Coming to BG3 is a new suite of server administration tools. These suite comes in two parts: a customizable SteamID-based permission system, avoiding the need for distributing an rcon password; and a set of commands for managing individual players and groups of players.

Customizable Permissions System

The only way to execute server commands in the past (excluding plugins) has been to distribute a single password shared among all server administrators. Obviously, a problem with this is that if the password leaks, then anyone could access the server and perform malicious commands. A more secure system was needed.

And now, that system has arrived. With this new system, server owners can create “roles” with specific powers, and then assign specific players (by SteamID) to those roles. They can do this by editing a new file, permissions.res , which lies inside the CFG folder of The Battle Grounds III. Within this file, roles, can be created as such:

//This line of text is a comment, and is ignored by the game.
//Any line which begins with // is a comment

"admin"
{
  "permissions_manage" 1
  "player_manage" 1
  "mapmode" 1
  "bot_manage" 1
  "console_access" 1
  "players"
  {
    STEAM_1:0:52754047 1
  }
}

This creates a role named “admin” with all possible permissions. Here is a list of all the assignable permissions and what they grant access to:

• “permissions_manage” – players with this permission are allowed to assign players to roles in-game. Reserve this permission for the trusted server owners.
• “player_manage” – players with this permission are allowed to kick, slay, and otherwise manage players.
• “mapmode” – players with this permission are allowed to change the map and change the gamemode.
• “bot_manage” – players with this permission are allowed to add/remove bots from the server.
• “console_access” – players with this permission are allowed to execute any console command on the server. This is was the power granted to those in the old password system.

For further details on how to assign and create roles, server administrators should read the documentation inside the permissions.res file.

How to Enter Commands

There are two locations admins can use to enter commands. The first is the console and the second is the game chat.

Main Console

By pressing the tilde ~ key, usually near the top-left corner of a keyboard, players can open the command console. Commands (as seen later in this document) can be typed in, and then the enter key is pressed to send the command to the server.

In-Game Chat

By pressing the Y key (by default), players can open the in-game chat. If the message typed into the chat starts with a exclamation mark ! , then the text is sent as a command to the server and the message appears in chat. If the the message starts with a slash / , then the text is sent as a command but the message is hidden from chat.

Command Suite

Corresponding with the new permissions is a new set of commands. Some of these commands are not new, but they have been included because they have been retrofitted into the new system and were not well-documented beforehand.

Some of these commands have an argument called selector, which allows a command to be targeted to multiple players. Here is a command list:

Command	Arguments	Meaning	Permission
mute	selector	Mutes the specified player(s).	player_manage
unmute	selector	Unmutes the specified player(s).	player_manage
solo	selector	Mutes all players except for the admin who entered the command. If the same admin enters the command again, the solo is turned off. If a different admin enters the command, then the solo is switched to that admin.	player_manage
unsolo	None	Turns off all solo powers	player_manage
slay	selector	Kills the specified player(s).	player_manage
shrooms	selector	Makes specified player fast.	player_manage
heal	selector	Heals specified player up to full health.	player_manage
health	num-health selector	Heals specified player up by specified amount of health.	player_manage
freeze	selector	Freezes player.	player_manage
spawn	selector	Spawns the specified player(s) if they are dead, regardless of gamemode.	player_manage
spec	selector	Changes the specified player(s) to spectator.	player_manage
amer	selector	Switches the specified player(s) to the American team.	player_manage
brit	selector	Switches the specified player(s) to the British team.	player_manage
aclass	class-abreviation	Linebattle mode only. Switches all American players to the class matching the given abbreviation. The abbreviations are the same as those used in the class limit server variables. This also forces players who join the American team to pick this class.	player_manage
bclass	class-abreviation	Same as above, but for the British team.	player_manage
akit	weapon uniform ammo	Linebattle mode only. Switches all American players to the specified weapon, uniform, and ammo of their current class. Arguments must be integers. For example, with American Infantry, a weapon of 0 yields a Long Pattern, 1 yields a Charleville, and 2 yields a Spanish musket. Uniform and ammo default to 0 if not specified. The weapon choice is enforced onto all joining players.	player_manage
bkit	weapon uniform ammo	Same as above, but for the British team.	player_manage
clip	selector	Toggles “noclip” movement on the selected player(s).	player_manage
rc	command-string	All of the arguments after “rc” are passed to the server as a standalone command. This is identical to the “rcon” command which was used before.	console_access
exec	.cfg	Executes named configuration. i.e. “exec lms.cfg”	mapmode
linebattle	num-rounds	Sets the number of rounds, and then starts a linebattle by running cfg/linebattle.cfg	mapmode
lms	num-rounds	Sets the number of rounds, and then starts an LMS match by running cfg/lms.cfg	mapmode
mp_tickets_a_adjust	num- tickets	Adjusts the American tickets by specified amount.	mapmode
mp_tickets_b_adjust	num- tickets	Adjusts the British tickets by specified amount.	mapmode
skirm	num-minutes-per-round	Sets the number of minutes per round, and then starts a 2-round skirmish match by running cfg/skirm.cfg	mapmode
changemap	map-name	Changes the server to the specified map.	mapmode
nextmap	map-name	Sets the next map to be the specified map.	mapmode

Selectors

These are the selectors players can use to target a command to target groups of players.

