Server cvar reference
The cvars worth setting on a Call of Duty dedicated server, which games each applies to, and the places where the same setting is spelled differently between titles.
The three that cost people the most time: the rcon cvar is
rconpassword on CoD1/UO but rcon_password on CoD2 and later; Team Deathmatch is tdm on CoD1/UO/CoD2 but war on CoD4 and WaW; and timelimits are in minutes, not seconds.Server identity and access
The rcon cvar is spelled differently per game and this is the single most common configuration mistake when moving a config between titles.
| Cvar | Default | Games | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
sv_hostname | "Call of Duty Server" | all | Name shown in the browser. Colour codes ^1-^9 work. Set with seta so it persists. |
rconpassword | — | CoD 1CoD:UO | Remote console password on CoD1 and United Offensive. One word, no underscore. |
rcon_password | — | CoD 2CoD 4CoD:WaW | Remote console password on CoD2, CoD4 and World at War. |
g_password | "" | all | Server join password. Empty means public. |
sv_privatePassword | "" | all | Password for the reserved slots counted by sv_privateClients. |
sv_privateClients | 0 | all | Slots reserved for sv_privatePassword holders, taken from sv_maxclients. |
sv_maxclients | 8 | all | Total player slots. Also settable on the command line. |
dedicated | 0 | all | 0 listen, 1 LAN dedicated, 2 internet dedicated. Must be 2 for a public server. |
net_port | 28960 | all | UDP port the server binds. Command line only in practice. |
Networking and performance
| Cvar | Default | Games | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
sv_fps | 20 | all | Server tick rate. Snapshot bandwidth per client scales with it; 20 is the sane public default. |
sv_maxRate | 0 | all | Per-client bandwidth cap in bytes/sec. 0 is unlimited, which can saturate the uplink. 25000 is a good public value. |
sv_minPing | 0 | all | Reject clients below this ping. Rarely useful. |
sv_maxPing | 0 | all | Reject clients above this ping. 0 disables. |
sv_timeout | 240 | all | Seconds before a silent client is dropped. |
sv_zombietime | 2 | all | Seconds a disconnected client's slot is held. |
sv_floodProtect | 1 | all | Rate-limits client commands. Also applies to rcon, which is why rapid rcon calls fail. |
sv_reconnectlimit | 3 | all | Seconds before a dropped client may reconnect. |
g_antilag | 1 | all | Lag compensation. Leave on. |
Content and downloads
sv_pure and sv_allowDownload are independent settings that are frequently confused. The full behaviour matrix is in the fast download guide.
| Cvar | Default | Games | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
sv_pure | 1 | all | Audit client pak checksums and kick on mismatch. Set 0 when loading a mod pak. Unusable on CoD1 1.1. |
sv_allowDownload | 0 | all | Allow the server to send missing paks to clients over the game protocol. |
sv_wwwDownload | 0 | CoD 2CoD 4CoD:WaW | Enable the HTTP redirect download. Not available on CoD1. |
sv_wwwBaseURL | "" | CoD 2CoD 4CoD:WaW | Root URL clients prefix to the pak path. The web root must mirror the server directory tree. |
sv_wwwDlDisconnected | 0 | CoD 2CoD 4CoD:WaW | 1 disconnects the client during download. Keep 0. |
sv_fastDownload | 0 | CoD 1 | CodExtended only. Raises UDP download block size from 2 KB to 8 KB. |
cl_allowDownload | 0 | CoD 1 | Client-side opt-in. CodExtended flags it CVAR_SYSTEMINFO so a server can propagate it. |
fs_game | "" | all | Mod directory mounted on top of the gamedir. Must be set on the command line, before the config is executed. |
