[thewintersoldier97]

Originally Posted by sbrblz Unfortunately networking/lag issues are beyond my expertise, I'm just a regular user like you lol. I do know that the only map that I experience any type of lag is the helm's deep survival map, most likely due to the large number of zombies spawned on the map. However only the zombies lag for me, my survivor doesn't lag. I'm assuming you have it set up to show up in the steamgroup server list. I see you have a ton of plugins installed. Several of them seem to be throwing errors. Tickrate enabler seems to be having gamedata signature issues, are you using the latest signatures for that plugin? Melee in spawn room also seems to keep throwing repeated errors. I would disable the plugins that are throwing errors and see if that helps the issue at all to try to narrow it down. When adding new plugins, I recommend testing each one for possible errors in the log one by one, until you're sure each one is stable. That's how I arrived at my setup. If you don't experience any lag on the stock campaigns, then the problem is probably related to the custom map. Sometimes plugins can run into issues with custom maps.

Thanks for the input sbrblz. All those plugins, although showing errors in logs file were working fine before on my server, so I though the custom map I installed maybe the cause...Still, I tried disable those that getting errors warning, freshly reinstall sourcemod and delete the map, my server is running normally again. I'll try to slow down on the plugins hoar this time lol. If you have time, maybe you could try to run your server with the "Road to Nowhere" campaign and see if that's the cause here?

Originally Posted by sbrblz As a side note, Harry has now added the ability to save bots' gear and health to his fork of the save weapons plugin, now available here. I tested it out, using ABM any survivor over the number of 4 does not have their gear saved, so myself with 7 bots, 3 of them are not saved. The plugin works fine using Multislots. If saving extra bots' gear is a priority for you, you can swap ABM with Multislots and keep SuperVersus if you don't use any of the extra ABM features. You can also use Merudo's fork of the save weapons plugin with ABM as well. I'll update the guide.

That's good to hear! Always nice to have a alternative method incase the one I'm running goes crazy. Bookmarked.

Originally Posted by Spirit_12 That sort of lag can happen if the map has forced zombie spawns. In short, map tries to spawn too many zombies and it goes over the entity limit of the server. Another big thing that can contribute to that lag would be your bad installation of Tickrate_enabler. In short you might be trying to do a ton of stuff on each tick and the server is not able to keep up.

Wow, noted! Much appreciate for your help Spirit_12! So can there be anyway for me to reduce the entity or expand the limit of my server?
About the tickrate_enabler, I followed the installation guide carefully this time, can you share some config for server.cfg or more specific, network tweak you're using on your server? Thanks!
Also I've been tried to get my little sv public but everytime I run it, I can't find it on the ingame serverbrowser even in the LAN tab although I've properly forwarded my port. Only when I connect to it from lobby then it showing up and people can join. It's listed on my "Steam Group Server" section though.

[Spirit_12]

Originally Posted by thewintersoldier97 Wow, noted! Much appreciate for your help Spirit_12! So can there be anyway for me to reduce the entity or expand the limit of my server? About the tickrate_enabler, I followed the installation guide carefully this time, can you share some config for server.cfg or more specific, network tweak you're using on your server? Thanks! Also I've been tried to get my little sv public but everytime I run it, I can't find it on the ingame serverbrowser even in the LAN tab although I've properly forwarded my port. Only when I connect to it from lobby then it showing up and people can join. It's listed on my "Steam Group Server" section though.

• You cannot increase the limit as its a hardcoded limit on the engine.
• Shared server configs will result in bad performance, because we have different hardware and different set of plugins. I would recommend running the server at 60 ticks and test the results.
• You can check in the old school server browser by typing "openserverbrowser" in your console and search for your server IP there. If it shows up then its online and you have nothing to worry about.

[sbrblz]

Originally Posted by thewintersoldier97 That's good to hear! Always nice to have a alternative method incase the one I'm running goes crazy. Bookmarked.

Hey, I just wanted to point out that Harry's fork of the Save Weapons plugin has now been updated and supports saving gear and health in ABM as well. I tested it out and it works perfectly. This is now the definitive version of this plugin to use. I updated the guide and moved it back from the optional plugins section.

[thewintersoldier97]

Originally Posted by Spirit_12 You cannot increase the limit as its a hardcoded limit on the engine. Shared server configs will result in bad performance, because we have different hardware and different set of plugins. I would recommend running the server at 60 ticks and test the results. You can check in the old school server browser by typing "openserverbrowser" in your console and search for your server IP there. If it shows up then its online and you have nothing to worry about.

