I have tried six different things, nothing's currently worked.

Default didn't work ("dedicated.log") so tried
"C:\Games\Arcade\dedicated.log" (still no luck) so tried "C:\Games\dedicated.log" with no luck. I'm confused, since I know others have logged, and apparently posted data from their logs.

Before you ask, yes, the logging section of the "dedicated.cfg" is indeed active!

Trying to get logging on, so we can confirm something we're thinking is happening. LOL There is some evidence that seems to point toward the nearly mythical "double-flip" in frags...with the occasional triple, but confirming this takes the logging working. Any ideas what's going on?

OS is Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, RAM is 4Gb, HDD is 500Gb, processor is Intel i3 M330 (which appears to be quad-core).

I have tried six different things, nothing's currently worked.

Default didn't work ("dedicated.log") so tried
"C:\Games\Arcade\dedicated.log" (still no luck) so tried "C:\Games\dedicated.log" with no luck. I'm confused, since I know others have logged, and apparently posted data from their logs.

Before you ask, yes, the logging section of the "dedicated.cfg" is indeed active!

Trying to get logging on, so we can confirm something we're thinking is happening. LOL There is some evidence that seems to point toward the nearly mythical "double-flip" in frags...with the occasional triple, but confirming this takes the logging working. Any ideas what's going on?

OS is Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, RAM is 4Gb, HDD is 500Gb, processor is Intel i3 M330 (which appears to be quad-core).

i've had issues before like this

i would try to examine your mods using entegrity or TM entity database editor (which is what i use

also try disabling mods till you find the culprit then enable any that don't have any effect on your game crashing

i've seen your server online i've never seen any ping...you should state every sso pack or separate mod and if you want clients to connect properly they will need your mods

unless everything on your server is stock altered = nothing within addons then anyone can connect without downloading any mod

let me know what sso packs you have, were you got em, even year

if you give me that i could much more easily determine your issue

unless you don't want my help i won't bother posting this....

Right now, all I have are modified stock stuff. Even the Black Plague is actually stock-modded. (uses stock meshes/explosions/sounds) Everything should be being logged, therefore, yet nothing is. Very puzzling, since my current try at it is "smackdwn.log" (yes, trying 8.3 again.

To say it's frustrating, when I just got off server (which is currently internet-disabled; must re-enable master server/heartbeat once I fix the problems I've just seen) with over 700 kills and have no way to reliably prove it.

Once I fix the problems with the modded nuke and matter bomb, will reenable heartbeat to the master server. And will post reply to this thread saying so.

LOL! Right now, waiting for my hosting provider to allow me FTP access; just created the FTP account. Will post both 0.1.0 and 0.1.5 of Black Plague (both SSO and client-side) once I do have access, and will once more reply on this thread where to find it.

OK: Here goes: (4 files, total of 2 weapons)

NOTE: These are still a work-in-progress. If you make comment on one after visiting the "Airport Smackdown" server, please note that the gold one is 0.1.5 and black is 0.1.0

Black Plague 0.1.0 SSO
Black Plague 0.1.5 SSO
Black Plague 0.1.0 Client
Black Plague 0.1.5 Client

Okay... server still won't ping. Have made certain router responds to ping, so... what else? Windows 7's Windows Firewall is almost useless for this, apparently, so went back to ZoneAlarm Free.

Have noticed A Very Astio XMas server is also not pinging, so at least I'm not alone in this situation.

Right now, all I have are modified stock stuff. Even the Black Plague is actually stock-modded. (uses stock meshes/explosions/sounds) Everything should be being logged, therefore, yet nothing is. Very puzzling, since my current try at it is "smackdwn.log" (yes, trying 8.3 again.

To say it's frustrating, when I just got off server (which is currently internet-disabled; must re-enable master server/heartbeat once I fix the problems I've just seen) with over 700 kills and have no way to reliably prove it.

Once I fix the problems with the modded nuke and matter bomb, will reenable heartbeat to the master server. And will post reply to this thread saying so.

