Archean offers a multiplayer experience, allowing you to open your single-player games to other players or set up a dedicated server.

Hardware Requirements

To ensure the proper functioning of an Archean server in multiplayer mode, the following minimum configuration is recommended:

• Processor: Prioritize high power per core (i7, Ryzen...)
• Memory: Minimum of 8 GB of RAM

This setup may change depending on the platform used (Windows, Linux, etc.) and future game updates.

Network

Regardless of the operating system choice, you must ensure that port 8881 is open for both UDP & TCP.

Note: When playing solo without accept_remote_connections = yes, if port 8881 is already in use, the game will automatically use a random available port.

Setting Up a Server

SteamCMD (Recommended)

Archean Server is available via SteamCMD. This is the recommended method for dedicated servers as it allows easy updates.

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 3557220 +quit

Once downloaded, run the server executable as described in Manual Installation below.

Manual Installation

For both Linux and Windows, a standalone executable is available to run an Archean server.

To start the server, simply run the Archean_server[.exe] file located in the Archean-game folder. The server will launch in console mode and will ask you for a series of information to configure it. This information will no longer be requested once the server_public_name value is set in the server.ini file.

Docker

To set up a dedicated server on a Linux server, you will need curl as well as Docker in order to execute the automatic installation script.

Installing Docker can significantly vary depending on the distribution used. We recommend consulting the Wiki of your distribution for guidance on successful installation.

To install the server with the official script, here are the steps to follow:

# Download the install script
curl -s -o install_archean_server.sh https://archean.space/assets/user_scripts/run_server_with_docker.sh

# Make it executable
chmod +x install_archean_server.sh

# Run this script to Install or Update the server
./install_archean_server.sh

Note: It is possible to use this method on Windows using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), but some users have encountered potential performance issues.

Allow Access to Your Single-Player Game

You can allow access to your single-player game if you manually configure the server.ini file with the following parameters:

• server_online = yes
• server_public_name = <Any name you want>
• accept_remote_connections = yes

Then, each time you press Play in the launcher, a public server will be listed and other players will be able to join you.

• Don't forget to open your port 8881 (or any other port you have configured in listen_port).
• You do not have to set the server_online parameter to yes to allow other players to join your game. You can also invite them by giving them your IP address and the port of your server, which they will need to enter manually in the game launcher. You only need to set accept_remote_connections = yes.

Installing Mods on a Dedicated Server

On a dedicated server, you need to manually download mods using SteamCMD and configure the server to find them.

1. Download mods with SteamCMD

Use SteamCMD to download Workshop mods. You can install SteamCMD anywhere on your system.

# Download a mod by its Workshop ID (replace WORKSHOP_ID with the actual ID)
steamcmd +login anonymous +workshop_download_item 2941660 WORKSHOP_ID +quit

where 2941660 is Archean's Steam AppID and WORKSHOP_ID is the mod's Workshop ID (found in the mod's Workshop URL).

By default, SteamCMD downloads Workshop content to:

• Linux: ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/workshop/content/2941660/
• Windows: <SteamCMD_install_path>/steamapps/workshop/content/2941660/

You can also specify a custom download directory with the +force_install_dir option.

2. Configure external_mods_dir

In your server.ini, set external_mods_dir to point to the directory containing your downloaded mods:

[server]
external_mods_dir = /path/to/steamcmd/steamapps/workshop/content/2941660/

The server will scan this directory for mod folders containing a repository file.

3. Enable mods for your world

Edit the mods.txt file in your world folder:

Archean-data/server/worlds/<world_name>/mods.txt

Add one mod name per line. The mod name is defined in the mod's repository file (not the folder name).

Example mods.txt:

MYVENDOR_mymod
OTHERVENDOR_anothermod

• If a mod listed in mods.txt is not found, the server will prompt you to continue without it or abort.
• The mod name (VENDOR_modname format) is usually displayed on the mod's Steam Workshop page.

Server Configuration (server.ini)

The server.ini file contains all server settings. Here is a complete list of available parameters:

Server Settings

Game Settings

Networking Settings

Performance Settings

Tip: If your server has high CPU load from screens/dashboards, try lowering screens_compression_level to 0 or 1 for better performance at the cost of more network bandwidth.

Managing Administrators

Administration Panel (F4)

An administration panel is accessible in the game with the F4 key. It displays the server load and its speed in ticks per second. (25 ticks/s being the default maximum tick rate guaranteeing optimal performance)

A checkbox Admin Privileges allows, among other things, to spawn blueprints for free when the game mode is set to Adventure.

The panel offers two tabs:

• Players: Allows you to see the list of connected players, teleport to them, and/or kick them.
• Entities: Allows you to see the list of entities present on the server (with owner and alias), delete them, and/or teleport to them. Also shows the total entity count.

Adding/Removing an Administrator

To add an administrator, simply modify the file /Archean-data/server/admins.txt. This file should contain a list of player IDs, one per line. If the player uses Steam, their Steam64 ID should be used.

Admin Commands

Administrators have access to special chat commands. See Chat & Commands for the full list, including the /ban command.