• Well, learn something new everyday, thank you.
• Yes, I'm currently running the server at default tickrate of the plugins (67), but do I have to config more on the cfg file for it to actually work or just leave it as it is?
• Tried to find my sv with both internal and external ip, wasn't responding. Gametracker webside can't find it either. When I connected from a lobby then it was finally showing up...weird.

[thewintersoldier97]

Originally Posted by sbrblz Hey, I just wanted to point out that Harry's fork of the Save Weapons plugin has now been updated and supports saving gear and health in ABM as well. I tested it out and it works perfectly. This is now the definitive version of this plugin to use. I updated the guide and moved it back from the optional plugins section.

Wow, you guys have been hard at work huh, great job!

[bald14]

I'm not really good at these things so I hope someone can help me out (

[SM] Exception reported: Cannot create new entity when no map is running [SM] Blaming: l4d2_l4d1_survivors_fix.smx [SM] Call stack trace: [SM] [0] CreateEntityByName [SM] [1] Line 137, C:\steam\common\Left 4 Dead 2\left4dead2\addons\sourcemod\scripting\l4d2_ l4d1_survivors_fix.sp::FireEntityInput [SM] [2] Line 37, C:\steam\common\Left 4 Dead 2\left4dead2\addons\sourcemod\scripting\l4d2_ l4d1_survivors_fix.sp::RoundStart Error log file session closed.

[lRaiken]

