Help How do you host your own APB server?

[LeonardMT]

I can't find any info on how to do this but the devs on the livestream said people can host their own servers so I guessed it might've been the dedicated sever option but when I do that the game just crashes.

 

crashdump.20210514-220944-r11895-n1.dmpcrashdump.20210106-020319-r11895-n1.dmpcrashdump.20210515-040219-r11895-n1.dmpcrashdump.20210515-040208-r11895-n1.dmpcrashdump.20210514-222625-r11895-n1.dmpcrashdump.20210514-221109-r11895-n1.dmp]

[ChopBam]

Hi @LeonardMT, apologies for the delayed reply. To run a server you'll essentially need a separate build of the game with server specific config files and scripts hooked into it. We're working on making something public that will let people host their own servers.

[ChopBam]

@LeonardMT We plan to make an announcement on this soon, but for now here is the link to our server hosting package. There is a readme.txt in the root directory that provides instructions to help you get it set up. Please let us know if you have any more questions!

https://gitlab.com/w3dhub/a-path-beyond-fds

[LeonardMT]

Ah thanks! you I'll give it a go.

Edited May 18, 2021 by LeonardMT

[LeonardMT]

Ok I thing I got everything setup properly however I can't see the server in the launcher here's my config files:tt.cfg server.ini ssgm.ini mapsettings.xml moderators.cfg brenbot.cfg APB_Public.ini MapGuard.xml gamespy.xml 

[ChopBam]

Are you able to direct connect to it at least?

[LeonardMT]

How do you do that? I went into abp to the LAN list and didn't see anything

[ChopBam]

16 minutes ago, LeonardMT said:

How do you do that? I went into abp to the LAN list and didn't see anything

The big blue "Renegade Master Server" window looked okay to me. This is what you run as the FDS, then you connect the players (i.e. the actual game clients) to it. You can use a desktop shortcut or the run command to put in the proper params, but I recommend using the Asterisk tool. You'll want to input your game's path as a game/mod profile, then use your computer's LAN IP and the server port to connect. If your port's open on the router, people on the internet can connect to it by using your WAN IP and the listed port. If you put +multi in the "additional commands" line, you can connect multiple players to your server from the same computer. Nifty!

 

[LeonardMT]

Ok what port should I use in my case the brenbot gamespy port?

Update: I tried "both" ports and they both took to the main menu.

Update 2: I got the wrong .exe file so I redid the connection and I couldn't connect I tried what looks to be the the official apb server on the Asterisk tool and that didn't work. (I had game.exe this time)

Edited May 19, 2021 by LeonardMT
Update

[triattack]

you join threw the port set in server.ini ( the value that just says port) you need to have both brenbot and server.exe running to make the server appear in the launcher. if brenbot immediately closes can you try starting it threw the command line.  this way you can see why it closed. as the launcher uses some extra GameSpy fields to determine what game it is we can't use the servers GameSpy features anymore and have to use the ones of brenbot.

[LeonardMT]

1 hour ago, triattack said:

you need to have both brenbot and server.exe running to make the server appear in the launcher. if brenbot immediately closes can you try starting it threw the command line.

Ok brenbot threw out an error:

C:\Users\Leonard>C:\servers\apb\brenbot\Brenbot.exe
Can't load 'C:\Users\Leonard\AppData\Local\Temp\par-4c656f6e617264\cache-bc24ac4f73a4025440fd85523ba9cae090ca5db2\3e64b60f.xs.dll' for module XML::Parser::Expat: load_file:The specified module could not be found at <embedded>/DynaLoader.pm line 193.
  at <embedded>/PAR/Heavy.pm line 140.
Compilation failed in require at C:\Users\Leonard\AppData\Local\Temp\par-4c656f6e617264\cache-bc24ac4f73a4025440fd85523ba9cae090ca5db2\inc\lib/XML/Parser.pm line 18.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at C:\Users\Leonard\AppData\Local\Temp\par-4c656f6e617264\cache-bc24ac4f73a4025440fd85523ba9cae090ca5db2\inc\lib/XML/Parser.pm line 22.
Compilation failed in require at C:\Users\Leonard\AppData\Local\Temp\par-4c656f6e617264\cache-bc24ac4f73a4025440fd85523ba9cae090ca5db2\inc\lib/commands.pm line 8.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at C:\Users\Leonard\AppData\Local\Temp\par-4c656f6e617264\cache-bc24ac4f73a4025440fd85523ba9cae090ca5db2\inc\lib/commands.pm line 8.
Compilation failed in require at script/brenbot.pl line 52.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at script/brenbot.pl line 52.

