Notes

What Is Wrong With Me?

The Memories of Mars Dedicated Server is available via Steam as a Dedicated Server. It can be hosted by players who do not own the game themselves as well as on dedicated servers which can log into Steam anonymously. The server is available on both Windows 64 bit and Linux 64bit versions.



Requirements[]



The server currently has the following requirements:



CPU



The server should have 2 cores/hyperthreads (we made changes to the stock Unreal Engine 4 that allows the game server to run multithreaded). The better the CPU frequency, the better.



Memory



Normal operation: 5 GB



Disk



The server is about 3 GB. However, this can grow depending upon logs and file-based databases.



Internet-Connection



For the best online experience, the server requires an internet connection with a recommended speed of 200kb/s. Public access is required to port 7777 and 15000, which are configurable.



Installation[]



Via Steam GUI[]



The dedicated server can be found in your Steam library under "Memories of Mars-Dedicated Server" in Tools. You can install it the same way as any other game on Steam.



Via steamcmd[]



For dedicated servers and platforms without a graphical user interface, you can use Valve's steamcmd tool to install the dedicated server. The following steps will be used to install the dedicated server via Steamcmd



1. You must ensure that you are not logged into Linux as root. The server won't start if root rights are detected.



2. Download steamcmd (see https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD#Package_from_repositories) a. Most likely easiest using sudo apat-get install steamcmd



3. Start steamcmd by typing steamcmd



4. Login to login if required (valid until the server is released).



5. If you do not wish to install to default directory, force_install_dir will allow you to choose your install director. 6. Install the server by issuing App_update 897599.



Updating[]



Memories of Mars remains in Early Access but there will be frequent updates. The game client will always be up-to-date via Steam. Due to major code and content updates, most patches during Early Access will break compatibility with existing clients. To see servers, the dedicated server must be updated. If you don’t see your dedicated server either in the Steam client browser or in-game then make sure it is the same version as your game client.



You can wait for the update to take effect if you have installed your Dedicated Server via Steam UI.



If you installed via steamcmd, use the same command again to update the server to the latest state:



app_update 897590



Database-breaking patches[]



We will ensure that no database-breaking changes to the server code are made during Memories of Mars. If we need to fix the database, we will let you know in patch notes.



To make sure you are up to date with the information about the game and upcoming patches, please follow the news on the Steam page ([1]) of the game and join our Discord (https://discord.gg/7c6rvnv).



Configuring a Server



Your private server is configurable via the file DedicatedServerConfig.cfg that you can find in the main folder where Steam downloaded the private server to. Here's an example file.



The fields that are available are:



Example



Required



ServerName



My Private Server



This is the server name that you will find the server under in thein-game Server Browser or in the Steam Server Browser.



ServerPassword



password123



The password for your server. If this is not specified (or an empty string), it will create a non-password-protected server.



ServerID



MyServer1



Yes



You can switch between different versions of the same database by changing this setting (see section about database management).



MapName



Main



This must be set at Main, so leave the default.



Integer



2



EnablePVP



If true, the server will be a fully-featured PVP server. If false, the server will become PVE. If the server is not set to false, it will default to PVE.



EnablePVPBuildings



If enabled, buildings will be damaged. If false, buildings won't be damaged. If the setting is false, buildings will not be damaged. Can be set up on a PVP Server.



EnablePVPAreas



If this is true, it will enable PVP areas around hotspots hosting active FLOPs events. If this setting is not set, PVP areas will be created on PVE servers. Has no effect on a PVP server.



EnableEAC



true



If enabled EasyAntiCheat will be installed on the server. If EasyAntiCheat is not enabled, the server defaults to EasyAntiCheat.



DailyRestartUTCHour



12



This will cause two server restarts: The indicated hour ( UTC+0) on the hour.2. The indicated hour (UTC+0) plus 12 hours on the hour.Times are specified in the 24 hour system.Daily restarts are necessary for server stability and for countering floating-point issues.



Headless



Boolean



False



If set to true, this will not open a window with log outputs. If not present, it defaults to true.



UserWhitelist



A whitelist for the server. Only IDs from this list will be allowed to join the server if they are found. This allows you limit the number of people that can join the server. ".



