How to Move a Necesse World to a Dedicated Server

To move a Necesse world to a dedicated server, copy the world's .zip file from %APPDATA%\Necesse\saves\worlds\ (Windows) or ~/.config/Necesse/saves/worlds/ (Linux) and upload it, still zipped, into the server's saves/worlds/ folder. Then set the server's world name (-world, or **Save Name** in a panel) to the file name without .zip, exactly. It works when the server runs the same Necesse version as your game and has the same mod .jar files.

What you can and cannot move

What goes where

Older versions kept worlds directly in saves/ instead of saves/worlds/. The quickest way to find yours is in game: Settings, then General, then Open saves folder.

Before you start

• Close Necesse on the PC that hosted the world so the zip is fully written.
• Back up the world zip somewhere safe.
• Match the version. Check the version on the main menu and make sure the server is on the same one. A server with auto update switched off stays on the old build after a patch.
• Match the mods. Note every mod and its version. Players need the same list to connect.
• Check the name. Rename the zip to something short with no spaces, such as OurTown.zip. Many hosting panels pass the world name on a command line, and a space splits it in two.

Step 1: Start the server once and stop it

Let the server start with its default world, then stop it. It creates cfg/server.cfg and its saves folder, so you can see exactly where its own world zip landed (on GamezServers it starts as Save1). Your world goes next to it.

Step 2: Upload the world zip

Upload OurTown.zip into the same folder as the server's own world, normally saves/worlds/. Do not unzip it. Necesse reads the zip directly, and worlds with big explored maps upload faster as one file. For large worlds, SFTP (FileZilla or WinSCP) is more reliable than a browser upload.

Step 3: Point the server at it

Set the world name to the file name without .zip:

java -jar Server.jar -nogui -localdir -world OurTown

The Necesse wiki's multiplayer page lists the other launch options. On a hosting panel, put OurTown in the Save Name field. The name is case sensitive on Linux servers, so ourtown will not find OurTown.zip.

Step 4: Upload mods and check server.cfg

Upload the exact same mod .jar files into mods/. Then open cfg/server.cfg with the server stopped and check the values you care about:

slots = 10,
password = ,
pauseWhenEmpty = true,

Set pauseWhenEmpty = false if settlers should keep working while nobody is online. Start the server, watch the console until the world has loaded, and join through Multiplayer with the address and port.

The gotcha: characters are not part of the world

Since version 0.23, Necesse saves characters separately from worlds, so your progress travels with your character rather than living only in the world zip. Whether a world accepts characters made in other saves is decided by allowOutsideCharacters in that world's worldSettings.cfg, which sits inside the zip, not in server.cfg. If it is off, players cannot bring an outside character into the server world.

To change it, stop the server, download the zip, unzip it, set allowOutsideCharacters to true in worldSettings.cfg, zip the files again with the same name and upload it back. Zip the contents, not a folder holding them, or the server will not recognise the world. The same file holds difficulty, raid frequency and death penalty if you want to change those while you are in there.

Common problems

• Server makes a brand new world: the world name does not match the zip name exactly, it contains a space, or the zip went into a different folder from the server's own world.
• "Wrong version" when joining: the server did not update after a patch, or someone is on a beta branch. Update the server, or set the same beta branch everywhere.
• Mod mismatch on join: a player is missing a mod or has a different version. Everyone needs exactly the server's mods/ list.
• World loads but settlers sit idle when nobody is on: pauseWhenEmpty is still true in cfg/server.cfg.
• World vanished after re-zipping: the zip contains a folder with the world inside it instead of the world files at the top level.

Moving it to GamezServers

On a Necesse server from GamezServers, you upload the zip over SFTP (login in Settings) or in the file manager, which can also zip, extract and download a file from a link straight to the server. Set Save Name, turn Steam Auto Update on so the server follows game patches (it is off by default), and click Backup before replacing anything. The town then stays open without anyone's PC running. For server.cfg and mods in more depth, see how to host a Necesse server.

FAQ

Where are Necesse worlds saved?

In %APPDATA%\Necesse\saves\worlds\ on Windows and ~/.config/Necesse/saves/worlds/ on Linux, as one .zip file per world. Older versions used saves/ directly.

Do I need to unzip my Necesse world before uploading?

No. Upload the .zip as it is and set the world name to the file name without .zip.

Will my friends keep their characters?

Characters are saved separately from worlds, so players keep their own characters. To bring characters from other saves into the server world, allowOutsideCharacters must be on in the world's worldSettings.cfg.

Why does my Necesse server keep making a new world?

The world name does not match the zip name exactly, including capitals, or the zip is not in the server's saves folder.