SPADS "stable" run on Windows 11

[ScotterMonk]

Hi I'm getting "ERROR - [SPADS] Login denied on lobby server (Invalid username or password)" when I try to run SPADS on my Windows 11 computer.

Here is what I put when installing:

INFO     - [SpadsUpdater] Created new directory "C:\spads\var\spring\105.0-win64" for automatic Spring installation
NOTICE   - [SpadsUpdater] Installing Spring 105.0 into "C:\spads\var\spring\105.0-win64"...
NOTICE   - [SpadsUpdater] Spring 105.0 installation complete.
[7/15] Please enter the absolute path of the Spring data directory containing the games and maps that will be hosted by the autohost, or press enter to initialize a new directory instead [new] ? C:\Users\scott\AppData\Local\Programs\Beyond-All-Reason\data
NOTICE   - [SpadsInstaller] Loading Perl Unitsync interface module...
NOTICE   - [SpadsInstaller] Initializing Unitsync library...
NOTICE   - [SpadsInstaller] Unitsync library version 105.0 initialized.
[8/13] Which type of server do you want to use ("headless" requires much more CPU/memory and doesn't support "ghost maps", but it allows running AI bots and LUA scripts on server side)? (dedicated,headless) [dedicated] ?
[9/12] Do you want to enable new game auto-detection to always host the latest version of the game available in your "games" and "packages" folders? (yes,no) [yes] ?
NOTICE   - [SpadsInstaller] Using following regular expression as autohost default game filter: "Beyond\ All\ Reason\ test\-\d+\-[\da-f]+"
[10/12] Please enter the autohost lobby login (the lobby account must already exist) ? Scotter
[11/12] Please enter the autohost lobby password ? [my long alphanumeric pw used on https://server4.beyondallreason.info/battle/lobbies]
[12/12] Please enter the lobby login of the autohost owner ? Scotter
NOTICE   - [SpadsInstaller] Downloading SPADS configuration templates
NOTICE   - [SpadsInstaller] Customizing SPADS configuration```

Here is what I get when running:

C:\spads>perl spads.pl etc\spads.conf
NOTICE - [SPADS] Initializing SPADS 0.13.42 (PID: 22444)
NOTICE - [SPADS] Loading Spring archives using unitsync library version 105.0 ...
NOTICE - [SPADS] Spring server mode: dedicated
NOTICE - [SimpleEvent] Event loop initialized using internal model (time slice: 500ms)
NOTICE - [SimpleEvent] Starting event loop...
NOTICE - [SpringLobbyInterface] Connecting to lobby.springrts.com:8200
NOTICE - [SpringLobbyInterface] TLS enabled (TLSv1_3,TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384)
ERROR - [SPADS] Login denied on lobby server (Invalid username or password)
NOTICE - [SPADS] AutoHost shutdown scheduled (reason: loggin denied on lobby server)
NOTICE - [SPADS] Game is not running, exiting (NOTE: game is running but maybe it means I must start up a game, or... ?)
NOTICE - [SimpleEvent] Stopping event loop...
NOTICE - [SpringLobbyInterface] Disconnecting from lobby.springrts.com:8200
NOTICE - [SimpleEvent] Event loop stopped

Ideas? Help please.

[Yaribz]

Are you able to login using a lobby client (Chobby for example) with the same login/password your are trying to use with SPADS ? (lobbyLogin and lobbyPassword values in spads.conf)

[ScotterMonk]

Yes, using the same user/pw to log in at https://server4.beyondallreason.info/profile/134051 if that is what you mean? Thanks for the reply! Sincerely, Scott Swain https://OceanMedia.net Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.

…

On Sunday, August 17th, 2025 at 12:43, Yaribz ***@***.***> wrote: Are you able to login using a lobby client (Chobby for example) with the same login/password your are trying to use with SPADS ? (lobbyLogin and lobbyPassword values in spads.conf) — Reply to this email directly, [view it on GitHub](#74 (comment)), or [unsubscribe](https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AFBST3M4NIGYTWTKARA3DMD3ODEOTAVCNFSM6AAAAACEDF33D6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTIMJTGM2TIOA). You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Yaribz]

Which SPADS installation procedure did you follow ?

If you followed the generic one, it will connect by default to main Spring engine lobby server (lobby.springrts.com), which has nothing to do with BAR infrastructure (that's why you get the Invalid username or password error). You need to edit the main SPADS configuration file (etc\spads.conf) and set the lobbyHost parameter to server4.beyondallreason.info instead of lobby.springrts.com. This will make your autohost connect to the correct lobby server for BAR.