[triattack]

can you try running this brenbot.exe https://triattack.stackstorage.com/s/TC7peKEUvPDQHOm2  to be sure keep the old exe and add this one to the folder under a different name.

[LeonardMT]

Got the same error

Update I saw that some of the files were .PL files so I tried installing Strawberry Perl but still can't get it compile. Is there a binary I can use?

Update 2: I tried the Perl shell and got a new error 

[11:21:24] The following error occured reading commands.xml: File does not exist: commands.xml at C:\Users\Leonard\AppData\Local\Temp\par-4c656f6e617264\cache-bc24ac4f73a4025440fd85523ba9cae090ca5db2\inc\lib/commands.pm line 45.

[11:21:24] Unable to continue, shutting down...

going to try to copy the commands.xml into the temp file

Update 3: I didn't copy the commands.xml but I ran the first Brenbot exe and its mostly working!

[11:25:14] BRenBot 1.56 build 1
[11:25:14] Copyright 2003-2020, Tiberian Technologies. All rights reserved.
[11:25:14] Database does not exist, creating new database...
[11:25:14] [Config] Detected SSGM version 4.1
[11:25:14] [Config] Found data/paths.ini, reading logfile path... c:\servers\apb\W3D Hub/games\apb-release-server-server/
[11:25:14] Starting game status refresh thread...
[11:25:36] [IRC] Failed to connect to irc.w3dhub.com, retrying in 5 seconds.
[11:26:02] [IRC] Failed to connect to irc.w3dhub.com, retrying in 30 seconds.

Update: 4 Tried running server.exe and brenbot.exe and is still not showing up

Edited May 19, 2021 by LeonardMT
Update 4

[rantanplan]

Hi LeonardMT.

If you download again the files from the FDS repository, brenbot folder (just add all the dll's to your bot server folder), then you can uninstall Strawberry Perl as brenbot is an application that can run standalone.

About your server not showing up in the launcher, you must do some things first. Find the file gamespy.xml inside your bot plugins folder and open the query_port setting in your firewall. Then you must load the gamespy plugin from IRC, but first I suggest you edit the value of IrcServer in brenbot.cfg and change it to irc.rencorner.com or any other server you want, as it is failing to connect to irc.w3dhub.com. You will have to join that IRC server and your channel and type !plugin_load gamespy. You can find more information about this here.

[triattack]

it seems by those errors that for some reason brenbot is not starting brenbot is already compiled and the plugins (the .pm files and there config files the xml file's)/

 

please try rantanplan's idea first if that doesn't work ( try this brenbot exe it is a bit older but it should work for fine for the game and debugging to find the issue) https://triattack.stackstorage.com/s/NTgQpszlAeK5QIoW

as a replacement irc server i reccomend irc.rencorner.com

[triattack]

looking at your config file's and your firewall settings they seem to be setup right

[LeonardMT]

Ok I got into irc.rencorner.com 

[13:15:22] BRenBot 1.56 build 1
[13:15:22] Copyright 2003-2020, Tiberian Technologies. All rights reserved.
[13:15:22] [Config] Detected SSGM version 4.1
[13:15:22] [Config] Found data/paths.ini, reading logfile path... c:\servers\apb\W3D Hub/games\apb-release-server-server/
[13:15:22] Starting game status refresh thread...
[13:15:22] [IRC] Connected to irc.rencorner.com.
[13:15:23] Connecting to SSGM Log Server on 127.0.0.1:7846... Failed! Will retry in one minute.
[13:15:26] [IRC] Joining channel #somechannel...
[13:15:26] [IRC] Joining channel #somechannel-admin...
[13:15:26] [IRC] Brenbot joined channel #rencorner
[13:15:27] [IRC] Brenbot joined channel #somechannel
[13:15:27] [IRC] Brenbot joined channel #somechannel-admin

 

[LeonardMT]

45 minutes ago, rantanplan said:

Then you must load the gamespy plugin from IRC, but first I suggest you edit the value of IrcServer in brenbot.cfg and change it to irc.rencorner.com or any other server you want, as it is failing to connect to irc.w3dhub.com. You will have to join that IRC server and your channel and type !plugin_load gamespy. You can find more information about this here.

