Halo 2 Project Cartographer Dedicated Server Setup Guide
This method is automated using a tool that will simplify the installation process for Dedicated Servers.
By default you may create 2 servers using this tool however more may be requested using the webform present on the page listed in Step 1.
You will need to ensure you have the ability to port forward on your network. More info on this will be listed below.
- Step 1: Go to https://halo2pc.com/ServerSetup/H2DT
- Step 2: Download the H2 Dedi Tool installer from the page and run it, this should create a Desktop shortcut to the tool.
- Step 3: Run the H2DediTool.exe and select Download / Install H2 Server Pack in the Dedi Server Config tab.
- Step 4: Once the installation of the H2 Server Pack is comeplete switch to the Halo 2 Server Hosting tab and select Setup Service.
- Step 5: Fill out the fields below (You will need to make a seperate account for each server in-game) and select Start Service.
Example: If Base Port is set to 50000, you must forward 50000 through 50010 UDP on your router.
For port forwarding help visit: https://portforward.com/
You may repeat these steps for each Server you create using this method by changing the Lobby number in the Halo 2 Server Hosting tab.
Playlists
Playlists files are the Server's game variants that it plays. By default when using the Halo 2 Dedicated Server Pack, some pre-made playlists are included in the playlist folder, however you may wish to create your own. There are several ways to create or modify a playlist (.hpl) file, these methods will be covered below.
Please note that you can always reference the README.rtf file that is located in the root of the Halo 2 Dedicated Server folder for creating and setting playlist files.
Manually creating or editing a playlist file:
For creating a brand new playlist file: (Not recommended)
- It's recommended to use an existing .hpl Playlist file and modifying as this is easier however, one can be created from scratch. Open a text editor such as Notepad or a more advanced program such Notepad++ (recommended) and edit the properties of the file to match the variant settings you want according to the README.rtf file located in the root of the Halo 2 Dedicated Server folder. Once you have the settings you want, name and save the file as a .hpl file (Example: TeamSlayerBRs.hpl). Once saved, ensure that the file is in the Server's Playlist folder.
For editing existing playlist files:- Open the playlist (.hpl) file using any text editor such as Notepad or a more advanced program such Notepad++ (recommended) by right clicking the .hpl file and selecting 'Open with' in the context menu. You may then add, remove, or change and setting you wish within the file.
Creating a playlist file using the Editor:
You can use the H2 Playlist editor to create a playlist. This playlist editor is included in the Server Pack when setting up a Server either with the H2 Dedi Tool (located at C:\H2DT\H2 Playlist Editor v1.28) or when downloading the Halo 2 Dedicated Server Pack manually from the Google Drive in the Manual Setup Guide spoiler (below).
When using the Playlist Editor make sure you select File > Preferences and change the location for the editor's Project files (*.xml) and Playlist files (*.hpl) to a location of your choosing.
As you can see in the image below, the variant name is 'Variant 1' by default. To change the name of the variant, right click and rename it.
To add more variants, click the Edit tab and select Add Variant.
Once you have finished customizing your playlist, you can then select the Project tab then click Compile Playlist, followed by clicking Build Playlist.
This will generate your (.hpl) playlist file in the location that you set within the Preferences. From there you can copy the playlist file into your server's Playlist folder.
Setting the playlist on the Server:
Setting the (.hpl) playlist on a server will depend on the setup method you used when creating your Dedicated Server.
- For the H2 Dedi Tool, you will simply set the playlist file in the Halo 2 Server Hosting tab.
- For manual Server setup, you will need to set the playlist location in the Server's h2serverconfig.ini file before starting the server. This is explained in the Manul Server setup guide spoiler below.
Manual Server Setup Guide
This is for manually installing Halo 2 Dedicated Servers. This method will use no external tools to install server instances and you can create as many as you wish.
- First download the Halo 2 Dedicated Server Pack here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Ua-qYhRavNU-EXuXxPXZIR44eL1TRED/view
- Extract the Halo 2 Dedicated Server folder to a location of your choosing (Preferably the root of your C: Drive)- Run the dxwebsetup.exe and install it
- Download the latest Project Cartographer files, then extract and place them in the Halo 2 Dedicated Server folder
Download: http://www.h2maps.net/Cartographer/Installer/manual_update/cartographer_manual_update.zip
- Make a Project Cartographer account in game, activate it, then open h2serverconfig1.ini located in the server folder with notepad
- In the server config file, enter the account login information in the login fields.
