How to Become Admin on a Sven Co-op Server (admins.txt and AFBase)

To become admin on a Sven Co-op server, put your Steam ID (for example STEAM_0:1:12345678) on its own line in svencoop/admins.txt and restart, adding a * in front if you want the server owner badge. That alone gives you very little, because Sven Co-op's built in admin powers are minimal. For kicking, banning and changing maps from inside the game, use RCON or install the AFBase plugin, which most community servers run.

This trips up a lot of new server owners: they add themselves to admins.txt, join, and find no admin menu. Here is what each layer actually does. If you are still setting the server up, how to host a Sven Co-op server comes first.

Step 1: Find your Steam ID

Sven Co-op uses the old style Steam ID, STEAM_0:X:XXXXXXXX, not the long 64 bit number from your profile URL. The easiest way to get it:

1. Join the server.
2. Open the console with ~ (turn it on under Options > Keyboard > Advanced if the key does nothing).
3. Type status.

Every player is listed with their user ID, name and Steam ID. Copy yours exactly. The same command run in the server console gives you everyone's IDs, which you will need for bans later.

Step 2: Add yourself to admins.txt

The file lives in the svencoop folder (the server reads whatever the adminsfile variable points to, admins.txt by default). One Steam ID per line, with optional comments after a #:

// Owners
*STEAM_0:1:12345678    # Sam (owner)

// Admins
STEAM_0:0:87654321     # Jo
STEAM_0:1:11223344     # Priya

• A line with * in front marks a server owner. According to the official manual, this is cosmetic: owners get a tinted icon in the scoreboard.
• A plain line marks an admin.

Save, then restart the server or change the map so it rereads the file.

What admins.txt gives you on its own

Less than most people expect. The manual says the only built in admin feature is the ability to use cheat commands, and only when sv_cheats is set to 2. That lets admins use cheats such as noclip while normal players cannot, which is useful for testing maps and unsticking people.

The other reason the file matters: AngelScript plugins check it. Many plugins treat anyone in admins.txt as an admin, so the list becomes the base for everything you install later.

Step 3: Use RCON for real control

RCON (remote console) lets you send server console commands from your game. It works out of the box.

1. Set a password in svencoop/server.cfg:

rcon_password "use-a-long-random-password"

2. Restart the server.
3. In your game console:

rcon_password "use-a-long-random-password"
rcon status
rcon changelevel hl_c01_a1

Anything you can type in the server console works after rcon. The commands you will use most:

RCON travels over TCP on the game port (27015 by default), so a home server needs that forwarded as well as UDP. Anyone with the password has full control of the server, so do not share it widely; that is what AFBase's access flags are for.

Step 4: Install AFBase for in game admin commands

AFBase is the community admin plugin for Sven Co-op, a port of the older AdminFuckery2. It adds kick, ban, slay, gag, map change and many more commands, with per admin permissions, and it is open source on GitHub.

1. Download the repository as a zip.
2. Extract it into the server's svencoop folder (or svencoop_addon). If you used svencoop_addon, move the files from svencoop_addon/scripts/plugins/store/ into svencoop/scripts/plugins/store/, because the plugin writes its access and ban lists there.
3. Open svencoop/default_plugins.txt and add AFBase inside the plugin list:

"plugin"
{
    "name" "AFBase"
    "script" "AFBase"
}

4. Give yourself access. Either add your Steam ID with flags to scripts/plugins/store/AFBaseAccess.txt, or, once you are connected, run this in the server console:

as_command .s_afb_access "STEAM_0:1:12345678" "+bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyx"

That string grants every flag. Give helpers fewer letters.

5. Run as_reloadplugins, then change the map.

AFBase commands you will actually use

In the game console, AFBase commands start with a dot. Many also work in chat with ! in front. From the server console, prefix them with as_command .s_.

Targets can be a name (with * wildcards), a Steam ID in quotes, or shortcuts like @me, @aim, @all and @admins.

Doing this on a hosted server

On a GamezServers Sven Co-op server, all of these files are in the file manager: admins.txt, server.cfg, default_plugins.txt and the scripts folder. Upload AFBase over SFTP, edit the plugin list in the browser, and run as_reloadplugins or the as_command line straight from the live console in the panel. Kicks and bans typed in that console take effect immediately, so you do not even need RCON set up. Set an RCON password anyway if you want to manage things from inside the game.

FAQ

Why do I not have admin after adding myself to admins.txt?

Built in admin rights in Sven Co-op only cover cheat commands with sv_cheats 2. Kicking, banning and map control come from RCON or a plugin like AFBase, which reads the admin list.

What does the * in admins.txt do?

It marks a server owner. The difference is cosmetic, a tinted icon in the scoreboard. A plain line makes someone an admin.

How do I ban someone permanently in Sven Co-op?

Use banid 0 STEAM_0:X:XXXX kick in the server console, then writeid so the ban is saved to banned.cfg. With AFBase, .admin_ban with a duration of 0 does the same.

Can I give a moderator kick rights without the RCON password?

Yes. Install AFBase and give them only the access flags they need in AFBaseAccess.txt. They can then kick or gag without ever seeing your RCON password.