Unreal URLs

Audience: Level Designers, Server Administrators.
Last Updated: 07/21/99

External URL links

• RFC 1808, The primary RFC describing the URL syntax
• FreeSoft Internet Encyclopedia

Unreal URLs

Unreal uses the standard URL (uniform resource locator) syntax of the WorldWide Web for identifying levels, entry options, and startup options.  This approach unifies Unreal's local level switching with its network play. A sample URL is:

    unreal://server.site.name.com:portnum/levelname#teleportername?option1?option2?option3

A URL consists of the following parts.

• unreal://: This is the standard Unreal identifier, which enables Unreal URL's to be recognized by Windows and your web browser.  For example, if you include "unreal://" at the beginning of the URL, you can use it as a hyperlink on a web page; as a Windows shortcut; or type it in a Web browser like Internet Explorer. When typing a URL from within Unreal, the "unreal://" part of the URL is optional.
• server.site.name.com: The internet address of the Unreal server.   If you don't include this part, the level is assumed to be local (not on the Internet).  For example, "unreal.epicgames.com".
• levelname: The name of the level to enter.  The default is Index.unr (similar to Index.html on web sites).
• #teleportername: The optional name of the teleporter to enter the level through.  If not specified, a playerstart is used.  Servers may ignore this, for example in deathmatch games, where the server spawns players at random playerstart locations.
• ?option: One of the following URL options listed below.

The following are player URL options, which may be specified either when starting a local game or entering a network game.

• ?name=playername: Specifies the name of the player who is entering. Defaults to "player".
• ?password=passwordstring: If the server is password protected, gives the player's password.
• ?team=teamname: Optional team of the player who is entering. Some servers may ignore this and automatically assign the player a team.
• ?class=unreali.femaleone: Specifies the class of the player, such as unreali.femaleone, unreali.maleone, etc. The player class corresponds to an UnrealScript class that expands the engine.playerpawn class.

The following are server URL options, which may be specified either when starting a local game, or starting a dedicated server.  They are not recognized for clients who are entering a network game, because the server options have already been set at that point.

• ?defaultplayer=unreali.femaleone: Specifies the default class for players who are entering the game, and who don't explicitly request a class.
• ?game=unreali.deathmatchgame: Specifies the class for the game rules, for example unreali.singleplayergame or unreali.deathmatchgame.  The game rules correspond to an UnrealScript class that expands the GameInfo class.
• ?listen: Listens for network connections from remote players.

In addition to these predefined URL options, licensees using the Unreal engine and users creating mods can define entirely new options.  The URL options are processed in the GameInfo class in two places: InitGame parses the server options when the dedicated server is started; and Login parses the player options when each client (either local or remote) who connects to the server.

Several kinds of URLs are used commonly:

• levelname#teleportertag: Switches to the level named "levelname", entering at the teleporter "teleportername". Discards the hub stack.
• ?restart: Restarts the current level.
• ?failed: Clients go to this URL when they are playing on an Internet server and the server disconnects them unexpectedly.

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