Setup and Play a Surfing CSGO Server
in CSGO
By Nathan Young
Overview
Ever so often, players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive need to take a break from winning matches and getting clutches. Fortunately, this game is highly customizable and introduces countless entertaining gamemodes to the community. One of these is surfing, which has been popular in the Counter-Strike series for a long time. This is a perfect mode with friends, as everyone will casually fly around the map by balancing themselves on slanted walls. Whether you’re trying to show off your movement skills or having a contest for the longest surf, there’s plenty of opportunity for a wonderful CS:GO experience. The best way to host a surfing match is using a dedicated server, as it can be completely configured for this gamemode. However, some newcomers to the hosting scene may be unfamiliar with this process. Due to this, we’ve created this Apex Hosting tutorial to show you how to set up and play a surfing server in CSGO.
Surfing Gamemode
As some of you may know by now, surfing is a predominant gamemode in CSGO. This mode is broken down into two main aspects: movement and style. There is no killing involved, as the whole point is to enjoy a peaceful experience while flying around a map. Although, this is only possible after tweaking some game settings since the default values aren’t enough. Once configured, it can be either difficult or ridiculously easy to surf. Combining this with other features such as mods can truly create an amazing surfing experience for all players. With this in mind, review the sections below to begin creating your Counter-Strike server.
Server Preparation
There are a few required steps before setting up your surfing server, such as finding the workshop map or creating a login token. These will allow others to join without problems, while also providing a world for the gamemode. Players may want to have a collection of maps to try out, which is also possible for this kind of server. However, make sure to keep notes about important details in each preparation section, as they’ll be used in the configuration. It’s best to use Notepad or an equivalent to copy and paste these details for later.
Workshop Maps
Due to this gamemode’s requirements, you’ll need to locate a suitable workshop map for it. We strongly recommend choosing from this list of surf maps when deciding, unless you already have some in mind. When you’ve found one or a collection of them, follow along below to save their ID for the server’s configuration.
- Navigate to your desired map on CSGO’S Workshop page.
- Once there, press the
Subscribe
button to begin downloading its files. - Afterward, copy and save the values after
?id=
in the URL for later.
Steam Login Token
The token is generated on Steam’s official website, used to make the server work and allow players to join without problems. This is an essential part of CSGO hosting, so ensure to always have this saved on your computer or elsewhere.
- Navigate to this page and
Login
with your account, if you aren’t already logged in. - Proceed to enter 730 for the
App ID
field, then anything you want in theMemo
area. - Afterward, press
Create
at the bottom and keep thisLogin Token
for later configuration.
Steam Web API Key
When using any workshop maps, the API key is required for the server to function properly. This is similar to the token, as it’s important for any CSGO server that uses custom gamemodes.
- Navigate to Steam’s API Key page, then
Login
with your account credentials. - Continue to enter “CSGO” or anything else in the
Domain
field. - Press the
Register
button below and save theKey
value for later, once shown.
Make sure to NOT freely share the
Login Token
andAPI Key
, as these can negatively affect your Steam account or server if in the wrong hands. If you feel one or both of these have been leaked, simply revoke them from their respective page. Afterward, you can regenerate another key or token for your server so everything is secured.
Server Configuration
As for the exact process to set up the surfing CSGO server, it’s rather straightforward and easily done on our panel. The above information will be used, such as the workshop map(s) and token/key values. Besides this, the actual configuration for the gamemode is a bit more complicated. This process requires you to create a custom mode with specific settings, which involves the FTP panel. However, we’ll walk you through each step along the way down below.
Required Options
The following instructions shows you how to make any general changes, but also informs you where to enter the Login Token
and API Key
values. Make sure to have them on hand before proceeding.
- Head towards your Apex server panel, then click
Customizations
near the left. - Continue to enable, disable, or tweak any desired changes like a
Server Password
. - Afterward, find the Account Token and Web API fields to enter their respective values.
- Proceed to locate and change the Game Mode option to Custom Game for surfing.
- Once you’ve done this, leave this page open for additional configuration.