LOL! Right now, waiting for my hosting provider to allow me FTP access; just created the FTP account. Will post both 0.1.0 and 0.1.5 of Black Plague (both SSO and client-side) once I do have access, and will once more reply on this thread where to find it.

700 kills is a good deal

i've had issues with TM not being able to process so much at one time

since you uploaded your mods i could confirm whether that could be true or not

Okay... server still won't ping. Have made certain router responds to ping, so... what else? Windows 7's Windows Firewall is almost useless for this, apparently, so went back to ZoneAlarm Free.

Have noticed A Very Astio XMas server is also not pinging, so at least I'm not alone in this situation.

interesting...i wouldn't run zone alarm for a firewall it is very restrictive not the best for running game servers

there isn't much else that could be wrong with this server issue

so far it sounds like your mods could be the issue

though i haven't tested your mods yet i still think that would be a possible cause as I've seen this before happen similarly

try running your server with no firewall

if you don't have your ports blocked on your router and your pc's firewall you should be fine in that aspect

also i can run a few tests now that you've uploaded your mods i can do an examination of any mods that could be causing TM trouble

if its ok with you i could run your server with those mods you provided me, i can see how TM behaves and if you can connect

from what you've told me most of everything looks fine and with those mods i should be able to figure this out much more easily

if any issues pertain to bandwidth, firewall, or anything else that shouldn't be any issue for me so i can easily narrow this down

Sometimes (especially if more than one player's on and firing the gold Black Plague (or its cousin, which predates it slightly)) the server will do a few odd things, and lag does seem to be there, but not especially bad.

Incidentally, ZA is a stop-gap until I can get iolo's firewall to work again. For some reason, when I installed the trial of Kaspersky AV, it fouled iolo's Personal Firewall and Win7 reverted automatically to its own firewall. ::sigh::

My normal setup is iolo's System Mechanic Pro 9.x (which contains System Shield v4, which is itself anti-malware, anti-virus and firewall) with a backup of AdAware and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (Better known as MBAM, LOL) The latter two are, again, backups to my main protection. Of course, Windows Defender is active, but that's mainly because there's no real way to get rid of the thing without fouling things up. (Thanks, Microsoft, for forcing yet another "tool" down our throats.)

May post my dedicated.cfg minus the comments (for brevity), though it's pretty standard; Deathmatch, Teams, 4 Teams, Team Scores, No Team Damage, 16 bots, no autofill.

My server setup, minus all comments.

---- Start of Dedicated.cfg ----
DedicatedServer = 1

DedicatedFPS = 10

MaxClients = 16

SendHeartbeats = 18

MasterServer0 = 38.112.120.110

ServerName = "Airport Smackdown"

ServerInfo = "Testing SSO versions of Black Plague 0.1.0 and 0.1.5"
ServerWebSite = ""

ServerRate = 3000

TimeLimit = 20

FragLimit = 0

Deathmatch = 1

StartDelay = 60
CoolDownTime = 60

Laps = 1

DediMap0 = "DM Caldera"
DediMap1 = "DM Glacier"
DediMap2 = "DM Black Mesa"
DediMap3 = "The Moon"
DediMap4 = "CTF Canyon"
DediMap5 = "Hell's Back Door"
DediMap6 = "Hell's Crossing"
DediMap7 = "Brimstone"
DediMap8 = "CTF Red Oval"
DediMap9 = "DM The Steppes"
DediMap10 = "Ice World"

RandomMaps = 1

ServerPort = 12300
ClientPort = 12350
MasterPort = 12499

LogFileActive = 1
LogFileName = "C:\Games\Arcade\Smackdwn.log"

NumTanks = 16

AIAutoFill = 0

AISkill = 0.95

LimitTankTypes = 2

TeamPlay = 1

TeamScores = 1

TeamDamage = 0

MaxAllowedTeams = 4
---- end Dedicated.cfg ----

Location of the log file deserves a bit of explanation. It's where I install arcade games, hence the name. I don't use \Program Files\ unless I have no choice.

Sometimes (especially if more than one player's on and firing the gold Black Plague (or its cousin, which predates it slightly)) the server will do a few odd things, and lag does seem to be there, but not especially bad.