UserBlacklist



A blacklist to be added to the server. If an ID is on this list the person will not be able to join the server. This allows you to exclude players from joining. If there are multiple entries, the IDs should be separated with "



Since 1.7.0, we now have our own account system. You can't enter Steam IDs in this field anymore. Instead, you can use Mars Account IDs. These are located in lower left corner of main menu. You can also find the ID of other players on the Player List section of the admin panel.



Admins



Array of Strings



"12345678910111213|13121110987654321"



A list of IDs that indicates which players have admin status. Administrators will be able open a special user interface and execute a number of cheats from it.



Since 1.7.0, we have our own accounts system. You don't put Steam IDs into this field anymore, but Mars Account IDs. This information is located in the lower left corner. You can also view the IDs of other players from the Player List section of the admin panel.



7777



15000



No



Commandline Arguments [Overriding]



The following variables can all be overwritten using a commandline argument. In the case of "MULTIHOME" there is no applicable variable in the DedicatedServerConfig, so the variable can only be set via commandline argument.



If no commandline argument was set, the value from config is used.



Name



Type



Use



Port



-port=#### (i.e. -port=7778)



This is the port from which players connect. For players to connect, make sure this port is accessible. Standard default is 7777



BeaconPort



-beaconport=#### (i.e. -beaconport=12345)



This port is used by beacons to initiate connection. To allow players to connect over the Internet, ensure that this port is accessible. This defaults to 15000.



MULTIHOME



String



-MULTIHOME="###.###.###.###" (i.e.-MULTIHOME=192.168.1.26)



Overrides the IP address the server is running on. The server will use one available IP address, but will not verify that this is a public-accessible IP address. Multi-IP environments.



This is generally the local ip of the server on the LAN. THIS DOESNT MAP FROM THE CONFIG. To make it apply (Windows), you need to add it to the RunServer.bat start call.



MaxPlayers



Number



-maxplayers=## (i.e. GAME SERVERS -maxplayers=12)



Maximum number of players on the server. 64 is the default.



Start the Server[]



Restarts[]



The Memories of Mars server needs to be restarted twice daily, this is set up with the option DailyRestartUTCHour. The server will announce in-game that it will resume normal operations before it is restarted. The server will be shut down after it has completed its task.



You are provided with two options for starting the game server:



Automatic restarting after the two-daily shutdown



The server will shut down regardless of which option you choose. We currently don't support disabling this automatic shutdown system. If you don't need to run the server for 24h a day, you can set the DailyRestartUTCHour to a time outside of your regular playtime to not have the server shut down during play.



You can either use Steam UI for server start, or navigate the install folder. In both cases, edit the config file to set up the server before you start.



You can start the game to start the server. It will continue running until it shuts off.



in the Steam UI with the default start option



directly by starting the file GameBinariesWin64MemoriesOfMarsServer.exe.



To run the server with automatic restarts:



in the Steam UI choose the start option Launch Game Server (restart automatically) Run the batch script Run Server.bat.



Without automatic restarts[]



To start the server, start the script MemoriesOfMarsServer.sh in the installation folder of the game.



With automatic restarts[]

To start the server with automatic restarts, start the script RunServer.sh in the installation folder of the game. You might consider running this in the background or in a screen so it persists your login session.

LAN servers, Firewall issues[]

Port-Forwarding[]

A game server needs to ports to be open on UDP and TCP. Both ports are specified in the DedicatedServerConfig.cfg and can be changed to whatever ports you want (as long as they are different from each other). A public server needs to have both ports open. Depending on your setup of the host machine (the one running the server), you may need to open the ports in a firewall and in the internet router. Look up your router model on this website on how to do that: https://portforward.com/

LAN server[]

Every server is automatically available on LAN, as long as it is run correctly with Steam or SteamCMD and can connect to Steam through the BeaconPort. If you want a LAN-only server you have to set a password or block the outgoing game port (default 7777) of the server in the router, so that it can't connect to the internet. The BeaconPort (default 15000) still needs to be open for the server to work correctly!

