June 25, 2009 20:15 (GMT-7) Update: Version 2.0.05 is available, click the link below to download.

http://www.azchatfield.net/farcry2/serverlauncher/

I've been hesitant to let this go public, but after seeing the recent drop off of available servers, I'm hoping this might give server admins a "new toy" to play with.

This is my 2nd generation of a FC2 Server Launcher Extender. I call it an extender because it simply "extends" the functionality of the FC2 Server Launcher. Essentially the way it works is hooks into the FC2 Server Launcher process using the Windows handle to interogate the main form and find specific child controls (e.g. the Console). Then it reads console messages and performs automated actions.

Here is the website where you can download it:
http://www.azchatfield.net/farcry2/serverlauncher/

My plan is tomorrow after work to finish the "documentation" and get it uploaded to this link. The UI is reasonably straight forward, but there are context menus (right click) on the Player's Grid and Status Icon.

Current features are:
- Optional Auto-Banning for Team Killing (configurable threshold)
- Optional Auto-Banning for using foul language.
- Ban lengths configurable based on number of times banned.
- Configurable warning and ban messages.
- Banned players can be edited/deleted (unbanned)
- "Regular" players configuration with configurable per player ability to send commands to the server via the in-game Chat. (Warn, Kick, Ban, End/Extend/Restart match, Skip Map and Shuffle teams: each one can be assigned to individual players)
- Automated messages (Welcome player when they join the match, send messages about your website, whatever)
- Automatic restarting of server when disconnected from Ubi's servers. (Looks for "Anonymous disconnected" and then uses a configurable wait time before attempting a restart)
- Stats file generation (output total kills/deaths/suicides/team kills by player after each round). I have another service which uploads these files to my webserver for stats tracking/reporting.
- Player grid which (when the filter is turned off) shows not only who is currently connected but also who was connected and their stats.
- Status Icon, quick look visible indication of the status of the server.
- Game clock, no more guessing how long before the match is over. (Game clock just counts up, I assume you know how long each match is set for)
- Context menu (right click) on the status icon allows you to choose to stop server when either at zero players or at the end of the match.

That's it for now. I'm planning on adding additional map rotations so that servers can move beyond the 15 map limit... but I'll have to figure out how to "read" the map files to get their internal name and available game modes. Probably not a huge deal, but I haven't even opened one in a hex editor yet to see if this info is store unencrypted in the file.

BTW, Ubi... this would have been alot easier if there'd been some sort of SDK.. I thought about just inheriting from the MainForm in the FarCry2ServerLauncher.exe and extending it that way, but I was running into issues because of not knowing what to pass in on the constructor of the form. I never did try reverse engineering... hmmm.

If necessary, I can make the source code available, it's written in C# using .Net 3.5.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MChat,

Wow... Great job mate !!!!
I will try it out as soon as possible. Maybe we can finally get some control of our server.
What about PB ? Doesnt make it any troubles to run this ?
Keep up your great work on it

This looks promising. keep up the good work!

Mchat, you are a scholar and a gentleman. This looks like it will make life easier for admins. I don't run a server, because I can't manage to admin "correctly" and play (and I do want to play).

Ubi, throw us a friggin' bone.

Wow, this is great work...Just imagine if this guy get his hand on the SDK.

Looks very promising.




Does this help with the server crashes in Vista?

quote:

Originally posted by Pacient.cz:
What about PB ? Doesnt make it any troubles to run this ?

Not sure. In theory it shouldn't have any issues (see below), but I don't run PB on my server since I wouldn't be able to connect to it since my main computer is running Vista 64 which PB doesn't seem to play nice with.

quote:

Originally posted by Retnil:
Does this help with the server crashes in Vista?

Nope. This doesn't change Ubi's code what-so-ever, so if the server launcher crashes on your machine, then it will continue to do so. Are you able to start the in-game server and run that successfully? If so then you may want to ensure that you have the latest service packs and such for the .Net framework. Near as I can tell, the FC2ServerLauncher.exe is written using .Net, but the underlying libraries (where the server logic actually is) probably is not. Just a though.

Speaking of the .Net Framework, the Extender is written to use .Net 3.5 (w/ SP1, although it may run fine w/o SP1).

Just to clear up any concerns questions:
The Extender launches the FC2ServerLauncher in a new process, then having a handle to that process it get's the MainWindowHandle. From there it uses that windows handle to find the handles to the child controls looking for a few specific controls (Console textbox, Console Command textbox, Console Command button, Start Button and Stop Button). Then it waits until the Start Button's click event has fired. After that it starts reading the console textbox looking for certain messages and responds by sending commands through the Console Command Textbox and button. Basically, the way it works is it simply interacts with the FC2ServerLauncher's window as if it were a normal user. To click a button it sends the windows message WM_CLICK to that button which is the same message as if the user had clicked it.


BTW, I forgot to mention what the "Admin" server commands are:

These work at any time:
SRV_WARN [PlayerName] - warns a player of misconduct, this also increments the "Warn Counter" when the warn counter hits the threshold, the player is auto-banned.
SRV_KICK [PlayerName] - kicks the player without a warning, does not increment warn counter, does not add player to banned player's list.
SRV_BAN [PlayerName] - adds player to the banned player list (ban expiration depends on number of times player has been banned and the ban length configuration) and then kicks them.

