Configuration File Reference

This is a quick reference of configuration files, where they live, and when they run.

CFG Files

These files are in the cfg folder. They are executed in different orders and in different circumstances.

Order Executes on File
0 Server startup Valve.rc
1 Map / level load server.cfg
2 Gameplay load <gameplay_name>.cfg

Startup Scripts: Valve.rc and server.cfg

Valve.rc is executed only once: when the server first starts. This is for initial settings and commands, and generally is not modified by the server operator.

server.cfg is executed at each map load (after Valve.rc). Use server.cfg for your custom settings, and settings which need to be reset every time a map loads. By default, there are lots of comments in this file explaining what various settings do.

Game Mode-Specific Configuration

After a map loads, a game mode is loaded, followed by executing the game mode’s CFG file.

The CFG file for a game mode should be located at cfg/<gameplay_name>.cfg, where <gameplay_name> is the name of the game mode file, excluding the file extension. This is the same name you would put in the gameplay cycle, and the same name that you would get by running ge_gameplaylist. For example, if you wanted to use custom settings for License to Kill, you would create the file cfg/ltk.cfg.

If you change a setting for a specific game mode, be sure to add the command to set it back in server.cfg. Otherwise, the setting may persist after the map changes. For the below example, let’s assume you want to enable Paintball Mode for License to Kill. In server.cfg, you have:

ge_paintball 0

In ltk.cfg, you have:

ge_paintball 1

In this example,

  • server.cfg is executed when the map loads, running ge_paintball 0

  • ltk.cfg then executes when the game mode loads, running ge_paintball 1

  • When the match ends and a new map is loaded, server.cfg is executed again, running ge_paintball 0.

  • The next game mode is loaded and the game executes its CFG file, if present.

Map Scripts

Map scripts tell the game how to choose the next map and game mode. They can also override weaponset weights.

These files are in scripts/maps.

Order Description File
0 Default settings default.txt
1 Map-specific settings <map_name>.txt

Loadout Scripts (Weapon Sets)

Loadout scripts define the weapon sets.

These files are in scripts/loadouts.

Order Description File Note
0 Weapon sets and default weights weapon_set_*.txt These files define the weapon sets and their default weights.
1 Gameplay-specific weights gameplay_*.txt If this file exists, it sets the weapon set weights for the named gameplay. If a weapon set is not listed here, it is never chosen.
2 Map-specific weights ../maps/*.txt This only adjusts the weights of weapon sets currently in rotation, to prevent overriding gameplay-specific weights.

Cycle Files (Legacy)

These are the older cycle files. They have been phased out since v5.0, but you can still enable them.

Map Cycle

To use the map cycle, set ge_mapchooser_usemapcycle 1. Maps are chosen in order from mapcyclefile (by default, mapcycle.txt).

Warning: Changing from one resource-intensive map to another resource-intensive map can cause clients to crash during level load.

We recommend that you use the map script system, but if you must use the map cycle, be mindful of the order in which you list your maps.

Gameplay Cycle

To use the gameplay cycle, set ge_gameplay_mode 2. Game modes are chosen in order from ge_gp_cyclefile (by default, gameplaycycle.txt).