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 Source Game Starter 0.1 beta1
 Copyright (c) OfSk, 2008 - 2009
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 http://www.fpsbanana.com/members/308857
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Source Game Starter (SGS) is freeware tool which makes starting Source based game server as easy as possible. It provides easy mapcycle manipulation and game configuration. It should work with EVERY Source based game or mod.

Successfully tested with Steam versions of:
 * Counter Strike: Source
 * Day of Defeat: Source 
 * Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
 * Team Fortress 2   

This is quick readme for beta version. Not all features are described here. There will be more comprehensive documentation in the future.

This is BETA version of the tool. Not all features are fully implemented and I have many plans how to improve it in the future.

Features
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 * map thumbnails - thumbnails allows you quick orientation in maps on your drive
 * tools for map selections and mapcycle manipulation (comparing, random selections, shuffling, possibility to load last used mapcycle)
 * direct game configuration - you can configure game server properties directly using console commands  
 * map filesize indicator - helps you to watch bandwidth requirements    
 * game profiles - you can use SGS for different games or for different game configurations
 * HTML output - SGS can generate HTML maplists with thumbnails which can be easily published on the web
 * english and czech localization (support for additional localization files)

Installation and the first start
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Installation is simple, just extract archive to desired location (you probably did it if you are reading this readme file :).

There is prepared default directory structure and game profiles in the archive for two common Source games - Counter Strike: Source (CS:S) and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch (HL2DM).

If you launch SGS now, you should see CS:S profile loaded with default maplist. To get SGS work properly, you have to edit "Game path" and "Game executable" to proper values. In the default SGS is set for Steam version of games, so it uses as executable "Steam.exe" and the game is specified by "-applaunch" parameter. Required game ID can be obtained from a game shortcut.

You can also modify the path and the executable to a non-Steam versions of games or for example to a dedicated server executable. All needed parameters can be added to "Parameters" edit box.

If you want to keep new settings, you have to save the profile using "save" button in the "Profile" group.

Please, use predefined profiles as a refence for creation of your own profiles. There will be more clear explanation in the future.

Profile directories
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By default, the profile path is set relative to SGS executable directory ("games\{game}"), but you can edit this path or remove it with absolute path for example.

Game profile directory contains at least three subdirectories: "configs", "maplists", "thumbs". 

In "configs" directory can be saved different server configuration files, configuration file named "default.txt" will be loaded automatically as default on a profile selection. When the server is started, selected configuration is copied to the game directory as "sgs_config.cfg" and executed by "+exec sgs_config.cfg" parameter.

In "maplists" directory can be saved different maplist/mapcycle files, maplist file named "default.txt" will be loaded automatically as default on a profile selection. When the server is started, created mapcycle is copied to the game directory as "sgs_mapcycle.txt" and set as current mapcycle by "+mapcyclefile sgs_mapcycle.txt" parameter.

In "thumbs" directory map thumbnails can be saved. Each thumbnail must have the same name as the map and has to be in JPEG format with the ".jpg" extension. It is also recommended to resize all thumbnails to 240x180 px.

HTML output
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HTML output can generate nice html maplist with thumbnails which you can use on your website for example. There is possibility to generate it automatically on server launch by checking "Generate HTML automatically". Output file is specified by "HTML output" edit box. It can be absolute path to your localhost webserver document root or an UNC path to a different machine with Samba for example. 

Working with mapcycles
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Maplists can be loaded from the profile directory, from the "maps" directory of the game, from the last SGS session or from an external file. You can check your desired maps in maplist (and use some selection tools to make it easier) and then by clicking ">>" button add them to a mapcycle. You can also move quickly to desired map by typing its partial name (this feature is only basically implemented at this time). If you have created thumbnails and correctly saved them into the profile directory, decision will be even easier. You can also watch map filesizes. Mapcycle can be modified then, shuffled for example and saved for further use.

Enjoying the game
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Just after you have created your mapcycle, simply click "start" button and enjoy the game... and sorry for my english :)