Spoiler

Originally Posted by sbrblz 8 Survivors for Windows Server. Inspired by OP's post and Tonblader's post, amongst others. I will try to keep it updated over time. This is primarily aimed for 8+ player campaign and survival modes. Prerequisites Make sure to read the section on how to setup a dedicated server. I tried to make it simple. It's recommended over a listenserver since those might exhibit weird bugs. Metamod Sourcemod L4DToolZ Metamod plugin [L4D & L4D2] Left 4 DHooks Direct DHooks (Experimental Dynamic Detour support) extension. Stripper:Source - (Forum Thread) Sourcemod Plugins Configuration files for all the plugins are located in the \cfg\sourcemod directory of your server/game folder. It is recommended to compile the plugins yourself, especially for older plugins that still work but haven't been updated in years. Just drag all the .sp files in the \addons\sourcemod\scripting folder to the compile.exe file and it will batch compile them into the \scripting\compiled folder. L4D1-2_Signatures - If a future update breaks a plugin's gamedata file, get updated signatures here. [EXTENSION] [L4D2] 8+ players Bug Fixes - (Linux server files here) OR Left-4-fix The following plugins from the Left-4-fix collection replace the fixes from the older plugin except for the survivor finale score bug: [L4D2]Better_Charger_Collision+patch[Left 4 Fix] [L4D & L4D2]Witch fixes[Left 4 Fix] The 8+ players bug fixes extension is considered to be a bit outdated but it seems to still work. Left-4-fix collection is newer and has replacements for most of the fixes except for the "finale score bug" fix. According to the 8+ players bug fixes thread it's supposed to fix how many survivors have escaped instead of showing them as deceased. Other bot management plugins may have this type of fix already included so using the newer Left-4-fix plugins might be preferable. [L4D2] Real Zoey Unlock - (windows servers only) [L4D2] Upgrade Pack Fixes - fixes upgrade packs being removed when 4 survivors have used them. [L4D2]Defib_Fix[Left 4 Fix] - fixes defib getting wrong targets and reviving alive players. [L4D1?/2] Scene Adjustments/Fixes - fixes friendly fire and mourn quotes for 5+ survivors (seems to stop working on map change for me. If this happens to you, you can add "sm plugins reload sceneadjustments.smx" at the end of your server.cfg to reload the plugin on every map change). Pre-Update Talker - Recommended workshop addon to be used in conjunction with Scene Adjustments plugin. The Last Stand update made a number of changes, one of which is that survivors no longer shout the name of the survivor that just died. This talker mod restores the old behavior and works in conjunction with this plugin. Just add the .vpk file to your server's addon folder. You can use the Steam Workshop Downloader to download addons files directly from the Steam Workshop. Save Weapon (Co-op) - Saves weapons and health for extra survivors while transitioning to another map. ABM should already be able to do this for all human players, but not for bots. This plugin supports both. [L4D2]Character_manager + The Passing Fix - (download the included stripper files for the passing to prevent players using L4D1 characters from being booted/killed in this campaign) Survivor Chat Select Use Tonblader's config for both of these plugins. [EXTENSION][L4D2] Left4Fix - (not to be confused with the Left-4-fix plugin collection) fixes versus score bug for extra survivors, I don't play versus so I haven't tested it. Player/Bot management & Difficulty Scaling There are 3 main choices for bot management and difficulty scaling. I also added extra combinations of plugins that you can use, including my personal setup if you want to skip to that instead. Please see the optional plugins section as well. ---------- ABM - (config guide) ABM is an all in one tool, however since it has not been updated in a while, some features don't work, for example the identity fix, the automodel feature and the model chooser menu, necessitating the use of survivor chat select plugin. It only lets you change a model for the survivor of the current map (either LD1 or LD2) but not both, even if enabled by other plugins. The settings for autodifficulty are also not as granular as other plugins. It's very good for server management, such as having teleport and respawn menus, and the ability to create and remove bots at will. If you only want the plugin to create new survivors when a new player joins, set PHP Code: abm_minplayers "4"  in the abm.cfg file. If you just want to have all 8 survivors spawn as bots from the beginning and just have new players take over a bot when they join, set it to PHP Code: abm_minplayers "8"  or however may survivors you want to start with, up to the amount set in sv_maxplayers in your server.cfg/listenserver file. ABM will also let you start with less than 4 survivors, if you want to just play with just 2 or 3 survivors instead of 4. If you want to let this plugin control the difficulty scaling, I recommend you lower the extra health given to a tank to make it more proportional to the extra number of players, such as setting it to: PHP Code: abm_tankchunkhp "1000"  Across the different difficulties, this insures that the tank health is at 200% when you have 8 survivors. ---------- SuperVersus - (Updated gamedata file) The plugin has been kept alive over the years but has older code compared to newer plugins. See here for more info. MaxSpecials