player nature, it is easier for mappers to create their own worlds and scenarios, and the ability for mappers to change models and sounds give them even more freedom. A backside of the «single-player» style, is that Sven Co-op maps generally take more time to create than maps for multiplayer games, but SC mapping has still managed to thrive.

A common criticism of single-player mapping for games, is that you never know how many people have played your map. When you are mapping for a coop game, you can create your own scenarios and tell a story to the players, and still be able to see how many are playing your game online.

Passwords

Maps

See the maps page for BSP file names and a screen shot.

Campaign conversions

Half-Life campaign

Co-op conversion & updates by: Ian «Soctom» Ortiz, Josh «JPolito» Polito, SoloKiller

Opposing Force campaign

Co-op conversion & updates by: Edman747

Map «of2a3» remade by: Ian «Soctom» Ortiz

Blue Shift campaign

Co-op conversion & updates by: Edman747, Josh «JPolito» Polito

Uplink campaign

Co-op conversion & updates by: Ian «Soctom» Ortiz

Neil Manke’s They Hunger campaign

Co-op conversion, map merging, & updates by: Josh «JPolito» Polito, Dynamite

Weapon models by: Norman Roger, Benoit «Der Graue Fuchs» Hanikenne

Scripts by: Tomáš «GeckonCZ» Slavotínek (NPCs), KernCore (Weapons), «Zode» (Misc.)

Official missions

Installing custom maps

Your players will inevitably get bored with the official set of maps provided. You will almost certainly want to install some of the many additional maps around to improve the experience of your game server.

Installing custom maps is a simple process providing map artists follow the map distribution guidelines. You will have downloaded a map as a file containing the map contents typically as a ZIP, RAR, or 7Z archive. Maps are rarely distribute maps as a standalone BSP file or as a bunch of unpacked files.

You can use a free utility such as 7-Zip to open most of the archive formats around today. This runs on both Windows and Linux and is provided for free of charge.

When you open the archive you should see a set of folders that could be gfx, maps, models, scripts, sound, and sprites. It’s also likely you’ll see a bunch of WAD files here too. If this is what you see you will need to extract all of these to your server’s svencoop_addons folder.

• Do not extract any unofficial resources directly into the svencoop folder. To help keep your game files clean, use the svencoop_addons folder. The game engine is perfectly capable of loading maps and their contents from this location.
• If there is a scripts folder included take a look inside before extraction. There should only ever be a maps folder inside this. Anything else should be treated as suspicious and not extracted, or deleted after extraction.
• If there is only a svencoop folder inside the archive, you need to enter this folder before extraction. This shows the map artist has not followed our current guidelines on map distribution.
• If there is only a BSP file (and maybe a couple of TXT/CFG files along side it) this means the map doesn’t have much custom content. These files should be extracted to the maps folder within the svencoop_addons folder.

This diagram shows how custom map content should be laid out in your game.