L4d server questions

[tynin]

I have a few questions, that I don't think are linux specific. But if so, let me know and I'll re-ask in the other forum.

I'm running l4d server from the command line. How can I:

1) get the server to quit? Typing quit or exit tells me that it will cause the server to restart in 10 seconds. I've just been telling it quit and then Ctrl + C'ing but I'd like to know how to do a graceful shutdown.

2) get the server to allow the people to join it to join it in a lobby mode? Normally if I don't specify a map, when people join it just forces everyone to automatically start in map l4d_hospital01_apartment with no choice of what person they want to play or the difficulty level.

3) set the difficulty level? I've read that z_difficulty is the command. However I cannot figure out for the life of me how to get it to work. I've put it in the server.cfg, I've tried using it as a start parameter. I also read that diff's are named Easy, Normal, Hard, Impossible, but no matter what I try, when I start it up it always says:
#Game.dll loaded for "L4D - Normal"

4) change maps without kicking everyone out of the server? From the server cli, I've been using map <map_name> but that boots everyone out while it loads. Anyway to at least kick people to the lobby or at least hold onto them while the map changes? The game seems to be able to do it just fine in between safe rooms so I'm sure it is possible.

Thanks in advance!

[helio]

For shutdown try sv_shutdown it will shutdown after the current game ends.

I have my difficulty is set to impossible and it still says the normal game.dll is loaded but it is still is set to impossible

Did you try changelevel

[tynin]

helixo Wrote:For shutdown try sv_shutdown it will shutdown after the current game ends.

I have my difficulty is set to impossible and it still says the normal game.dll is loaded but it is still is set to impossible

Did you try changelevel

Thanks, I didn't know of the sv_shutdown, or changelevel command (i'm a dedicated server newbie). And also glad to hear z_difficulty Impossible is the command I'm looking for. Seeing it call the game Normal made me think it in normal difficulty.

[tynin]

Anyone know about:
2) get the server to allow the people to join it to join it in a lobby mode? Normally if I don't specify a map, when people join it just forces everyone to automatically start in map l4d_hospital01_apartment with no choice of what person they want to play or the difficulty level.

This is important, because if I host a server and start the map. If people cannot all join at the same time via the lobby, and just connect in one at a time, only the first person that connects gets the achievement for beating the map (as the achievement is about beating it, alive, start to finish). This may not sound that important, but my crew has been working their respective behinds off to beat one of the campaigns on expert. If we were using my server, and only one of them got the achievement we all worked for, they might lynch me... to me it is minor, but for some...

Any idea how to force the server to start in a lobby mode or is this a Valve issue at this point?

I must admit I think it is kind of dumb that they based it off of the first to connect. Should have made it based off a starting area, as long as you don't leave it, you can wait for others to join (or even a starting timer)... but whatever.