How to Change Server Settings on your Don't Starve Together Server

This guide will show you how to change server settings for your Don't Starve Together server on Nodecraft.

These settings are mainly controlled by editing lines of text in a config file called cluster.ini. By editing this file, you can change things like:

• Giving your server a unique name, which will show in the in-game listings.

• Setting the gameplay category of the server to show up in the in-game listings.

• A description of your server for players to see in the in-game listings.

• Setting a password for your server.

• And more!

Editing the Cluster.ini Config File

To edit the cluster.ini config file on your Nodecraft Don't Starve Together servers, first click on the "File Manager" tab on the left side of the control panel.

The file is located at /.klei/DoNotStarveTogether/MyDediServer/ in your File Manager.

Once you're in the MyDediServer folder, you should see two folders, "Caves" and "Master", and the cluster.ini config file. Click the blue checkbox to the left of cluster.ini in the file manager window, and then click the "Edit" button that appears above the window.

Then you should see the contents of the cluster.ini file, which will look like this:

In the config file, the word "cluster" generally refers to your "server".

The Settings

There are many settings in this file, but the ones that most people generally need to change are listed below. To make changes, just add or change the text after the equals sign.

Also, please be aware that the in-game listings can take up to 5-10 minutes to update on Klei's end before changes show in the in-game listings. If you change the game mode, server name, etc., it may not instantly show in the correct category until Klei updates the listings.

cluster_name

Normally set to Nodecraft Don't Starve Together

This is the server name that will appear in the in-game listings. If it is not changed, the server will show as a generic "Nodecraft Don't Starve Together" server, which may make it difficult to find or recognize your server in the listings.

Because of this delay in listings updating, it is also possible for a server's name that has been changed to show up TWICE in the listings (once under the old name, and again under the new one too). The old name will not be a valid server you can join (you will get an error) and will be removed on the next update to the listings by Klei.

cluster_description

This will also show in the in-game listings, allowing you the possibility to advertise the features of your server to new players.

cluster_password

Normally blank (it just shows as cluster_password = in the config file). Adding text to the right of the "=" sign will set a password on your server.

cluster_intention

Sets which social category your server will be listed as. In the in-game listings on your client, this is "Playstyle," and includes possible settings of social, cooperative, competitive, and madness.

game_mode

The basic gameplay mode your server will be set to use.

Three possible settings: survival, widerness, and endless.

survival: The default game mode. Fairly difficult gameplay heavily encourages cooperation. Players who die become ghosts, and have a short time window to re-animate, requiring special items or locations in the game to do so. If all players die, the world is erased and reset to a newly generated world. Oof.

wilderness: Players spawn in random locations on the map. The world never resets. Cooperation is not as heavily required as it is in "Survival" mode. Players who die return to the character selection screen, allowing them to choose the same or a new character, and then start again at a random location with prior map progress erased. No resurrection items will exist normally (they aren't needed, since you just restart as a new character).

endless: A more relaxed game mode. The world never resets, and players who die can resurrect themselves at the main portal whenever they want (but with a penalty to maximum health, so not recommended to do it repeatedly).

max_players

This can actually be set directly from the Nodecraft "Game Settings" section of the control panel, but please be aware of one thing: Any time a setting is changed on the Nodecraft "Game Settings" section of the control panel, and you click "Save," the control panel will create an entirely new config file.

Since max_players is the only setting inside the cluster.ini file currently implemented on the control panel, it will replace the existing cluster.ini with a completely stock generic config file where only the max_players setting has been changed.

All other settings will have been reset to default values, effectively erasing any possible other changes you had made inside cluster.ini. If you are directly editing the cluster.ini file, we recommend you change max_players by editing the file manually too.

pvp

Whether pvp is enabled on your server or not.

Normally set to false.

Servers with pvp enabled will show with a skull-and-crossbones icon in the in-game listings.

Save the Changes, and Restart your Server!

After you edit the cluster.ini, click "Save" to record the changes.

You will also need to restart the server after any changes are made to cluster.ini. Some settings are also only used when the server creates a new world and might require that a new world be created as well.