Ah, before you start flaming me, I TRICKED YOU! This is actually an attempt at a more detailed server making guide. It is based on my previous experience with making a server. I am NOT 100% certain that it will work. I am hoping that other experienced server hosters will confirm the guide or correct any mistakes that I have.
Before I start, I would like to say this important statement.
DO NOT create any more servers. There are already over 30 servers, with
only 10% of them regularly occupied by players. We do not need more empty, laggy servers that congest the server browser. This guide is only to help you understand the process of server creation. Once again, I do NOT encourage you to make another server.
A Quick Introduction
Making a server can be surprisingly easy, or pretty much impossible. It all depends on a few things.
1. Your ability to solve problems.
There is a 90% chance that you WILL run into problems, whether it's related to port forwarding, configuration editing, or problems with the server itself. More on those later.
2. Your ability to ask for help.
A lot of people simply give up when they get stuck midway through creating a server. Don't give up. Ask for help on the forums, stating your problem CLEARLY. No one will answer you if you start a thread with the topic "I nEeD hElP mAkInG a SeRvEr!!! QuIcKs!!! PlZ!!!" (lol)
3. Your ability to read and follow instructions carefully.
There are a lot of steps to follow while making a server. You will need to follow them carefully if you want to succeed.
4. Your experience with computers.
This is self-explanatory. I have attempted to help many people create their own servers, both computer noobs and experienced geeks. Of course, it was easier to help the geeks, because they know where things are located, without having to explain to them what an ip address or how to get to their firewall settings. I myself do not have much experience with networking, but I do know the steps to server creation pretty well, so forgive me for not giving in depth explanations to some of the terms and steps you will go through.
Now, onto the actual guide!
First things first. Install or update your version of Digital Paint: Paintball2 to the newest one. This will ensure that if problems arise later, they will not be related to build issues. Current newest version is Build 27, so if you do not have that installed, go to
www.digitalpaint.org and install it now. (If you are reading this, simply scroll to the top and click Files/Downloads)
The next step is simple. Go to your pball directory
"C:\Games\Paintball2", hold down the "Alt" button on your keyboard, and drag the "paintball2" exe file onto your desktop. This creates a shortcut named "Shortcut to paintball2". Right click the new shortcut now located on your desktop, and click "Properties". By default, the computer will have any text located in the "Target" box highlighted. This is the box you want to edit. DO NOT delete anything. Simply add "+set dedicated 1 +set public 1 +exec myserver.cfg +map midnight2" WITHOUT the quotations at the end of the text in the box. Do not forget to add a space before the "+set". You can change "+map midnight2" to any map you want. This will be the default map that will be opened when you start your server. You can also change the name of
the server config file to anything you want. This will mainly help you if you are going to have multiple servers.
*Note* If you are planning on having multiple servers, at the end of the text in the "Target" box, add "+set port 27910" without the quotations and with a space before it. Apply the settings and close the window.
Now, double click the "Shortcut to paintball2". Instead of opening the game window, a black box with white text (otherwise known as the command prompt) will appear. If this happens, you're doing good so far.We are now approaching the more complicated section of the server creating process. READ the following instructions carefully and FOLLOW them step by step. If you do not understand them, read them over again, or ask for help on the forums CLEARLY.
*Note* The following requires you to edit some important information on your computer. Making a mistake does not necessarily do any harm, but creating a backup of the default information is a more-than-good idea.
Port forwarding is a complicated process, especially if you don't know what it even is. It's simply to allow other players to access your server through a specific port. In this case, it will be port 27910.
In your start menu, go to "Run..." and type "cmd" without the punctuations. You will be taken to another command prompt (different from your server one). The last line you should see is "C:\Documents and Settings\(your computer's username)>". Simply type "ipconfig/all".
A large amount of text will appear. Copy down the following.
IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS Servers. Then close the command prompt.Now, manuoever to the "Control Panel" and select "Network Connections". Right click the option your internet connection uses and go to "Properties". In the scrollable box, move to the bottom, select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click the "Properties" button. Another window should have appeared. This one contains many text boxes, all of them temporarily grayed out. Dot the second circle "Use the following IP address". The text boxes should be available for you to edit. Type in the IP Address you copied down earlier, and change the last number to anything you want. For example, the IP Address you copied down was XXX.XXX.X.100 Change it to XXX.XXX.X.101
The Subnet Mask should be automatically filled for you. Type in the Default Gateway and both DNS servers. When you're done, click OK. And apply the settings. Close the window.
Go to your Internet Explorer or any other web browser you use. In the address box, type in the "Default Gateway" you copied down earlier and press Enter. The browser should have taken you to a site where it contains all your router settings. It will require you to login. By default the Username and Password should both be admin. I suggest you also change these afterwards to prevent your network from being edited by other people. Depending on the type of router you use, the page will change. Move to any section with the words "Port Forwarding" or anything similar. Add a UDP Port, port number 27910. I cannot help you too much with this step, as everyone's router model is different. The only thing I can suggest you do if you need help during this step is to visit
www.portforward.comAfter completing the port forwarding section, return once more to your "Control Panel" and select "Windows Firewall". At the top, select "Exceptions", and click "Add Port". You can give it any name, but the Port Number must be the port you have added into the properties box earlier. In this case, 27910. Check "UDP" as well.
Now, the server should work.
http://digitalpaint.therisenrealm.com/tools/servertroubleshooterGo to this site and click "Run Tests". If the results say that your server is in the list and everything looks like it should be working fine, then everything should be working fine.