amount may not be scaled correctly, just use "sm plugins reload l4d_superversus_latest.smx" (or whatever the name of your plugin file happens to be) after starting your server. See here. Survivor management may not be as polished and may exhibit weird bugs such as requiring restart on Helm's Deep map, bots not being properly added or pruned, players being thrown to spectators team etc., but difficulty scaling is great. If you only want the plugin to create new survivors when a new player joins, set PHP Code: l4d_static_minimum_survivor "4" l4d_survivor_limit "8"  in the l4d_superversus.cfg file. If you just want to have all 8 survivors spawn as bots from the beginning and just have new players take over a bot when they join, set it to PHP Code: l4d_static_minimum_survivor "8" l4d_survivor_limit "8"  or however may survivors you want to start with. For more than 8 players set l4d_survivor_limit to match your sv_maxplayers value. ---------- Multislots CreateSurvivorBot Infected Bots Control Multislots is stricly for player/bot management, so it's usually paired with infected bots control plugin for difficulty scaling. CreateSurvivorBot plugin is needed for Multislots. Do keep in mind that out of all the management plugins, Mulstislots and Infected Bots Control are the only ones so far that are still regularly receiving updates and bug fixes at this point in time. If this is important to you this combo is recommended. If you only want the plugin to create new survivors when a new player joins, set PHP Code: l4d_multislots_max_survivors "4" l4d_multislots_spawn_survivors_roundstart "0"  in the l4dmultislots.cfg file. If you just want to have all 8 survivors spawn as bots from the beginning and just have new players take over a bot when they join, set it to PHP Code: l4d_multislots_max_survivors "8" l4d_multislots_spawn_survivors_roundstart "1"  or however may survivors you want to start with. For more than 8 players set l4d_multislots_max_survivors to match your sv_maxplayers value. NOTE: Multislots does not support Versus mode, although it may in the future. I originally stated that infectedbots plugin on survival mode started spawning special infected before the timer started. It seems for the most part it does not do this, I'm not sure if only specific factors trigger it. I did not test all survival maps, I will note that the plugin combo also crashes for me when trying to play the atrium map. These crashes might not happen to you. If any of these are potential issues for you, other plugin combos might be more suitable. ---------- Personal Setup & Other Combinations You can also use different combinations of player management and difficulty scaling plugins. My personal setup: ABM SuperVersus (No Player Management) - Shao's modified version of SuperVersus with player management features removed. This combo works great for me. When using ABM with another plugin that handles the zombie difficulty scaling, you must disable the difficulty scaling options in ABM's config. Mainly these: PHP Code: abm_autohard "0" abm_tankchunkhp "0"  I have added my config files here for reference. My ABM config PHP Code: // This file was auto-generated by SourceMod (v1.10.0.6510) // ConVars for plugin "abm.smx" // Pruning extra survivors stops at this size // - // Default: "4" abm_minplayers "4" // Extra survivors to start the round with // - // Default: "0" abm_extraplayers "0" // 0: Off 1: Non-Vs > 4 2: Non-Vs >= 1 // - // Default: "1" abm_autohard "0" // 1: Full set of survivors 0: Map set of survivors // - // Default: "1" abm_automodel "0" // 5+ survivor consumable item // - // Default: "adrenaline" abm_consumable "" // 5+ survivor healing item // - // Default: "" //abm_healitem "" abm_healitem "first_aid_kit" // 5+ survivor throwable item // - // Default: "" abm_throwable "" // 5+ survivor primary weapon // - // Default: "shotgun_chrome" abm_primaryweapon "smg" // 5+ survivor secondary weapon, leave empty for default pistol or put in 'pistol' for duals // - // Default: "baseball_bat" abm_secondaryweapon "" // 0: Do not assign identities 1: Assign identities // - // Default: "1" abm_identityfix "0" // 0: Off 1: Admins only 2: Everyone // - // Default: "1" abm_joinmenu "0" // 0: The dead return alive 1: the dead return dead // - // Default: "0" abm_keepdead "0" // Development logging level 0: Off, 4: Max // - // Default: "0" abm_loglevel "0" // 0: Off 1: Survivors 2: Infected 3: All // - // Default: "1" abm_offertakeover "0" // SI full team spawn in (5 x N) // - // Default: "36" abm_spawninterval "36" // 0: Don't strip removed bots 1: Strip removed bots // - // Default: "0" abm_stripkick "0" // Health chunk per survivor on 5+ missions // - // Default: "2500" abm_tankchunkhp "0" // Humans on team limit // - // Default: "16" abm_teamlimit "16" // 0: Off 1: Use Left 4 DHooks 2 2: Use VScript Director Options Unlocker // - // Default: "0" abm_unlocksi "0" // ABM plugin version // - // Default: "0.1.96 Shadowysn" abm_version "0.1.96 Shadowysn" // 0:Nick 1:Rochelle 2:Coach 3:Ellis 4:Bill 5:Zoey 6:Francis 7:Louis // - // Default: "1" abm_zoey "5"  My SuperVersus (No Player Management) config (mostly default settings) PHP Code: // This file was auto-generated by SourceMod (v1.10.0.6510) // ConVars for plugin "l4d_superversus_no_survivor_management.smx" // Sets the mobs spawned in the background of an area. // - // Default: "20.0" ci_background_mob_size "20.0" // Sets the max mobs able to spawn. // - // Default: "30.0" ci_common_mob_limit_size "30.0" // Sets the mega mob size. // - // Default: "50.0" ci_mega_mob_size "50.0" // Sets the finale mob size. // - // Default: "20.0" ci_mob_spawn_finale_size "20.0" // Sets the max mob size. // - // Default: "30.0" ci_mob_spawn_max_size "30.0" // Sets the min mob size. // - // Default: "10.0" ci_mob_spawn_min_size "10.0" // Change Difficulty // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_auto_difficulty "1" // Enable hordes to be adjusted. Requires director_auto_difficulty 1 // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_ci_auto "1" // Infected spawning rate Multiplier (multi*(survivors-4)). Requires director_auto_difficulty 1 // - // Default: "0.25" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_ci_multi "0.25" // Choose whether CiSpMulti affects Mob intervals. // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_horde_timers "1" // Enable SI health to be adjusted. Requires director_auto_difficulty 1 // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_si_health_auto "1" // SI HP Multiplier (multi*(survivors-4)). Requires director_auto_difficulty 1 // - // Default: "0.00" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_si_hpmulti "0.00" // In coop, spawn 1 more SI per extra player? Requires director_auto_difficulty 1 and Left 4 Downtown/Left 4 DHooks to work. // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_si_more "1" // Delay in seconds added to z_ghost_delay_max for SI bots spawning in versus // - // Default: "5" director_si_more_delay "5" // Enable Tank health to be adjusted. Requires director_auto_difficulty 1 // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_tank_auto "1" // Tanks HP Multiplier (multi*(survivors-4)). Requires director_auto_difficulty 1 // - // Default: "0.25" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" director_tank_hpmulti "0.25" // - // Default: "10.0" it_director_special_battlefield_respawn_interval "10.0" // - // Default: "10.0" it_director_special_finale_offer_length "10.0" // - // Default: "60.0" it_director_special_initial_spawn_delay_max "60.0" // - // Default: "180.0" it_director_special_initial_spawn_delay_max_extra "180.0" // - // Default: "30.0" it_director_special_initial_spawn_delay_min "30.0" // - // Default: "30.0" it_director_special_original_offer_length "30.0" // - // Default: "45.0" it_director_special_respawn_interval "45.0" // - // Default: "900.0" it_mega_mob_spawn_max_interval "900.0" // - // Default: "420.0" it_mega_mob_spawn_min_interval "420.0" // - // Default: "240.0" it_mob_spawn_max_interval_easy "240.0" // - // Default: "180.0" it_mob_spawn_max_interval_expert "180.0" // - // Default: "180.0" it_mob_spawn_max_interval_hard "180.0" // - // Default: "180.0" it_mob_spawn_max_interval_normal "180.0" // - // Default: "120.0" it_mob_spawn_min_interval_easy "120.0" // - // Default: "90.0" it_mob_spawn_min_interval_expert "90.0" // - // Default: "90.0" it_mob_spawn_min_interval_hard "90.0" // - // Default: "90.0" it_mob_spawn_min_interval_normal "90.0" // 1: Allow extra first aid kits for extra players. 0: No extra kits. // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" l4d_extra_first_aid "1" // 1: Allow extra first aid kits for extra players when the finale is activated. 0: No extra kits. // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" l4d_finale_extra_first_aid "1" // Give an ammo pack at round start for survivors? 1: Yes. 0: No. // - // Default: "0" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" l4d_give_ammo_pack "0" // Max amount of infected (will not affect bots) // - // Default: "4" // Minimum: "4.000000" // Maximum: "24.000000" l4d_infected_limit "4" // Should we clear Lobby reservation? (Requires Left 4 Downtown/Left 4 DHooks.) // - // Default: "0" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" l4d_killreservation "0" // 1: Allow extra medkits in survival for extra players when the round starts. Useful for certain maps. 0: No extra kits. // - // Default: "0" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" l4d_survival_extra_first_aid "0" // If less infected players than l4d_infected_limit in versus/scavenge, spawn SI bots? // - // Default: "1" // Minimum: "0.000000" // Maximum: "1.000000" l4d_versus_si_more "1" // - // Default: "50.0" si_boomer_health "50.0" // - // Default: "600.0" si_charger_health "600.0" // - // Default: "250.0" si_hunter_health "250.0" // - // Default: "325.0" si_jockey_health "325.0" // - // Default: "250.0" si_smoker_health "250.0" // - // Default: "100.0" si_spitter_health "100.0" // Sets the default health for a tank on Hard. // - // Default: "8000.0" tank_health_advanced "7000.0" // Sets the default health for a tank on Easy. // - // Default: "3000.0" tank_health_easy "3000.0" // Sets the default health for a tank on Expert. // - // Default: "8000.0" tank_health_expert "8000.0" // Sets the default health for a tank on Normal. // - // Default: "4000.0" tank_health_normal "4000.0" // Sets the default health for a tank on Versus. // - // Default: "6000.0" tank_health_versus "6000.0"  You can also use: ABM Infected Bots Control OR Multislots CreateSurvivorBot SuperVersus (No Player Management) Possibly Optional Plugins Plugins that might be needed depending on your setup. Only use if experiencing these issues despite using other plugins. [L4D1 & L4D2]Survivor_AFK_Fix[Left 4 Fix] - If I remember correctly I only needed to use this when using the multislots/infectedbots plugin combo. [L4D(2)] Survivor Identity Fix for 5+ Survivors There might be some instances where the identity fix in other plugins might not work in certain instances. If the identity of your survivors are not being saved on map changes, going idle, etc., you can try giving this a try and adding it to your plugins. 