Ultimate Newbie Questions! (All About Quake2 Server Settings)

[Lejionator]

Hi!

I have many questions about how to create a server of Quake2. Many noobs questions...

1- How works the "setmaster" command? I know this command help for the server to appear in the server browser's programs (Qtacker, Gamespy, etc...), plus "public" command in 1. But how I set it in my cfg file? In "strings style" or "columns style"?

So then:
setmaster satan.idsoftware.com:27900
setmaster q2master.planetquake.com
setmaster telefragged.com
setmaster gameaholic.com

Or so:
setmaster satan.idsoftware.com:27900 setmaster q2master.planetquake.com setmaster telefragged.com setmaster gameaholic.com

2- How can I know how many MASTER SERVERS nowadays there are and which ones work? And where can I see it?

3- What is the best DEDICATED SERVER so I can create servers? R1Q2 or Q2PRO?

4- How can I make my server easily appear in Gamespy or in q2servers?

5- Why Q2's native browser NO LONGER LOOKING for servers around? 10 years ago I just needed to go on "join network servers" to see the onlines servers. Now I need to add them in my "address book", but nothing works! Why?

6- What it takes for a server to get players to have the lowest possible ping?

I hope someone will help me because I need to. 
Thanks in advance! 

[Alpha]

you might want to fix this before anything else

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\1CL7T1\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\2N0QlT\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\480OiL\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\1foAR\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\Jq8UT\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\3Xfk40\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\uAn8u\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\3pq4OF\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\3Xfk3w\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\2fAl5V\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\3pq4OB\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

[Lejionator]

you might want to fix this before anything else

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\1CL7T1\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

Lejionator: NoCheat V2.40 Code\2N0QlT\ Server[67.228.69.114] Video[ref_soft.dll FAILED]
glCheck[FAILED]

...

Oh, u see that then... rofl. So these messages appear to other players?
I play with NoCheat because I can use fullscreen in software mode. With my default client (quake2.exe), I can not use full screen in sw mode. 
I do all this because I need to play in sw mode and with all the settings well minimum, because I use a weak notebook to play nowdays. I can't use openGL mode, really. Does anyone have a better solution?

Oh, I still want answered my thread solutions! 

EDIT: I no longer use this old fashioned q2 client more.

[The Happy Friar]

1 & 2) I don't set a master server and my server shows up in QTracker.  I wouldn't worry about it, if you use R1Q2.  That defaults to the R1Q2 master server.

3) TS uses R1Q2, that's what I use.  It's the most compatible but Q2Pro has a lot of more features that aren't standard Q2 compatible.

4) Gamespy's nearly dead & if you use r1q2 as your server it automatically uses the r1q2 master (which q2servers.com uses)

5) As far as I know, it only looked on the local network.  I've been typing IP's since I got the game to join anything not in my LAN.

6) Have the server have the least amount of hops between the server & player, high bandwidth between all those & as physically close as possible.

[Lejionator]

1 & 2) I don't set a master server and my server shows up in QTracker.  I wouldn't worry about it, if you use R1Q2.  That defaults to the R1Q2 master server.

Yes, ok, but I would really like to know how it was done in the old method.

5) As far as I know, it only looked on the local network.  I've been typing IP's since I got the game to join anything not in my LAN.

You are wrong. This (join network servers) is supposed to look for internet network has always been. And that was how I thought the servers there. But now it simply does not work and I do not FUhCKING know why. 

[The Happy Friar]

Check out the q2 console command listing to get more info on setmaster: http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~portnoi/quake/quakeiicom.html

I've never seen  the join sever list internet servers (not on an official binary since it's release anyway & never saw that in r1q2).   I've seen it list LAN & servers on the same WAN, not never internet.  You could of been seeing servers on the WAN, which could very well be in the internet, but once I've never been able to get that to list servers outside of the network in the facility I've been in.

I think some customized engines have done this for standalone games (Digital Paintball maybe?).

[QwazyWabbit]

1 & 2) I don't set a master server and my server shows up in QTracker.  I wouldn't worry about it, if you use R1Q2.  That defaults to the R1Q2 master server.

Yes, ok, but I would really like to know how it was done in the old method.

5) As far as I know, it only looked on the local network.  I've been typing IP's since I got the game to join anything not in my LAN.

You are wrong. This (join network servers) is supposed to look for internet network has always been. And that was how I thought the servers there. But now it simply does not work and I do not FUhCKING know why. 

No.

Quake 2 clients have always been dependent on master servers. Initially that master server was operated by idSoftware but they abandoned that server as the game lost popularity. R1ch has been running a web based server browser but his client doesn't use it directly. Now, the only way to connect is to know the IP and type it in manually or use tools like GameSpy, ASE or XFire to launch the game.

[yahoo]

you can also use q2sb.
http://r-1.ch/qsb-beta3.zip

[Lejionator]

Check out the q2 console command listing to get more info on setmaster: http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~portnoi/quake/quakeiicom.html

I've never seen  the join sever list internet servers (not on an official binary since it's release anyway & never saw that in r1q2).   I've seen it list LAN & servers on the same WAN, not never internet.  You could of been seeing servers on the WAN, which could very well be in the internet, but once I've never been able to get that to list servers outside of the network in the facility I've been in.

I think some customized engines have done this for standalone games (Digital Paintball maybe?).

Oh, so the servers listed once I saw when I accessed the "Join Network Servers", were actually WAN servers in the internet!! Means that quake2 was never able to browse servers over the internet without my manually write the IPs. Interesting. Thanks, dude!

you can also use q2sb.
http://r-1.ch/qsb-beta3.zip

Nice one, bro! 

[Lejionator]

I have a new problem now...

My testing DM Server can not appear in the list of servers "q2server" and much less "q2sb". I think I did everything right to this my server running and it really works, but you must manually enter the ip of my server to anyone entering it. In my "server.cfg" the commands are:

set hostname "Sakuraba's DM-Server"
set deathmatch "1"
set dedicated "1"
set timelimit "10"
set fraglimit "0"
set maxclients "4"
set dmflags "16"
set public "1"
setmaster satan.idsoftware.com:27900 netdome.biz:27900 master.quakeservers.net:27900 master0.gamespy.com q2master.planetquake.com gameaholic.com telefragged.com master.q2servers.com:27900
map q2dm1

So what is WRONG? 


Now, about the masters, I have some questions ...

1- The masters server like satan.idsoftware.com:27900, master0.gamespy.com, q2master.planetquake.com, gameaholic.com and telefragged.com  they're all dead, right? (Someone could correct me about that?) So I should delete these masters dead in my server.cfg then?

2-  In the QuakeServers site (http://www.quakeservers.net/quake2/master_servers/), there are only 2 german masters cited as current today. These 2 are really the only masters today besides master.q2servers.com:27900?

3- Where can I see what masters they are alive or dead in quake2 nowadays?

[Muerte]

Did you open port on your router for your server to be visible from net.

[yahoo]

whats the ip address of the PC where your server is running?

[QwazyWabbit]

Now, about the masters, I have some questions ...

1- The masters server like satan.idsoftware.com:27900, master0.gamespy.com, q2master.planetquake.com, gameaholic.com and telefragged.com  they're all dead, right? (Someone could correct me about that?) So I should delete these masters dead in my server.cfg then?

Yes. They are all dead, you should delete them from your server.cfg.

[Golgo13]

Now, about the masters, I have some questions ...

1- The masters server like satan.idsoftware.com:27900, master0.gamespy.com, q2master.planetquake.com, gameaholic.com and telefragged.com  they're all dead, right? (Someone could correct me about that?) So I should delete these masters dead in my server.cfg then?

Yes. They are all dead, you should delete them from your server.cfg.

Just deleted a couple of those from my cfg. it's not showing up at all. i thought it was the wrong port or something but if i can connect then it can't be the case. i just love the lithium ctf mod so much, i've dedicated so much time to it. i just think it's really fun, too bad nobody else feels the same way :'-( i decided to start trying to leave it up on my home pc until i can get a dedicated server running again, if there is enough gathered interest.

Update i think i fixed it. found an additional master server at quakeservers.net. now it's sending heartbeats in the console, in which it wasn't showing before. updated my router setting to reflect the correct internal router IP. (technical jargon)

[Lejionator]

Now, about the masters, I have some questions ...

1- The masters server like satan.idsoftware.com:27900, master0.gamespy.com, q2master.planetquake.com, gameaholic.com and telefragged.com  they're all dead, right? (Someone could correct me about that?) So I should delete these masters dead in my server.cfg then?

Yes. They are all dead, you should delete them from your server.cfg.

Just deleted a couple of those from my cfg. it's not showing up at all. i thought it was the wrong port or something but if i can connect then it can't be the case. i just love the lithium ctf mod so much, i've dedicated so much time to it. i just think it's really fun, too bad nobody else feels the same way :'-( i decided to start trying to leave it up on my home pc until i can get a dedicated server running again, if there is enough gathered interest.

Update i think i fixed it. found an additional master server at quakeservers.net. now it's sending heartbeats in the console, in which it wasn't showing before. updated my router setting to reflect the correct internal router IP. (technical jargon)

What master is this?

I believe that there are only a few today, as...

American
- Q2Servers.com (master.q2servers.com:27900)

European ones
- QuakeServers.net (master.quakeservers.net:27900 - france)
- Netdome.biz (netdome.biz:27900 - nazyland)

And these old masters are dead, I believe ...

- gameaholic.com
- telefragged.com

I'm forgetting something or wrong? please tell me!