However, the BAR infrastructure doesn't allow third parties to open their own battle rooms, so even though your SPADS instance should be able to connect to BAR lobby server, it won't actually be able to open a battle room, so it won't work correctly.

To workaround this you can choose to use the main Spring engine lobby server instead (but then you need to create the accounts on this infrastructure, not on BAR infrastructure), or you can choose to follow the guides listed in the Beyond All Reason specific section of SPADS wiki, which explain how to install and run a fully autonomous SPADS instance for BAR (i.e. not using any external lobby server).

[ScotterMonk]

Thank you for taking the time to help me with this! Sincerely, Scott Swain https://OceanMedia.net Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.

…

On Monday, August 18th, 2025 at 08:14, Yaribz ***@***.***> wrote: Which SPADS installation procedure did you follow ? If you followed [the generic one](https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS/blob/master/INSTALL.md), it will connect by default to main Spring engine lobby server (lobby.springrts.com), which has nothing to do with BAR infrastructure (that's why you get the Invalid username or password error). You need to edit the main SPADS configuration file (etc\spads.conf) and set the lobbyHost parameter to server4.beyondallreason.info instead of lobby.springrts.com. This will make your autohost connect to the correct lobby server for BAR. However, the BAR infrastructure doesn't allow third parties to open their own battle rooms, so even though your SPADS instance should be able to connect to BAR lobby server, it won't actually be able to open a battle room, so it won't work correctly. To workaround this you can choose to use the main Spring engine lobby server instead (but then you need to create the accounts on this infrastructure, not on BAR infrastructure), or you can choose to follow the guides listed in the [Beyond All Reason specific](https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS/wiki#beyond-all-reason-specific) section of SPADS wiki, which explain how to install and run a fully autonomous SPADS instance for BAR (i.e. not using any external lobby server). — Reply to this email directly, [view it on GitHub](#74 (reply in thread)), or [unsubscribe](https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AFBST3OKXIJFFR5Z7JEC4HL3OHNSZAVCNFSM6AAAAACEDF33D6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTIMJUGE2TSNI). You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[ScotterMonk]

Hi again! When I download spads from https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS/wiki/Beyond-All-Reason-LAN-server-quick-install-guide-(Windows) and install exactly as specified on that above page: My c:\spads folder has no subfolders (no \etc folder). And when I do as instructed (`perl[spads.pl](http://spads.pl/)etc\spads.conf`), I see: ​``` C:\spads>perl spads.pl etc\spads.conf usage: perl spads.pl <configurationFile> [--doc] [<macroName>=<macroValue> [...]] perl spads.pl <configurationFile> --tls-cert-trust perl spads.pl <configurationFile> --tls-cert-trust=<certificateHash> perl spads.pl <configurationFile> --tls-cert-trust=<hostName>:<certificateHash> perl spads.pl <configurationFile> --tls-cert-revoke=<certificateHash> perl spads.pl <configurationFile> --tls-cert-revoke=<hostName>:<certificateHash> perl spads.pl <configurationFile> --tls-cert-list perl spads.pl <configurationFile> --tls-cert-list=<hostName> ``` Ideas? Sincerely, Scott Swain https://OceanMedia.net Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.

…

On Monday, August 18th, 2025 at 08:14, Yaribz ***@***.***> wrote: Which SPADS installation procedure did you follow ? If you followed [the generic one](https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS/blob/master/INSTALL.md), it will connect by default to main Spring engine lobby server (lobby.springrts.com), which has nothing to do with BAR infrastructure (that's why you get the Invalid username or password error). You need to edit the main SPADS configuration file (etc\spads.conf) and set the lobbyHost parameter to server4.beyondallreason.info instead of lobby.springrts.com. This will make your autohost connect to the correct lobby server for BAR. However, the BAR infrastructure doesn't allow third parties to open their own battle rooms, so even though your SPADS instance should be able to connect to BAR lobby server, it won't actually be able to open a battle room, so it won't work correctly. To workaround this you can choose to use the main Spring engine lobby server instead (but then you need to create the accounts on this infrastructure, not on BAR infrastructure), or you can choose to follow the guides listed in the [Beyond All Reason specific](https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS/wiki#beyond-all-reason-specific) section of SPADS wiki, which explain how to install and run a fully autonomous SPADS instance for BAR (i.e. not using any external lobby server). — Reply to this email directly, [view it on GitHub](#74 (reply in thread)), or [unsubscribe](https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AFBST3OKXIJFFR5Z7JEC4HL3OHNSZAVCNFSM6AAAAACEDF33D6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTIMJUGE2TSNI). You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Yaribz]

Did you restart (several times) the installer after it self-updated at the beginning as explained in the quick install guide ?
Did you check the walkthrough video linked at the top of the quick install guide to see what differs with your installation ?
If this doesn't help, can you list the content of your C:\spads folder so that I can see what happened exactly ?