Selector	Mechanic
@all	Selects all players
@brit	Selects all players on the British team
@amer	Selects all players on the American team
@spec	Selects all players who are spectators
@bot	Selects all players who are bots
@me	Selects the player making the selection
@aim	Selects the player aimed at by the selecting player
@alive	Selects all players who are alive
@dead	Selects all players who are dead
#number	Selects the player whose player index (as viewable with the “status” command) matches the number
name	Selects the player whose name most closely matches the given name

Console Variables

Allows admins to change the state of the server by controlling all types of variables, from adding and removing bots to changing the gravity and gamemode.

Command	Variable	Mechanic
bot_add	number	Adds the specified number of bots to one of the teams. The team alternates between successive commands.
bot_add_a	number	Adds specified number of bots onto the American side.
bot_add_b	number	Adds the specified number of bots onto the British side.
bot_difficulty	0,1,2,3	Sets difficulty of newly added bots. 0 is easy, 1 is normal, 2 is hard and 3 is random.
bot_follow_timeout	Time (in seconds)	Controls how long a bot will follow a player who uses the “Follow Me!” command.
bot_fun_names	1 – on 0 – off	Sets bot names to “fun names” *party favor sound*
bot_kick_all		Kicks all bots.
bot_maxplayers	number	Sets a slot number for bots to occupy. For example, if bot_maxplayers is set to 10, then 10 bots will occupy the server. Individual bots are kicked when players join, until there are 10 players occupying the server.
bot_maxplayers_cap	1 – on 0 – off	Ensures that bots do not completely fill up a server, leaving a gap for players to join.
bot_minplayers	number	Put into the servers .cfg file, this specifies the number of bots to be added by default. Only enabled when bot_minplayers_mode is set to 1 or 2.
bot_minplayers_map	number	Found in a maps .cfg file, this determines the number of bots in a specific map.
bot_minplayers_mode	0,1,2,3	Determines the overall usage of bots in the server. 0 – Bots disabled. 1 – Use bot_minplayers 2 – Let bot_minplayer_map override 3 – Use only bot_minplayers_map
bot_vcomms	1 – on 0 – off	Disallows the bots’ usage of voice commands.
lb_tighten_vertical_accuracy	1 – on 0 – off	Experimental Linebattle Mode. Tightens vertical bullet spread. However, 30% of all shots which hit a target further than 50 meters do not hit the target.
mp_ammo_cache_refresh_time	Time in seconds (30 is default)	Controls the refresh rate of ammo caches in maps.
mp_autoteambalance	1 – on 0 – off	Toggling allows server to keep teams balanced.
mp_comp_notifications	1 – on 0 – off	Turns on/off the in-chat notifications for the ‘spawn’, ‘noclip’, ‘mp_tickets_a_adjust’, and ‘mp_tickets_b_adjust’ commands.
mp_competitive	1 – on 0 – off	Turns off class specific forward spawns.
mp_flagmode	1 – CTF 0 – Skirm	Changes maps from CTF to skirm. Requires map change to be put into effect.
mp_flagmode_randomize	1 – on 0 – off	Allows maps that are traditionally skirmish maps to be CTF.
mp_falldamage	1 – on 0 – off	Toggles fall damage.
mp_forcecamera	1 – on 0 – off	Disallows freeroam of spectator camera.
mp_friendlyfire	1 – on 0 – off	Toggles friendly fire.
mp_friendlyfire_grenades	0 – No FF at all 1- Limited FF 2- Very slight FF	Toggles friendlyfire modes on grenades.
mp_restartround	1	Restarts the round after a few seconds.
mp_timelimit	number	Changes time limit.
sv_cheats	1 – on 0 – off	Allows usage of commands such as noclip/buddha etc. BY ALL PLAYERS ON SERVER. Allows exploitation of server by clients. USE WITH EXTREME CAUTION.
sv_alltalk	1 – on 0 – off	Toggling on allows teams to voice communicate with each other.
sv_flintlock_delay_offset	Time (in seconds)	Adjusts flintlock times serverwide.
sv_friction	4 default	Changes the friction on the server.
sv_gravity	600 default	Changes the gravity.
sv_headhits_only	1 – on 0 – off	Makes it so head hits only register.
sv_infiniteammo	1 – on 0 – off	REQUIRES SV_CHEATS 1 Gives player infinite ammo and negates the need to reload.
sv_muzzlevelocity_scale	Scale (i.e. 1 is default 2 is 2x larger)	Scales muzzle velocity.
sv_perfectaim	1 – on 0 – off	REQUIRES SV_CHEATS 1 Bullets go exactly where crosshair is pointing.
sv_player_model_scale	Scale (i.e. 1 is default 2 is 2x larger)	REQUIRES SV_CHEATS 1z Allows player model scale to be changed. Clientside command.
sv_simulatedbullets_gravity	Scale (i.e. 1 is default 2 is 2x larger)	Scales the effect of gravity on the simulated bullets. Useful for playing with bulletdrop.
sv_stamina	1 – on 0 – off	Toggles stamina on and off. Useful for practicing melee.
sv_steadyhand	1 – on 0 – off	REQUIRES SV_CHEATS 1 Negates recoil.
sv_turboshots	1 – on 0 – off	REQUIRES SV_CHEATS 1 Allows for faster rate of fire. Buggy at times.
sv_password	“password”	Sets server password.

Example Commands

• amer @all //switches all players to American team
• changemap ctf_river //switches the map to ctf_river
• spec @aim //Switches the player aimed at to spectator

Needless to say, all of these commands and permissions are subject to change.