How to Move The Front Save to a Dedicated Server

To move a The Front solo or hosted save to a dedicated server, copy three folders from %LOCALAPPDATA%\ProjectWar\Saved\ListenServer\...\GameStates\ on your PC: Worlds (bases and chests), Players (characters) and Accounts (which Steam account owns which character). Upload them into the server's GameStates folder, which sits under TheFrontManager/<Config Name>/Saved/ on most servers, replacing what is there. Stop the server first, keep the same game version, and do not change the Config Name afterwards.

What you can and cannot move

What goes where

On Windows, press Windows + R, paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\ProjectWar\Saved\ListenServer and press Enter. Depending on your game version, GameStates is either right inside it or inside a folder with a long ID name. Open folders until you find the one holding Accounts, Players and Worlds. The players' own move to dedicated server thread on the game's Steam forum describes the same three folders.

The trap: the server reads one specific GameStates folder

Most guides say "upload to ProjectWar/Saved/GameStates". That is only right for a server started without a user directory. Many servers, including ours, start with -UserDir pointing at TheFrontManager/<Config Name>/, so the live save is:

TheFrontManager/<Config Name>/Saved/GameStates/

Upload into the plain ProjectWar/Saved/GameStates on such a server and nothing happens: the server keeps loading the world in its Config Name folder. And if you change the Config Name later, the server looks in a new, empty folder and builds a brand new world. Your old one is still there, just not loaded.

To be sure which folder is live, start the server once, let someone join, stop it, then look for the GameStates folder with the newest modified dates. That is where your files go.

The second part of the trap is Accounts. Copy Players without it and the server has character files but no record of whose they are, so everyone is asked to make a new character. Always move the three folders together.

Before you start

• Close the game after a final save, so nothing is half written.
• Back up the whole ListenServer folder somewhere outside AppData.
• Update the server and the game to the same version.
• Start the dedicated server once and stop it, so it creates its own GameStates folder you can see and replace.

Step 1: Stop the server and back it up

Stop the server from the panel or with a clean shutdown, so it does not save over your upload. If it already made its own world, keep a copy in case you want it back.

Step 2: Upload the three folders

1. Open the live GameStates folder from the trap section above.
2. Delete or rename the server's own Worlds, Players and Accounts folders.
3. Upload your three folders in their place.
4. Check the path reads GameStates/Worlds/ProjectWar_Start.basic.sav, not GameStates/GameStates/Worlds.

Worlds that have run for weeks get large. Zip the folders, upload the zip, and extract it on the server, or use an SFTP app like FileZilla or WinSCP.

Linux is case sensitive. If the server created Saved with a capital S, keep it that way and do not upload a second saved folder next to it.

Step 3: Carry over your settings

Your solo game had its own rules, kept in a ServerConfig.ini next to the save on some versions. A dedicated server takes its core rules from launch options and its panel instead: PvE or PvP, max players up to 80, friendly fire, self damage, novice protection and the save interval. Set those to match, then put any extra rates in the server's own config file.

GM.csv came over with Accounts, but admins on a dedicated server are normally set with -ServerAdminAccounts (on our panel, Server Admins). Add your 17 digit Steam ID there so you keep GM rights.

Step 4: Start and test

Start the server and watch the console until it finishes loading. Join first yourself: you should spawn as your old character, next to your base. Then have each friend who played the hosted game join with the same Steam account.

Common problems

• Server makes a brand new world: the files went into a GameStates folder the server does not read, or the Config Name changed. Find the live folder by its modified date.
• World is right but everyone makes a new character: Accounts was not copied with Players, or it came from a different save.
• Server shows in the list but nobody can join: one of the four UDP ports is closed, usually the beacon port, game port plus one. See hosting The Front dedicated server.
• "Version mismatch" or stuck on joining: the server is on an older build than the players. Update it and restart.
• Rates or rules reset: the dedicated server ignores the solo game's settings. Set them again in the panel or config file.

Moving it to GamezServers

On a The Front server from GamezServers, press Backup, then open TheFrontManager/<Config Name>/Saved/GameStates/ in the file manager. Upload a zip of your three folders and extract it there, or use the SFTP login in Settings for big worlds. PvE, max players, admins and the save interval are panel settings, and the world stays online without anyone's PC. Keep the Config Name the same once your world is in place.

FAQ

Where are The Front saves stored?

On Windows, in %LOCALAPPDATA%\ProjectWar\Saved\ListenServer\, in a GameStates folder with Accounts, Players and Worlds inside.

Will my friends keep their characters?

Yes, if Players and Accounts move together and they join with the same Steam account they used in the hosted game.

Why did my server start a new world after I uploaded my save?

The server reads the GameStates folder under its Config Name. Your files went somewhere else, or the Config Name was changed.

Can I move a dedicated server world back to solo?

Yes. Copy the same three folders from the server's GameStates back into the ListenServer GameStates folder on your PC, with the game closed.