Game modes

MatchZy runs the server in one mode at a time. Admins switch with a chat command; the choice is remembered across map changes.

Mode	Command	Knife	Rounds	Money	Use it for
Match	.match	Yes	MR12 with overtime, can clinch	800	Competitive matches and pugs.
Scrim	.scrim	No	All 24 rounds played, no overtime	800	Scrims where both halves should be played out.
Hill	.hill	No	All 24 rounds played	16000	Full-buy rounds, e.g. retakes-style or aim sessions with teams.
Practice	.prac	-	Endless	Unlimited, buy anywhere	Learning lineups, spawns, executes.
Dryrun	.dry	No	Normal rounds with a 6 second freeze time, until stopped	16000	Running executes against bots or your team.
Sleep	.sleep	-	-	-	Idle server with nothing loaded.

Every mode executes its own cfg from cfg/MatchZy/ (live.cfg, scrim.cfg, hill.cfg, prac.cfg, dryrun.cfg, sleep.cfg, plus warmup.cfg and knife.cfg). Edit those files, or better a <mode>_override.cfg, to change the rules. See Files and folders.

Team sizes

A match plays as competitive (5v5) unless its match config sets game_mode. MatchZy switches the server’s game_mode before the map loads and uses that mode’s live cfg:

game_mode	Teams	Server mode	Live cfg
competitive	5v5	game_type 0, game_mode 1	live.cfg
wingman	2v2	game_type 0, game_mode 2	live_wingman.cfg
rush	3v3	game_type 0, game_mode 6	live_rush.cfg (Valve’s rush rules: 15 rounds, no halftime, 40 second rounds)
1v1	1v1	game_type 0, game_mode 2	live_1v1.cfg (wingman format: MR8, 16 rounds, $8000 max money, 1:30 rounds)

players_per_team follows the mode unless the match config sets it. A maplist with only rush maps (rush_001 and other rush_ maps, aim_rush) plays as rush without game_mode. Without a match config, the live cfg follows the server’s own game_mode (2 wingman, 6 rush), and a rush map also gets live_rush.cfg. Admins switch the server’s mode with .1v1, .wingman or .5v5 (optionally with a map); the map reloads, since game_mode only changes on a map load. A .1v1 pug runs in the wingman game mode with live_1v1.cfg. In a pug the ready count follows the mode: at most 2 ready players for 1v1, 4 for wingman and 6 for rush, so .readyrequired is not needed (a lower matchzy_minimum_ready_required still applies). .matchsetup asks for the mode, see Menus.

Mode on startup

matchzy_autostart_mode decides what a fresh map starts in:

Value	Result
0	Sleep, nothing loaded.
1	Match warmup (default).
2	Practice.

The mode commands (.prac, .match, .scrim, .sleep, .exitprac) also set this value, so a practice server stays in practice after .map.

Loading a match (matchzy_loadmatch, matchzy_loadmatch_url, .matchsetup) during practice or a dry run ends it like .exitprac, so no practice settings carry into the match. matchzy_autostart_mode keeps its value, so a map that starts after the match is over comes up in practice again.

Match flow

flowchart LR
W[Warmup + ready check] -->|everyone ready| K[Knife round]
K --> S[Side choice: .stay / .switch]
S --> L[Live]
W -->|knife off| L
L -->|map over| E{Series over?}
E -->|no| W
E -->|yes| X[Series end, back to warmup]

With a match config the veto runs before warmup. Scrim and hill skip the knife round.

For a warmup with instant respawn at the team spawn, 2 seconds of spawn protection, no bomb, no friendly fire, buying all warmup and full money on every respawn, set matchzy_warmup_instant_respawn true. It is applied after warmup.cfg, so you do not have to edit your cfg. Players who join a team during the warmup spawn at once as well.