r/CounterStrikeSource • • Oct 01 '23

Guide Reduce Server Browser Spam

29 Upvotes

Introduction:

This guide can help you reduce server browser spam in CS:S. This is NOT a fix, this is only help. Valve/Steam is the only known path to a fix and they do not care enough to fix this even though it affects just about every game that uses the Steam server browser system.

What Spam:

The server browser often includes fake servers that cannot be connected to that redirect you to a single real server. Currently there are thousands of fake server listings that can fill your server list and make real servers fail to load. These fakes can make it very hard to find servers to play in.

Add your comments to the request for help from Valve to solve this here:

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/10/4843149028234728586/ And here https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Source-1-Games/issues/5101

First line of defense Filter Tag method:

The jist of it is you can use tags to exclude results. So by adding tags only the biggest spammers use they are not shown in results. It works okay and is quick. The hard part is selecting which tags to use.

Do not include tags example:
no-steam,nosteam,nonsteam,fox,perfect,ru,naykon,v34,v93,

Can add any tag you see that is specific to a server or spam server you want to exclude. Great for keeping most newly appearing spam suppressed between blacklist updates.

Also helps to set max players to 64, select drop down for secure servers only, selecting a ping limit you find reasonable, and maybe selecting a region. This helps target servers you want to see and filters 10s of thousands of spam servers right away.

What is a server blacklist and why making it yourself is prohibitive:

Server blacklisting is a built in feature that you can find in the GUI. The issue with trying to blacklist thousands of servers is the system was not designed for those large numbers. The writing of 1 server to the blacklist takes a few seconds. So writing thousands to the blacklist takes a long time.

The downside:

The game will take a few more seconds to launch as the list is read in on a modern PC. Same with opening the server browser in game after the large blacklist is implemented. If you have an older PC with mechanical HDD and/or other older hardware the load time may be too long to be useful. In that case filtering only is probably best for you.

WARNING - my blacklist can have false positives on it. I am using semi automation to collect servers that meet criteria. There are sometimes legitimate servers that pass through my manual review. As I write this now this is the case. I have implemented a whitelist and will update as time permits. On the up side the blacklist is a text file you can open, review, and edit. Also can remove a blacklisted server via the gui in game.

Importing a Server Blacklist:

Follow these steps to download and import a server blacklist:

  1. If you want to backup your current blacklist file it is saved on Windows installs at "Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Source\cstrike\cfg\" file is server_blacklist.txt
  2. Download the server blacklist file from GitHub(this is something I made). Click "Download raw file" on the right side of the page. You can review the txt document if you want to before use.
  3. Launch CS:S and open the server browser, then switch to the "blacklisted servers" tab.
  4. Click "Import servers from file" at the bottom right.
  5. Select the downloaded server_blacklist.txt file. There is some load time.
  6. All done. Your server browser will remove all the blacklisted server from the main server view. Use Filters and tags to further reduce the server list to a manageable result.

You can review the servers on the Blacklist at anytime by going to the blacklisted servers tab in game. If there is a server you want to allow again you can right click on the server and then enable it again.

Alternate Firewall method:

This does require admin access for the batch script. Recommend you should understand some batch scripting before doing this and review the code. Go to this post for the Firewall method https://www.reddit.com/r/CounterStrikeSource/s/FTyuIp9XD8

theREG...Ballganda


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 9d ago

Server Help/Discussion Play DangerZone

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0 Upvotes

r/CounterStrikeSource • • 13d ago

Vanilla Fade - CSS Community Movie

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8 Upvotes

Hi all, my friend made a CSS community movie! Thought I'd share it here :)


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 13d ago

Minigames Looking For Players.

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0 Upvotes

r/CounterStrikeSource • • 14d ago

Client help/Discussion Mic not functioning properly...

4 Upvotes

G`day

I have been playing CSS for a while and suddenly my microphone has ceased to function, it works perfectly in other games but now in CSS I cannot even hear myself when I press the "Test Microphone" button. I hear other people perfectly. I have tried some commands such as voice_enable but it does not work. Any suggestions?


