Quake II Remastered (Kex) unfortunately does not support dedicated servers. Hosting a listen server is possible, but in practice, it tends to be unstable and buggy.
This AutoHotkey v2 script automatically monitors and restarts a running Quake II listen server, sends optional in-game messages, and executes configuration files as needed. It is designed for unattended servers running 24/7 — as such, the system must remain unlocked and have a visible desktop. The in-game Quake II console must also be open for the auto-quit and message features to function.
- Automatically launches and navigates the Quake II menu to host a multiplayer match
- Sends periodic in-game messages to players (e.g., download reminders)
- Quits and restarts the game at scheduled times
- Detects and closes known crash dialogs (e.g.,
Z_Free: bad magic,ERROR_DEVICE_LOST) - Executes server config files automatically on launch
- Fully configurable via
config.ini - Includes log rotation with a max file size limit
- Automatically cycles through all available maps in the map list to initiate shuffling (for MuffMode servers only)
- Install AutoHotkey v2
- Clone this repository or download the latest release
.zip - Copy
config.ini.exampletoconfig.iniand edit it to match your system paths and config preferences - Run the script:
Q2REAutoHost.ahk
After a short delay, the game will launch, start a multiplayer server, and execute the specified configurations.
Example Quake II server configs are provided in the quake2-configs folder. Copy any files you want to use into your Quake install at:
<Quake 2 install>\rerelease\baseq2\
The game only reads configs from baseq2, so the bundle is just for reference.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
GamePath |
Full path to quake2.exe |
WindowTitle |
Title of the game window (e.g., "Quake II...") |
ExeName |
Process name of the game (e.g., quake2ex_steam.exe) |
RestartTimes |
Comma-separated list of HH:mm times to auto-restart |
CrashMessages |
Comma-separated list of known crash message strings |
ExecConfigs |
Comma-separated config files to execute (e.g., ffa.cfg) |
ExecConfigDelay |
Delay (ms) between sending each exec command in-game |
AutoStart |
true / false — launch AutoHost automatically on start |
Debug |
true / false — enable or disable log output |
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
Message1..N |
In-game messages to send (say is implied by the script logic) |
Interval |
Time in minutes between full message cycles |
BetweenDelay |
Time in milliseconds between individual messages |
- This script is designed for listen servers only — it does not support dedicated server setups.
- The system must remain unlocked with a visible desktop for input to be sent to the game window.
- The in-game Quake II console must be open for scheduled quits and chat messages to function correctly.
- Tested with the Steam release of Quake II Remastered (October 2023 build).
MIT License — free to use, modify, and redistribute.