Changes: Guide/Setting Up Dedicated Server

Revision as of 11:33, 2 February 2016

Want to customize your solar system? Read on here: Customizing Solar Systems

How to start the dedicated server

Go to: C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival (if Steam is not installed to standard location, see: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129)

To start a dedicated server with rudimentary GUI: "EmpyrionDedicated.cmd" (without GUI start: "EmpyrionDedicated_NoGraphics.cmd")

How to configure your server

Servers can be configured via changing the value of the prop in "dedicated.yaml" in C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival folder.

Each property can be disabled by putting '#' in front of the line. To enable a property, remove the #

Available Props
Props	Value	Description
Srv_Port	Numeric	Default is 30000. If your are using a router and/or a firewall, you need to forward the ports 30000-30004 UDP and TCP. Please search the web on how this can be achieved for your router and firewall, as the setup process is different for each model/version!
Srv_Name	alphanumeric	name that will be shown in the Server Browser
Srv_Password	Alphanumeric	password to make server password protected
Srv_MaxPlayers	Numeric	maximum number of player allowed to join simultaneously in the server.
Srv_Description	Alphanumeric	Server info between the " ", can contain [b]bold[/b] text or a [u][url=empyriongame.com]link[/url][/u] up to 127 chars.
Srv_ReservePlayfields	Alphanumeric	Determines the number of playfield servers that are held in reserve. For busy public servers, we recommend at least 2 (default is 1)
Tel_Enabled	True/False	enable/disable Telnet
Tel_Port	Numeric	Telnet port
Tel_Pwd	Alphanumeric	Telnet password
GameName	Alphanumeric without space	this is the name of the save game created in the save game folder
Mode	2=Creative, 1=Survival	Creative/Survival world
Seed	Numeric without 0 or negative	Seed determines how the world is procedurally generated - the same seed means the same world. Can be any 7 digit or below number but negative numbers and 0 (zero) cannot be used.
DecayTime	Numeric	Time in game hours when player-built structures without core and/or less than 10 blocks get removed. 24h in game = ca 1h real time
WipeTime	Numeric	0 = disabled. Time in game hours when player-built structures that have not been visited by a player get removed. 4000h in game = ca 1 week real time
MaxStructures	Numeric	Set this if you want to limit max number of structures per playfield due to performance. Currently, max number must not exceed 100
AntiGriefDistance	Numeric	For PvE playfields: distance (in m) around a faction's base where no other faction's base can be built

An Example

- { prop: Srv_Port, value: 30000 }
- { prop: Srv_Name, value: My Server }
- { prop: Srv_Password, value: Abc }
- { prop: Srv_MaxPlayers, value: 5 }
- { prop: Srv_Description, value: "This is a [b]PvE only[/b] server. Learn more at [u][url=empyriongame.com]link[/url][/u] " }  
- { prop: Srv_ReservePlayfields, value: 2 }  

- { prop: Tel_Enabled, value: true }
- { prop: Tel_Port, value: 30004 }
- { prop: Tel_Pwd, value: Abc }

- { prop: GameName, value: New Game }
- { prop: Mode, value: 1 }					
- { prop: Seed, value: 2309115 }              
- { prop: DecayTime, value: 24 }			  
- { prop: WipeTime, value: 0 }	    	      
- { prop: MaxStructures, value: 64 }		 
- { prop: AntiGriefDistance, value: 30 }

FAQ / Q&A

Have additional starter planets

Stop your server
Open the sectors.yaml
Find the planet you would like to offer as a starter planet
Add TRUE to the planets entry

Example

- Coordinates: [ 20, 0, -15 ]
  Playfields:
  - [ "0, 0, 0", "Omicron Orbit", SpaceAsteroidFieldOmicron ]
  - [ "-1200, 0, 7200", Omicron, Desert, true ]
  - [ "1500, 4000, -6500", Omicron Moon, Moon ]

Adding new starter planet choices will allow new players to not only have a choice at all, but also to avoid crowded starter planets like Akua. This only applies to NEW players on your server! Using FRESH START won't let the users change their starter planet.

Important: Not all planets are suitable for being used as a starter planet. To offer an easy start, you may want to adjust the playfield settings of an entirely new starter planet. Please refer to our Customizing_Solar_Systems Guide for more details!

Avoid dedicated.yaml to be overwritten

Q: My dedicated.yaml gets overwritten with each version update! What can i do?

A:

1. Copy your dedicated.yaml and rename it to myserver_dedicated.yaml (or "whateveryoulike_dedicated.yaml")
2. Open the EmpyrionDedicated.cmd (or EmpyrionDedicated_NoGraphics.cmd if you are used to start your server without GUI) with a text-tool, like Notepad++ or Windows Editor (DO NOT USE WORD or anything similar!)
3. Find the line that says

start EmpyrionDedicated.exe -force-d3d9 -logFile Logs\Dedicated_%UDT%.log or

start EmpyrionDedicated.exe -batchmode -nographics -logFile Logs\Dedicated_%UDT%.log

4. Add the parameter "-dedicated "myserver_dedicated.yaml" so it looks like this

start EmpyrionDedicated.exe -force-d3d9 -logFile Logs\Dedicated_%UDT%.log -dedicated "myserver_dedicated.yaml" or

start EmpyrionDedicated.exe -batchmode -nographics -logFile Logs\Dedicated_%UDT%.log -dedicated "myserver_dedicated.yaml"

5. Use SAVE AS and rename your EmpyrionDedicated.cmd, like "EmpyrionDedicated-myserver.cmd". This will avoid that the server start batch (.cmd) gets overwritten with the next version update!
6. Start your server with your EmpyrionDedicated-myserver.com. From now on, you will start your server via your own file!

Retrieving lost ships

(Workaround should also work for SP)

Retrieving lost ships can be achieved with a small workaround: Every ship ("entity") is saved in a distinct folder in your (singleplayer or) server world savegame D:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Saves\Games\<game name>\Shared

<game name> is the name of the save-game, 
---For multiplayer this is set in the GameName prop of dedicated.yaml. The of default value is 'New Game': - { prop: GameName, value: New Game }  (The folder can only accessed by the server hosts)
---For single player it is the name of the game used at the time of starting the new game or at the time of renaming the save game at resume menu.

In the SHARED folder, you can find entries like SV_New_74922. Each of these entries has - as all windows folders have - a creation date.

If you can identify the folder of the ship that got LOST (f.ex. by asking the user when he created it), you/your player only needs to lay down a new starter block (SV for a SV and so on) and YOU, as the admin, just need to copy the four *.area files from the lost ships folder to the newly layed down starter block ship folder (overwrite!).

Steps to follow:

Player places a new starter block (SV for SV, CV for CV ..)
Save and Exit your server (or your game if SP)
Copy the .area files from the lost-ships folder over to the newly created ship folder and hit yes if asked to overwrite
Start your server (game)

Please do NOT do this while server/game is still running, as this may cause severe issues with the playfield! Of course you need FTP access to the installation folder at your hoster if you are not the host.

@@ Line 109: / Line 109: @@
 == FAQ / Q&A==
-===Assign more starter plantes===
+===Have additional starter planets===
 *Stop your server
 *Open the sectors.yaml