The two primary files for server configuration are `system\RavenShield.ini` and `system\Server.ini`. Here are some common settings you may want to change:
* In `RavenShield.ini`
* If necessary, change the values of the server ports.
* If hosting custom content, you will need to also purchase web hosting in order to avoid slow download speeds for players. Configure a file server with the content your players will need to download, and set `RedirectToURL` to its URL. See [CUSTOM.md](CUSTOM.md) for more info
This section will cover hosting a Raven Shield server with [MarkMods.com](https://www.markmods.com). MarkMods is one of the few vendors to still offer Raven Shield gameservers.
1. From the [Raven Shield page](https://www.markmods.com/gameserverhosting/Rainbow%20Six%203:Raven%20Shield/), choose a number of player slots, a server location, and a billing frequency. Smaller servers will cost around $1/slot, while larger servers can be more efficient (around $0.50/slot).
1. Under File Manager, click `Open In Fullscreen` to start a minimal FTP client connected to your server. To open a file, click it in the UI. Save it to disk if you plan to make changes. To update a file, click `Upload Files` in the bottom left and choose the file to upload.
1. Replace `system\R6GameService.dll` with [the prebuilt copy from this repo](R6GameService.dll). This will eliminate another outbound call to Ubisoft's servers.
1. Replace `Mods\RavenShield.mod` with [the copy from this repo](RavenShield.mod). This will enable the OpenRVS server code and beacon code.
1. Edit `RavenShield.ini` and `Server.ini` as desired
1. In `RavenShield.ini`, set the `Port` value to your assigned port from MarkMods. If connecting to your assigned port takes you to someone else's server, someone may have used your port. If this happens, add 10 to every port number and try again.
When you finish, test your server and take note of your IP address and port number, and skip ahead to [Publishing Your Server](https://github.com/ijemafe/raven-shield-2020/blob/master/SERVERS.md#publishing-your-server).
This section will cover hosting a Raven Shield server with [DigitalOcean Droplets](https://www.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/). You can also use these steps with your own Linux hardware for self-hosted servers.
A Raven Shield dedicated server running the base game content will use 1 CPU, 128MB of memory, and 1GB of disk space. In order to avoid running at capacity, look for VMs with 256MB of memory and 2GB of disk space.
If you want to run multiple servers, you may do so on a single Linux VM. Simply add 1 CPU, 256MB of memory, and 2GB of disk space for each additional server you want to run on the same instance.
1. Create an account on DigitalOcean
1. Start a Droplet running the latest Ubuntu Server LTS in your preferred region
1. Log into your Droplet as root and run the following one-time setup commands:
1. Install OpenRVS by uploading its files according to the instructions.
1. Replace `system\R6GameService.dll` with [the prebuilt copy from this repo](R6GameService.dll). This will eliminate another outbound call to Ubisoft's servers.
1. Replace `Mods\RavenShield.mod` with [the copy from this repo](RavenShield.mod). This will enable the OpenRVS server code and beacon code.
1. Enter the game's system directory with `cd /opt/rs/system`
1. Start the game with `wine UCC.exe server -ini=RavenShield.init -serverconf=Server.ini`
This will start the server attached to your current terminal window. In order to reliably keep the process running and restart it when it crashes, create a `systemd` unit file, based on the docs [here](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/understanding-systemd-units-and-unit-files), which runs the wine command above.
Once the server is ready to go, you will need to visit the [SMClan forums](http://smclan.org/forum/42) and make a post requesting that Tony add your server (and port) to the OpenRVS server list. Share the IP address and port number, as well as the name of the server and a bit of information about it.
Once the server is added to the list, it will automatically appear when searching for games in multiplayer. Until then, you can use your server by joining its IP.