MOHAA Server Not Showing in the Server List? Fixes After GameSpy

Q: Can I join a MOHAA server without the server browser?

Yes. Open the console with the tilde key and type connect followed by the address and port.

Q: Does svgamespy need to be on?

Yes, if you want the server in any in game browser. With svgamespy 0 it can only be joined by address.

A Medal of Honor: Allied Assault server is usually missing from the in game list for one of two reasons: the players' games still ask GameSpy, which shut down on May 31, 2014, or the server is not reporting to a working community master server. Players fix their side once with the xNULL GameSpy fixer (MOHGSFixer.exe) or a community launcher. On the server, run the Reborn 1.12 server with sv_gamespy 1, start it with dedicated 2, and open UDP 12300 alongside the game port 12203.

Before chasing the list, remember that it is optional. Any player can join with connect address:port in the console, and for a clan or a group of old friends that is often all you need.

How the MOHAA server list works now

When Allied Assault came out, every server reported to GameSpy's master servers, and every player's game downloaded the list from GameSpy. When GameSpy closed in 2014, both halves broke at once:

Servers kept reporting to dead gamespy.com addresses.
Games kept asking those dead addresses, and got empty lists.

The community answer was a replacement master that speaks the same GameSpy protocol. The xNULL team, who also make the Reborn patch, run one, and their fixer rewrites the master address inside the game's executables so the in game browser asks it instead. A server shows up for a player only if the server reports to a master that the player's game also asks.

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault cover art

Fix 1: patch the players' games

If you can see your server in a third party list or by direct connect, but friends see an empty in game browser, the problem is on their side.

Download the xNULL MasterServer fix, which contains MOHGSFixer.exe.
Extract it into the game's main folder.
Run MOHGSFixer.exe and point it at the Allied Assault install folder. It patches the available executables, for Allied Assault and the expansions, to use the new master.
Start the game and refresh the multiplayer browser.

Community launchers for MOHAA do the same job and add widescreen resolutions. Either way it is a one time change per PC.

Fix 2: make the server report to a working master

Run the Reborn 1.12 server rather than an old unpatched 1.11 server binary. Reborn comes from the same xNULL team that runs the replacement master, and it is the server package the remaining community uses. An unpatched server only knows GameSpy's dead addresses.

Then open main/server.cfg and check:

seta sv_gamespy "1"

With sv_gamespy 0, the server never reports to any master and can only be joined by address. Many configs in circulation also carry sv_master1 to sv_master3 lines with old addresses such as master0.gamespy.com. Those no longer answer, so they do no good, but leave any community master line your server package came with in first place.

Also check the launch line uses +set dedicated 2. With dedicated 1 the server runs in LAN mode and does not report to any master.

Fix 3: open the query port

Allied Assault uses two UDP ports:

Port	Purpose
12203	Game traffic (`net_port`)
12300	GameSpy style queries (`net_gamespy_port`)

Masters and browsers query the server on 12300 to read its name, map and player count. If only 12203 is forwarded, players can connect by address, but the server never shows as alive in a list. Forward both on the router and allow both in the firewall:

sudo ufw allow 12203/udp
sudo ufw allow 12300/udp

If you run several servers on one machine, each needs its own pair. Check the net_gamespy_port each one actually uses in its console output, since a second server moves to the next free port. The router steps are in how to port forward a game server.

Fix 4: it shows, but nobody can join

A listed server that refuses connections is a different problem:

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Connection refused, wrong version	Player is not on 1.11	Patch the game to 1.11. Reborn servers accept 1.11 clients
Kicked on map change	Server runs a custom `.pk3` the player does not have	Share the map files, or stay on stock maps
Asked for a password	`g_password` is set	Type `password yourpassword` in the console before connecting
Stuck on "Awaiting connection"	Game port blocked or wrong port	Check UDP 12203 is open and the port in `connect` is right
Console will not open	Console disabled in this install	Add `+set ui_console 1` to the shortcut's target

Allied Assault multiplayer combat

Connecting without the list

Share this with your players. In the game, press the tilde key and type:

connect 203.0.113.10:12203

If the server has a password, type password yourpassword first. Players can add the address to their favorites in the browser so it is one click next time, list or no list.

On a GamezServers server

On a GamezServers Allied Assault server, the Reborn 1.12 server starts with dedicated 2, and server.cfg is in the file manager for sv_gamespy and the rest of your settings. The panel shows the address and port players use with connect, which always works whether or not a list picks the server up. If your server is not appearing on the community master with sv_gamespy 1 set, email support@gamezservers.com with the server name and we will check the query side with you. For the rest of the config, see MOHAA server.cfg explained.

FAQ

Why is the MOHAA server browser empty?

The game still asks GameSpy's old master servers, which shut down in 2014. Run the xNULL GameSpy fixer or a community launcher so the game asks the replacement master.

What port does the MOHAA server list use?

UDP 12300 for GameSpy style queries, next to the game port UDP 12203.

Can I join a MOHAA server without the server browser?

Yes. Open the console with the tilde key and type connect followed by the address and port.

Does sv_gamespy need to be on?

Yes, if you want the server in any in game browser. With sv_gamespy 0 it can only be joined by address.