How to run Blackwake as a Windows Service with FireDaemon Pro.

You can run the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server as a FireDaemon Pro Windows service. This is very useful, as it allows for the game server to start automatically at system boot and can restart the game server automatically should the server crash or hang.

Before you start

Before you start configuring the Blackwake server, ensure that you have installed the following applications:

• SteamCMD
• FireDaemon Pro
• Blackwake Dedicated Game Server

What is SteamCMD?

The Steam Console Client or SteamCMD is a command-line version of the Steam Client. Its primary use is to install and update various dedicated servers available on Steam using a command-line interface.

What is Blackwake?

Blackwake is a multiplayer naval FPS based on teamwork and cooperation.

Configuration process

Perform the following steps in a given sequence to complete the configuration of the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server.

1. Download and Install the SteamCMD for Windows.
2. Download and Install FireDaemon Pro.
3. Download and Install the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server.
4. Enable and Start the Windows Audio Service in Automatic mode.
5. Set up the Blackwake Dedicated Game server as a FireDaemon Pro Service.
6. Verify if the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server Is Running Correctly.
7. Check the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server log file for errors and running status.
8. Check if the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server is listening on correct ports.
9. Stop and Start the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server.
10. Configure the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server.

1. Downloading and Installing SteamCMD for Windows

1. Download SteamCMD.
   
   
2. Create a folder on your system. For example, C:\steamcmd.
   
   
3. Extract the downloaded SteamCMD zip file to the folder.
   
   The zip file contains only one file, which is steamcmd.exe.
   
   
4. Double click the steamcmd.exe.
   
   The executable file installs the required support files to the steamcmd folder.
   
   

2. Downloading and Installing FireDaemon Pro

1. Download FireDaemon Pro.
   
   
2. On the download page, click the Download button.
   
   
3. Double-click the executable file and follow the installation wizard to continue the installation.
   
   For more information about FireDaemon installation, see install FireDaemon Pro.
   
   

3. Downloading and Installing the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server

Note: Determine the folder that you want to use for installing the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server. We recommend creating a folder inside the steamcmd folder that you created for installing the SteamCMD server. For example, C:\steamcmd\blackwake.

1. Open the command prompt with Administrator rights.
   1. In the Windows search bar, search for cmd.
      
      
   2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
      
      
2. Enter the following commands at the command prompt:

   c:

   cd \steamcmd

   steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir .\Blackwake\ +app_update 423410 validate +quit

   The Blackwake Dedicated Game Server is downloaded and installed from Steam's server.
   
   Note: As the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server size is approximately 3.5 GB, the installation process takes more time.
   
   
3. Check the message for the successful installation of the SteamCMD server.
   
   
   

4. Enabling and Starting the Windows Audio Service in Automatic mode

By default, on Windows Server 2008 through 2019, the Windows Audio service is set to start in the Manual mode. However, on Windows Vista through Windows 10, the Windows Audio service is set to start in Automatic mode.

Due to reports that the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server inexplicably quits when this service is not running, we recommend enabling and starting the Windows Audio server in Automatic mode.

1. Open the command prompt with Administrator rights.
   1. In the Windows search bar, search for cmd.
      
      
   2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
      
      
2. Enter the following commands:

   sc config Audiosrv start= auto

   sc start Audiosrv

   
   
   

5. Setting up the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server as a FireDaemon Pro Service

1. Open FireDaemon Pro.
   
   You can double-click the FireDaemon Pro shortcut on the desktop.
   
   The FireDaemon Pro interface opens with the FireDaemon Services page.
   
   
2. Click the New button.
   
   The Service Definition page appears.
   
   
   
   
3. Enter appropriate values in the following fields:
   • Short Name: The service name in short form. For example, Blackwake.
     
     
   • Display Name: The full name that you want to view for the service.
     
     
   • Startup Mode: The mode in which you want to start the service. For example, Automatic (Delayed Start).
     
     
   • Program: The name of the Blackwake program. For example, C:\SteamCMD\Blackwake\BlackwakeServer.exe.
     
     
   • Working Directory: The working directory for the Blackwake server. For example, C:\SteamCMD\Blackwake.
     
     
   • Parameters: The parameters that the executable uses when running.
     For example, -batchmode -nographics.
     
     
   • Type: The option of how you want to run the application. For example, Application (always running).
     
