Alan, When you start the server you have to specify a map using the +map <mapname> switch in the command line. This map is totally unrelated to whatever you have in your mapcycle files. For as long as I've been running an HLDM server (since 2002) it has always worked this way.
When that first startup map is done, the next map loaded will be the first map in your current mapcycle file. If you have sequences of maps that you want to run, put them all in your mapcycle and run something else as the server startup map. If you are using the server GUI (IE: not using -console) when the server startup map is running, the nextmap shown in the GUI MAIN tab will incorrectly show the next map in the Map Cycle (the display is incorrect not the mapcycle). This can also happen if you have the same map name listed more then once in the mapcycle. The GUI apparently always searches up from the bottom of the current mapcycle to find the current map and then displays what is next. The same thing can also happen if you manually changelevel to another map, whatever you run is not part of the actual mapcycle, whatever is next in the mapcycle before you did the changelevel will still be next. There may be some sort of plugin that can change the mapcycle behavior but I don't think anything will change the startup token map. In summary: 1. when you start the server it will run a token startup map that is not in any mapcycle. 2. when the token startup map concludes the server will then load the first map listed in the default mapcycle.txt file 3. performing manual changelevels in the middle of a mapcycle will not change the mapcycle If you have a large group of maps you are working with, it's usually best to break them up into smaller mapcycles and then change mapcycles using the server's mapcyclefile command (but they will still always run from the first to the last and then automatically wrap to the top). mapcyclefile <mapcyclename.txt> Executing the mapcyclefile command will not automatically start the new mapcycle, whatever map is running must end first. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan Reiley" To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 1:25 PM Subject: [hlds] HLDS and Map Rotation Issues
Hi All. I am encountering a weird issue with the HLDS, Steam version, involving map rotation. What is happening is this: when I start the server (running Sven Coop and AdminMod), I many times will select a map that is in a series of 5-6 maps, like "gitfest" or "dogs" (ie, dogs1, dogs2, dogs3, etc.) to start with. This is rarely going to be the map that is listed FIRST in my mapcycle.txt file. In the past, when the map "dogs1" ends, the server would go right into "dogs2" without any problems. I assume that is because this is how it was listed in my mapcycle.txt file? Well, now at the end of "dogs1", the next map that the server loads is the map that is listed at the TOP of the mapcycle.txt file (the very first map listed, called 2bases) instead of the next map (ie, "dogs2") that is the next in the SERIES. After that, it will continually progress correctly thru the mapcycle.txt file (ie, "2bases", "aaprotazoaire", etc...) I have a huge list of maps that I am trying to go thru, one map at a time, and this is why I start at a different point when launching the server each time, instead of at the very beginning of the mapcycle.txt. What is causing this? Anyone have any ideas? Is it because I am using the Steam version this time around? I am still testing this, but sometimes I go to the server's console and do a 'changelevel' command to jump to the next map in the list, when I encounter a map I don't care to play. I am not certain if I am running into this problem when I do a changelevel only or not... I am still testing this out, but I wouldn't think that a forced map change on the server, using either a 'changelevel' or 'mp_timelimit 1' would really make a difference in how the server would prgress thru the maps. But I could be wrong. ;) Again, these map changes are being executed on the server and not thru the client. Thanks for any assistance/advice you can give. Take care, Alan
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