These are the options on the Settings, Game Settings page of a PlayNHost Left 4 Dead 2 server, taken from the panel's own definitions. Rows marked read only are set by your plan or the server and cannot be changed.
All settings
| Setting | What it does | Allowed | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default Map | Default map used when starting the server. | up to 40 characters, no spaces, double quotes, backslashes, asterisks or question marks | c1m1_hotel |
| Auto Update | Auto update the server on startup. | on or off | on |
| Server name | The name players see in the server browser. Written into left4dead2/cfg/server.cfg when the server starts, so it takes effect on the next start or the next map change. Letters, numbers, spaces and basic punctuation only. | letters, numbers and spaces and these symbols: _ . , : ! ? ' ( ) [ ] # @ + - | A PlaynHost Left 4 Dead 2 Server |
| Join password | Players must enter this to connect. Leave it empty to run a public server. Letters, numbers, spaces and basic punctuation only. | letters, numbers and spaces and these symbols: _ . , : ! ? ' ( ) [ ] # @ + - | empty |
| Game mode | Which mode the campaign runs in: coop, versus, survival, scavenge, realism or realism_versus. This also sets the mode the server advertises, so it is the mode players see when they browse. | one of: coop, versus, survival, scavenge, realism, realism_versus | coop |
| Difficulty | Easy, Normal, Advanced or Expert. Expert is the one where friendly fire alone will end a campaign. | one of: Easy, Normal, Advanced, Expert | Normal |
| Lobby connections only | The game ships this on, and on a rented server it is the usual reason nobody can get in: it refuses everyone who did not arrive through a Steam lobby, which includes anyone typing your address into the console. Leave it off unless you specifically want a lobby-only server. | on or off | off |
| Install SourceMod | Adds SourceMod and Metamod:Source, the standard toolkit for admin commands and community plugins. Turn it on and reinstall the server to install them; your plugins then live in left4dead2/addons/sourcemod. Note: reinstalling later can reset plugin configs, so back them up first. | on or off | off |
| RCON password | Lets an RCON client (and the panel's own remote console tooling) run admin commands against the server. Written into left4dead2/cfg/server.cfg when the server starts, so it takes effect on the next start. Leave it empty to leave RCON disabled (Source refuses non-loopback RCON with an empty rcon_password). Letters, numbers, underscores and dashes only. | 1 to 30 characters, letters, numbers, dashes and underscores | empty |
| Game ID (read only) | The ID corresponding to the game to download and run using SRCDS. | set by your plan or the server | 222860 |
| Max Players (read only) | Specifies the maximum amount of players that are able to join the server. Follows your plan and is not the whole story: Left 4 Dead 2's campaigns are built for four survivors, and a stock dedicated server never lets more than 4 humans and bots into a coop, survival or scavenge game no matter how high this is set. | set by your plan or the server | set by your plan |
Good to know
- Server name, Join password, Game mode, Difficulty, Lobby connections only and RCON password are written into the server's config file when the server starts, so restart the server after changing them. A new server name also shows on the next map change. Install SourceMod only takes effect after the server is reinstalled by support.
- The panel saves a value when you leave its field. If the value is not allowed, the panel tells you and keeps the old one.
- Passwords and tokens are not listed with a value. Each server starts with one set for you, or with none, as the row says. Set a password before you invite players if you want a private server.
- To open the page, follow How to set up your Left 4 Dead 2 server or How to change your server settings.