These work while in match:
SRV_END - Ends the Match
SRV_EXTEND - Extends the Match
SRV_RESTART - sends net_RestartMatch which should restart the match, but usually just ends the match. Clicking the button in the FC2ServerLauncher does the same thing, ends instead of restarts. But I put this in there in hopes that it might get fixed someday.

These work in the Lobby:
SRV_SHUFFLE - Shuffles the teams
SRV_SKIP - Skips the map

quote:

Originally posted by MChat:
BTW, I forgot to mention what the "Admin" server commands are:

Great, I just came back to asko you for that, so thx a lot. Much appreciated
It seems like it works pretty fine so maybe developers would feel a bit ashamed for what someone from community can make to give server admins at least smth.

Also, the log specified in the diagnostics section of the config file is a "debug" log. If you run into problems with the extender (errors, bugs, etc) PM me here and I will give my e-mail address so you can send the log file to me (will help also to have the corresponding FC2ServerLauncher log.)

If you've been running for awhile and don't want the log file, you can set the TraceLevel to "Error". This will prevent the log file from being written to except in cases where an unexpected exception is caught.

The documentation has been completed.
http://www.azchatfield.net/farcry2/serverlauncher/

Just to clear up the "Admin" functions.

Don't hit ~ and type the command (the server doesn't recieve commands from local instances), but rather hit T and type the command as if you were talking to another player.

Sorry for the confusion. I'd like to make it work via the console, but I can only work with what you see in the FC2ServerLauncher console; which means I have to work with in game Chat.

quote:

Originally posted by MChat:
Don't hit ~ and type the command (the server doesn't recieve commands from local instances), but rather hit T and type the command as if you were talking to another player.

Lol I was typing all those commands in the console and wonder why it doesnt work... So now its clear and I going to try it out latter today.
Thx a lot for nice documentation as well

My website was down for the last couple of days, but it is back up now.

Also there is a new version (1.0.11) with a few minor changes:
- Added ability to Warn/Kick/Ban player by right clicking on players grid (select the player you want to ban/kick/warn first.)
- Added Matches Played to players grid.
- Warnings/Total Warnings reset after a player is banned.
- Update previous Ban's "Remove On" date to match new Ban. This will keep abusive players in the Ban history longer.

Download the latest at:
http://www.azchatfield.net/farcry2/serverlauncher/

Good job, Mchat! Tnx! All worked fine.

Thanks MChat for this nice tool !
We was waiting it for long time.

You could add in documentation than far cry 2 need to be instal in english for Far Cry 2 Server Launcher Extender works.

The message "Entering lobby" don't stay in english when you chose an other instalation language (at least for french). So MchatFC2 can't detect than server is launch.

In english all work well

All the FcClan say thank you
http://fcclan.free.fr

quote:

All the FcClan say thank you

Yes
MChat thanks a lot that you still work on it. Great job. I think UBI should send you at least 1000 € or 2000 $

New version (1.0.12) now available:
http://www.azchatfield.net/farcry2/serverlauncher/

Version 1.0.12 changes:
- Right click now also selects the player. This will make it easier to use the Warn/Ban/Kick context menu.
- Added a message to inform all players when and why someone was auto-banned.
- Fixed server name issue for servers with an equal sign (=) in their name.


Also, I added a message on my page about needing the English install. It would be fairly simple for me to add globalization into the app, but I would need someone else to "translate" the language specific resource file(s).

One last thing: I want to make it clear that I don't work for, have never worked for and am not affiliated with Ubisoft or the Far Cry 2 development teams. I did this on my own time, with my own resources. The only reason I mention this, is that another forum, which was talking about this extender, described me as an Ubi developer. And I don't want anyone to be under the impression that this is some sort of official (or even unofficial) offering from Ubisoft.

Having said all of that, if Ubisoft or the Far Cry 2 development team is interested in the source code, I am willing to provide it. IMO, it would be an easy task to integrate into the Far Cry 2 Server Launcher.

Lol, its clear that you dont work for UBI. What is not clear at all is, that so far no one of them come to this thread to say "thank you" or so one, that you try help community to manage their servers ....

Great job! Thanks for doing what UBI is incapable of doing themselves.

But I am sure someone at UBI is going to steal this and release it as their own in some form. Just like they did with the R6 Vegas dedicated server that a community member made. Also the cracked *.exe they released as their own for digital distribution customers of Vegas 2.

quote:

Originally posted by athenian:
Great job! Thanks for doing what UBI is incapable of doing themselves.

But I am sure someone at UBI is going to steal this and release it as their own in some form. Just like they did with the R6 Vegas dedicated server that a community member made. Also the cracked *.exe they released as their own for digital distribution customers of Vegas 2.

They don't need to steal it, anything posted on the Ubisoft forums is automatically theirs anyway, check out the ToU.
And it's not just Ubi, read the Terms on other Publishers sites, and you'll find a similar clause.