The Other Server Browser

Do you have no love for the Call of Duty series’ in-game browsers? Does it drive you insane waiting an eternity for Battlefield 2 to launch just so you can look at servers? Would you like to see who is playing on your favorite Team Fortress 2 servers without Steam running? One simple solution handles all this, and much more. It is free, it is fast, and it is called HLSW. Third party server browsers are not a new concept. However, the other choices in this field are slower, or lack the functionality, that HLSW provides. Let’s take a closer look.

The looks are deceiving, but HLSW is simple to learn.

The games and the basics

HLSW supports over 70 games plus Ventrilo, with an active development team staying on top of adding popular new games. Like other similar programs, it lets you see the names of players in a server along with the ability to launch your game and join that server with a simple right-click of the mouse. Again, like similar applications, you have to create an account to begin using HLSW. It is worth noting that the process takes less than 60 seconds, and you will not get email from the HLSW team unless you specifically ask for it during signup.

The favorites list

The most useful aspect of the favorites list comes in the form of displaying each server you have chosen as a favorite, from different games, all in one window. This means no jumping around to see your preferred servers for each game. Painless creation of lists is handled by simple drag and drop support from the global browser, or pasting an IP address into a IP field. You can even create multiple custom lists if you wish.

Server info section

This area of the application shows much more than the number of players and the current map. To let you know what you might be getting into, it also tells you where the server is, which add-ons are installed , the anti-cheat software in use, and friendly fire settings. Round limits such as time, kills, and captures are also present. Topping off the info section is a real-time ping graph, letting you see lag spikes that might not be represented by using only a number to show ping.

List swapping

In addition to the aforementioned favorite servers functionality, HLSW can import the server list from your Steam installation and add it to your favorites, or any list you choose. This even beats copy and paste in the easiness department. To aid your friends in getting HLSW set up, you can choose the export option, saving your list wherever you like for sending to other users. The sent list doesn’t even need to be placed in a certain folder. Your friend only has to choose the import option, and point to the new list in the popup dialog.

Administration tool

Finally, for server operators, the most important of all. HLSW acts as the game console. This is incredibly useful for admins. The ability to perform admin functions on different servers across multiple games, all from one interface, saves a tremendous amount of time. Time that’s normally wasted from launching separate games to access their consoles. To save on typing, the application remembers admin rcon login info and features TAB auto-complete for console commands. Remote in-game chat is also present, allowing communication to the players from outside the game. Fulfilling the “all you could ask for” wish is the ability to right-click a player name and have the options to kick, ban, report player, and copy IP. If you regularly administer even one server you should seriously consider HLSW for the job, regardless of your interest in the browser functions.

Get it

If we have convinced you to try HLSW out, or at least aroused your curiosity enough to look at the signup page, you can do either of those things here.