8 survivors in rescue vehicle 5+ survivors may show up as deceased during finale. I don't run into that issue, probably because a similar fix is included in one of the above plugins. If you do have this issue, using the listed stripper configs or one of the alternate plugins might fix this issue. Please note that this doesn't seem to fix the problem when there are more than 8 players. I tested with 10 survivors and 9 and 10 show up as deceased with the wrong model names as well. Useful Extra Plugins [L4D2] CampaignShift - To keep campaigns going instead of being kicked back to the lobby after the finale. [L4D & L4D2] Gear Transfer - Allows transferring items such as molotovs, pipe bombs, defibs, etc. to teammates. [L4D2]LMC_Black_and_White_Notifier - Notifies players when a survivor is in black and white status and will make them glow. [L4D2] Incapped Crawling with Animation - Enables survivor crawling and adds the crawling animation to incapped players. Drop Secondary Improved - Makes survivors drop their secondary weapons in addition to their primary ones when dying. [L4D & L4D2] Respawn Rescue closet - You can also just use ABM's respawn menu although they will respawn with full heath. Either way, unfortunately respawn closets in the game can only respawn up to 3 survivors, creating closets with this plugin is a possible solution. Not sure if there is a way to make the game spawn more than 3. [L4D & L4D2] No Friendly-fire - This plugin blocks damage which also blocks survivor responses. Alternatively, just add these lines to your server.cfg/listenserver.cfg file. Survivors will still respond to friendly fire. PHP Code: sm_cvar survivor_friendly_fire_factor_normal "0"    //default 0.1 sm_cvar survivor_friendly_fire_factor_hard "0"        //default 0.3 sm_cvar survivor_friendly_fire_factor_expert "0"    //default 0.5  [L4D2] Improved Automatic Campaign Switcher (ACS) - Personallly I prefer campaignshift, however I recommend to use the included MissionManager and MissionManager AdminMenu plugins included in the bundle to give you easy campaign switching menus. Helm's Deep Survival Map Helm's Deep -Fixed- Edison1318's vscript file Tonblader's Stripper config. Restarting the round is necessary when using SuperVersus for survivor management. On a dedicated server, I get message box stating "NAV ERRORS" "Map is unplayable!". The map still works ok. Strangely this error does not appear on a listen server. You may not run into this issue. Dedicated Server & 8 Player Lobby It's recommended to use a dedicated server for plugins, a local host/listenserver can exhibit weird bugs and crashes. I will outline a simple way to install a dedicated server. Normally it's recommended to use SteamCMD however there is a simpler way. With Steam open, make sure that you have the option to show all tools and uninstalled items, as shown here. Attachment 191216 Look for Left 4 Dead 2 Dedicated Server and install it. It'll be an extra 9GB give or take. While you can hit play and start your dedicated server this way, it is not recommended since it will exhibit some weird bugs, such as not detecting steamids of players and showing them all as 0:0. Steam will also show you as "playing" the dedicated server, even if you are playing L4D2. This means they can't easily join your lobby or game from the main menu and will have to connect directly. You would also have to setup Sourcemod with username and password authentication since steamid will be borked, which is not recommended. While starting it this way does let you start and stop the game and server at will, it causes too many weird issues. Credit to Dragokas for inspiration on this part. For simple LAN server to play with friends, create a batch file, such as "runserver.bat" in the \common\Left 4 Dead 2 Dedicated Server folder, with the following code: PHP Code: start "" srcds -usercon -console -insecure -dev -game left4dead2 -port 27000 +hostname "Game Server" +map c8m1_apartment +maxplayers 8 +sv_lan 1  We don't really need the extra -debug and -condebug options but you can add them if you wish. To play with people over the internet, change sv_lan to 0 and forward the port in your router. The values in your server.cfg will override what's here. I personally prefer to remove "-console" to get an old-school looking interface to launch your server. It is limited in that it won't allow you to select all maps, however that doesn't matter because the server will load whatever you pick from the lobby anyway. The main reason I choose the gui is because it has autocomplete when typing in commands and values. You can then create a shortcut to the batch file and place it on your desktop. To play on the same machine as the dedicated server, you can launch the batch file before starting Steam. If you do that, you can start and exit L4D2 as many times as you want as long as the server is still running. If Steam is already running, you have to launch L4D2 first, and then the server. When done this way, if you exit L4D2, Steam will show that you are already "playing" L4D2 and will not let you launch it. The only way to get back in without closing your dedicated server