Adding Workshop Maps
As for the workshop maps, it’s time to begin adding them to the server. This process can be done for one or a collection of them, but changes what’s required to do depending on your setup. If you’ve only wanted one map at a time, then review the Single Map section. Otherwise, continue to follow the Map Collection instructions to successfully configure the surfing maps.
Single Map
- Locate the Workshop File ID section while inside of the
Customizations
area. - Once found, enter your desired
Map ID
from earlier in the text box. - Return to the main server panel for the gamemode configuration.
Map Collection
- While in the
Customizations
section, locate the Workshop Collection ID option. - When you’ve found it, enter your desired
Collection ID
from before in the field. - Afterward, return to the main server panel and select
Config Files
at the top left. - Click the autoexec.cfg file and locate or add the workshop_start_map option.
- Continue to enter a
Map ID
from the collection in this setting, then clickSave
at the top. - Return to the main panel for the surfing gamemode configuration.
Gamemode Setup
The last piece to the configuration is setting up surfing settings to allow better movement, acceleration, among other useful aspects. For example, our predefined options kick all bots and force the timer to be an hour long, while providing players the ability to bhop or quickly move around. The process to do this requires you to edit the custom gamemode’s file, stored in the FTP panel. When you’re ready, begin to review the steps below.
- From the main server panel, click
FTP File Access
near the top left corner. - Proceed to enter your
Password
in the text box, then press theLogin
button. - Once you see the files, navigate to this pathway:
…/csgo/cfg
. - Afterward, locate and press
Edit
on the gamemode_custom_server.cfg file. - Delete anything inside of this, then copy and paste the following:
sv_enablebunnyhopping 1 sv_autobunnyhopping 1 sv_staminamax 0 sv_staminajumpcost 0 sv_staminalandcost 0 sv_staminarecoveryrate 0 sv_airaccelerate 800 sv_accelerate 10 mp_warmuptime 3 mp_autokick 0 mp_freezetime 0 mp_roundtime 999999 mp_timelimit 999999 mp_round_restart_delay 0 bot_kick all
- Add any other setting you desire on a new line and press
Save
at the top. Restart
the server from the main panel to begin loading the surfing gamemode.
Surfing Difficulty Levels
If you’re wanting to increase or decrease the difficulty level of surfing, then you need to change the sv_airaccelerate setting. This is stored in the gamemode_custom_server.cfg file from the FTP panel, which you’ve previously configured. Due to this being controlled by values, we’ve created five levels for you to try out. Change the setting accordingly after reviewing the table below.
Difficulty | Required Value |
---|---|
Really Hard | 100 |
Hard | 150 |
Medium | 200 |
Easy | 400 |
Extremely Easy | 800 |
How to Surf in CSGO
When you’ve successfully configured and joined your new surfing server, some players may find the mode challenging. Luckily, it’s easy to learn in-game movement to smoothly surf around the map. Either jump or fall on the first wall to build up momentum, then almost immediately strafe into it. In other words, surfing on the right side means you’ll have to press A on your keyboard to continue riding, while hitting D is for the left. However, moving the mouse in different directions like up and down is another important surfing aspect. Combining this with strafing allows players to control their movement entirely, even to the point where they can launch themselves high in the sky.
Common Issues
Other times, players may not be able to join the server. This happens if you incorrectly entered the Login Token or API Key in the Customizations
area. However, their values could be revoked, requiring you to regenerate them for Steam. Although, using an invalid IP Address:Port
or subdomain will result in a failed connection. Make sure to use the correct addresses from your panel so joining isn’t an issue. Alternatively, the situation could be happening from the server being unresponsive.
In some cases, the CSGO server will not work or load after configuring the workshop maps or surfing settings. Ensure you’ve entered the correct Map or Collection ID in the Customizations
area. However, all collections must be public for them to work properly on the server. Additionally, these shouldn’t be too large since that’ll take forever to load. As for the gamemode’s settings, make sure you didn’t include options like “endgame” or similar ones since that’ll crash the server. If you only used our predefined settings, then make sure to Save
in the file editor and Restart
from the main panel to apply the changes.
Useful Links
How to Make a CS:GO Server
Using Workshop Maps in CS:GO Servers
CS:GO Server Settings Guide
How to Optimize CS:GO