Server Administration

This page covers how to set up and run a dedicated Quetoo server on Debian or Fedora Linux.

Installation

Download quetoo and quetoo-data packages from their respective Releases pages and install them together:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install ./quetoo-x86_64-pc-linux.deb ./quetoo-data_*.deb

# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf install quetoo-x86_64-pc-linux.rpm quetoo-data-*.rpm

• Engine packages: github.com/jdolan/quetoo/releases
• Data packages: github.com/jdolan/quetoo-data/releases

quetoo and quetoo-data have independent release cycles — install the latest of each.

Service Management

The quetoo package installs a systemd template unit quetoo-dedicated@.service and a default instance configuration at /etc/quetoo-dedicated/default.cfg.

Each .cfg file in /etc/quetoo-dedicated/ represents one server instance. Lines are in Quake console format and are passed directly as +set key value arguments to quetoo-dedicated. Blank lines and lines beginning with // or # are ignored.

Edit the default instance configuration to suit your server:

// /etc/quetoo-dedicated/default.cfg
set net_port 1998
set sv_hostname "My Quetoo Server"
set sv_public 1
set rcon_password "secret"
set g_frag_limit 30
set g_time_limit 20

Enable and start the default instance:

sudo systemctl enable --now quetoo-dedicated@default

Manage the service:

sudo systemctl start   quetoo-dedicated@default
sudo systemctl stop    quetoo-dedicated@default
sudo systemctl restart quetoo-dedicated@default
sudo systemctl status  quetoo-dedicated@default

Multiple Instances

To run multiple server instances, create a .cfg file per instance and enable each one:

# Create a CTF instance on port 1999
sudo cp /etc/quetoo-dedicated/default.cfg /etc/quetoo-dedicated/ctf.cfg
# Edit /etc/quetoo-dedicated/ctf.cfg: set net_port 1999, g_ctf 1, etc.
sudo systemctl enable --now quetoo-dedicated@ctf

Each instance is managed independently. A typical three-server VPS might have default.cfg (FFA, port 1998), ctf.cfg (CTF, port 1999), and instagib.cfg (Instagib, port 2000).

Attaching to the Console

Each dedicated server instance runs inside a named screen session. The quetoo-attach command lets any sudo-capable user attach to the live server console:

quetoo-attach           # attaches to the "default" instance
quetoo-attach ctf       # attaches to the "ctf" instance

Detach with Ctrl-A D without stopping the server.

Updates

quetoo-update fetches the latest release versions of quetoo and quetoo-data from GitHub independently, installs any that are out of date, and restarts all running instances.

Run it manually to update immediately:

sudo quetoo-update

For automatic updates, add it to root’s crontab with --wait-for-empty. The server will update within 15 minutes of a new release, but only once all human players have disconnected:

sudo crontab -e

*/15 * * * * /usr/bin/quetoo-update --wait-for-empty >> /var/log/quetoo-update.log 2>&1

Running a Dedicated Server

Quetoo ships with a quetoo-dedicated binary for headless server operation. You can also launch it directly from the command line:

quetoo-dedicated +set sv_hostname "My Server" +map edge

You can pass any cvar as a +set key value argument at startup, and any command (like map) with +command.

Minimal Startup Example

quetoo-dedicated \
  +set sv_hostname "Fragfest" \
  +set sv_max_clients 16 \
  +set sv_public 1 \
  +set g_frag_limit 30 \
  +set g_time_limit 20 \
  +map edge

Key Server Cvars

Network

Capacity

Security

Game Rules

Bots

Quetoo has a built-in bot system that provides real opposition when human players aren’t around. Bots are especially useful for server seeding — an empty server rarely attracts players, but a server with a few active bots is much more likely to draw people in.

sv_min_clients

sv_min_clients sets the minimum total number of clients (human + bot) the server will maintain. The game automatically adds bots to meet this floor, and removes them one-by-one as real players join, keeping the total at sv_min_clients until all bots are gone.

// Keep at least 4 clients in the game at all times
set sv_min_clients 4

When the last human disconnects, bots fill back up to sv_min_clients within a few seconds. sv_min_clients is capped by sv_max_clients, so you never need to worry about them conflicting.

A typical seeding configuration for a public server:

// /etc/quetoo-dedicated/default.cfg
set sv_hostname "My Quetoo Server"
set sv_public 1
set sv_max_clients 16
set sv_min_clients 4   // always 4 players in the game
set g_frag_limit 30
set g_time_limit 20

Map Rotation

The server cycles through maps in rotation order when the frag limit or time limit is reached. The rotation is defined by a map list file — by default maps.lst from the game data.

Copying the Default maps.lst

The installed game data includes a default maps.lst at:

/usr/lib/quetoo/share/quetoo/default/maps.lst

To customize the rotation, copy it to the server’s user data directory and edit it there:

sudo -u quetoo mkdir -p /var/lib/quetoo/.local/share/WickedOldGames/Quetoo/default
sudo -u quetoo cp /usr/lib/quetoo/share/quetoo/default/maps.lst \
    /var/lib/quetoo/.local/share/WickedOldGames/Quetoo/default/my-rotation.lst

The user data directory takes precedence over the installed data, so your copy will be used without modifying the system files.

Pointing the Server at Your Custom List

In /etc/quetoo-dedicated/default.cfg, add:

set g_map_list my-rotation.lst

The filename is resolved from the default/ game directory — no path prefix needed.

maps.lst Format

Each map is an entry enclosed in { }. Only name is required; all other fields are optional and override the corresponding server cvar for that map only.

{
    name edge
}
{
    name aerowalk
    gameplay instagib
}
{
    name lavatomb
    min_clients 4
}
{
    name pits
    teams 1
    num_teams 2
    hook 0
    gravity 600.0
    music quetoo/the_pits
}

Supported fields:

Using min_clients to Skip Maps

The min_clients field lets you exclude large or team-oriented maps when the server is lightly populated. For example, a server seeded with bots might want to skip big CTF maps until real players show up:

{
    name warehouse
    min_clients 6
}
{
    name chthon
    teams 1
    ctf 1
    min_clients 8
}

When the rotation reaches a map whose min_clients threshold isn’t met, the server automatically advances to the next eligible map.

Advancing the Map Manually

From the server console or via rcon:

map edge

Remote Console (rcon)

If rcon_password is set, admins can run commands remotely from a Quetoo client:

rcon_password mypassword
rcon map edge
rcon status

Firewall / Port Forwarding

Quetoo uses UDP port 1998 by default. Open this port in your firewall and forward it on your router if hosting from a home network.

To list your server on the public master server, set:

+set sv_public 1

Getting Help

Join the Discord #development channel for help running a server.