Connecting to a private server[]

In-game browser[]

Choose either ALL or PRIVATE in the filter settings of the in-game server browser and connect to your server.

Steam server browser[]

You can join a server from the Steam server browser.

Database Maintenance[]

The files for the database will be stored in the following folder: Game/Saved/DB/ServerID/SeasonID.

You can create an easy backup of your files by copying everthing inside this folder and paste it elsewhere.

Once the game reaches a new season the database folder will create a new database inside a new season folder. The data from the previous season is still stored, but will not be used for the new season. The reason for that is, that we can not guarantee that the way the data is stored will not change between seasons. So you will start with a clean database in a new season, just like on the public servers.

If you are still willing to try to save your old data somehow you can try to manually copy the data over from the previous season. This might or might not work, depending on the changes made. So expect your game to cause some problems afterwards. If you can't get the game to run anymore after this just delete all the files you put in there and make sure you have a clean database.

NOTE: There will be no support by us for manually moving old databases to your newer server in case of database-breaking changes between seasons.

Reporting Errors[]

In case you encounter an error with the server, please inform us about it by using the game's support page at https://fs30.formsite.com/505g ames/mars/index.html

Please attach any information that can help us track down the error. Especially server logs and crash dumps are interesting for us. This information can be found in:

Windows[]

The subfolder GameSaved contains the data written by the servers. Especially the Game.log in the subfolder GameSavedLogs is good for us, as well as the contents of the latest crash report in a subfolder of GameSavedCrashes.

Linux[]

The subfolder Game/Saved contains the data written by the servers. Especially the Game.log in the subfolder GameSavedLogs is good for us. Additionally, the server creates a core dump, which you will find in the root folder of the game server as a file starting with core.

Admin Tools[]

Admins on a Dedicated Server are able to open an AdminTools window with F8. The key to show the window can be changed in the Input Settings (in case F8 doesn't work make sure it's bound there). From here you have the option to execute a selection of cheats to author your server.

Player List[]

The Player List shows all players that are currently connected to your server. At the bottom you have buttons to kick a selected player, teleport to them or teleport them to your current location.

Cheat List[]

The Cheat List contains a selection of cheats you are allowed to execute as admin. Here you can find the usual cheats like toggling GodMode, spawning AIs or refill your HP and survival stats. To execute a cheat select it from the list and click the Execute Button at the bottom. There's also a cheat for changing the Server Password. Note that executing this cheat will not change the password in the DedicatedServerConfig and therefore will only be temporary. Also changing from no password to having a password or vice versa will not be reflected at runtime. You would need to restart your server and change the password in your DedicatedServerConfig to accomplish that.

Items[]

The Item List contains all items sorted by category. Here you cheat items into your inventory by selecting the item and clicking the Execute Button at the bottom. There's also a number field where you can enter the amount of items you want to receive. To make it easier to find the items you desire, we added a search bar as well as the option to mark items as favourites which will then appear inside the Favourites category at the very top.

PDA Map[]

Admins also have the option to teleport themselves to an arbitrary location on the map. To do that, just open the map in your PDA, right-click on the location you want to teleport to and select the "CHEAT: Teleport here" option from the context menu.

Known Issues and Troubleshooting[]

Two error messages on server start[]

There will be two error messages on server start from Steam (Process Entry Point not found). Those can be clicked away without any issues and the server will run fine. Those error messages will be fixed in an upcoming version of the server.

I can't see my server in the server list[]

Please make sure you followed all instructions above, especially the one about port forwarding and firewalls. Make sure your firewall is open for the two ports in the DedicatedServerConfig for both UDP and TCP and that your router is forwarding them to you as well. 90% of all issues with the server come down to closed ports, so check it thoroughly. Also make sure to only run one instance per server on each installation and port configuration. If you run two servers simultaneously on the same configuration they might interfere with each other and none of them might work.

You can run multiple servers per computer, but have to do that via commandline overrides of ports. That is for advanced users only!

What about all those warnings/errors in the log! What am I doing wrong?[]

Nothing actually. Servers will throw a lot of warnings right now, but you can safely ignore them at this moment. They are not for you to fix, but us.

Here's my website: https://nicisoft.com/