How To: Make a Zone! (Old Version)©
by Mine GO BOOM
Server Help©
http://www.shanky.com/server/



Step One:

Get the files placed onto your hard drive. Get it by either copying for your CD, or downloading from my download site.


Step Two:

Open up your folder where your server files are at. Open up your server.ini. Go to [Misc] section. If you are have a jackpot (flagging zone type), you can change the JackpotBroadcastPoint to what ever points level you want. When every the jackpot gets to/higher than that level, it will display so. Also, change the DefaultLevelFile to the map you are going to use. You can leave this as it is. Also, if you are going to have more than one zone up, change the Port number. No, go to the section [Password]. Change all the passwords there to what ever you want. Next, [Billing]. If you going to run the zone off your own computer, do not change the IP. Do change the password to what ever you want, but remember to change the password in the subbill.ini to the same as in here. Change the ServerName to what you want your zone's name to be. The port number here should be changed to the same as the one in the subbill.ini. The ServerId, and ScoreId should be the same as the Port number in the section [Misc]. You do not have to change those if you are not going to have more than one zone. Next, [Advertise]. Read the FAQ for more info. Last, section [Directory]. DO NOT CHANGE THE IP!!!! Do change the Description to what you want when people look at the zone's short description. Do not make it too long. Change the NamePassword to waht ever you want. Leave everything else in the server.ini unless you are fixing a bug or such, but leave it untill later. Close this file.


Step Three:

Open up the subbill.ini. Make sure that AllowNewUsers is 1. The SysopPassword can be anything you want, but it is not too great. Only good if you are on the VIE billing (i know all their secrets :P Like their subbill.exe has all the cool stuff like the new "shark" command, which i do know what it is). The BillingPassword should be the same as in the server.ini section [Billing]. The Port should be the same as in the server.ini section [Billing]. That is all you need to to in there.


Step Four:

Now you have gotten the bases for a zone up. To see if you did it correctly, open up both your subgame.exe and subbill.exe. If they say "Billing server connected" or "Server Connected", then you did it right. Otherwixe, re-do these steps above. If you re-do these steps above, and it doesn't work, ask for help vie the Questions: Email or Board. If it does connect, close the subgame one which should have changed it's name to your zones name by hitting SHIFT+F12. It will close by itself. Then do that same with the Subbill once teh subgame one closed itself down. Now you have gotten the easy part done, unless you are going to use VIE's self-made items. And remember, you can ask for help or look through the FAQ for answers if you get stuck anywhere.


Step Five:

To select a good map, or make one, get an idea for what you want. If you are going to make a map, go to the VIE Downloads or my Downloads and get one of the map editors. If you are going to use a made already made, look for one in your subspace folder, there should be a bunch. Or go to MMG and get one from there. If you are going to make your own map, remember to check out Map Making Guide. And remember to change in the server.ini section [Misc], DefaultLevelFile to whatever the map name is. And also, if you have the CD, you can get the VIE maps and server.cfg for there VIE zones in the folder Server then the zone name. And remember to watch out for the map size, byte wise and playable size. If you are going to do what Godzilla did in his Hockey Zone, you don't need to make anything special in the map, but if you are going to make a zone with warzone flags, like A Small Warzone, then you got trouble. If you are going to do this, read the FAQ for more info or email me. Now on to the hardest part.


Step Six:

The fastest and best way to get a good CFG is to get one. You can ask others for CFG's they might have and that are good, or just use the one on the CD. If you are going to make your own CFG, just remember to use the template.sss to help with what settings do and what is there ranges are. Just remember, if you want to have the ?status to be able to work, the ships's settings for Recharge, Speed, etc.,'s Initial can not be it's Maximum, or it will kick the player who typed ?status. I will soon after i get my FAQ done, be working on a How To: Make a Good CFG. If anyone wants to do this for me, they will receive full credit for there work. They do not have to place it in html format, just break it down into steps or something like that. If you are would like to do this, email me at murphyj@cvn.net. If you would want to help with anything else, just say so, it doesn't matter. I need all the help i can get, which is just me right now. :(


Step Seven:

To open up your zone, open up the subbill.exe and the subgame.exe files. If your settings in your server.ini and subbill.ini are correct, the Subgame window will change it's name to your zones name, and it should say Billing Server connected, while the subbill one will say that your zone's name is connected. If not, re-do step Two and Three. If it does do that, good. Open up SubSpace. Go to Find Servers. Look for your zone on their list. It may not appear if you just did this really quick. Should wait for about 30 seconds before finding your zone on their list. Add your zone to your list. Before entering your zone, go to your password, and add a * then your sysop password. Enter your zone. If you receive any errors, go to my FAQ site or my Question: Board or Email site(s). Use ESC+C or ?getsettings to edit your settings in your zone. For more info, visit my so-to come How To: Make a Good CFG. For commands to use in the zone for Sysops, Smods, and Mods, go to my commands page. And remember, watch out who you give powers to. Some know hot to use them, some don't, while some use to abuse your zone. And, NEVER, not ever, give sysop powers to anyone whom you do not know, or who haven't helped your zone out too much. Let them start out with Mod and work their way up, or even Smod if they have played your zone alot and have helped may times. But don't give them SysOp off the start, unless of couse they are hosting the zone. :)


Step Eight:

This is easy. If you would like to keep your zones stats and scores and names, open up your Subgame (with the name changed to your zone's name) and hit SHIFT+F12. It should say Shuting down, or something like that. It will auto-close itself. Once it does, go to your Subill, and hit SHIFT+F12, and it too should say something about shuting down. It too will auto-close. You have just saved your zone's score and stats, while shuting it down.


Step Nine:

To use the Scoreman, open it up, and for each of the three programs opened up, open up in them the .dat file that that part uses. IE: User database would need the user.dat file opened up in it. The ID in the user.dat is important. It is the userid that is displayed when they type in ?userid and for keeping their score. To edit a players info in the user database, click their name, and go to Edit, then Edit. Do what you need to do, and hit Update, or it will not save. Then hit ok. That is how you do that. But while in the Edit user information, you can change what squad they are in (just change the Squad ID to the squad id that you want him to be in), their password (which you should touch, unless they lost their password), and their Alias (if they miss spelled there name, and want to keep their score). In the Squad database, you can edit players squad's Name (if miss spelled), password (if lost), and Creator ID (this is the player's userid number that made the zone, change only if players wish to have a new leader). In the Score database, you can find players scores by looking for their User ID and the zone's Score ID (if you have more than one zone using the same subbill). In the Edit, you can change players Wins, Losses, Flags (how many flag victorys, only useful if wanting to know how wins the most flag games), Points (this effects avg kill, and is not the full points), and Flag points (points from flags, doesn't effect avg kill, adds to points for total points). The other things you can do in there are not to usefull. Remember to save each file in all three programs so they will work.


Step Ten:

This is what is sometimes that hardest thing to do. You can pay for a host from maybe Squad Room where you will have to pay, or from a server at subspace.net where you zone maybe only temporary up. Only go for the paying way if you have looked at subspace.net or other free ways. If you wish to have your site listed here, email me at murphyj@cvn.net.



Thanx for reading this, and if you find any errors with it, or you had an error, email me at murphyj@cvn.net or go to my site and go to the Questions: Email or Board. My site's address is:
http://www.shanky.com/server/

Thanx,
-Mine