Configuration Files

File Locations

datadir

Contains the default game data, such as: configuration files, language texts, sounds, textures, etc. Files in this directory should not be modified—you can use userdatadir for your customizations.

userdatadir

Contains custom game data.

Linux

datadir

/etc/games/armagetronad-dedicated

/etc/games/armagetronad

userdatadir

/var/games/armagetronad-dedicated

~/.armagetronad-dedicated

~/.armagetronad

Mac OS X

datadir

The Armagetron Advanced Dedicated/ directory

Armagetron Advanced.app/Contents/Resources

userdatadir

~/Library/Application Support/Armagetron Advanced Dedicated

~/Library/Application Support/Armagetron Advanced

Windows

Windows XP

datadir

C:\Program files\armagetronad

userdatadir

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Applications Data\Armagetron

Windows Vista & above

datadir

\C:\Program Files (x86)\armagetronad

userdatadir

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Armagetron

File Purposes

Here are the files you will find (Note: this is for the 0.2.8 server, older servers vary):

aiplayers.cfg

This file contains the information used to determine the AI player names and skills. You can edit this file to make a more customized set of AI players, but make sure to take backups. When you upgrade or reinstall the server this file will be overwritten.

default.cfg

This file contains a reasonable set of defaults and shouldn't be edited.

master.srv

This file contains the location of the master server and connection parameters. You can edit it, but then your server won't be able to communicate with the master server that everyone uses, so only do so if you really know what you're doing and have a good reason to do it.

rc.config

This file is used to configure the UNIX daemon. It may not be present in Windows/Mac OS X.

settings.cfg

This file contains the basic set of settings used by both the client and the server. You should not edit this file.

settings_dedicated.cfg

This file contains an extended set of settings used by the dedicated server. You should not edit this file either.

So where should you make your changes? There are 4 files that were not listed, but they are the files you should edit! Why aren't they listed? You are supposed to make them, using a regular text editor. So, open settings_dedicated.cfg and copy the appropriate lines into the following files:

autoexec.cfg

In the old days, up to and including 0.2.7.1, server admins were advised to create this file and put all of their settings here. This file is still used in 0.2.8, but using it is no longer recommended as we move to a more modular configuration system. So, if you're trying to setup a server with 0.2.7.1 or earlier, please use autoexec.cfg. Otherwise, read on for what to use.

server_info.cfg

You should put server policy settings here, as well as the SERVER_NAME and connection information.

settings_custom.cfg

This is the file that should contain game rule and simulation settings. If you obey the convention for server_info.cfg and settings_custom.cfg, your server will not only be easier to maintain, but also easier to exchange settings with other administrators.

everytime.cfg

This file is loaded and processed every round. In a running server, that means you can use this file to change settings on the fly. It also means you can put special information using console commands here. For example:

SAY Server stats at http://www.armagetronadstats.com/

...will display "Admin: Server stats at http://www.armagetronadstats.com/" between every round. Very useful! You can also put:

INCLUDE settings_custom.cfg

...and your settings_custom.cfg file will be reloaded every round. Not particularly useful, but it can be helpful when you need to tweak simulation settings.

Note: If you're reading this guide because you want to migrate a 0.2.7.x server to 0.2.8, you should just copy your autoexec.cfg file to the new installation. It would be best if you factored out the settings in autoexec.cfg into server_info.cfg and settings_custom.cfg, but it's not required.