fs_basepath | — | all | Root directory containing the gamedir. Pass explicitly rather than relying on the working directory. |
fs_homepath | — | all | Where the server writes logs and downloads. Usually set equal to fs_basepath. |
Gameplay rules
| Cvar | Default | Games | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
g_gametype | dm | all | Active gametype code. See the gametype table below. |
scr_friendlyfire | 0 | all | 0 off, 1 on, 2 reflect, 3 shared. |
scr_killcam | 1 | all | Show the killcam after death. |
scr_teambalance | 0 | all | Auto-balance teams. |
scr_drawfriend | 0 | CoD 1CoD:UOCoD 2 | Show friendly name tags through walls. |
g_allowVote | 1 | all | Allow client callvote. Set 0 when a mod owns map selection. |
g_deadChat | 0 | CoD 1CoD:UOCoD 2 | Let dead players chat to the living. |
g_forcerespawn | 0 | all | Seconds until forced respawn. 0 disables. |
sv_punkbuster | 0 | CoD 2CoD 4CoD:WaW | Enable PunkBuster. Leave 0; the infrastructure is unmaintained. |
pb_sv_guidRelax | 0 | CoD 2CoD 4CoD:WaW | Relaxes PunkBuster GUID enforcement, reducing false kicks. |
Per-gametype limits
Limit cvars are prefixed with the gametype code, so the timelimit for Team Deathmatch on CoD2 is scr_tdm_timelimit and on CoD4 it is scr_war_timelimit. Setting the wrong prefix does nothing at all, silently.
| Cvar | Default | Games | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
scr_<gt>_timelimit | — | all | Minutes, not seconds. On CoD1 a non-zero value is clamped to 1440; 0 means unlimited and is not clamped. |
scr_<gt>_scorelimit | — | all | Score at which the map ends. |
scr_<gt>_roundlimit | — | all | Round-based gametypes (sd). 0 means unlimited. |
scr_<gt>_numlives | — | all | Lives per round in round-based gametypes. 0 is unlimited. |
scr_<gt>_waverespawndelay | — | CoD 1CoD:UOCoD 2 | Wave respawn interval in seconds. 0 disables wave respawn. |
scr_<gt>_playerrespawndelay | — | all | Extra respawn delay in seconds. |
Logging
| Cvar | Default | Games | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
g_log | "games_mp.log" | all | Log filename, relative to fs_homepath/<gamedir>. |
g_logsync | 0 | all | 1 flushes every line. 0 buffers, which is measurably better on a busy server. |
logfile | 0 | all | Console log. 1 buffered, 2 flushed per line. |
sv_showCommands | 0 | CoD 1CoD:UOCoD 2 | Debug: print client commands. Very noisy. |
Master server
Leave these alone for a public server. Configs copied from private servers often blank them, which is how a server ends up invisible with everything else correct.
| Cvar | Default | Games | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
sv_master1 | — | all | Primary master server. Blank it only to suppress registration. |
sv_master2 | — | all | Additional master slots, sv_master2 through sv_master5. |
sv_disableClientConsole | 0 | CoD 4CoD:WaW | Prevent clients opening the console. |
Gametype codes
Set with g_gametype and used as the gametype token inside sv_mapRotation. Limit cvars take the code as a prefix, so Team Deathmatch on CoD2 is scr_tdm_timelimit and on CoD4 it is scr_war_timelimit.
| Code | Gametype | Games |
|---|---|---|
dm | Deathmatch / Free-for-All | all |
tdm | Team Deathmatch | CoD 1CoD:UOCoD 2 |
war | Team Deathmatch | CoD 4CoD:WaW |
sd | Search and Destroy | all |
hq | Headquarters | CoD 1CoD:UOCoD 2 |
koth | Headquarters | CoD 4CoD:WaW |
sab | Sabotage | CoD 4CoD:WaW |
dom | Domination | CoD:UOCoD 4CoD:WaW |
ctf | Capture the Flag | CoD:UOCoD 2CoD:WaW |
bel | Behind Enemy Lines | CoD 1CoD:UO |
re | Retrieval | CoD 1CoD:UO |
bas | Base Assault | CoD:UO |
twar | War | CoD:WaW |
Build a complete config from these with the server.cfg generator.
