How to run Sven Co-op every bit a Windows Service with FireDaemon Pro.

Sven Co-Op Dedicate Server

Sven Co-op is a get-go-person co-operative action game. The dedicated server component tin can exist run as a Windows service using FireDaemon Pro, which allows yous to get-go the dedicated server automatically at boot prior to login, start multiple instances of the defended server. This guide will show you how to gear up up Sven Co-op Dedicated Server as a Windows Service with FireDaemon Pro. You can as well employ FireDaemon Fusion to manage FireDaemon Pro and other Windows services via a web browser.

Sven Co-op In Action

Step 1. Download and Install SteamCMD

Download SteamCMD for Windows. Unpack the contents of the Nada file into the directory of your choice (eg. C:\SteamCMD). There's just one file in the zip file: steamcmd.exe . Double click steamcmd.exe to download related support files and update SteamCMD.

Step two. Download and Install FireDaemon Pro

Download FireDaemon Pro for your CPU architecture (32-bit or 64-bit). Look for the Download buttons. And so install FireDaemon Pro.

Step 3. Download and Install Sven Co-op Dedicated Server

Get to the directory where you installed SteamCMD (eg. C:\SteamCMD) and create a shortcut to "SteamCMD.exe" called Sven Co-op. Edit the Backdrop of the shortcut and edit the Target to read:

C:\SteamCMD\steamcmd.exe +login anonymous +force_install_dir "C:\SvenDS" +app_update 276060 validate +quit

The shortcut dialog should look like this:

Sven Co-op Shortcut Properties

At present double click the shortcut you created and allow it run to download the Sven Co-op defended server files. Information technology might have some time for the game server to download. Y'all should also run the shortcut every week or and so to grab the latest server updates. Make sure to stop your server offset prior to applying updates.

Downloading the Sven Co-op Dedicated Server

Stride 4. Setup the Sven Co-Op Dedicated Server as a FireDaemon Pro Service

Next step is to start FireDaemon Pro and click on the New button in the toolbar (or type Ctrl+Northward). Complete the FireDaemon Pro Program settings per the screenshot beneath.

Sven Co-op FireDaemon Pro Program Tab

The FireDaemon Pro Plan tab settings are summarised in the tabular array below:

Field Description Recommended Value
Brusk Proper noun Brusk Proper name of the FireDaemon Pro Service Sven Co-op
Display Name Brandish Name of the FireDaemon Pro Service Sven Co-op
Description Description of the FireDaemon Pro Service Sven Co-op Defended Server
Executable Total path the svends.exe file C:\SvenDS\svends.exe
Working Directory The directory containing the svends.exe file C:\SvenDS
Parameters Defended game server parameters (described below) -console -secure +ip "1.2.3.iv" -port 27015 +maxplayers 12 +log on +map "_server_start"
Startup Mode How Windows launches the game server on machine kick Automatic (Delayed Start)

The Sven Co-op dedicated server parameter options are summarised in the table below:

Selection Description
-panel Enables a text base server brandish. The server tin can only exist automatically restarted in text-based style.
-game svencoop [Optional] Load the game server modern
-secure

Enables VAC (Valve Anti-cheat) protection of your server. If you do not desire to enable VAC on your server you must use the "-insecure" switch instead, however, this opens your server to the possibility of corruption

+ip "ane.two.3.four" This should be the IP address of your computer (non 127.0.0.1). If your computer simply has a private/LAN IP accost assigned (such equally x.x.x.10, 172.16-31.x.ten, or 192.168.ten.ten) you must use this or your server will not be connectable. Use this option if your server has more 1 IPv4 accost due to multiple NICs including virtualised ones.
-port 27015

This is the default server port. Y'all tin change it to anywhere from 27015 to 27020. You would only change this if y'all host multiple servers as each server has to use its ain port when using the same IP

+maxplayers 12

This controls the maximum amount of players that can connect to your server at once. Since Sven Co-op is a co-operative game, gameplay is severely affected when there are more than 12 players. And so continue the +maxplayers to no more than than 12. You can only control the max players on server startup. If you plan to primarily play the One-half-Life campaign consider lowering this to value to eight

+log on

Displays the output of information on the screen and logs events to file. You can plough information technology off by using +log off instead. Keeping this value on makes it easier to debug any errors yous might encounter, and for reviewing actor misbehaviour

+map "_server_start"

Loads a specified map on server startup. You should ideally keep this as the stub map "_server_start" specially if you lot are running plug-ins, as some demand at least ane map to pass to properly initialise. the stub map volition terminate within a few seconds and and so your map bicycle will continue as normal.

