String Table Dictionary

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January 2024

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String tables are a collection of internal game strings used to lower network bandwidth for multiplayer games, embedded into the BSP as a .dct file. It is prompted to be made automatically when a map is first loaded.

Important:It is saved into the BSP map file after you leave the map, but will be cleared upon recompiling.

Warning:String tables cannot be generated if the map is already packed in a VPK.

Note:This page was created considering only 's existence.

Making sure string table is created

1. Load a map that is not packed in a VPK.
2. Run the stringtabledictionary command in case the automatic string table building from launching the map fails.
3. Leave the map.
4. Check the BSP map file's last modified timestamp or open it with GCFScape or a similar package-viewing tool to check for the existence of stringtable_dictionary.dct.

Bug:Having the BSP file in an alternate directory loaded from gameinfo will cause the BSP to be duplicated into the <exe name>/maps folder when the game tries to embed the string tables into the BSP. This copy will contain the new string tables while the other will not.  [todo tested in ?]

Example

As a general idea of their purpose, here we have a string table structured as shown.

Index	String
0	Nick
1	Ellis
2	Coach
3	Rochelle

Whenever a Rochelle string is used, what is sent over the network is the index of this string (3). Embedded into the BSP file, all connected players should have an identical string table that their game looks into. Mismatches will cause players to disconnect with a failure message stating that their string table differs from the server's.

ConVars

Cvar/Command	Parameters or default value	Descriptor	Effect
sv_dumpstringtables	0	bool	Dump info about string tables when loading a map
stringtable_alwaysrebuilddictionaries	0	bool	Rebuild dictionary file on every level load
stringtable_usedictionaries	1	bool	Use dictionaries for string table networking

ConCommands

Cvar/Command	Parameters or default value	Descriptor	Effect
dumpgamestringtable			Dump the contents of the game string table to the console.
dumpstringtables			Print string tables to console.
stringtabledictionary			Create dictionary for current strings.

Tables

Table Name	Max size
downloadables	8192
modelprecache	2048
genericprecache	512
soundprecache	20000
decalprecache	512
instancebaseline	1024
lightstyles	64
userinfo	32
server_query_info	4
ParticleEffectNames	1024
EffectDispatch	1024
VguiScreen	256
Materials	1024
InfoPanel	128
Scenes	16384
MeleeWeapons	16
GameRulesCreation	1

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