Guides - Deploy a Team Fortress 2 Server through the Linode Marketplace

Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter game. In TF2, you and your team choose from 9 unique classes and play against an enemy team in a variety of game modes. These modes include capture the flag, king of the hill, and even a battle pitting your team against a robotic horde.

Setting up a personal game server puts you in control of the game modes and maps you use, as well as a variety of other settings to customize your experience.

Deploying a Marketplace App

The Linode Marketplace allows you to easily deploy software on a Compute Instance using the Cloud Manager. See Get Started with Marketplace Apps for complete steps.

1. Log in to the Cloud Manager and select the Marketplace link from the left navigation menu. This displays the Linode Create page with the Marketplace tab pre-selected.

2. Under the Select App section, select the app you would like to deploy.

3. Complete the form by following the steps and advice within the Creating a Compute Instance guide. Depending on the Marketplace App you selected, there may be additional configuration options available. See the Configuration Options section below for compatible distributions, recommended plans, and any additional configuration options available for this Marketplace App.

4. Click the Create Linode button. Once the Compute Instance has been provisioned and has fully powered on, wait for the software installation to complete. If the instance is powered off or restarted before this time, the software installation will likely fail.

To verify that the app has been fully installed, see Get Started with Marketplace Apps > Verify Installation. Once installed, follow the instructions within the Getting Started After Deployment section to access the application and start using it.

Configuration Options

• Supported distributions: Debian 11
• Recommended minimum plan: 4GB Dedicated CPU or Shared Compute Instance

Team Fortress 2 Options

• RCON Password (required): The password for the remote console, which allows you to issue commands on the TF2 server.
• Server Name: Your Team Fortress 2 server’s name.
• Message of the Day: Message of the day. Text displayed whenever a player logs on to the server.
• Server Password: The password for the TF2 server. Configuring a TF2 server password will require users of your game server to provide this password.
• Game Server Login Token: A Steam game server login token. This is required to publicly list your server. To get a Steam Token, visit the Steam Game Server Account Management page.
• Team Balance Enabled: Automatically balance the number of players on a team.
• Maximum Rounds: The maximum amount of rounds before the map changes.
• Round Time Limit: The time per round, in minutes.

Getting Started after Deployment

Ensure that you have installed Team Fortress 2 to your computer before getting started with this section. You can install Team Fortress 2 from Steam’s Web Store.

After the Team Fortress 2 Server Marketplace App has finished deploying to your Linode, you will be able to access your server by copying your Linode’s IPv4 address and connecting to it within the game installed on your computer. To find your Linode’s IPv4 address and connect to it:

1. Click on the Linodes link in the sidebar. You will see a list of all your Linodes.

2. Find the Linode you just created when deploying your app and select it.

3. Navigate to the Networking tab.

4. Under the IPv4 heading, you will find your IPv4 address listed under the Address column.

5. Copy the IPv4 address.

6. Open Team Fortress 2 on your computer, then open the developer’s console by pressing the back tick key (`).

7. Type connect 192.0.2.155. Replace 192.0.2.155 with the IP address of your Linode, and then click Submit.

   This connects you to the server.

Software Included

The Team Fortress 2 Marketplace App will install the following required software on your Linode: