Installation
First of all, load the Dedicated Server Software from the Nadeo servers...
Actual Server Version (TM-Forum)
If you have the game installed as well (which is not the case on an external, comercial dedicated game server), you can put the content of the archive into the same folder where your TM game is located, because the folder structure of the game and the server software are identical.
This will give you some advantage, since both programs can share some common resources.
You don't have to do this, you can also create a separate program folder for your server.
Configuration
Open the folder of the server software.First you should go to "\Gamedata\Config", where you will find the "dedicated_cfg.txt" file and edit it with a text editor.
Step-by-Step configuration
<name>SuperAdmin</name>
<password>xxx</password>
<name>Admin</name>
<password>xxx</password>
<name>User</name>
<password>xxx</password>
Later on, when you install Aseco (a server control program with additional features), this account data will be used for accessing the server controls.
Create a new "server account"
Each server logs on to the Trackmania system with the help of a simple user account ! Theoretically you could use your regular user account to run the server, but then you couldn't run the server and play TM at the same time, so you should create a new free user account.
When creating that account, note that the Land/Zone of the account will be used as the location, where your server will be found in the online server listing later on !
Only if you install Aseco later on, you can again change the Nation, in which's listing the server will appear.
ATTENTION TMUF USERS !
If you want to run a TMUF server, you must go to
http://official.trackmania.com/tmf-dedicated/ , login there with your Multiplayercode (to be found at the back of your written manual or beeing supplied via email if you bought TM online)
When beeing logged in, click "Add" and create your TMUF Dedicated Server Account.
Hint: maybe your regular password won't be accepted, try another one.
As soon as you created your new account, edit these lines in the "dedicated_cfg.txt".
<masterserver_account>
<login>Account</login>
<password>Password</password>
<validation_key></validation_key>
</masterserver_account>
No need to enter something at "validation_key" the moment. Common servers don't need that.
Some more changes
<server_options>
<name>DESIRED SERVERNAME</name>
<comment>Comment for the Server</comment>
<hide_server>0</hide_server>
Name & comment for the servers, as it's supposed to be displayed in the game (text formatting included).
If you want the server always to be visible to users, leave the hide server value at "0".
<max_players>32</max_players>
<password></password>
<max_spectators>2</max_spectators>
<password_spectator></password_spectator>
<ladder_mode>forced</ladder_mode>
The maximum number of players and spectators, along with passwords required to join. The ladder mode will enforce a permanent connection from your server to Nadeo's master server, which administrates the player's ladder and points.
The following lines are important for the functionality of your server. Make a backup of your "dedicated_cfg.txt" before you change them.
<force_ip_address></force_ip_address>
<server_port>2352</server_port>
Change the port to 2352, so it won't interfere with your TM game.
<server_p2p_port>3452</server_p2p_port>
Change the port to 3452, so it won't interfere with your TM game.
<client_port>0</client_port>
<bind_ip_address></bind_ip_address>
<use_nat_upnp></use_nat_upnp>
<p2p_cache_size>600</p2p_cache_size>
<xmlrpc_port>5002</xmlrpc_port>
Change the port to 5002, so it won't interfere with your TM game.
<xmlrpc_allowremote>false</xmlrpc_allowremote>
Only set this this to "true", if Aseco/Fast/Other tools access the server from outside. If not, set it to "false" for security reasons.
<packmask>stadium</packmask>
Important for TMUF users !
If you want to run a TMUF server, delete the "stadium" between the tags.
Now save the "dedicated_cfg.txt".
About the ports again: If you don't change the default values, your server won't run properly, because your TM game will try to use the same ports.
And don't forget, that your Router/Firewall is required to accept/pass data transfer on these new ports as well or nobody will see your server online.
Matchsettings
Let's come to the "Matchsettings". Log into the game, go online.
game settings
The "create" button will take you to the game's internal/simple server menu.
game settings
If you put the server software in the same folder as your game, then TM will automatically take over the values from the dedicated_cfg.txt onto this settings screen.
Check/change the values and press "Launch".
game settings
Now you can create the list of tracks, which will be played on the server later on.
In the middle of the screen there is a list of predefined lists and lists you have saved before.
Or you can navigate through your harddisk folders with the help of the left menu, where you can chose single or multiple tracks.
Recommendation: It's clever to go to C:\..\My documents\Trackmania\Tracks\Challenges and create a subfolder "Servertracks" there. You should copy all potential tracks in there and chose them from this folder, before you create/save any track play listings.
In a few moments, you'll see why.
game settings
After selecting your desired tracks, you can press "Play" to start the games internal server (not the dedicated server we want to configure).
Better select your tracks and save your track list with the "Save settings" button. Chose a name like "MyServerList.txt". Close Trackmania.
As you know, track listings can be changed or expanded on many online servers. But for that, you will need to install Aseco (which we'll do in the next tutorial).
Last steps
1. Copy the complete "Servertracks" folder into this folder:
[Server-Programm-Ordner]\Tracks\Challenges\
Probably Nadeo forgot to reprogram the server software before publishing the "Forever" addons, so that it also uses the "My documents" folder, just like the games. That's why you need to copy the tracks from folder to folder, so they can be found when starting the server.
2. The same goes for MyServerList.txt in " My Documents\Trackmania\Tracks\Matchsettings". Copy the file to:
[Server-Programm-Ordner]\Tracks\Matchsettings\. Stupid, but necessary.
3. Go to the folder of the server program and create a desktop shortcut for the "TrackmaniaServer.exe". (right click mousebutton at the executable should bring the context menu, where you find the option to create that shortcut).
After you created the desktop shortcut, go to the desktop and click the right mousebutton to call the "Properties" menu.
After the "Target", 2 additional parameters must be added:
/dedicated_cfg=dedicated_cfg.txt and /game_settings=MatchSettings/MyServerList.txt
Depending on where your own files are, the complete target would look like this:
C:\TMF\TrackmaniaServer.exe /dedicated_cfg=dedicated_cfg.txt /game_settings=MatchSettings/MyServerList.txt
There must be a blank space between the program's pathname and each of the 2 parameters.
Finished
Click on the server's desktop shortcut and the server starts running.
If you did anything wrong, then the window content will show you the kind of error which occured. If that happens, you'll most likely have made a mistake when copying the files to the right folders.
If you made everything correctly, the server starts running and people can start joining it in the game :-)
