How to Host a Fortress 2 Dedicated Server

Team Fortress 2 is a team-based first-person shooter computer game developed by Valve Software. The game is popular for its unique and action-packed online game play in which players can battle in head-to-head combat in games such as Capture the Flag. Online matches for Team Fortress 2 are accessed through the Steam Client, a computer gaming platform created by Valve that allows players to access their games and other gamers with ease. Create and access dedicated servers for Team Fortress 2 through the Steam Client using a number of utilities and settings.

Instructions

Set Up the Base Server Files

1. Download the HLDS Update tool from the Steam website (see Resources). Install the application by following the on-screen instructions. Install it in the "C:\HLServer" directory.

2. Open the Windows Task Manager by pressing the "Ctrl + Alt + Delete" keys. Click on "File" and then "New Task (Run...)" from the top pull-down menu to open up the Windows Command Prompt.

3. Type in the following command and press "Enter" to run the HLDS Update Tool and create the server files for Team Fortress 2:

   c:\HLServer\hldsupdatetool -command update -game tf -dir c:\HLServer

   Wait for the update to complete and close the Windows Command Prompt.

Set Up the Server Configuration

1. Open the Windows Explorer file browser from the "My Computer" icon on your Desktop. Navigate to your "C:\HLServer\orangebox\tf\cfg" folder and open the file "server.cfg" in a text editing software program such as Windows Notepad.

2. Copy the following lines into the "server.cfg" file to set up a basic Team Fortress 2 Server:

   // Team Fortress 2 Server Configuration File, To be used with TF2 only!

   // Server Name

   hostname "My TF2 Server"

   // Rcon Cvars

   rcon_password "" //Set's remote control password

   sv_rcon_banpenalty 15 //Number of minutes to ban users who fail rcon authentication

   sv_rcon_log 1 //Enable/disable rcon logging.

   sv_rcon_maxfailures 3 //Max number of times a user can fail rcon authentication before being banned

   sv_rcon_minfailures 5 //Number of times a user can fail rcon authentication in sv_rcon_minfailuretime before being banned

   sv_rcon_minfailuretime 10 //Number of seconds to track failed rcon authentications

   // Server Password

   sv_password "Password" //

3. Save the changes to your "server.cfg" file. See the Resources for a complete list of server configuration settings, which you can use to further tweak your dedicated server.

4. Open the Windows Command Prompt again by repeating Step 2 of the previous section. Type in the following command line to run your server:

   c:\HLserver\orangebox\srcds.exe -console -game tf +maxplayers 24 +map ctf_2fort

   The server control console will pop up in a new window and will indicate that your Team Fortress Server is now running.

References

• Source Dedicated Server: How to Set Up a TF2 Server
• Team Fortress 2: TF2 Server Setup

Resources

• Steam: HLDS Update Tool
• Steam: Team Fortress 2 Server Configurations