Ok so does that mean that I need to get an IRC client and if so which you you recommend?

[triattack]

does everything work now?

[LeonardMT]

Not sure if I need to use an IRC client  !plugin_load gamespy to type since I never used IRC

Edited May 19, 2021 by LeonardMT

[triattack]

yeah you could also do it a in a different way by loading it threw the database but IRC is easier you can join the admin channel before the bot and change level 6 to this so you have all permissions without registering a channel (not recommended as permanent solution but should work fine to play around without getting to much into irc stuff)

    <permission level="6">
      <usergroup>irc_op</usergroup>
      <usergroup>irc_founder</usergroup>
      <usergroup>ingame_admin</usergroup>
    </permission>

if you don't have an irc client you could use something like mibbit temporarily too https://mibbit.com/

[LeonardMT]

4 minutes ago, triattack said:

yeah you could also do it a in a different way by loading it threw the database but IRC is easier you can join the admin channel before the bot and change level 6 to this so you have all permissions without registering a channel (not recommended as permanent solution but should work fine to play around without getting to much into irc stuff)

    <permission level="6">
      <usergroup>irc_op</usergroup>
      <usergroup>irc_founder</usergroup>
      <usergroup>ingame_admin</usergroup>
    </permission>

if you don't have an irc client you could use something like mibbit temporarily too https://mibbit.com/

Ok I believe I joined into the right channel (I chose #somechannel-admin) and typed !plugin_load gamespy but nothing is appeared to happen and its still not showing up (I relaunched server.exe)

 

I can see why you didn't make this public :P

[triattack]

make sure you join the channel before the bot in unregistered channels the first person to join has oper permissions

[LeonardMT]

2 minutes ago, triattack said:

make sure you join the channel before the bot in unregistered channels the first person to join has oper permissions

Ok I reloaded Brenbot and the client never said that BRenBot joined

[triattack]

it can take a few seconds does it show on brenbot that it joined?

[LeonardMT]

Still nothing  but this is happing: 

[13:39:04] BRenBot 1.56 build 1
[13:39:04] Copyright 2003-2020, Tiberian Technologies. All rights reserved.
[13:39:04] [Config] Detected SSGM version 4.1
[13:39:04] [Config] Found data/paths.ini, reading logfile path... c:\servers\apb\W3D Hub/games\apb-release-server-server/
[13:39:04] Starting game status refresh thread...
[13:39:04] [IRC] Connected to irc.rencorner.com.
[13:39:05] Connecting to SSGM Log Server on 127.0.0.1:7846... Success!
[13:39:06] [IRC] Joining channel #somechannel...
[13:39:06] [IRC] Joining channel #somechannel-admin...
[13:39:06] [IRC] Brenbot joined channel #rencorner
[13:39:07] [IRC] Brenbot joined channel #somechannel
[13:39:07] [IRC] Brenbot joined channel #somechannel-admin
[13:39:20] rantanplan@IRC 's permission: irc_op
[13:39:20] Executing plugins
[13:39:35] rantanplan@IRC 's permission: irc_op
[13:41:45] rantanplan@IRC 's permission: irc_op
[13:41:45] Executing gi
[13:42:28] [IRC] rantanplan joined channel #somechannel
[13:42:50] rantanplan@IRC 's permission: irc_op
[13:42:50] Executing msg
[13:43:36] rantanplan@IRC 's permission: irc_op
[13:43:36] Executing msg
[13:43:37] rantanplan@IRC 's permission: irc_op
[13:43:37] Executing msg
[13:43:39] rantanplan@IRC 's permission: irc_op
[13:43:39] Executing msg

 

[triattack]

rantanplan joined before you and has the admin perms so you can ask him to do the commands for you

as it seems to have joined propperly

[LeonardMT]

Just now, triattack said:

rantanplan joined before you and has the admin perms so you can ask him to do the commands for you

as it seems to have joined propperly

What channel is he on?

[triattack]

the bot should be in the channels #something and #something-admin

[rantanplan]

I am in the channels #somechannel-admin and #somechannel, where your bot is, join the irc network again so I can force you to join the channels and we can talk there.