To run a custom mode on a Team Fortress 2 dedicated server, install the Metamod:Source and SourceMod frameworks, add the mode plugin and every dependency it documents, upload compatible maps and downloadable assets, then separate global, mode-specific, and map-specific settings. Finish with a full restart, console checks, and a test on the intended player count before opening the server to players.
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Modes such as Versus Saxton Hale (VSH), Dodgeball, Prop Hunt, DeathRun, Trade, Jump, and MGE are community-server configurations rather than stock matchmaking options. Their reliability depends on the plugin, map pool, configuration files, and client downloads working together.
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What you need before installing a custom mode
Use a dedicated TF2 server with writable access to its tf directory. You also need a dependable way to stop and start the server, because framework and plugin changes normally require a full restart rather than a map change. Make a backup of the current tf directory and configuration files before changing a production instance.
- File access: You must be able to upload files and create directories under the server’s TF2 mod folder.
- Restart control: Keep a console, service manager, or hosting-panel restart method available so you can load newly installed extensions cleanly.
- A known map pool: Have the exact map names and any mode-specific maps ready before editing rotation files.
- Dependency documentation: Read the selected plugin’s requirements for versions, companion plugins, configuration files, translations, bosses, weapons, models, and sounds.
- A test plan: Reserve time to test with the number of players the mode expects; a mode that loads with one administrator is not necessarily ready for a full round.
Managed hosting can be convenient for this workflow only when it exposes persistent storage, restarts, map uploads, and writable configuration paths. If a host hides those controls, you will not be able to complete or maintain many custom modes.
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How the TF2 custom-mode stack fits together
A custom mode is usually a plugin-driven ruleset layered onto the TF2 server. Metamod:Source provides the extension layer, SourceMod supplies the scripting and administration framework, and the mode’s .smx plugin implements the gameplay. Maps and downloadable assets complete the experience.
| Layer | Purpose | Typical location or check |
|---|---|---|
| TF2 dedicated server | Runs the game process, networking, maps, and baseline cvars. | Writable tf directory and reliable restart method. |
| Metamod:Source | Loads server extensions used by SourceMod and other plugins. | Verify with meta list in the server console. |
| SourceMod | Provides plugin loading, commands, configuration, and administration. | Plugins live under tf/addons/sourcemod/plugins. |
| Mode plugin | Implements VSH, Dodgeball, Prop Hunt, DeathRun, or another ruleset. | Install its .smx file and all documented companion files. |
| Maps and assets | Supply the arenas, models, sounds, and other content expected by the plugin. | Maps go in tf/maps; custom content follows the plugin’s download instructions. |
| Configuration | Controls persistent server behavior, mode rules, and map exceptions. | server.cfg, plugin-generated cfg files, and map-specific cfg files. |
Step 1: Install Metamod:Source and SourceMod
Install Metamod:Source first
Download a current Metamod:Source build that supports your TF2 server, then extract it into the TF2 mod directory so its addons files are in the server’s actual tf/addons path. Do not place the files in the server root or in a different game installation.
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Extract SourceMod into the same mod folder
Extract SourceMod so its framework is alongside Metamod under tf/addons. The resulting layout should include the SourceMod directory and its plugin directory at tf/addons/sourcemod/plugins. Preserve the archive’s directory structure while extracting; flattening folders is a common cause of an apparently missing installation.
Restart and verify the framework
- Stop the TF2 server completely.
- Start it again and wait for the server to finish loading.
- In the server console, run
meta list. - Confirm that Metamod:Source and SourceMod are listed without load errors.
If meta list is empty, stop installing the mode and fix the framework path or build first. Check that Metamod:Source is in the active TF2 addons directory and that the SourceMod build is compatible. Repeating plugin uploads will not correct an unloaded framework.
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SourceMod 1.12 was identified as the stable recommended release in an official release post dated October 20, 2024. For a production server, check current compatibility before replacing a working installation with a newer build.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteStep 2: Install the custom mode and its dependencies
Place the main plugin
Copy the mode’s compiled .smx file into:
tf/addons/sourcemod/pluginsDo not assume the plugin is self-contained. Follow its installation notes for required extensions, companion plugins, translations, configuration templates, boss definitions, weapon lists, and data files. Keep each file in the path specified by that mode; a correctly named file in the wrong directory is functionally absent.