Example: login_identifier = *ACCOUNT NAME* and login_password = *PASSWORD*
- Make sure the base_port = is set to an already forwarded port range (base port +10.). Example: 1000-1010 UDP.
For port forwarding help visit: https://portforward.com/
- Set the playlist = to a custom or pre-made hpl playlist file. Example: C:\Halo 2 Dedicated Server\Playlists\Team_slayer.hpl
- Click file, then save the h2serverconfig1.ini file
- Hold shift and right click in the Halo 2 Dedicated Server folder, then select Command Prompt or PowerShell (these will both work the same for this process)
- Type: h2server.exe -createservice -live -instance:1
- Press enter and once the server instance installation is done, log out of Windows and log back in.
- In Windows, open the start menu and search for "Services", open Services and look for Halo 2 Dedicated Server
- Right click and select Stop (if it's already running)
- Search for Windows Firewall in the Windows start menu and open "Windows Firewall with Advanced Security". Select Inbound Rules, then select "New rule" on the right
- Select Program, then next. Click browse and navigate to the server folder location. Select h2server.exe, continue, select Allow the Connection, press next, then check and allow all 3 options, hit next and name it Halo 2 Server
- Select Outbound Rules, and do the same as for inbound, selecting h2server.exe, Allow the Connection, and allow all 3 options, click next and name it Halo 2 Server
- In Windows, press start and search for Computer Management. Open and select Local Users & Groups. Double click Users to open
- Right click H2Server1 and select properties. Click the "Members Of" tab. Select "Add" then type in the lower box: Administrators , Press OK then Apply
- In Windows, press start and search for "regedit". Open regedit and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > ControlSet001 > Services and select h2server_1
- Right click ImagePath and select Modify. Go to the end of the line and add a space after -live and type: -h2config="*H2SERVERCONFIG LOCATION* Example: -h2config="C:\Halo 2 Dedicated Server\h2serverconfig1.ini"
- ImagePath should look somewhat like this: "C:\h2server\h2server.exe -service -live -h2config="C:\h2server\h2serverconfig1.ini"
- Press OK then close regedit
- Go back to Services, right click Halo 2 Dedicated Server #1 and select Start
- Shift + right click in the server folder and run Command Prompt or PowerShell again. Enter: h2admin.exe -live
- After connecting to the instance, enter: live autosignin a (it doesn't matter what you put for "a"). Press enter, then enter twice for the passwords (again, doesn't matter)
Your server should now be up!!!
*To uninstall server, simply open a Command Prompt or PowerShell window in the server folder and enter: h2server.exe -deleteservice -live
You can change your game's base port in C:\Users\[PC Username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Halo 2 and edit your halo2config1.ini
Managing and controlling your server
- For more info on controlling the Halo 2 Server, shift right click in the server folder, open Command Prompt or PowerShell, and connect to the instance you want to control. Enter: h2admin.exe -live
- After connected to the instance, type "status" for info on your server and type "help" for a list of commands such as kicking, changing the playlist without restarting the server, description, and more.
*You can check out the "readme.rtf" file located in the server folder for more, however this was made for the base game and has not been updated for Project Cartographer
- In the server folder there is a folder called "TOOLS", it has a few community made programs in it that you may find useful, such as a playlist creator
*You can find a server tool which makes managing and controlling servers much easier at http://www.halo2pc.com/ and select "Server Tool" for more info
Hosting a LAN Server
For hosting a LAN Server as a service that will auto start with the Server Machine follow the steps above within the Manual setup guide spoiler. However, you do not need to have an account for this process and instead of any cases of using -live you will use -lan.
Example: h2server.exe -createservice -lan -instance:1
You can also simply start a server by opening a CMD or Powershell window within the Halo 2 Dedicated Server folder and enter h2server.exe -lan.
This will instantly spawn a server that will read from the first halo2serverconfig.ini file.
You may repeat this process and it each new manual instance like this will read the next halo2serverconfig.ini file in order.
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