Unreal Tournament 2004 Podman Container

This project provides a Podman container based on Rocky Linux for running Unreal Tournament 2004 server. The container automatically downloads server files on first run.

Note: This project is based on PhasecoreX's docker-ut2004-server, adapted for Rocky Linux with Wine support. For a native Linux server container, check out the original project.

Quick Start

Build the Container

./build.sh

Or manually:

podman build -t rocky-arena:latest .

Run the Server

The simplest way to run the server:

./run-server.sh

This will:

• Create a data directory (./ut2004-data) for server files, configs, and addons
• Automatically download server files on first run (UT2004 Dedicated Server v3369.2 with bonus packs)
• Start the server with default settings

The server files are downloaded from the same source as PhasecoreX's docker-ut2004-server and include:

• Base server with latest patch (3369.2)
• Epic ECE Bonus Pack
• Bonus Megapack

Configuration

Environment Variables

You can customize the server by setting environment variables before running:

export MAP_NAME="DM-Rankin"
export GAME_TYPE="XGame.xDeathMatch"
export MAX_PLAYERS="16"
export MUTATORS="UT2Vote61.UT2VoteX"
export CD_KEY="YOUR-CD-KEY-HERE"
export UT2004_SERVER_URL="https://example.com/ut2004-server.tar.gz"

./run-server.sh

Available variables:

• MAP_NAME - Initial map (default: DM-Rankin)
• GAME_TYPE - Game type (default: XGame.xDeathMatch)
• MAX_PLAYERS - Maximum players (default: 16)
• MUTATORS - Comma-separated list of mutators (no spaces)
• CD_KEY - Server CD key (required for first run)
• UT2004_SERVER_URL - Override default server download URL (not needed - automatic download is enabled)
• AUTO_START - Set to false to prevent auto-starting server
• SKIP_INSTALL - Set to true to skip server download check

Data Directory Structure

The container uses /data (mounted from ./ut2004-data by default) with this structure:

/data/
├── server/          # Server files (downloaded or manually placed)
│   ├── System/
│   ├── Maps/
│   └── ...
├── config/          # Configuration files (.ini files and cdkey)
│   ├── UT2004.ini
│   └── cdkey
└── addons/          # Custom maps and mutators
    ├── Maps/
    └── System/

Providing Server Files

The server files are automatically downloaded on first run. You have three options:

1. Automatic Download (default - no action needed):

   ./run-server.sh

   The container will automatically download UT2004 Dedicated Server v3369.2 with all bonus packs.

2. Manual Placement: Place your UT2004 server files in ./ut2004-data/server/ to skip the download

3. Skip Check: Set SKIP_INSTALL=true if you'll provide files later or want to skip the download

CD Key

The server needs a CD key. You can provide it in two ways:

1. Environment Variable:

   export CD_KEY="YOUR-CD-KEY-HERE"
   ./run-server.sh

2. File: Place a cdkey file in ./ut2004-data/config/

Once created, the CD key is saved and you don't need to provide it again.

Advanced Usage

Custom Server Command

You can override the entire server command:

podman run -d --name rocky-arena \
  -v ./ut2004-data:/data:rw \
  -p 7777:7777/udp \
  -e SERVER_START_COMMAND="System/ucc.exe server DM-Antalus?game=XGame.xCTFGame" \
  rocky-arena:latest

Interactive Shell

To get a shell in the container:

podman run -it --rm \
  -v ./ut2004-data:/data:rw \
  rocky-arena:latest \
  /bin/bash

Viewing Logs

podman logs -f rocky-arena

Stopping the Server

podman stop rocky-arena

Network Ports

• 7777/udp: Game port (required)
• 7778/udp: Query port (game port + 1)
• 8080/tcp: Web admin port (if enabled)

Addons

Place custom maps and mutators in ./ut2004-data/addons/ with the same directory structure as the server:

addons/
├── Maps/
│   └── DM-MyCustomMap.ut2
└── System/
    └── MyMutator.u

The entrypoint script automatically links addons to the server.

Notes

• The container runs as a non-root user (uid 1000)
• Server files are downloaded on first run (if URL provided) or can be manually placed
• Configuration files are stored separately from server files for easy management
• The container uses Wine to run Windows server executables
• DirectX 9 and Visual C++ runtimes are pre-installed

Troubleshooting

Server Files Not Found

If you see "Server files not found":

1. Set UT2004_SERVER_URL to download automatically, or
2. Manually place server files in ./ut2004-data/server/, or
3. Set SKIP_INSTALL=true to skip the check

CD Key Issues

Make sure you provide a valid CD key via CD_KEY environment variable or ./ut2004-data/config/cdkey file.

Port Already in Use

If port 7777 is already in use, change it:

podman run -d --name rocky-arena \
  -v ./ut2004-data:/data:rw \
  -p 7778:7777/udp \
  -e SERVER_START_EXTRAS="?Port=7778" \
  rocky-arena:latest

Credits

This project is inspired by and borrows heavily from PhasecoreX's docker-ut2004-server.

What We Borrowed

• Server Download Mechanism: The automatic server download functionality, including the download URL and SHA256 verification, is based on PhasecoreX's install.sh script
• Data Directory Structure: The /data folder layout (server, config, addons) follows the same pattern
• Version Tracking: The .versions directory approach for tracking installed server files
• General Architecture: The concept of downloading server files on first run rather than including them in the image

Differences

• Base OS: This project uses Rocky Linux instead of Debian
• Runtime: Uses Wine to run Windows server executables (PhasecoreX uses native Linux binaries)
• Container Runtime: Optimized for Podman (though Docker works too)

Original Project

For a native Linux UT2004 server container, check out the original PhasecoreX/docker-ut2004-server project, which runs the Linux-native server binaries directly.