You can trick it and force the downloading by putting these files in a separate directory (not baseoa but another) then start your server using this directory (which you can load like you would load any "mod"). Every file in that directory should then be downloaded.
Interesting... I didn't know that. Do you mean that, if a pk3 file is in a mod's folder, it will be autodownloaded anyway, even if none of its contained files (textures, maps...) is actually being used in that moment?
But then, if a server admin places extra maps in a mod's folder (I know he
should place them under baseoa, but let's take this example... or think about a mod with maps useless outside that mod itself -like defrag-), they will be
ALL downloaded before the player can play?