     
4. In the left pane, click Settings.
   
   
   
   
5. On the Settings page, perform the following:
   
   
   
   
   1. Clear the Interact with Desktop check box.
      
      As the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server is truly headless and has no interactive GUI component, you can clear the check box.
      
      
   2. (Optional) Click in the CPU Bindings (Dec) field and select a specific CPU or core.
      
      

      If you want to run the service on a specific CPU or core, you can select an appropriate CPU in this field.
      
      
      

6. (Optional) In the left pane, click Dependencies.
   
   
7. On the Dependencies page, perform the following to add Windows Audio service:
   
   
   
   
   1. Below the first list box, click in the Add field and select Windows Audio (Audiosrv).
      The Windows Audio service is added to the list box.
      
      
      Selecting this option ensures that the Windows Audio service is running before launching the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server.
      
      
   2. (Optional) In case if you want to remove the selected service, click the service in the list box, and click the Remove button.
      
      
8. After setting appropriate values in the fields, click Save and Close or Save button on the toolbar.
   
   
   The new Blackwake Dedicated Game Server is added to the services list as a FireDaemon Service.
   
   

6. Verifying if the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server Is Running Correctly

After you add Blackwake Dedicated Game Server as FireDaemon service, you can verify if the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server as a service is running correctly or not.

1. Open Task Manager.
   Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.
   
   
2. Click the Services tab.
   In the Name column, search for the Blackwake.
   
   
3. Verify that the Status column displays Running for the Blackwake service.

7. Checking Blackwake Dedicated Game Server log file for errors and running status

Blackwake Dedicated server creates a log file, which contains the operations performed and errors raised during the process. You can check the log file for errors and verify that the server is running.

1. Open the “output_log.txt” file.
   
   
2. Go to the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server data folder.

   C:\SteamCMD\blackwake\BlackwakeServer_Data

3. From the folder, open the output_log.txt file.
   
   
4. In the log file, search for the term “exception”.
   
   
5. If the log file does not contain the term, it indicates that there are no errors.
   
   
6. In the log file, search for the text “Steam game server started”.
   The text indicates that the server is running.
   
   

8. Checking if the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server is listening on correct ports

1. Get the PID (Process ID) of the BlackwakeServer.exe file.
   You can get it either from FireDaemon Pro or the Task Manager.
   
   
   • From FireDaemon Pro, get the PID of the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server.
     
     
     
   • From the bottom the Task Manager and get the PID of the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server.
     
     
     
2. Open the command prompt with administrator access and run the following command:

   netstat -anob | find "<PID>

   
   Where PID is the process ID collected in the first step
   
   You can view the ports on which the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server is listening. Here, the ports are 51047, 25001, 27015, and 25001. You will need to configure your firewall and/or router accordingly to port forward these ports.
   
   

9. Stopping and Starting the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server 

The Blackwake Dedicated Game Server will continue to run in the FireDaemon Pro. However, you might need to shut down the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server to perform routine maintenance, such as update SteamCMD, update the game server, or make any configuration changes.

On the FireDaemon Pro user interface, you can easily perform these tasks.

1. In the services list, select the FireDaemon Service for the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server.
   
   The additional buttons will be visible to perform various operations on the selected service.
   
   
2. Click the appropriate buttons to stop, start, and restart the service.
   
   
   • Click the Stop icon () to stop the service.
   • Click the Start icon () to start the service.
   • Click the Restart icon () to restart the service without manually stopping.
     
     

10. Configuring the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server

You can tune the setup of the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server by editing the Admin.txt and Server.cfg files.  You can find these files in the installation directory (C:\SteamCMD\blackwake) of Blackwake. 

After making the changes in these files, you must restart the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server to make the changes in effect.

Admin.txt

In this file, you can add administrators for the Blackwake Dedicated Game Server. You need to add the information in the following format with one administrator per line.

name=notur64bitsteamid

You can look up your 64-bit Steam ID here if you have a public or vanity Steam URL.

Server.cfg

This file contains different options that you can configure as per the requirements.

Other Resources

Below is a list of additional links you might find useful in assisting you in configuring your Blackwake Dedicated Game Server:

• Blackwake Official Site
• Blackwake Subreddit
• RadSquirrel's Server Setup Walkthrough
• Steam Blackwake Community
• Blackwake on the Steam Store
• Unity Command Line