OK, here's the deal. I have just bought and rebuilt a IBM Netfinity server. I've installed W2K3 Server and am now trying to set up HLDS. I have read through everything on these forums that i can find, and everything on the steam forums i can find. There was a step by step link to installing HLDS but i can get my dos prompt to change to the d drive where i have downloaded the files to.

I have installed steam, but not any games yet. Do i have to log-in to steam with my account to download the game files? or is there a way to just download the neccesary half-life files?

Of what I know... you need to own one of the games first... half life... counter strike what ever... on your account... then you will be able to download the needed files... if you own a cd key already... then I dont know... or els its not that expensive to go buy a old copy of half life...

I am setting up HLDS which isn't supposed to require an account.

[EDIT] OK i moved the folder to the c drive and followed the instructions on www.hldsdirect.tk and it is now installing. Will let you guys know if i need further info[/edit]

I urge you to read Vadakills Guide to Setting Up an HLDS. My eyes aren't open wide enough to help you any more than that.

ok. I now got that working. The only trouble is even though this has been set up to be an internet server - the IP is showing the local address of the machine, not the Internet address. I'm also getting this print out:

No auth servers parsed
Disabling Valve Authentication.
Adding master server 69.28.151.162:27010
Adding master server 69.28.151.178:27010
Could not establish connection to Steam servers.

i may be wrong about this as im new to hlds servers myself, but thats how it should be. (im speaking generaly here based on my experience with other kinds of servers)


how you correct this depends on how your internets set up.

Do you have a router?
Do you connect through another computer?
Does the computer with the server access the internet directly?


The way to solve situation 1 and 2 are almost exactly the same, set up something on the router or the gateway computer to forward the port used by your server to the local computer address shown.

The way to solve #3 is simple replace the local address with the public address since they both refer to the exact same computer (ones just unusable beyond your local network). you can get your public address pretty easily, a very simply way is to go to a site like www.whatsmy.com or www.whatsmyip.com or whatever. theres hundreds of them.



then people should be able to connect to your server from the net through your public ip.

I am in case 3 as this is a dedicated server machine. The trouble is i don't get the option to specify which ip address to use, hlds decides that automatically.

just the +ip flag when launching hlds

i.e. creat a shortcunt and in the target field


"C:\path\to\hlds.exe" -game ns +ip xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx +port XXXX -map

I am still struggling away with this server and getting very annoyed. I used the +IP command and set up the server but it still comes back with the same message. It is set-up as an internet server, but just won't access the internet. I have allowed the ports to access the internet in the firewall config, but it just isn't happening. I have read tens of guides to setting up and troubleshooting HLDS, but i still cant get it to work!!

Please help me.

If your Target line is similar to mine

I don't have a router Depot. I am connected directly to the internet through the server. I am struggling with W2k3 as i am new to using it. I think i may be overlooking something.

Unfortunately I'm a WinXP man. I actually meant firewall, not router.

If you don't have a router then you don't need to forward any ports. check out http://hldsdirect.tk again and skip the networking step. Hope this helps!