Official Unofficial Dedicated Server Setup Guide [WIP]

[fatguy1121]

Hard work, mind numbing formatting, and dedication pay off.

You will need:

• At least 6Gb of RAM
  
• Understanding and knowledge of port forwarding
  
• Notepad++ or similar Text editor

Windows

[NEW METHOD]
Step 1: Download SteamCMD

1. Download SteamCMD
   
2. Extract the zip to its own directory somewhere it wont get deleted (you need it around forever)

Step 2: Downloading The Server
The following batch script will automatically download, update, run and restart your server if a crash is detected.

1. Create a batch file anywhere and name it anything
   
2. Insert the following code[pastebin.com]
   
3. Configure the batch script in the configuration area at the top.
   
4. Run the batch script

Step 3: Configure the Server

• Close the batch window, and end the server process in Task Manager
  
• Navigate to $Server_Dir$\Citadel\Saved\Config\WindowsServer

Step 1 is not necessary if you intend to leave the server port default, but included for those who wish to modify it. Any parts that are not modified will be deleted when you run the server.

1. Paste This into engine.ini code[pastebin.com] mind formatting.
   
2. Paste This into game.ini code[pastebin.com] mind formatting, blankspaces, and order. ^Edited May 25th 2020^
   
3. Edit your .ini parameters to your liking, all values less than 1 need to be floating point with a leading zero. eg, "0.1" here[pastebin.com] is an explanation of the above variables
   
4. Make sure your port listed in Part 1 matches the "ConnectionPort in Part 2 if you edited them
   
5. Save and close .ini files.

Step 4: Start the Server

1. Execute the batch file again, and the server will automatically check for updates, and continue loading. If the server crashes, or the process gets terminated, the batch file will check for updates before automatically starting it again. As a safety measure, I have implemented a check to make sure the server process isn't already running. If you run the batch without closing the server executable, it will automatically be forcefully terminated before checking for updates and restarting.

Step 5: Port Forwarding
This step is mandatory, without it your server will not have access to the internet, and nobody will be able to connect or see it in the server browser. You need to Google a guide on how to port forward if you do not already know how. Sometimes UPnP is able to open the ports automatically, but not always. If you intend to play on LAN, then you can skip this step.

1. Open ports 7777,27015 (default unless changed) to UDP traffic

Note: If after properly port forwarding, you still cannot see your server in the browser, you may want to run the Server Executable with the -log parameter to verify that it successfully bound to the ports you defined. -log will prevent any sort of automatic crash restarting, and is not recommended for long term use.

[OLD METHOD]
Guide available here courtesy of fatguy1121
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1398231378

Linux

[NEW METHOD]
Guide available here courtesy of Morggin
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1397348707
[OLD METHOD]
Guide available here courtesy of frayCORE
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1542342464

Useful Information

• Your server saves are located in <WorkingDirectory>\Citadel\Saved\SaveGames The files are stored by SteamID64
  
• It is always a good idea to start your server executable as an admin.
  
• Your server will stay running in Task Manager indefinitely if you don't close it, as well as Start.bat

Common Problems

Q: I can't see my server in the server browser.
A: Can you see it in the LAN browser? If so, it is because you are running the server on your same network, this is normal; Verify that other people can see it.
A: Can other people see it in the browser? If not, there was a problem with your port forwarding, and the traffic is blocked to the ports you specified. Go back to Step 5.

Q: I can see my server in the server browser, but I can’t click the join button
A: You did not define the same port in engine.ini as you did in game.ini

Q: My .ini files are missing parts after I know I pasted them correctly.
A: If you did not modify parts of your .ini file they will be deleted, this is normal.

Q: Can you help me Port Forward?
A: If you don't take steps on your own to learn it first, nobody will want to help you. Instead of asking how to port forward, ask about what step of the process you are stuck at.

Q: People freeze or crash while trying to connect to my server, can I fix it?
A: Yes and No, follow this guide

Q: NPC's stopped attacking, how do I fix it?
A; See this guide

Admin Quick Links

Admin Commands
Item and NPC List

[Burnz]

Hi, thanks for the guide!

When I try to launch my server done following your guide, I won't find the server in the browser, and these are deleted in their respective .ini files:

[-url-]
Port=7777

[UWorks]
ConnectionPort=7777
QueryPort=27015

I have no idea what is going on there.

[Burnz]

Originally posted by fatguy1121:

I will update the guide with the answer to your question

Awesome, thanks.

[Burnz]

Thanks, that did it I hope. The QueryPort=27015 got deleted though. Would it matter if I put it as the same port as the ConnectionPort ?

[Epu]

not my area of expertise, but.. bump challenge accepted

[fatguy1121]

Bad idea, the server won't be able to bind to the port because the port will already be bound by the server... essentially one of two functionalities would be lost. The ability to connect, or the ability for Steam to query the server.

Traditionally hundreds of other servers also bind to 27015 for their server list queries. If you run other servers it is highly recommended to use a different port.

[Burnz]

Ah okay, thanks for the help man.

[Burnz]

It still will not show up in the server list.

Does the server creates any logs I could look through?

Edit: found out one thing I did wrong, I edited the ini files under my profile/appdata folder. Changed the propper ini files this time around and it still won't show up.

Edit2: Got it to work, just removed the QueryPort=27115 and changed the port forwarding to the original. Thanks again for the guide!

[GoodCallMike]

Great post fatguy1121. I set my server up yesterday using fragmented information that exists. I can see my server on both LAN and Unofficial. I have the problem where it says Version Mismatch. I've ran the command to update but it always says Version Mismatch. Have you any experience with this problem?

[PureG]

Any one get after 3-4 hours citadelserver.exe just close down with no warning?

[Hossus]

when i try to start server with your bat it's getting stuck at "Waitng for Crash"
what am i doing wrong here?
thx

[fatguy1121]

nothing, it is waiting for the server to crash before restarting it again.

[Hossus]

yeah but the server dosent start

[fatguy1121]

Is it in your task manager? because if it doesnt say file not found, then it sucessfully started the server.

[Hossus]

yes it is

[Burnz]

How do one update the server files? Just merge new Citadel Server folder with the old one?

Edit: Well that worked, sort of. Seems to have lost all structures though.