Incidentally, ZA is a stop-gap until I can get iolo's firewall to work again. For some reason, when I installed the trial of Kaspersky AV, it fouled iolo's Personal Firewall and Win7 reverted automatically to its own firewall. ::sigh::

My normal setup is iolo's System Mechanic Pro 9.x (which contains System Shield v4, which is itself anti-malware, anti-virus and firewall) with a backup of AdAware and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (Better known as MBAM, LOL) The latter two are, again, backups to my main protection. Of course, Windows Defender is active, but that's mainly because there's no real way to get rid of the thing without fouling things up. (Thanks, Microsoft, for forcing yet another "tool" down our throats.)

May post my dedicated.cfg minus the comments (for brevity), though it's pretty standard; Deathmatch, Teams, 4 Teams, Team Scores, No Team Damage, 16 bots, no autofill.

well so far i think its not the game as much as your pc

I've used system mechanic before, you shouldn't have installed Kaspersky AV or any other program with SM9 using its virus etc protection

as other virus\spyware etc protection softwares conflict with system mechanic especially fire wall's

the big issue here is with your fire wall TM needs ports from 12300 to 12499 unblocked on your pc's firewall and your routers fire wall (in the routers os not windows

there is a way to remove windows defender and its a b#tch like windows lol

i use linux now, its better for running game servers without crashing or any other bullshit like virus protection

your lucky i have a lot of computer experience if this may be the issue


i'll test your mods and run your server when or if i have time

as i most likely won't have any or much free this week to help you i'll run some tests and the server this weekend

for now try to resolve your pc issues the best you can

let me know anything else

i'll get back to you

My server setup, minus all comments.

---- Start of Dedicated.cfg ----
DedicatedServer = 1

DedicatedFPS = 10

MaxClients = 16

SendHeartbeats = 18

MasterServer0 = 38.112.120.110

ServerName = "Airport Smackdown"

ServerInfo = "Testing SSO versions of Black Plague 0.1.0 and 0.1.5"
ServerWebSite = ""

ServerRate = 3000

TimeLimit = 20

FragLimit = 0

Deathmatch = 1

StartDelay = 60
CoolDownTime = 60

Laps = 1

DediMap0 = "DM Caldera"
DediMap1 = "DM Glacier"
DediMap2 = "DM Black Mesa"
DediMap3 = "The Moon"
DediMap4 = "CTF Canyon"
DediMap5 = "Hell's Back Door"
DediMap6 = "Hell's Crossing"
DediMap7 = "Brimstone"
DediMap8 = "CTF Red Oval"
DediMap9 = "DM The Steppes"
DediMap10 = "Ice World"

RandomMaps = 1

ServerPort = 12300
ClientPort = 12350
MasterPort = 12499

LogFileActive = 1
LogFileName = "C:\Games\Arcade\Smackdwn.log"

NumTanks = 16

AIAutoFill = 0

AISkill = 0.95

LimitTankTypes = 2

TeamPlay = 1

TeamScores = 1

TeamDamage = 0

MaxAllowedTeams = 4
---- end Dedicated.cfg ----

Location of the log file deserves a bit of explanation. It's where I install arcade games, hence the name. I don't use \Program Files\ unless I have no choice.

server configuration looks correct, though it does need slight improvement

Star Striker stated:
server configuration looks correct, though it does need slight improvement
Improvement how? Other than the one track (Hell's Back Door) that I now realize was a download, I think everything's stock, other than the mods made to all tanks, mainly to speed them up and make the turret turn faster...and the mods to the nuke missile and matter bomb to make them shoot at a 45-degree up-angle, which does cut seriously down on self-kills with either.

Now, I am aware that the Black Plague is probably set to way too high a weight for all three variants, (yes, I've added a 0.2.0 now) due to their power and certainty of getting about half the kills of the missiles you fired. (i.e.: of every 100 fired, pretty much figure 50 kills, though it can be higher))

With 200-400 Black Plagues in the air, lag does occur, that's no doubt! Another factor I need to correct is the Time to Live of the projectile; at 180 seconds per missile, it can lead to insane numbers of missiles in the air at once, especially when the 0.2.0 variant's 60 per pack (and 2 per shot) is taken into account.