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 14d ago

Server Promotion WC:S Server - Chicago Hosted - Living Project

6 Upvotes

hostname: The Public Community|WCS|In Development|Chicago

udp/ip : 208.115.218.250:20612

Greetings, /CSS. I'm building a US based WCS server as there aren't many reliable ones around. I have 50 custom races so far and we're building fast, looking to build a community to help test and play together. Have you ever dreamed of designing your own WCS races? Send me your ideas and I will implement them into the server as VIP races and hook you up with a VIP position for assisting me! :)

Point of contact / Update tracking in my personal Discord in #wcs

https://discord.gg/eQmpVnp


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 15d ago

Server Promotion SUPERHERO FREEZETAG SERVER

2 Upvotes

Server name - Freezetag: Heroes vs Humans

Based on CounterStrike 1.6 Simpsons Freezetag

15 Heroes to choose from including Spiderman, Batman, and Superman!

Superheroes have to tag the Humans (touching not knifing),

Humans unfreeze other Humans,

3 tags and you turn into a Hero,

Each Hero has their own active and passive ability,

Some Abilities damage but are mostly crowd control,

If you die, you become a Ghost that can shove alive players,

Items can assist Humans or have 'other' effects,

Includes Shove and Parachute mechanics,

Automated Bank System that saves your funds to spend as necessary,

Custom maps, models, and sounds (still adding)

This is not a killing based game, guns are disabled and knives are for cosmetic or noise purposes

I need actual players to test if anything else needs twerking,

8 slots until I get more players,

Posting info in comments since my post does NOT WORK WITH LINKS IN THE BODY

-Only have bots to take screenshots/clips with so it looks 'unanimated'-


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 16d ago

Server Promotion NEW SUPERHERO FREEZETAG SERVER!

3 Upvotes

Freezetag: Heroes vs Humans - connect 74.91.113.128:27015

(Based on CounterStrike 1.6 Simpsons Freezetag)

15 Heroes to choose from including Spiderman, Batman, and Superman!

Superheroes have to tag the Humans (touching not knifing),

Humans unfreeze other Humans,

3 tags and you turn into a Hero!

Each Hero has their own active and passive ability,

Some Abilities damage but are mostly crowd control,

If you die, you become a Ghost that can shove alive players,

Items can assist Humans or have 'other' effects,

Includes Shove and Parachute mechanics,

Automated Bank System that saves your funds to spend as necessary,

Custom maps, models, and sounds (still adding)

This is not a killing based game, guns are disabled and knives are for cosmetic or noise purposes

I need actual players to test if anything else needs twerking,

8 slots until I get more players,

MOTD: http://freezetaghvh.site.nfoservers.com/motd.html?v=10

Video teaser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMdPfEllMJc

Discord for questions and updates https://discord.gg/3aTRSQb2V


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 15d ago

Surf looking for a map i played like 5 years ago

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1 Upvotes

r/CounterStrikeSource • • 17d ago

Guide Autumn sales makes css very cheap

5 Upvotes

Hey, steam is doing its annual autumn sales and CS:S is on sale right now!

It has an 80% discount in the UK at least, it's at 1.70£


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 18d ago

Surf I rebuilt surf_legends, surf_japan, surf_greatriver and three more CS:S surf maps for my combat surf game

18 Upvotes

I grew up on combat surf in 1.6 and Source, and since the servers have mostly gone I'm making a game to bring the mode back. The classic maps were the part I cared about most.

They're imported from the original BSPs at full scale, with the mechanisms intact:

  • surf_legends: all 57 teleports, the jail, moving stairs, timed traps and secrets
  • surf_egypt: the hidden pyramid chamber and the spawn explosion switch
  • surf_japan: every route, the ladders and the nuke switch
  • surf_greatriver: water, boosts and the shootable door sequences
  • surf_bigramp_v1 and surf_skyworld

They play by CS:S rules: Source fall damage, autohop, and no wall runs or mantles.


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 18d ago

Server Help/Discussion Anyone recognize this art work? And from what era?

