Definitive guide to running a modded server (Combat, custom maps or otherwise)

I keep getting queries from server operators who are having trouble getting set up with modded servers (mainly for my mod, Combat) so I thought I would post a proper guide on how to get this set up.

Before you start
How to look up a mod's ID
Log into Steam on your gaming PC, visit the workshop and subscribe to the mod you want to host. Start up NS2 and wait for it to download. Once it has downloaded, look in your workshop folder at C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Natural Selection 2\Workshop and look at the most recently updated folders. One of those is probably the right one.

The folders in the workshop are always of the form m4d41f11_1350933140. The bit in bold is the actual Mod ID that you'll be using below.

What you will need

• The mod ID of any server mods you want to run (e.g. Combat Mode is 5f35045)
• The names and mod IDs of any custom maps you want to have in your rotation. (e.g. "ns2_co_core" has mod ID "57f5f9a").

Server Hosting Instructions

• Get the dedicated server working with regular NS2
• Create a new batch file in your server's directory and put the following in it (Note, you will need to change everything that is marked in <brackets> in the code blocks below:)
  CODE
  cd <your server location>
  server.exe -config_path "C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Roaming\Natural Selection 2\<config folder, e.g. combat>" -modstorage "C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Roaming\Natural Selection 2\Workshop" -mods "<Server Mods, separated by space, if applicable> <Map mods, separated by space>" -map <first map to start> -name "<My Modded Server>"
• Run the batch file
• The server will create new config files in your C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Roaming\Natural Selection 2\<config folder, e.g. combat> folder and download all the appropriate mods from the Workshop automatically!
• Close the server down and visit this folder with Windows Explorer: c:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Roaming\Natural Selection 2\<config folder, e.g. combat>
• Edit MapCycle.json and put something like this inside it, then hit save:
  
  CODE
  {
    "mods": [ "<Server mod, e.g. >" ],
    "mode": "random",
    "time": 30,
    "maps": [ { "map": "<map name e.g. ns2_co_core>", "mods": [ "<mod ID, e.g. 57f5f9a>" ] },
              { "map": "<map name e.g. ns2_co_core>", "mods": [ "<mod ID, e.g. 57f5f9a>" ] }
              { "map": "<map name e.g. ns2_co_faceoff", "mods": [ "<mod ID, e.g. 4d41f11>" ] } ]
  }
• Start the server again. You're now up and running with your Modded Server!

Example Configurations
If you have any good example configurations, please reply below and I'll add them here:

Combat Mode
Launch Command


MapCycle.json