-nonetthread [Optional] Disable threaded networking.

Step 5. Now click on the FireDaemon Pro Settings tab per the screenshot below.

If you DON'T want to see your dedicated server running, uncheck the Interact with Desktop check box and select Hidden from the Testify Window dropdown. Ideally, y'all should run the Sven Co-op Dedicated Server equally a non-authoritative user with "Login as a batch job" and "Login as service" rights for security purposes. You lot will need to create that user account manually and fix a password. In the Logon Business relationship field type that account username (e.g. SvcSvenDS) and so enter the user's password twice in the Countersign and Ostend fields. If you lot do make up one's mind to have this approach, you lot will need to ensure this user has the "Alter" NTFS security permissions set on the folder "C:\SvenDS" and kid folders. You should not set permissions to Full Command for your user every bit it's non required.

You can modify the Process Priority to allocate more than CPU time to the dedicated server or specify which CPU or core the dedicated server will run on (in the case of multi-processor, hyperthreaded or multi-core CPUs). Realistically the Sven Co-op Dedicated Server volition only require 2 threads at almost, the majority of the CPU time being spent on a single thread.

Sven Co-op FireDaemon Pro Settings Tab

Step 6. Now click on the FireDaemon Pro

Dialogs tab per the screenshot below. Enable this feature, and then click Insert. Specify the championship "Mistake" and button text "OK". Fifty-fifty if your service is configured to be hidden the Sven Co-op Dedicated Server may yet display an error dialog behind the scenes, causing your server to become stuck doing nothing until manually restarted.

Sven Co-op FireDaemon Pro Dialogs Tab

Step 7. Now click on the FireDaemon Pro Scheduling tab per the screenshot beneath.

Add together a daily restart schedule per the screenshot below. Y'all should ideally schedule a game server restart every 24 hours, particularly if you programme to run whatsoever custom maps. This is because the vast catalogue of custom maps has non been quality tested, meaning certain buggy maps can leave your server frozen until manually restarted.

Sven Co-op FireDaemon Pro Scheduling Tab

Step 8. Now click OK to stop the setup and start your Sven Co-op Dedicated Server!

The server volition run on Session 0 so y'all will need to switch desktop to see it running by clicking on the "Session 0" button in the FireDaemon Pro toolbar. The screenshot below shows the Sven Co-op Dedicated Server running on Session 0 along with FireDaemon Zero.

Sven Co-op Running on Session 0

Sven Co-op Configuration File

Sven Co-op uses one configuration file to store its settings chosen "server.cfg". It's located in the svencoop folder nether the binder where you installed the game server (eg. C:\SvenDS\svencoop). The vanilla server.cfg file contains the nuts you demand to configure your server, however at an absolute minimum you should gear up the following in server.cfg:

Setting Clarification
hostname This changes the proper name of your server every bit seen in the server browser and scoreboard. If y'all can't think of anything just use your on-line proper name, e.g. "Adambean'southward server"
rcon_password Setting a strong password here is important. Leaving this password equally weak/simple could get out your server open to anyone running remote panel commands, effectively taking command of your Sven Co-op example. If you do not want the remote panel enabled at all get out this setting undefined or commented out (with the 2 // at the beginning of the line), nonetheless, this will deny even yourself from any in-game management abilities.
password If y'all desire your server to exist private for just yourself and a closed group of your friends set up a shared countersign hither. Otherwise, get out this undefined or commented out with the two // at the outset of the line.
sv_region This should match the region of the world your server is located in as per Steam's documentation. This will allow the Steam server browser to allow players to find servers in their region.

For a comprehensive version of "server.cfg" please refer to the server.cfg plant in C:\SvenDS\svencoop\servers\example. The majority of this configuration file volition not demand to be inverse. Ideally, just copy and better what you need into your own "server.cfg" file. Setting descriptions can be found in the official server configuration guide.