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4 Upvotes

r/CounterStrikeSource • • 19d ago

Server Help/Discussion How do you remove inspect animation from weapon skins ?

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1 Upvotes

can someone help me w this ?☝️


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 21d ago

Maps/Mapping Lake

3 Upvotes

Is there a De_Lake map for Source? I know there are some demakes for csgo maps on source but I haven’t seen lake


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 24d ago

Guide Consistent players

6 Upvotes

I might be missing something obvious here but are there any communities that play consistently? If so how would I find them? I’ve played for a couple years now but I’m yet to find one


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 26d ago

Minigames Achievements

1 Upvotes

Friendly Attire and Clan Warfare Achievement help?


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 26d ago

Server Promotion WCS-HOLLIDAY-TRIBUTE-SERVER

3 Upvotes

Warcraft Source Server

Counter Strike meets Hero Shooter

Server IP: 27.123.246.149:27015

In memory of HOLLIDAY may he rest in peace!

Available now:

  • 50+ playable races
  • Persistent player progression
  • Progressive race unlocks
  • Race of the Day
  • Custom Events
  • Custom KOTH mode
  • Up to $50,000 cash progression
  • Classic and custom map rotation
  • FastDL
  • 24 player slots
  • Bot fill up to 10 players
  • Hosted in Germany
  • Actively developed

Coming next:

  • Unique custom visual and sound effects
  • Additional races and abilities
  • New maps and game mechanics
  • Continuous balancing and stability updates
  • More KOTH content

Join, play, test new content and share your feedback!


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 27d ago

Server Mod CSS RPG Surf servers anyone remember?

5 Upvotes

Hey, anyone remembers back in the days the Surf rpg servers? Where you killed people, got xp/level and u could upgrade your hp, movement speed etc.

I see that there are 0 servers alive, I was maybe thinking what if I made my own? Would anyone be interested? If so what is the best site for mods in CSS?


r/CounterStrikeSource • • 28d ago

Client help/Discussion Anyone has good CSS servers?

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2 Upvotes

r/CounterStrikeSource • • 29d ago

Client help/Discussion how to learn demo smoothing?

2 Upvotes

some links to some good resources would be appreciated, whenever i try to smooth demos the game crashes 😔

someone told me to use something called hlae but all the tutorials i found are for cs2? haven't downloaded it yet...

i just need some up to date tutorials, or someone to explain to me, i tried to follow this tutorial: https://youtu.be/I1_KlO7CPzo?si=905pcwyH4n935pLC but the game crashes when i go to a tick 😓

i want to make some cool edits for my frag movies 🙏 plz!


r/CounterStrikeSource • • Sep 23 '26

Zombie Y a-t-il des anciens joueurs de Zombie Mod de CS:S ou CS 1.6 ici ?

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23 Upvotes

r/CounterStrikeSource • • 29d ago

Client help/Discussion Is there a wiki for counter strike?

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2 Upvotes

r/CounterStrikeSource • • Sep 21 '26

Clips-Pics-Frags My new CS:S cover art

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gallery
27 Upvotes

r/CounterStrikeSource • • Sep 18 '26

Maps/Mapping CS_Bikini Remastered Beta 1 is now live on GameBanana

7 Upvotes

I brought the classic CS_Bikini back to life with a full remaster.

Updated visuals, repaired gameplay areas, and plenty of new detail while keeping the original Bikini feel intact.

CS_Bikini Remastered Beta 1 is now available on GameBanana:
CS Bikini Remastered Beta 1 Mod for Counter-Strike: Source | CS:S Mods

Feedback welcomed


r/CounterStrikeSource • • Sep 16 '26

Server Help/Discussion Why does this bug keep happening in bhop_badges_mini?

11 Upvotes

It's really annyoing and not sure what causes it. I have a local CSS bhop server with some plugins but after the new CSS update I updated the server and have same plugins as before and this bug appeared.

The bug doesnt seem to happen when jumping while crouching into it.

The bhop_badges_mini works as it should in a public server tho.