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Simplify Server Setup *Poll*


CaptKaspar

Would You Like Simpler Server Tools?  

9 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you like the process of setting up and running servers to be simpler (ex. server soft resets, server hard resets, creating a new server, customizing spawn locations, etc)



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I would like to see an easier way to reset my servers, create new servers for different play groups and styles/settings, change an individual server setting without changing all the server settings, create custom spawn for each server, etc.

 

All of these things are currently possible but it is a rather complicated and cumbersome procedure to do so.

 

Maybe to start we could have a pinned thread on the multi-player forums that would explain exactly what needs to be done for different scenarios (soft resets, change settings, etc)

 

But ultimately a simple GUI that did all of this for me so that I don't have to locate files, open them to change code, creating new documents, etc would be nice and much more efficient when you have a group waiting to play :D

 

I recently had issues with a server acting oddly after updating to 30.9 and I wanted to reset the server. I found all the answers I was looking for here on the forums, but unfortunately it took a good amount of time to scroll through a number of posts. Then I had to actually edit the files and what not.

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Would definitely be "nice" to have (and the devs are aware of this), but mainly it's just that they haven't had time (and might not) to do it. That kind of stuff requires a fairly high amount of work proportional to what you get out of it, and that time could be spent adding things to the actual gameplay. Like I said, it would be great but I'm not sure if we'll see it.

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But ultimately a simple GUI that did all of this for me so that I don't have to locate files, open them to change code, creating new documents, etc would be nice and much more efficient when you have a group waiting to play :D

 

If someone is running a Linux VPS, this may be a reality in a couple of months courtesy of myself.

 

I'll see about Windows, as well at some point. ;)

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I voted "I don't care." but that said, let me just say I would naturally not mind it becoming easier to do, I just don't feel a particularly urgent need for it compared to the things being worked on at present. But certainly by no means a solid no or even remotely so.

 

Kind regards. :)

 

I definitely agree that it is not an urgent matter, but I think this process should be simplified before they get into Beta. Once this game hits Beta and out of Early-Access, *hopefully* a lot more people are going to buy the game. Many I suspect will be players who want to play MP with their friends and have waited so that they don't have to deal with issues like this.

 

It's definitely not an urgent item, we're getting by with the current system, but I think it is something that should be addressed prior to Beta to make the game more enjoyable for a wider base of players.

 

My wife is a casual gamer and has played PZ with me, but if I asked her to setup a brand new server with a set # of options, forget about it, she wouldn't be able to do it  :-(.  I'm betting there are a lot of other gamers who wouldn't be able to, or just wouldn't want to endeavor the task.

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Some things can't be simplified, though.

The largest hurdle right now is port forwarding and determining why a connection can't be made between two computers. Everything else seems secondary to that, but it's unlikely that it's possible to make that easier (baring Steam integration and NAT hole punching, the latter having some security/implementation issues).

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Some things can't be simplified, though.

The largest hurdle right now is port forwarding and determining why a connection can't be made between two computers. Everything else seems secondary to that, but it's unlikely that it's possible to make that easier (baring Steam integration and NAT hole punching, the latter having some security/implementation issues).

 

Port forwarding usually at least has a nice GUI supplied by the router manufacturer ;)

 

But, yes 99% of connection errors seem to be caused by dynamic IPs changing the hosting PC's IP address to something that port forwarding was not set to.

 

What is the simplest way to create a brand new server without deleting the current one? Then to have a different set of server options than the current one? (when I play with my wife we keep everything simple, but when I play with some buddies we like to up the number of zombies, change their memory, change how long the water/electricity lasts, and add some custom spawn points so that we can all spawn together with fresh characters). Then if I needed to do a server soft-reset, whats the easiest process for this?

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You make a copy of the bat file, then add a server name variable to it.

This will generate its own separate details in %username%\server

I'll have to look up the specific details (or ask EasyPickins) -- you're one of the first to ask. :P

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/11012-multiplayer-sandbox-settings/#entry140932

To create the sandbox options, the tool is useless. Go to the installation of the game and search for SandboxVars.lua in the search field. Copy it to %username%\server and rename it servername_SandboxVars.lua. Make your changes there. Unfortunately this is all numerical (the initial settings correspond with options in the Sandbox menu). (Which definitely can be improved! A) generate the file automatically so people don't have to find it B) Add properly named variables, rather than numbers)

Soft reset is done by opening the ProjectZomboidServer.bat file and adding the -SoftReset flag into the list of variables. (This could just be provided as a completed bat file in the future.)

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You make a copy of the bat file, then add a server name variable to it.

This will generate its own separate details in %username%\server

I'll have to look up the specific details (or ask EasyPickins) -- you're one of the first to ask. :P

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/11012-multiplayer-sandbox-settings/#entry140932

To create the sandbox options, the tool is useless. Go to the installation of the game and search for SandboxVars.lua in the search field. Copy it to %username%\server and rename it servername_SandboxVars.lua. Make your changes there. Unfortunately this is all numerical (the initial settings correspond with options in the Sandbox menu). (Which definitely can be improved! A) generate the file automatically so people don't have to find it B) Add properly named variables, rather than numbers)

Soft reset is done by opening the ProjectZomboidServer.bat file and adding the -SoftReset flag into the list of variables. (This could just be provided as a completed bat file in the future.)

 

Enigma, thank you for your answers! I am going to copy and paste your answer into a note so that I can have it for quick reference.

 

But, your explanation is identifying exactly what I'm talking about! I wish all of that could be a lot simpler and intuitive to someone who doesn't often dabble in coding.

 

Noob questions:

  • what do you mean by 'add server name variable'? Do you mean just change the title of file?
  • where do I add the '-softReset flag'? and what is it?

Thanks in advance!

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