[ScotterMonk]

Aha! I needed to run the installer 3x, not the 2x they said in the guide. Sincerely, Scott Swain https://OceanMedia.net Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.

…

On Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 at 16:33, Yaribz ***@***.***> wrote: Did you restart (several times) the installer after it self-updated as explained in the quick install guide ? Did you check the walkthrough video linked at the top of the quick install guide to see what differs with your installation ? If this doesn't help, can you list the content of your C:\spads folder so that I can see what happened exactly ? — Reply to this email directly, [view it on GitHub](#74 (reply in thread)), or [unsubscribe](https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AFBST3PZUA76LCRV3CSYOYL3OTZSJAVCNFSM6AAAAACEDF33D6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTIMJXGA4DONY). You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Yaribz]

Can you tell me where it says "2x" exactly in the guide so that I can fix it ? It should just say that the installer may have to be restarted after it self-updated. The number of auto-updates (and thus the number of required restarts) can actually vary, depending on the SPADS release and the current development state (it is usually between 0 and 2 times).

[ScotterMonk]

On this page: https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS/wiki/Beyond-All-Reason-LAN-server-quick-install-guide-(Windows) Here: "In Windows Command Prompt, extract the installation package and launch the installer in automatic mode: cd C:\spads tar xf spadsInstaller.tar && del spadsInstaller.tar perl spadsInstaller.pl --auto BarLanServer Note 1:You may have to relaunch the installer after it self-updated. Note 2:Installation may take a long time, depending on your Internet connection speed." So it doesn't explicitly say "2x". I'm thinking it may be helpful to say, as part of Note 1, something like: "You may have to relaunch the installer 2 or more times after it self-updated. Do so until you see _____________." Sincerely, Scott Swain https://OceanMedia.net Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.

…

On Thursday, August 21st, 2025 at 00:40, Yaribz ***@***.***> wrote: Can you tell me where it says "2x" exactly in the guide so that I can fix it ? It should just say that the installer may have to be restarted after it self-updated. The number of auto-updates (and thus the number of required restarts) can actually vary, depending on the SPADS release and the current development state (it is usually between 0 and 2 times). — Reply to this email directly, [view it on GitHub](#74 (reply in thread)), or [unsubscribe](https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AFBST3MDYEDYZMJENA5EUBD3OVSVHAVCNFSM6AAAAACEDF33D6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTIMJXGQYDGMA). You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[ScotterMonk]

Hey Yaribz - Thanks for all your help! And.. I like to think my questions are helping refine the instructions to be easier for future semi-tarded Windows users like me! Using https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS/wiki/Beyond-All-Reason-offline-LAN-server-guide I'm at "Step 3: Generate Beyond All Reason offline install/update packages" I see "In this step, the getOfflineBarPackages tool will be used to generate Beyond All Reason offline install/update packages from official online resources. An Internet connection is required. Download the getOfflineBarPackages tool for Windows (getOfflineBarPackages.exe) or Linux (getOfflineBarPackages.pl) in the location where you want to generate the Beyond All Reason offline packages (space required: 2 GB for base game contents and 16 GB for maps)" In Windows, what folder is recommended for me to put this exe file in and then run? Sincerely, Scott Swain https://OceanMedia.net Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.

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On Thursday, August 21st, 2025 at 00:40, Yaribz ***@***.***> wrote: Can you tell me where it says "2x" exactly in the guide so that I can fix it ? It should just say that the installer may have to be restarted after it self-updated. The number of auto-updates (and thus the number of required restarts) can actually vary, depending on the SPADS release and the current development state (it is usually between 0 and 2 times). — Reply to this email directly, [view it on GitHub](#74 (reply in thread)), or [unsubscribe](https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AFBST3MDYEDYZMJENA5EUBD3OVSVHAVCNFSM6AAAAACEDF33D6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTIMJXGQYDGMA). You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Yaribz]

The location where you store the getOfflineBarPackages tool (and thus where the offline packages are downloaded) isn't important at all. It's up to you to choose where you want to keep these files (you can move them afterward anyway).
For example, in the associated walkthrough video, the getOfflineBarPackages tool is just downloaded in the default Download folder as you can see here.