Updating Sven Co-op

At present that you have the Sven Co-op Dedicated Server installed and running information technology is worth taking a stride to aid you go along your server up to date. Updates typically come out every 1-2 months so you should not require a scheduled task, even so creating a batch file will let you to update your server with one click!

Open your favourite evidently text editors such as Notepad or Sublime, and into a new file paste the following text:

@Echo OFF

ECHO Stopping Sven Co-op DS ...

cyberspace stop "Sven Co-op"

Repeat.

Echo Updating Sven Co-op DS ...

C:\SteamCMD\steamcmd.exe +login anonymous +force_install_dir "C:\SvenDS" +app_update 276060 validate +quit

ECHO.

ECHO Starting Sven Co-op DS ...

net kickoff "Sven Co-op"

Salve this file as "updated.cmd" in your Sven Co-op installation folder (eg. C:\SvenDS\update.cmd). If you wish you can make a shortcut to this, otherwise but run this batch file to update your server. Your Sven Co-op server will shut down while the update is practical, then you should ideally check to come across if anyone is playing offset prior to updating.

Running Multiple Sven Co-op Servers Simultaneously

Sven Co-op fully supports running multiple instances in parallel with a single set of configuration files. This is known as configuration profiling, whereby you ascertain multiple basic configuration files with different settings (fifty-fifty if only the hostname changes) but each example can all admission the same content.

This is particularly useful for saving fourth dimension and disk space, which becomes paramount if y'all decide to run lots of custom maps. Information technology is as well commonly done so that multiple servers can run a different standard wheel of maps while withal allowing a much broader/consummate range of maps to exist played if voted for. (See "mapvote.cfg"for a list of voteable maps.)

A full guide of this functionality is available in the Sven Co-op transmission, but the basic steps are:

  • Install Sven Co-Op Dedicated Server via SteamCmd as normal. If you have already washed this you won't need to do it over again
  • Create multiple services in the same way as the outset FireDaemon Pro service you created, or apply the clone characteristic in FireDaemon Pro to do this quickly
  • Instead of naming each service as "SvenDS" with description "Sven Co-op Dedicated Server" requite them different names/descriptions such equally:
    • "SvenDS-i" with description "Sven Co-op Dedicated Server: Public #one"
    • "SvenDS-two" with description "Sven Co-op Defended Server: Public #2"
    • "SvenDS-three" with description "Sven Co-op Dedicated Server: Public #3"
    • "SvenDS-Private" with the description "Sven Co-op Dedicated Server: Private" – this i could be password but for your friends to utilise.
  • Change the "port" parameter of each server. This is because simply one example tin listen on 27015 at a time. Generally, you lot should increment each instance port by 5 or 10 (27025, 27035, 27045, etc.) in instance you take a plug-in that wants to listen on an additional port
  • You will now desire to specify some extra parameters to assistance you split up your instance settings, logs, and map cycle. Add the following parameters to each service case, only supervene upon "svends-ane" matching the service name you lot used
    • +servercfgfile "servers/svends-1/server.cfg"
    • +mapcyclefile "servers/svends-1/mapcycle.txt"
    • +motdfile "servers/svends-ane/motd.txt"
    • +logsdir "servers/svends-1/logs"
  • For each example, y'all created, navigate to "C:\SvenDS\svencoop\servers", and create a sub-binder for the matching service proper noun you used in your parameters, e.g. "C:\SvenDS\svencoop\servers\svends-i"
  • Inside each server folder, you now demand to copy your base "server.cfg", "mapcycle.txt", "motd.txt", and create a "logs" sub-folder, and so suit the iii files to be specific to your example. This applies, even if you're just changing the hostname to number your servers
  • In each "server.cfg" file brand certain you define parameters "servercfgfile", "mapcyclefile", "motdfile", and "logsdir" just without the "+" before, pointing to the same locations mentioned in the parameters. If you don't do this these parameters could go lost during a bad map alter.
  • Add each service to your "update.cmd" script twice, so that each service instance is stopped earlier updating, so started again after updating.

You will now have multiple Sven Co-op Defended Server instances on a single installation!

Conclusion

That's all for the FireDaemon Pro specific aspects of Sven Co-op Dedicated Server. If you require extra back up on the specifics of Sven Co-op including running/configuring your server(s) there is plenty of information in the game manual including some avant-garde topics, and there is an agile customs willing to help at the on Discord.