Star Striker stated:
server configuration looks correct, though it does need slight improvement
Improvement how? Other than the one track (Hell's Back Door) that I now realize was a download, I think everything's stock, other than the mods made to all tanks, mainly to speed them up and make the turret turn faster...and the mods to the nuke missile and matter bomb to make them shoot at a 45-degree up-angle, which does cut seriously down on self-kills with either.

Now, I am aware that the Black Plague is probably set to way too high a weight for all three variants, (yes, I've added a 0.2.0 now) due to their power and certainty of getting about half the kills of the missiles you fired. (i.e.: of every 100 fired, pretty much figure 50 kills, though it can be higher))

With 200-400 Black Plagues in the air, lag does occur, that's no doubt! Another factor I need to correct is the Time to Live of the projectile; at 180 seconds per missile, it can lead to insane numbers of missiles in the air at once, especially when the 0.2.0 variant's 60 per pack (and 2 per shot) is taken into account.

it can be improved by raising the server rate much higher

also configuring the way your server sends heart beats to master including the fps it makes a big difference with lag

lag doesn't sound like an issue too me more like your ports aren't allowed

I'll figure it out when i test your mods on a server

Other than the one track (Hell's Back Door) that I now realize was a download, I think everything's stock, other than the mods made to all tanks, mainly to speed them up and make the turret turn faster...and the mods to the nuke missile and matter bomb to make them shoot at a 45-degree up-angle, which does cut seriously down on self-kills with either.

those mods you uploaded aren't stock

so unless somebody has downloaded them they can't use em correctly

i mean stock by "All Stock" meaning nothing in the addons directory and if anything is in addons which is a stock mod

there must be no extra:textures, meshes, maps

all entities must have the same names as the ones that reside in the games default entities folder

no extra entities either

you can only use what the game has and are limited to how much you can mod

those are the rules to a modded stock server otherwise it will be a mod server

shouldn't matter unless you want people to connect to your server and be able to play it without having to download any mods

Star Striker warned,those mods you uploaded aren't stock

so unless somebody has downloaded them they can't use em correctly
If I understand the way the ones marked with SSO are coded, those use no outside textures or anything else; the other two are for reference, since I know they are client-side only, and the texture is basically the only holdout.

I also plan on restricting the server to one of the weapon's versions once testing is complete and folks actually turn in comments and suggestions. I am aware of 0.2.0's fire rate and the fact it can release 60 in a short period! LOL I copied some of the code from the Wasps projectile, and that's why it goes all over the place during firing. Was more interested in having it do two missiles separated by 45 degrees than current behavior.

As it stands, could easily re-code any one of the SSO versions of the Black Plague to replace the cruise missile on-server, but I actually like the idea of occasionally picking up the slower, stock one as well. Bit of a problem, eh?

I am quite aware of the current nature of the server (being a mod server, that is). It's kinda necessary during initial testing, since I'm trying out various ideas.

Personal observations on the various versions:

v0.1.0: Relatively slow rate of fire, producing more opportunity for someone to interrupt your firing the entire pack rather abruptly.

v0.1.5 and v0.2.0: Very fast rate of fire (esp. v0.2.0) with much lower chance of interruption.

In all three cases, it is very possible to self-kill. I've had it happen numerous times in a single game!

With all stock weapons enabled, getting to a Black Plague can be interesting, to say the least. During initial testing, I managed to disable most stock weapons without the game going crazy, using a very simple technique that isn't 100% kosher (works, but can cause problems with the server as it cycles through stock weapons that aren't accessible to it).

Beginning work on several powerup (and powerdown) types, but those would, of necessity, be client-side downloads. Still not sure it's worth the effort yet.

Star Striker warned,those mods you uploaded aren't stock

so unless somebody has downloaded them they can't use em correctly
If I understand the way the ones marked with SSO are coded, those use no outside textures or anything else; the other two are for reference, since I know they are client-side only, and the texture is basically the only holdout.

