Server Hosting Information

How to Host a Nightfire Dedicated Server, by Ricecooker

Step 1: Go to http://nightfirepc.com/downloads/server.php and download Nightfire Dedicated Server and Nightfire Dedicated Server – Patch v5.12 R3 (or whatever is the latest patch version uploaded to the website) and follow the installation instructions provided.

Step 2: Locate your IPv4 address and router login address. In the search bar on Windows 10, type “cmd” and press Enter to bring up the Command Prompt window. In the window, type “ipconfig” and press Enter. A table will appear resembling the example below:



Take note of the IPv4 address and Default Gateway address. The Default Gateway address is the location of your router login page.

The same information may also be found on Windows 10 by navigating to Start > Settings > Network and Internet > Status > View hardware and connection properties.

Step 3: Login to your router. To reach the login page, open a web browser and type your Default Gateway address obtained in Step 2 in the URL bar. The page will ask you for a username and password to login to your router. This will either be a default username and password or one that you created when setting up the router. If you do not know your username or password, try searching the make and model of your router; there is likely a default username and password that should work to login.

Step 4: After gaining access to your router, navigate to the security page of the router’s settings. There should be an “Apps and Gaming” tab or something similar that you will use for port forwarding. Port forwarding is necessary for your server to appear on the internet list. All routers are slightly different, so you may need to search where to access the port forwarding page.

Step 5: After locating the port forwarding page, navigate to the “Port Range Forwarding” tab and select “Add a New Port.” Input the information found in the screenshot below:



The range of port numbers required for forwarding are found in the “NF_Server_Readme” file that is included in the files downloaded in Step 1. The Readme file contains other basic information on how to set up your server, including some useful server commands. Ports 26015-26019, 26025-26026, 6550-6554 must be forwarded.

To forward these ports you must input three separate entries. Again, all routers are different, so yours may look slightly different compared to the screenshot above. Choose whatever name you like for the name of the application. Input the port range in the second column. Then, select “UDP” as the protocol in column three. Input your IPv4 address obtained in Step 2 in the “Device IP#” column. Lastly, ensure that each entry is “Enabled” by checking the box.

Note: For more information on port forwarding, see https://findports.com/article/james-bond-007-nightfire. That page also suggests forwarding port 26005, so you may wish to add that port as well if your server does not appear on the list after completing the steps in this guide.

Step 6: The next step is to configure your firewall.

On Windows 10, navigate to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall > Advanced Settings > Inbound Rules.

Under Inbound Rules, select “New Rule…” from the navigation bar on the right. This will open the “New Inbound Rule Wizard” containing five steps.


 * 1) Select “Port” for the rule type.
 * 2) Select “UDP” and “Specific local ports.” In the specific local ports box, enter the three ranges of ports forwarded in your router settings in Step 5, separated by a comma: “26015-26019, 26025-26026, 6550-6554”
 * 3) Under “Action,” ensure that “Allow the connection” is checked
 * 4) Under “Profile,” ensure that all the boxes provided are checked.
 * 5) Under “Name,” you may give the rule any name you like.

When these steps are completed, your new rule will be added and you may then edit its properties, if necessary. The completed rule should resemble the example below:



Step 7: Navigate to the Nightfire Server/bond folder that was downloaded in Step 1. Open the “server.cfg” notepad file. Each server has a corresponding server.cfg file that you may use to configure your server. In the “server.cfg” file, add the command “sv_lan 0” anywhere in the document and save the file. This will ensure that your server appears on the in-game internet server list.

You may wish to edit other server commands in this file. For a full list of commands, see http://web.archive.org/web/20051220052204/http://www.009.web-fun.net/nightfire/commands.shtml.

Note: Tournament hosts may download the tournament server settings config file  here .

Step 8: Open the Nightfire Server folder and launch “Start NF Server 1.” If everything worked correctly, your server will start and should be visible to you and other players on the in-game internet server list!

If your server does not show up you may ask for assistance in the #support channel in the Nightfire Nostalgics discord.  Nightfire Nostalgics Information and Tournaments


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