Preserve the plugin’s generated configuration
Many SourceMod plugins create a configuration file on first load, commonly under tf/cfg/sourcemod or another directory documented by the author. Start the server once after installation, inspect the generated files, and change mode rules there rather than copying all of them into the global server configuration.
Confirm plugin loading
After the restart, run:
sm plugins listFind the mode by name and check for an error state. A plugin listed as loaded can still fail to start its gameplay if the active map, required data files, or dependencies do not match its expectations, so treat the list as a framework check rather than proof that a round works.
Step 3: Add maps, models, sounds, and rotation entries
Install every required map
Upload each required .bsp file to:
tf/mapsUse the exact spelling supplied by the map or mode documentation. Then add the map name without the .bsp extension to tf/cfg/mapcycle.txt. Keep only maps that are installed and tested; an unavailable entry can interrupt rotation or send players to an unintended fallback.
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Make custom assets downloadable
If the mode uses custom models, sounds, materials, or other files, follow its download configuration exactly. Test from a client that does not already have the files cached. A server-side copy alone is not enough if clients cannot receive the content when they join.
Change to a required map manually
Before relying on rotation, change the server to one of the mode’s required maps and watch the console. This exposes missing map files, incorrect prefixes, and plugin assumptions faster than waiting for a scheduled rotation.
Step 4: Put each setting in the right configuration file
Configuration scope is the difference between a predictable multi-mode server and one whose rules leak from one map into the next.
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|---|---|---|
tf/cfg/server.cfg |
Identity, network, logging, and baseline gameplay cvars that should persist across maps. This file is normally created manually and loaded at startup. | Every mode’s special rules, limits, or team settings. |
Plugin-generated cfg, often tf/cfg/sourcemod |
Rules exposed by the custom-mode plugin, such as its round behavior, boss, weapon, or timing options. | Unrelated server-wide identity or network settings. |
tf/cfg/mapcycle.txt |
The ordered list of map names used for rotation, written without .bsp. |
Console variables or plugin rules. |
Map-specific cfg in tf/cfg |
Exceptions for one map: different limits, team rules, timing, or mode activation. | Values that should apply on every map unless you deliberately duplicate and maintain them. |
Map-specific configuration is loaded after the general server settings, so it can override them. When several modes share one instance, explicitly set values back to safe defaults in the next map’s configuration; otherwise a cvar from a previous mode may remain active.
Example configuration workflow
- Place baseline identity, network, logging, and universal gameplay settings in
server.cfg. - Let the plugin generate its mode cfg, then edit only the rules belonging to that plugin.
- Create a map-named cfg in
tf/cfgfor exceptions required by a particular arena. - Document every override and reset value beside the relevant map entry so future changes do not create hidden state.
Step 5: Configure common TF2 custom modes
Versus Saxton Hale (VSH)
VSH is generally a boss-versus-players plugin. Expect a dedicated map pool and additional boss or gameplay data rather than a single plugin file. Verify that the boss definitions, translations, weapon settings, and map-specific configuration supplied by the chosen implementation are present before testing a round. VSH maps often assume the plugin controls team assignment, boss selection, and round timing, so avoid imposing unrelated team rules globally.
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Dodgeball
Dodgeball normally combines specialized dodgeball maps with a plugin that controls projectile behavior and round rules. Test projectile spawning, team setup, round resets, and the intended arena boundaries. A standard TF2 map in the rotation does not provide the entities or layout the mode expects.
Prop Hunt
Prop Hunt requires a compatible plugin plus maps and configuration designed for prop selection, hiding, and hunting. Check that the client-download configuration includes every custom model or sound. Test both teams and a complete round so you can catch missing props, incorrect model paths, or rules that only appear after the initial setup phase.
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DeathRun
DeathRun is strongly map-driven: the map supplies traps and route logic while the plugin commonly handles teams, round flow, and administrative controls. Use maps known to support the installed implementation, and isolate DeathRun team or timing cvars in its plugin or map configuration rather than applying them to the whole server.
Trade, Jump, and MGE
Trade, Jump, and MGE are established community-server patterns generally selected through map rotation and plugin-specific configuration. Their requirements differ by implementation, so treat the map list and plugin documentation as authoritative. A shared server should give each of these modes its own map entries and map-specific overrides where rules differ.