is to launch the L4D2 game executable directly. You will get a message box saying that you are running it with the -insecure option since that is how we have the server launched. You can ignore it since we are not playing on Valve servers. To run commands inside your game, you will need to add your steamid to the \addons\sourcemod\configs\admins_simple.ini file. You can use a steamid finder online or copy your steamid from abm log file if using that plugin. To give yourself admin privileges, just add PHP Code: "STEAM_1:0:1234567"    "z"  to the file as an example. To change variables from within the game and run some commands, you will need to add PHP Code: rcon_password "PASSWORD"  to both the server.cfg of your dedicated server and the autoexec.cfg in your game folder (create it if it doesn't exist). Most plugin commands should just run as is without needing rcon, such as ABM commands. I recommend binding your most commmonly used commands to keys. You can load and unload sourcemod plugins without restarting your server. If you add new plugins or move some to the disabled folder you can use "sm plugins refresh" and sourcemod will unload plugins that are no longer there and load any new plugins. If you are replacing a plugin with the same name you will have to use "sm plugins load nameofplugin.smx" or the number listed using "sm plugins list". To have an 8 player lobby: Extended 8 Player Lobby OR 8 Player Lobby - Allows you to start the game with only 1 player. Requires you to choose it from custom mutation list and then change game type to your desired one. You can also install both addons, which will allow you to start game with only 1 player without going through the mutations menu. In your client's autoexec.cfg file, make sure to add your server's ip and port numbers, whether you're playing on the same computer as the dedicated server or if on another computer. PHP Code: mm_dedicated_force_servers "ip:port"  If you don't, you will have to run this command every time you start the game. Then just pick "Best Available Dedicated Server" when creating your lobby. If your are running a listen/local server, just pick the "Local Server" option and make sure you started the game with the -insecure launch option. If playing a LAN game, all players on the network will see your name in the lower left hand corner of the main menu screen where they can then join your lobby. Should also work for people on your friends list over the internet. Just remember to forward the port in your router. If players over the internet have issues joining the game when you start it from the lobby, they can just connect directly using "connect ip:port". If loading screen gets stuck, just press ESC key ones and the map will finish loading. It doesn't happen when loading a campaign for the first time, but it does happen when advancing to the next map, at least for me. Server Config This can be either your server.cfg file (dedicated server) or listenserver.cfg (listen/local server). PHP Code: sv_maxplayers "8" //max number of players that can join the server sv_force_unreserved "1" //allows player to join server past the normal limit of the gamemode, such as 4 for coop sv_allow_lobby_connect_only "0" //allows players to join game through other means besides the lobby sv_lan "1" //whether to allow public connections or not sv_pausable "1" //allows pausing the game, only recommended for LAN games or playing with friends rcon_password "*****" motd_enabled "0" sv_consistency "0" //whether the server enforces file consistency for critical files sm_cvar precache_all_survivors "1" //preload all survivor models to prevent possible crashes //sm_cvar sb_all_bot_game "1" whether bots will keep playing when all human players are dead or leave the game //variables below are only if you want to decrease/disable friendly fire in all difficulties sm_cvar survivor_friendly_fire_factor_normal "0.01"    //default 0.1 sm_cvar survivor_friendly_fire_factor_hard "0.01"        //default 0.3 sm_cvar survivor_friendly_fire_factor_expert "0.01"    //default 0.5  I host a lan server, so that's why I have sv_lan set to one and sv_pausable set to 1. If you are playing with friends across the internet or strangers you can set both of those to 0. You can choose to enable the all bot game setting, the server will still keep going after everyone leaves if you choose to enable that option. The message of the day is obviously not needed, but can you set it to one to set a custom message just for fun. The file to put your custom message is motd.txt For managing your server in game, don't forget to add your steam id to the sourcemod admins_simple.ini file. I also have tried friendly fire disabled but you can also just reduce the percent damage instead. Probably the lowest you can try setting it for each difficulty is 0.01. You can try to keep setting it lower but the game has a set limit. More than 8 players While this setup might work great with up to 8 players, bugs start appearing with more than 8 survivors. I have only tested using bots, but none of the listed plugins/stripper configs are able to fix the issues with survivors over 8 appearing deceased in a finale. I'm sure there might be more bugs besides this. Also note that any player over 8 has to connect manually using "connect ip:port" in the console. Not sure if using the friend feature in the lower left hand corner of the main menu screen will let them join the server, most likely not.

