MapRestart

Automatically reloads the current map to mitigate CS2 tick drift on long-running, low-population servers.

---

Features

• 🔄 Automatic map reload via map (or host_workshop_map for workshop maps) when tick drift conditions are likely
• 🧩 Workshop-aware — uses host_workshop_map <workshopId> when the current map has a workshop ID, otherwise falls back to map <mapName>
• ⏱️ Configurable map-age threshold (defaults to 1 hour)
• 👤 Triggers only when the server is empty, confirmed across two consecutive checks (zero disruption — no one is playing when the restart fires)
• 🎯 Fires on OnClientDisconnected and via a 1-minute periodic check, so a server that stays empty since map load (no client events at all) still restarts on schedule
• 🔇 Silent by default with an optional detailed logging mode for diagnostics

Commands

This plugin exposes no chat or console commands. It operates passively in the background.

Configuration

Config file: addons/swiftlys2/plugins/MapRestart/config.jsonc

Setting	Type	Default	Description
DetailedLogging	bool	false	Enable verbose informational logging for diagnostics. Warnings and errors are always logged.
MapRestartThresholdMinutes	int	60	Minimum map age (in minutes) before a restart can be triggered.

Example Configuration

{
  "MapRestart": {
    "DetailedLogging": false,
    "MapRestartThresholdMinutes": 60
  }
}

How It Works

Overview

CS2 servers can develop "tick drift" when a map stays loaded for extended periods, causing timing to gradually desync from the intended tick rate. This plugin opportunistically reloads the current map via the map engine command (or host_workshop_map for workshop maps) when doing so will not disrupt any ongoing gameplay.

Map Age Tracking: The plugin subscribes to OnMapLoad and records the map name plus a timestamp every time the map changes. A "restart triggered" flag is also reset, ensuring at most one restart attempt per map load.

Trigger Evaluation: Two triggers can fire the empty-server check:

1. OnClientDisconnected — whenever a client leaves. If the current map's age has already exceeded MapRestartThresholdMinutes, the human-count check is deferred by 2 seconds (the disconnecting player may still register as valid the instant the listener fires).
2. A 60-second periodic timer armed at map load. It short-circuits until the map age reaches the threshold, after which every tick runs the same human-count check. This covers a server that stayed empty from the moment the map loaded, where no client event would ever fire.

Restart Decision: Each check counts connected non-bot players by their controller rather than their pawn. Pawn-based validity reads a full server as empty during the round-restart window, where CS2 has destroyed every pawn and not yet respawned. A restart requires two consecutive zero readings, so a single mistimed check can never reload a map out from under a live match; any non-zero reading resets the counter.

Once confirmed, the map is re-issued through Core.Engine.ExecuteCommand, resetting the engine's tick state before the next player joins. A "restart triggered" flag caps this at one attempt per map load.

Workshop vs Built-in Maps: The restart command is picked based on Core.Engine.WorkshopId. If the current map has a workshop ID, the plugin issues host_workshop_map <workshopId>. Otherwise it issues map <mapName> using the map name recorded on OnMapLoad.

Trigger Flow:

OnMapLoad → store map + timestamp + arm 60s periodic timer
       │
       ├─ OnClientDisconnected ──► wait 2 seconds ─┐
       │                                           │
       └─ periodic timer tick (60s) ───────────────┤
                                                   ▼
                                          map age ≥ threshold?
                                                   │
                                          ┌────────┴────────┐
                                         no                yes
                                          │                 ▼
                                         skip         humans check
                                                            │
                                          ┌─────────────────┴──────────────┐
                                    humans ≠ 0                        humans = 0
                                          │                                │
                                 reset counter, skip        ┌──────────────┴──────────────┐
                                                      1st reading                   2nd reading
                                                            │                             │
                                                  wait for next check                     │
                                                                    ┌─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┐
                                                              workshop map                                built-in map
                                                                    │                                           │
                                                   host_workshop_map <workshopId>                      map <mapName>

Troubleshooting

Problem	Possible Cause	Solution
Map never restarts	Threshold not yet reached	Lower MapRestartThresholdMinutes for testing, or wait longer
Map never restarts	Server never fully empties	Plugin is working as intended — restarts only happen when no humans are on the server
Plugin restarts map at unexpected time	Hot reload reset the map-loaded timestamp	Expected: on hot reload the timestamp resets to "now" to prevent an immediate restart; the periodic check will pick up once threshold elapses from that point
Map reloaded mid-match	Running a build older than 1.2.0	Earlier versions counted players by pawn, which reads as empty during the round-restart respawn window. Update the plugin.
Want to verify behaviour	Need visibility into decisions	Set DetailedLogging to true and check the server console

Building

• Open the project in your preferred .NET IDE (Visual Studio, Rider, VS Code).
• Run dotnet build. Output DLL and resources are placed in build/.
• Run dotnet publish -c Release to produce a distributable zip in build/.