Synergy Server Administration

From SynMod

Setting up a dedicated (non-steam-client) server is a little more complex than running a listen server.

Contents 1 Basics 1.1 Types of Servers 1.2 Installation 1.3 Configuration 2 Concepts 2.1 Bigger is not Better 3 See Also

Basics

Types of Servers

See Types of Servers

Installation

See:

• Stand-alone Dedicated Server Installation
• Steam Dedicated Server Installation
• Listen Server Installation

Configuration

• Most likely, you will want an administration mod, such as SourceMod.
• You will also want to tweak your synergy/cfg/server.cfg file. See Server Settings.
• You might want to edit the skill.cfg to make combat more or less difficult for players on your server.

Concepts

Bigger is not Better

In many source-based games, larger servers provide more enjoyable gameplay. However, coop mods like Synergy tend to work better with smaller servers.

The HL2 campaign defaults to a maximum of four players. Although you can override it, there are a few good reasons to keep it at four. These maps were designed for one player. The walkways are too narrow, and there are too few enemies. Some players will rush ahead and leave the others in the dust with no enemies to shoot. Also, remember that there are only two dunebuggies, each of which can hold two players.

The stock and custom maps are designed for more players, so the default is higher, at six. Since these maps were designed this way, one could set their servers to 12 or 16 players. However, keep in mind that coop games require more client and server resources than deathmatch games. This is because of all the NPCs in the game. With today's clients and servers, you probably will not want more than 8 or 10 players in your server.

Team-based games provide some sense of community, but coop games provide much more. Players in Synergy coop tend to have real team spirit. Many of the players with faster computers will wait for late-joining players before proceeding through the level. After four players, however, this teamplay starts to decrease. Players may get left behind and forgotten.

See Also

• Maps with Problems
• VDC tutorial on server/client lag, etc tweaks

Coop: Cooperative game mode, where all PCs are on the same team.HL2: Half-Life 2 (Valve Corporation 2004).server.cfg: synergy/cfg/server.cfgskill.cfg: synergy/cfg/skill.cfgNPC: Non-Player Character. A game entity which is directly controlled by AI - as opposed to a Player-controlled PC.PC: Player Character. A game entity which is directly controlled by a Player - as opposed to an AI-controlled NPC.Player: A real person who spectates or participates in the game.Client: Synergy uses a Client/Server software architecture. The "Server" runs the game and is authoritative about world simulation, game rules, and player input processing. A "Client" runs on a player's computer connected to a game server, and generates all the lovely graphics, etc.Server: Synergy uses a Client/Server software architecture. The "Server" runs the game and is authoritative about world simulation, game rules, and player input processing. A "Client" runs on a player's computer connected to a game server, and generates all the lovely graphics, etc. A "Listen Server" runs on the same hardware as a Client; whereas a "Dedicated Server" runs on it's own, independent hardware, separate from all Clients.