Half-Life Server Watch is a game server browser

Game server browser

A game server browser, or game scanner, is an application enabling users to locate online multiplayer servers for various compatible PC games...

 and administration tool written by Timo Stripf. HLSW was originally designed with a focus on administrating and joining Half-Life servers (pre-Steam) thus the name, Half-Life Server Watch. However, over the years, HLSW has added support for other games

Personal computer game

A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...

 and modifications

Mod (computer gaming)

Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...

.

HLSW abbreviation

The HLSW definition, Half-Life Server Watch, is no longer felt relevant by the developers of HLSW due to Half-Life no longer being the primary focus, as many games are now supported.

PocketHLSW

PocketHLSW was developed initially as a side project by Andrew Collins but was later adopted by HLSW but still fully maintained by its original author. PocketHLSW is a Google Gadget that completely depends on XML feeds from HLSW and is the first example to make use of the feeds. With PocketHLSW users are able to quickly find a list of servers matching their search criteria, view their HLSW buddylists and see the latest HLSW news.

XML feeds

HLSW has recently started opening up many areas of its databases by providing XML feeds that are free to be used by developers for any purpose. Currently little documentation exists on the feeds but bits of information can be found in the official forums. PocketHLSW is an example of the HLSW XML feeds capabilities.

See also

• Official HLSW Website
• Official HLSW Wiki
• PocketHLSW