[img=http://www.blazinggriffin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/patchnotesupdate.jpg] Ahoy! Today, Dedicated Servers have sailed into the test branch for external testing! This is the initial release of the Dedicated Servers as such they are in the very early stages and you WILL see bugs AND encounter problems. The point of releasing this patch to the test branch is to get you to break it. We need to stress test how much the server can handle and when it breaks.

Opening your ports

If you wish to run a dedicated server please open the following ports;

• TCP/UDP 7776-7778
• TCP/UDP 443

The server.cfg file uses 7777 as the default, if you change this then make sure you open one more and one less than this. e.g. If your default is 6555, open ports 6554-6556. Anyone is now free to host Dedicated Servers and can be downloaded two ways:

Downloading and running the server anonymously

Download the files by going here and unzip the downloaded file. Once unzipped run the Run_DedicatedServerBeta batch file. This file downloads the Dedicated Server files. Follow the readme included for more details and help on creating multiple servers. To edit server settings find the server.cfg and mapcycle files in the created tsrdedicatedbeta file. The Server.cfg file can be opened with Notepad++ to edit server settings such as server name, starting map, game time and victory money. The mapcycle can be edited to change the maps the server will cycle through.

Downloading and running through steam

Download the server tool from within Steam (Library > Tools > Right Click ‘The Ship: Remasted Dedicated Server > Install). Game settings can be edited in the various files located in the TSRDS_1 folder (...steamappscommonThe Ship Remasted Dedicated ServerTSRDS_1). If this file is not present, running the Dedicated Server once will automatically create this folder. Opening the server.cfg with a program such as notepad++ will allow you to tweak game settings, such as Server Name, password, Map and Score Limit. The mapcycle text file, in the same folder, can be edited with the list of ships you want the server to cycle through and in what order. First, right click The Ship: Remasted Dedicated server in steam, go to properties and select the ‘Beta’ tab. Enter the pasword: ‘remastedtesting’ and select the testing branch from the dropdown. Start the server by double clicking on The Ship: Remasted Dedicated Server under the Steam Tools. Note: If you are only trying to join a server you do not need to download the server tool or open any ports. Any Dedicated Servers that are running will appear in the Join Server menu in-game (under ‘dedicated’ or ‘all’) and also in the Steam Server window if you have the same version number. Only players playing on the game’s test branch will be able to join these servers. Aside from the Dedicated Server update, the team have been hard at work tweaking existing features and squashing some pesky bugs. There are some notable audio updates, such as the much anticipated footsteps and also new facial animations so characters will no longer stare blankly into your soul. We have streamlined the process to access these test builds. Entering passwords and manually changing beta branches is no longer necessary. Instead, to access the test branch simply double click The Ship: Remasted in your games library and a pop up will ask which branch you want to play, select Test Branch to join the dedicated servers test.This should make switching between test builds and stable release builds smooth sailing from here on out.

Reporting a Bug

For this patch we would like you to look test the dedicated servers. Any major issues (crashes, connection issues, being kicked from the game suddenly) can be reported in the Dedicated Servers - Crashes and disconnections post at the top of the General Discussions Steam forum. Any other bugs or general feedback on the servers can be added to the Dedicated Servers - General Feedback also in General Discussions forum. Our QA team may get in touch asking for more information on how to reproduce your bug. More information on how to report a bug can be found here. Happy Hunting!

[ 2016-04-29 16:33:50 CET ] [ Original post ]