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Server Set up
Running a server for this gamemode requires a bit of prior set-up.
BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE, copy the contents of content/data/ in the gamemode folder into the server's garrysmod/data/ folder! This is NECESSARY as Garry's Mod does not allow data/ path files in the addon itself. You must unpack the .gma of the addon, or obtain the data files from this repository. Otherwise objectives will not be spawned!
To play the other two gamemodes, those being the Transmission and Collection modes, the game must know where to place potential objectives. The sigil profiling system from zombie survival has been modified to serve this use case. The gamemode is distributed with a set of premade lists of potential objective spots for a few maps, determined through playtesting. This includes almost all de_ and cs_ maps from cs:s, which should already be mounted by all players.
When adding new maps to play this gamemode, it is important to add the new positions of potential objectives via the sigil placer tool (weapon_zs_sigilplacer) and also add the map's name as a single string excluding the .bsp file extension into the whitelist located in the files, specifically in sh_options. Additionally, for gameplay in a given map to function as intended, specific criteria must be met regarding it:
- The map must have two separate teams' spawns. this can be denoted with terrorist/counterterrorist spawnpoints from CS, zombie/human spawnpoints from ZS, or the survivor/bandit spawnpoint entities supplied with the mod's fgd. Some maps have a single team spawning in multiple smaller clusters; avoid this, as the methodology used to keep players constrained to their bases during wave intermissions may cause them to switch between them. This can be disorienting at best and allow exploitation at worst.
- These two groups of spawnpoints must not have a line of sight to each other. CS maps are usually the go-to example for this. Players should not be able to spawnkill the other team, especially in Deathmatch mode, and even for the other modes both teams being able to see each other from the spawn zones is distracting.
- Objectives(sigils) should be placed roughly at the midpoint between different teams. BOMBSITES AND HOSTAGE LOCATIONS DO NOT WORK. Counter-Strike maps are intentionally designed to bias them towards specific teams and blindly placing them there gives unfair advantages. Better examples would be king of the hill capture points in TF2, even though they only have one in the map and some creativity is required.
Most Counter-Strike and TF2 ported maps can be used with minor sigil placement adjustments. Many ZS and ZM maps do not work as these usually have zombies spawning out in the open while humans are given ample shelter to defend, but there have been maps that can fit this criteria.
Another option for playing a given map - given that it originally did not meet the criteria - is to use map scripts. Map scripts, located in the gamemode/maps directory, These can be used to modify the map when first loaded by the gamemode, and allows you to do such things as delete all spawns and recreate them at more suitable positions, add props or other entities to block or aid movement through certain paths, or activate map logic inputs. Look through the supplied files for a few examples.
Whether you play with the default amount of 3 objectives, or use more, having the objectives' placement be different each round is part of the intended gameplay of bandit warfare. Try to have at least double the amount of potential objective spawn points compared to the amount of objectives your server intends to have.
Some ConVars are available for server configuration.
This ConVar is serverside only, and sets the "Round Gamemode" for the current round. This is a choice between:
0 = Transmission (Capture transmitters and hold them),
1 = Collection (Kill enemies and collect their bio samples to deposit them),
2 = Deathmatch (Eliminate all enemies first).
Keep in mind that this ConVar will be automatically changed by the end of each map by the gamemode, if certain criteria apply. See the ConVar below for further info.
This ConVar is serverside only.
By default, at the end of each round, the game attempts to change the round gamemode. This happens if there are enough people in the server at the time of the round ending and the map is deemed "good enough" for the other modes to work, defined in the Map Whitelist in the code.
This ConVar makes it so that you can decide if the round gamemode can be automatically changed. Keep in mind that this is still based on the criteria mentioned beforehand, but the game will, if possible, avoid choosing the same round gamemode twice.
As ZS:BW is a direct offshoot of the hit gamemode Zombie Survival, some initial terminology remains. The concept of "Waves" is one of them. A "Wave" in ZS:BW is a short "skirmish" taking place inside the larger rounds. Think CS:GO where each larger "game" is played to up to 30 smaller skirmish rounds.
This ConVar simply states the number of waves that take place each game. I suggest an odd number to reduce the possibility of ties, but any number is good (the gamemode has built in tiebreakers, so no worries!)
This ConVar simply defines how many times the game will reset and play the same map. -1 means do not automatically switch maps, and 0 means always switch maps after the round ends.