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The mode’s name does not tell you the operational cost. Compare the following before committing to a rotation:
| Decision axis | Questions to answer | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Plugin maturity and maintenance | Is the plugin maintained, compatible with your framework build, and clear about dependencies? | An abandoned or undocumented plugin increases upgrade and troubleshooting work. |
| Maps and assets | How many maps, models, sounds, and data files are required, and can clients download them? | Every additional asset is another installation and testing point. |
| Player-count assumptions | Does the mode require a minimum or particular team size to make a round functional? | A mode can technically load while being unplayable with an undersized population. |
| CPU and network impact | Does the plugin create frequent projectiles, entities, effects, or downloads? | Resource behavior differs by implementation; no universal capacity figure is established. |
| Configuration isolation | Can its cvars live in a dedicated plugin or map cfg without conflicting with other modes? | Clean scope prevents rules from leaking across map changes. |
| Admin controls | Does it provide the commands and permissions needed to start, stop, or manage rounds? | Administrators need a safe recovery path when a map or round stalls. |
| Map-driven or plugin-driven design | Does gameplay depend mainly on the map’s entities or on runtime plugin logic? | This determines whether map compatibility or plugin configuration is the larger maintenance burden. |
There is no independent performance, player-capacity, or reliability statistic that can be applied to all TF2 custom modes. Measure your own server after installation instead of promising a fixed player count.
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- Restart fully: Stop and start the server after framework and plugin changes.
- Check the framework: Run
meta listand resolve any Metamod or SourceMod load error. - Check plugins: Run
sm plugins listand confirm the mode and its dependencies are loaded. - Load a required map: Change to a map from the mode’s documented pool, watching the console for missing files or errors.
- Join with a clean client: Confirm custom models, sounds, and materials download successfully.
- Test the round: Exercise team assignment, the opening phase, the main objective, round reset, and map change.
- Test the expected population: Use the player count the mode is designed around, not only an administrator connected alone.
- Review persistence: Change maps and verify that global values remain, map exceptions apply only where intended, and old mode rules are reset.
Do not advertise the mode as working until the plugin, map, dependencies, downloads, and round behavior have all passed this sequence.
Troubleshooting by symptom
meta list is empty
- Confirm Metamod:Source is installed in the active TF2
addonspath. - Confirm the SourceMod build is present under the same mod directory and is compatible with Metamod:Source.
- Perform a full stop/start rather than only changing maps.
- Recheck extraction paths for an extra nested folder created by the archive.
The plugin appears in sm plugins list, but the mode does not start
- Verify that the current map name or prefix matches what the plugin expects.
- Check every required config, translation, boss, weapon, and data file.
- Look for a dependency listed as failed or missing.
- Load a documented compatible map manually and read the server console during startup.
Players see missing models or sounds
- Confirm the files exist on the server in the paths specified by the mode.
- Check the mode’s client-download settings.
- Join from a client that has never downloaded the assets to distinguish a real download problem from a cached file.
Rules revert or leak after a map change
- Move values that must persist to
server.cfg. - Keep only intentional differences in the map-specific cfg.
- Set explicit reset values for cvars that another mode changes.
- Inspect the load order: general server settings are applied before map-specific overrides.
The map will not enter rotation
- Ensure the map is installed under
tf/maps. - Use the exact map name in
mapcycle.txt, without.bsp. - Remove untested or unavailable entries until the rotation contains only known-good maps.
Maintaining a multi-mode TF2 server
Keep an inventory of framework versions, plugin files, dependencies, maps, custom assets, and the cfg files that own each setting. When upgrading SourceMod or Metamod:Source, test the mode on a copy or during a maintenance window, then repeat the full verification sequence. A framework update can expose an old plugin or extension that previously loaded without complaint.
Use one clearly documented map pool per mode when possible. If modes share an instance, name map-specific cfg files consistently, record which plugin they activate, and define the values that must be reset on exit. Keep backups of known-good plugin and configuration versions so a failed update can be rolled back without rebuilding the server.
Quick Recap
Final operating checklist
- Writable, backed-up
tfdirectory. - Reliable full restart method.
- Metamod:Source installed before SourceMod.
- SourceMod loaded and verified with
meta list. - Mode plugin and every documented dependency in place.
- Required maps in
tf/maps. - Exact map names in
tf/cfg/mapcycle.txt. - Custom assets downloadable by a clean client.
- Persistent cvars in
server.cfg. - Mode rules in plugin cfg files.
- Map exceptions and reset values in map-specific cfg files.
- Successful plugin, map, asset, round, player-count, and map-change tests.
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