When I follow this guide with your setup I get the following errors:

L 10/19/2021 - 18:202: [SM] Unable to load plugin "Defib_Fix.smx": Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running
L 10/19/2021 - 18:202: [SM] Unable to load plugin "l4d2_character_manager.smx": Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running
L 10/19/2021 - 18:202: [SM] Unable to load plugin "left4dhooks.smx": Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running
L 10/19/2021 - 18:202: [SM] Unable to load plugin "witch_allow_in_safezone.smx": Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running
L 10/19/2021 - 18:202: [SM] Unable to load plugin "abm.smx": Could not find required plugin "left4dhooks"

Spoiler

[SM] Listing 39 plugins:
01 "Basic Comm Control" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
02 "Admin Menu" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
03 "[L4D2] Incapped Crawling with Animation" (2. by SilverShot, mod by Lux
04 "LMC_Black_and_White_Notifier" (2.0.2) by Lux
05 "Basic Info Triggers" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
06 "[L4D2]Charger_Collision_Patch" (1.1) by Lux
07 <Failed> "[L4D2]Defib_Fix" (2.0.1) by Lux
08 Disabled: "Nextmap" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
09 "Sound Commands" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
10 "Anti-Flood" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
11 "Admin Help" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
12 "Fun Commands" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
13 <Failed> "[L4D2]Character_manager" (1.4.1) by Lux, $atanic $pirit
14 "Reserved Slots" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
15 "Super Versus Reloaded" (3.0) by DDRKhat, Marcus101RR, Merudo, Foxhound27, Senip, RainyDagger, Shao
16 "[L4D1/2]Witch_Target_Patch" (1.4) by Lux
17 "[L4D1/2]witch_prevent_target_loss" (1.1.1) by Lux
18 "[L4D2] Scene Adjustments" (1.1.5) by Shadowysn
19 "[L4D2] Weapon Unlock" (0.8.1) by Crimson_Fox
20 "Client Preferences" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
21 "Fun Votes" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
22 "Basic Ban Commands" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
23 "Multiple Equipments" (1. by Pan Xiaohai & Marcus101RR
24 "Basic Commands" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
25 "Upgrade Pack Fixes" (1.4) by bullet28, V10, Silvers, Harry
26 "[L4D2]GrenadeLauncher_AmmoPile_patch" (1.0) by Lux
27 "Basic Votes" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
28 "Player Commands" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
29 "Basic Chat" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
30 "[L4D2]M60_NoDrop_AmmoPile_patch" (1.0.7) by Lux
31 "CampaignShift" (0.0.15(NR)) by Victor "NgBUCKWANGS" Gonzalez
32 "Survivor Chat Select" (1.6.1.1) by DeatChaos25, Mi123456 & Merudo
33 "Admin File Reader" (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
34 <Failed> "[L4D & L4D2] Left 4 DHooks Direct" (1.63) by SilverShot
35 "[L4D & L4D2] Respawn Rescue Closet" (1.7) by SilverShot, Figa
36 <Failed> "[L4D1/2]Witch_allow_in_safezone" (1.1) by Lux & Harry Potter
37 <Failed> "ABM" (0.1.96 Shadowysn) by Victor "NgBUCKWANGS" Gonzalez
38 "l4d2_ty_saveweapon" (1.0.0.6) by ty
39 "[L4D2]Witch_Double_Start_Fix" (1.0) by Lux
Errors:
Defib_Fix.smx ([L4D2]Defib_Fix): Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running
l4d2_character_manager.smx ([L4D2]Character_manager): Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running
left4dhooks.smx ([L4D & L4D2] Left 4 DHooks Direct): Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running
witch_allow_in_safezone.smx ([L4D1/2]Witch_allow_in_safezone): Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running
abm.smx (ABM): Could not find required plugin "left4dhooks"

SourceMod Version Information:
SourceMod Version: 1.11.0.6775
SourcePawn Engine: 1.11.0.6775, jit-x86 (build 1.11.0.6775)
SourcePawn API: v1 = 5, v2 = 14
Compiled on: Oct 13 2021 09:580
Built from: https://github.com/alliedmodders/sou...commit/9738302
Build ID: 6775:9738302
http://www.sourcemod.net/

Listing 6 plugins:
[01] L4DToolZ (1.1.0.1) by Accelerator, Ivailosp
[02] Stripper (1.2.2) by BAILOPAN
[03] SourceMod (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
[04] SDK Tools (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
[05] SDK Hooks (1.11.0.6775) by AlliedModders LLC
[06] DHooks (2.2.0-detours17) by Dr!fter and Peace-Maker

Metamod:Source Version Information
Metamod:Source version 1.11.0-dev+1145
Plugin interface version: 16:14
SourceHook version: 5:5
Loaded As: Valve Server Plugin
Compiled on: Jul 11 2021 221:44
Built from: https://github.com/alliedmodders/met...commit/0bb53f2
Build ID: 1145:0bb53f2
http://www.metamodsource.net/

[Tonblader]

Originally Posted by lRaiken When I follow this guide with your setup I get the following errors: Spoiler L 10/19/2021 - 18:20:32: [SM] Unable to load plugin "Defib_Fix.smx": Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running L 10/19/2021 - 18:20:32: [SM] Unable to load plugin "l4d2_character_manager.smx": Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running L 10/19/2021 - 18:20:32: [SM] Unable to load plugin "left4dhooks.smx": Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running L 10/19/2021 - 18:20:32: [SM] Unable to load plugin "witch_allow_in_safezone.smx": Required extension "dhooks" file("dhooks.ext") not running L 10/19/2021 - 18:20:32: [SM] Unable to load plugin "abm.smx": Could not find required plugin "left4dhooks"

First of all, use [SPOILER] your quote [/ SPOILER] to avoid putting unnecessary long text.
It clearly tells you that you have to install in the right way these plugin:

Originally Posted by sbrblz Prerequisites [L4D & L4D2] Left 4 DHooks Direct DHooks (Experimental Dynamic Detour support) extension.

[lRaiken]

Spoiler

Originally Posted by Tonblader First of all, use your quote to avoid putting unnecessary long text. It clearly tells you that you have to install in the right way these plugin:

I don't know how many times I replaced dhooks and Left 4 DHooks Direct, and finally it works!

Thank you very much! Replacing DHooks solved my problem. I used the dhooks-2.2.0-detours17-sm110.zip one for my setup.

There's only one problem left. Is there a way to set this up so that if someone joins the lobby via Steam Group Servers, that the session will not be single player?
So what I simply mean is... "Start game always online" and "Never end session". So I not always have to start the session with mm_force_dedicated... with a lobby.

Bots are already set up to play, even though no player is connected.

[Spicee]

Making a github repo based on sbrblz instructions. Yet its unfinished. Can someone will contribute it?
https://github.com/Spicytin/l4d28sur...main/README.md