How to Add Mods to Your Soldat Server

Soldat has two completely different kinds of mods. Classic mods – different gostek graphics, weapon images, sounds and menus – are purely client-side: they live in the Soldat folder on the player's PC and are loaded there through a launch parameter. They do not belong on your server.

On the server side you extend your game in three ways:

• Custom maps that the server transfers to players automatically
• Server scripting (ScriptCore 3) for custom game rules and management features
• Mod packages (.smod) – this option only exists on OpenSoldat

Two server versions

There are two Soldat server versions with different configuration files. You can tell which one you are running from the file manager or via SFTP:

File in the main directory	Version
soldat.ini and server.ini	classic Soldat server
configs/server.cfg	OpenSoldat

Add custom maps

Maps are the most practical way to give your server its own character. They come as .pms files.

1. Download the map
   Download the map you want. You need the .pms file.

2. Stop the server
   Stop your server via the dashboard.

3. Upload the map
   Upload the .pms file into the maps folder of your server via SFTP. On OpenSoldat that is the folder maps/.

4. Add the map to the rotation
   Open the file mapslist.txt in the main directory of your server and add the map – one map per line:

   ctf_Ash
   ctf_Laos
   ctf_Run

5. Start the server
   Save the file and start your server.

Important

The map name is entered without a path and without the .pms extension, but with the game mode prefix (for example ctf_). The spelling is case sensitive – on your Linux server that matters. If the file is called ctf_Laos.pms, the list has to contain exactly ctf_Laos.

Warning

Blank lines in mapslist.txt cause loading errors, and entries for maps that are not present on the server can crash it. After every change, make sure each line matches an existing file.

Manage maps while the server is running

As a logged-in admin you can also adjust the rotation in the game:

Command	Description
/addmap <MapName>	Add a map to the running rotation
/delmap <MapName>	Remove a map from the rotation
/map <MapName>	Switch to a specific map immediately
/nextmap	Switch to the next map
/restart	Restart the current round

Note

/delmap can only remove maps that were previously added with /addmap. Permanent changes belong in mapslist.txt.

Transfer maps to players automatically

So your friends do not have to install your custom maps themselves, the server sends them on join.

1. Stop the server
   Stop your server via the dashboard.

2. Set the option
   Classic server – in the [NETWORK] section of soldat.ini:

   Allow_Download=1

   OpenSoldat – in configs/server.cfg:

   set net_allowdownload 1
   set fileserver_enable 1

3. Start the server
   Save the file and start your server.

Note

On the classic server Allow_Download is set to 1 out of the box – you only have to check it if downloads do not work. Maps, scenery and textures are transferred over TCP on the Game Port + 10. The values that apply to your server are shown in the dashboard.

Tip

OpenSoldat can alternatively have missing files downloaded from a web address of your own. To do that, set the option sv_downloadurl in configs/server.cfg.

Enable server scripting

The actual mod system for Soldat servers is server-side scripting (ScriptCore 3). It lets you build custom game modes, statistics, automation and management commands.

1. Stop the server
   Stop your server via the dashboard.

2. Turn scripting on
   Classic server – in the [NETWORK] section of server.ini:

   Scripting=1

   OpenSoldat – in configs/server.cfg. Scripting is enabled there out of the box, so this entry is just a double check:

   set sc_enable 1

3. Upload the script
   Upload your script into its own subfolder via SFTP:

   scripts/<ScriptName>/

4. Create the configuration file
   Create the file sc3.cfg inside the script folder:

   [Config]
   Name=MyScript
   MainFile=main.pas
   Sandboxed=2

5. Start the server
   Start your server and check the server console to see whether the script compiled without errors.

Options in sc3.cfg

Option	Meaning
Name	Mandatory, at most 20 characters – appears in all console output for this script
MainFile	Entry file of the script, main.pas by default
Debug	Enables additional debug output
Sandboxed	File access of the script: 0 the whole drive, 1 the server folder, 2 only the script's own data (default)
AllowDlls	Allows the script to load external libraries
AllowIniEdit	Allows the script to read and write soldat.ini and server.ini – only works with Sandboxed=1
Gamemod	Marks the server as a gamemod server in the lobby list
Legacy	Compatibility mode for older scripts (ScriptCore 2)

The file also supports the sections [SearchPaths] and [Defines].

Important

Leave Sandboxed at 2 whenever possible. With 0 a script may access the entire drive – only install scripts from sources you trust.

Behaviour on errors

If a script crashes, OnScriptCrash (classic) and sc_onscriptcrash (OpenSoldat) decide what happens: recompile, shut down the server, ignore it or disable the script.

Mod packages on OpenSoldat

Only OpenSoldat can load a mod package on the server side. Mods come as .smod files there.

1. Stop the server
   Stop your server via the dashboard.

2. Upload the mod
   Upload the .smod file into the folder mods/ via SFTP.

3. Enter the mod
   In configs/server.cfg, enter the file name without the .smod extension:

   set fs_mod MyMod

4. Start the server
   Save the file and start your server.

Warning

With sv_pure you require all players to use the same .smod file as the server. Without this setting players with different files can still join – with it, your friends need the mod file. To let them fetch missing files, you can additionally set sv_downloadurl.

What does not belong on the server

Note

Classic Soldat mods from the mods/ folder of the game are loaded through the client launch parameter -mod <name>. They only change the presentation on the player's PC and cannot be enforced server-side on the classic Soldat server. No mod parameter is documented for the classic server – use custom maps and server scripting there instead.

Warning

Always stop your server before uploading files or editing configuration files. Changes to mapslist.txt, soldat.ini, server.ini and configs/server.cfg are only read on server start.

Tip

To learn how to give yourself admin rights so you can switch maps and game modes in the game, see Add Admin.