Services and Tools
Every program in a release, what each one is for, which you need to run and which you only run once. The gameserver, the website, the launcher, and the operator tools.
Only the gameserver has to be running for people to play. The rest of the programs in a release are optional, or run once.
| Program | Where | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Gameserver | server/<platform>/gameserver | Always. This is the game |
| Website (GameCP) | server/<platform>/webserver | Optional. Registration, server status, client updates |
| Launcher | client/launcher.exe | Your players run it |
| manifgen | server/<platform>/ | After you change a file in client/ |
| gmadmin | tools/ | Once, to make yourself staff |
| rfassets | server/windows/ (RF only) | Only for item icons on your website |
Gameserver
The game. It listens on one port and holds the world.
It is a single process. Login, character select and the world are all on the same socket, so there is nothing to start in sequence.
It reads and writes settings.cfg, its database, its logs and its content data relative to the
directory it runs from, which is why the start scripts set that directory rather than only naming
the binary.
Website (GameCP)
webserver serves your players a site where they register, see who is online, read the changelog
and download the client. It gives you an admin area for accounts, staff and settings.
It is optional. Without it, players register through the launcher instead. It also serves client updates, so a server without it cannot push client changes.
It is whitelabel: it is your server’s website, and it credits us only if you choose to. The GameCP covers putting it online.
Launcher
Your players run this. It is in the client/ folder you give them.
- Signs them in and starts the game already logged in.
- Downloads changed client files before starting the game. See client updater.
- Reports whether the server is up.
The launcher covers its settings file.
Game Client
The original game, which draws the world.
Gate to Heavens releases include a complete, playable client in client/. RF Online and the
other games do not, because we cannot distribute those clients. Players supply their own, and the
version must match the server. Game clients lists which build goes with
which server.
manifgen
Writes the index of client/ that players’ launchers read.
server\windows\manifgen.exe client -o client\manifest.txt -cache client\data\launcher_cache.jsonRun it after changing anything in client/. Without it, launchers are not told there is anything
to fetch and the update reaches nobody. Client updater covers the rest.
gmadmin
Makes the first staff grant.
A fresh install has no staff accounts, and the website’s admin area requires a staff grant to open.
Run gmadmin once against your own account; after that the admin area handles the rest.
rfassets (RF only)
Builds the item icons and readable item names the RF website can display. That artwork belongs to the game client, so it is not included in a release.
rfassets reads your own client install and builds the pack locally:
server\windows\rfassets.exe -client "C:\RFOnline"Without it the website works and shows names in place of icons.
Not Included
A release does not install a service, register anything, or write outside the folder you unzipped. Deleting the folder removes the server; moving it moves the server and its database.