NooB needs help

[Booti]

OK i am the first to admit i am new to the server side of UT, but i really need some help here

I have been thru the various posts that Dubious has been posting over the last few days, but i cant seem to get anything to actually work (and i am talking actually starting the command line sever). i can see where all the info is going (i kind of understand it), but i cant get any of it to work inthe real world on my machine.

the command lines that Dubious has posted (namely the vCTF one here)

server vCTF-Suspense?Game=UTGameContent.UTVehicleCTFGame_Conte nt?GameMode=3?numplay=4?maxplayers=12?NumPublicCon nections=12?NumPrivateConnections=0?NumOpenPublicC onnections=12?NumOpenPrivateConnections=0?bShouldA dvertise=True?bIsDedicated=True?PureServer=1?timel imit=20?goalscore=5?botskill=3?AdminPassword=MyAdm inPasswordl -log=server.log -login=MyLogin -password=MyPassword -multihome=123.123.123.123 -nohomedir -unattended

do not seem to fit into the shortcut i have created. i have tried to streamline it to make it fit, but then i get a message saying 'The name "code that i have entered" specified in the target box is not valid'

i have tried to create a dedicated server using the retail copy and use that code, again the command line is too long

nothing i do seems to let me actually start the server. Once i have that sorted i can work on getting it to appear to the big bad world and work on things like mapvotes and mapcycles....but for now i just want to set it up so my mates can play.

what am i doing wrong? i can only assume it is something really simple and stupid that i just can't see.
please help an idiot :D, i have been at this for 8 hours now and am losing the will to live.

[Frogger]

are you creating a .bat file?

[Dubious]

Yeah, instead of creating a shortcut icon and entering the commandline into that, just open a command prompt window, change directory to your UT3 installation and paste it into there. Or create a batch file.

[Booti]

Yep, I tried a .bat file as well with the following line in it,

c:\ut3 server\ut3.exe server vCTF-Suspense?Game=UTGameContent.UTVehicleCTFGame_Conte nt?GameMode=3?numplay=4?maxplayers=12?NumPublicCon nections=12?NumPrivateConnections=0?NumOpenPublicC onnections=12?NumOpenPrivateConnections=0?bShouldA dvertise=True?bIsDedicated=True?PureServer=1?timel imit=20?goalscore=5?botskill=3?AdminPassword=MyAdm inPasswordl -log=server.log -login=MyLogin -password=MyPassword -multihome=123.123.123.123 -nohomedir -unattended

but it just pops up a command window and closes down again.

[Entil'Zha]

start -> Run -> cmd

run your bat file there and you will see the error

[Booti]

Thanks for that. I now have the server starting up, but then it shuts down again (i aint saying what i did to get this far as it is embarassing, needless to say i dont know my own file structure though :D)

Now i am getting the following style error and the server closes down

Error: Texture2D xxxxxxxxxxx contains no miplevels! Please delete (i get about 60 lines with different bits for the xxxxxxxxxx)

then at the end i get
Error: Can't start an online game that haasn't been created

Any further ideas and cheers for the help so far

[Dubious]

Error: Texture2D xxxxxxxxxxx contains no miplevels! Please delete (i get about 60 lines with different bits for the xxxxxxxxxx)
You can ignore those Texture2D errors - those are just log spam and dont indicate any problem.

The fact that you are seeing those errors means that you are running the beta patch 101. I'm guessing that you actually have '-multihome=123.123.123.123' in your commandline. :) You should remove that switch completely and then you should be set.

[Booti]

still no joy i am affraid to say. the server is now starting no problems, but i still cannot see it online or on the LAN.

I have gone back to basics, reinstalled the entire game and patch. i have even tried the batch file that Dubious provided in another thread (http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=587587) and still no joy. I have turned the firewall off, made sure all the ports are forwarded and just about pulled all my hair out.

Has anyone any idea why i cannot see the server at all, anywhere ?

[SayUNKLE]

Looks like you need to identify the engine ini and game INI locations by adding something like this to the command line or specify port being used.

ie:
-Port=7777

ie:
-EngineINI=C:\Program Files\Unreal Tournament 3 (Dedicated)\UTGame\Config\UTEngine.ini -GameINI=C:\Program Files\Unreal Tournament 3 (Dedicated)\UTGame\Config\UTGame.ini

GL

[Booti]

tried both those lines and its still not working. It seems to have cured the mapvote problem, but i cant see the server either on the LAN or the internet

[{SAP}THEEDGE]

Hell...sometimes I have to hit refresh several times to see servers I know my friends are playing on. Try connecting to it using the open command to see if it is running. This isn't optimal, but will tell you if it is running and just not showing up on the server list...