Installing

Download the archive, unzip it, run the server. A release arrives configured for a server on your own machine, so there is nothing to fill in before it will start.

Download and Unzip

Take the archive for your game from its own page and unzip it anywhere you have write access.

Do not use Program Files on Windows. The server writes its database and logs next to itself, and Windows redirects those writes somewhere else.

You get this:

<game>-v<version>/
  README.md              the short version of this page
  settings.cfg           settings, already filled in for a local server
  settings.cfg.example   the same file with the password blanked
  start-server.bat       Windows
  start-server.sh        Linux
  server/
    windows/             the server binaries
    linux/               the same binaries, built for Linux
  tools/                 operator tools
  client/                what your players copy into their game folder
  database-mysql/        the schema, for MySQL instead of the default
  db/                    the default database, created on first run
  logs/

Services and tools covers what each program is and when to run it.

Run It

On Windows, double-click start-server.bat. On Linux:

chmod +x start-server.sh
./start-server.sh

The first run takes longer than later ones: the server creates its database, applies the schema and imports the game’s content data.

It worked if the log says the server is listening on its port and reports how many maps and monsters it loaded. If it reports zero monsters the content data did not import, which troubleshooting covers.

Connect to It

The client/ folder is what a player needs. Copy its contents into their game client’s folder, run the launcher, and sign in.

Accounts are created by registering in the launcher, or on the server’s own website. There is no separate account tool and no approval step.

Keeping It Running

A release does not install a service.

On Linux, use a systemd unit pointing at server/linux/gameserver with the archive directory as its working directory. The working directory matters more than the path to the binary: the server finds settings.cfg, its database and its content data relative to where it runs from.

Changing Settings

To open the server to other people, move to MySQL, run more than one game on one machine, or change a port, see configuration.

Updating

Copy the new server/ folder over your existing one and restart. The server upgrades its own schema on start, and your settings.cfg and databases are not touched. Updates and versions covers the version numbers, release candidates, and the cases where an update needs more than that copy.