I also plan on restricting the server to one of the weapon's versions once testing is complete and folks actually turn in comments and suggestions. I am aware of 0.2.0's fire rate and the fact it can release 60 in a short period! LOL I copied some of the code from the Wasps projectile, and that's why it goes all over the place during firing. Was more interested in having it do two missiles separated by 45 degrees than current behavior.

As it stands, could easily re-code any one of the SSO versions of the Black Plague to replace the cruise missile on-server, but I actually like the idea of occasionally picking up the slower, stock one as well. Bit of a problem, eh?

I am quite aware of the current nature of the server (being a mod server, that is). It's kinda necessary during initial testing, since I'm trying out various ideas.

Personal observations on the various versions:

v0.1.0: Relatively slow rate of fire, producing more opportunity for someone to interrupt your firing the entire pack rather abruptly.

v0.1.5 and v0.2.0: Very fast rate of fire (esp. v0.2.0) with much lower chance of interruption.

In all three cases, it is very possible to self-kill. I've had it happen numerous times in a single game!

With all stock weapons enabled, getting to a Black Plague can be interesting, to say the least. During initial testing, I managed to disable most stock weapons without the game going crazy, using a very simple technique that isn't 100% kosher (works, but can cause problems with the server as it cycles through stock weapons that aren't accessible to it).

Beginning work on several powerup (and powerdown) types, but those would, of necessity, be client-side downloads. Still not sure it's worth the effort yet.

i understand i was just pointing that out

its well worth the effort that is what makes good mods

the main issue i want fixed is the 0 ping issue so i can connect with or without your mods

if you can fix that

we can move on to seeing the other issues

the mods wouldn't be the cause for that

which is why i think its your firewall on pc\router

i know from experience running a server without access to client\server\master ports you'll get a dead 0 ping and is likely from the firewall\anti virus problems you mentioned.

i could run this server no problem with the mods included if that were the case.

since your mods are small i'll see if i can test it real quick still have little time till friday

It'll be interesting to see what differences there are between LAN and Internet versions of the server; I've tweaked the dedicated-maps list since I posted the config, but nothing else has changed.

Compiling a document showing what I have done to try to correct the null-ping issue, just not sure yet how to show the result properly here.

It'll be interesting to see what differences there are between LAN and Internet versions of the server; I've tweaked the dedicated-maps list since I posted the config, but nothing else has changed.

Compiling a document showing what I have done to try to correct the null-ping issue, just not sure yet how to show the result properly here.

good to hear

for now i just want to ping to your server that is the most important part

if your mods are okay (or aren't, it won't be much of an issue i can easily help you fix that

In StarStriker's last post, he stated,
for now i just want to ping to your server that is the most important part
Agreed. From what I've read, Win7 is apparently notorious for keeping ping silent. So far, I've made a special rule in Win7's firewall that should be allowing all ICMP on all ports, but no joy. May have to tweak with the router's firewall again, although it is set to respond to pings. Will see what I can do to open ICMP on the LAN.

Star Striker stated,
if your mods are okay (or aren't, it won't be much of an issue i can easily help you fix that
Well, they all passed ENTegrity with no errors aside from a couple of warnings. (in fact, ENTegrity packed the things... or tried to. Since I use 7-Zip rather than WinZIP, though, I need to figure out the command-line to pass to it.)

Since the weapons are based directly off the stock cruise missile, that should be a key that it won't be that big an issue to fix whatever problems there are. Of course, if one has all THREE variants of the Plague in-server, it gets a bit insane, especially if you arrive late to the party!

actually I was kind of having a problem like that I got my server all set up but when I click on "Launch server" it just starts the game automatically. Any help?

actually I was kind of having a problem like that I got my server all set up but when I click on "Launch server" it just starts the game automatically. Any help?

refer to this i had the same problem

TM 1.6.2 Launcher Problem

rick knows about this already

just hope his surprise update for tm he mentioned comes sooner

Thanks it all works now and you can go on it if u want!

Just to say rdanner that i had to copy and paste ur dedicated server file for mine and it works. so im not sure what's wrong with yours.