No servers listed in LAN when I'm on the same network (n00b question)

[mandkpage]

This seems like a n00b question but I can't figure it out.
My son and I are both on the same wifi network. We both have HL2 Deathmatch purchased from Steam in our own accounts.
I create a server and he goes to LAN but can't see it. Or he creates a server and goes to LAN and I can't see it.
Is there something obvious I am missing? We're both on Win 11 pretty recent computers, we are both friends on Steam.

[Biahwtrooper]

Make sure you have sv_lan 1 command in your server.cfg for local area network.
For internet open server use command sv_lan 0.

[Biahwtrooper]

The easiest way to run a lan server, is to install via steamCMD then set your server.cfg to sv_lan 1.
If you ned help with this send me a friend request or here is a good resource to go by:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=276053759

[Biahwtrooper]

Dedicated can be set to lan or internet server.

[mandkpage]

So I followed that link, installed steamCMD, followed the next steps and now I have a folder in C drive C:\hl2mp with 2 folders:
_CommonRedist
steamapps

I then downloaded the sample server.cfg file and changed sv_lan 0 to sv_lan 1

But where do I put the server.cfg file?

And then do I just open HL2 Deathmatch via steam and create a server and other computers in my local network will see it?

[Xeogin]

Originally posted by mandkpage:

So I followed that link, installed steamCMD, followed the next steps and now I have a folder in C drive C:\hl2mp with 2 folders:
_CommonRedist
steamapps

I then downloaded the sample server.cfg file and changed sv_lan 0 to sv_lan 1

But where do I put the server.cfg file?

And then do I just open HL2 Deathmatch via steam and create a server and other computers in my local network will see it?

That guide already explains where to place the server.cfg. Regardless, it's not going to solve your problem as your computers couldn't see each other when running a "listening server" via the "Create Server" option earlier. The issue is likely related to the firewalls on your machines.

Assuming you've only got Windows Firewall running, make sure both your network connections are set to Private/Home and not Public, as by default Windows will assume networks are Public and block most everything. Once you're both sure you're both on the same network and have set it as a private one, try and ping one another's IPs and/or type in each other's IPs into an Explorer window and see if you can see any shared folders. If that works, you should be able to use "Create Server" in-game and connect to one another. If it doesn't immediately work, check to see if a Windows Firewall pop-up is open in the background. If so, agree to have it add a rule for Private networks. If there is no pop-up, go to Settings, search for Firewall, then choose the option to Add/allow an app. Choose the hl2.exe from whatever you have it installed. It's likely something like C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Half-Life 2 Deathmatch\hl2mp\

[mandkpage]

I disabled windows defender firewall on both computers and we were able to play then

[mandkpage]

So is there a setting(s) I can change in Windows Defender on both computers to avoid having to disable the firewall on both computers everytime we want to play HL2 deathmatch?

[{EXILE}™GuitarSlayer]

Originally posted by mandkpage:

So is there a setting(s) I can change in Windows Defender on both computers to avoid having to disable the firewall on both computers everytime we want to play HL2 deathmatch?

Yes, there are settings in Windows Defender Firewall that you can configure to avoid having to disable the firewall on both computers every time you want to play HL2 deathmatch. You can create an inbound rule in Windows Defender Firewall to allow traffic for HL2 deathmatch. Here are the steps to create an inbound rule:

Open Windows Defender Firewall by typing “Windows Defender Firewall” in the search bar and selecting it from the search results.
Click on “Advanced settings” on the left-hand side of the window.
In the left-hand pane, click on “Inbound Rules”.
In the right-hand pane, click on “New Rule”.
In the “New Inbound Rule Wizard”, select “Program” and click “Next”.
Select “This program path” and browse to the location of your HL2 deathmatch executable file.
Select “Allow the connection” and click “Next”.
Select when you want the rule to apply and click “Next”.
Give your rule a name and click “Finish”.
After following these steps, you should be able to play HL2 deathmatch without having to disable Windows Defender Firewall on both computers every time.

[Mr Keefy]

possible port forwarding issue within your router. open ports 27015 tcp and udp