I have already written a guide for playing Left4Dead on Virtual network adapters. This time I will guide you to make a Left4Dead non-steam dedicated server, which can be visible in game server browsers like hlsw and xfire and non-steam clients will be able to connect it directly. Lets get started with this guide.
Step 1:Download (Installation) Server Files From Steam
First of all you need to download server files from steam. There are multiple ways to do so but the most simple way to do is through Left4Dead server creator,which will download files to your drive automatically without creating any batch file or using hldsupdate tool from steam.
Just download the client and select the folder you want to install your server files.Rename it accordingly (by default it will be l4d and I recommend using the same name).This will take some time and it should download data around 2.69 gb but it can vary. So wait till the black windows is closed which is an indication that all the files from steam has been downloaded.
Note: Your Internet connection or firewall may consider it as harmful and give you the security alerts etc.There is no need to worry about as this client is 100% virus free and has been tested by myself. The alerts might result because this client runs download command on your system. So,turn off your anti-virus in order to proceed.
Step 2:Crack Your Server to Non Steam
Once your server has been downloaded successfully, you need to crack it so that other non-steam clients can join the game. For that, download the latest Left4dead non steam server fix and paste all the files in your l4d server directory. This will crack your server. There are other methods too but this is simplest one.
Caution:Before making any changes to your server files, make a backup of all files so that you don’t have to download them again if anything goes wrong.
Step 3:Configuration Of the Server
After your server is cracked, you will need a config file for the server. Here is Left4dead server cfg I have used for my server. Place this server.cfg in your l4d directory (server directory).
In my case it was E:\l4d\left4dead\cfg
Now go to your installed l4d server directory and create a shortcut on desktop of scrds.exe file present in the root directory. Now on desktop, right-click this file and click properties. Now put the following command line in the target column:
-console -game left4dead +hostip YOUR.WAN.IP.ADDY -ip YOUR.LAN.IP.ADDY +hostport 27016 +clientport 27006 -nohltv +exec server.cfg +map l4d_hospital05_rooftop
Note:Make sure there is a space between scrds.exe and the command line.
LAN IP is your local IP if you are behind a router and WAN ip(which can either be static or variable) is your external IP. It’s your WAN IP that will be used as a server IP.
You can change map name and difficulty according to your desire by changing the respective values. Apply the settings and your server is good to go. Double click the scrds file and a dos window will pop up and it will load your server.
Step 4:How To Connect
After you have done everything mentioned above, non-steam clients can connect to your server. You need to give them your WAN ip with port mentioned in the command line i.e 27016. Now when they add this ip to their server browser software, it must be visible in the server list. They can also connect to the server via console by typing connect “Your.Wan.ip” in console.
That’s it for the simple tutorial for setting up non-steam dedicated server of left4dead. Now we shall discuss some of the problems that you might face while setting up your server.
Most Frequent Problems and Their Solution:
Q: When I try to connect through my own server I get an error “Failed to connect after 10 tries”?
A:This means that your game has not been patched for connecting non-steam servers. You need to download the non-steam patch
(I recommend the latest 1014, which also adds the option of server browser in your game through which you can browse both steam and non steam servers).
Left4dead Non Steam Patch 1014 Download
Q: My server does not show up at HLSW or any other game browser?
A: Your ports might not be open. If this is the case try port forwarding 27016 port which probably will solve your problem.
Q: What should be the game version to enter the server?
A: Your game version should be the same as of server. In order to check the version of your game pr server type “Version” in console, this will tell your game or server version.
Q: How to update your server?
A: If you have download your server files after reading this guide than your server will contain the latest version that is 1014 default by steam and you don’t need to update it. But if your server is old one e.g having 1013 version than you will need hldsupdate tool by steam to update your server. Add the following command line in a batch file to update your server:hldsupdatetool.exe -command update -game l4d_full -dir .pause
Place this batch file in your server directory and run this file to start update.Put the path of you l4d directory after dir in the above command.
If you are facing any problems or have any suggestions regarding this setup,don’t hesitate to post in comments.I will try my level best to solve any issues you are facing.
