Run your own server

- NOTE: THE EASIEST WAY TO RUN YOUR OWN OBEY SERVER IS USING NODECRAFT (use their FREE trial).

- If you want to run a headless Linux server, that build is always freely available here, and instructions for this can be found HERE

- The page below will teach you how to run an OBEY server from a computer that you own physically (in your home or office etc.)

NOTE: Running a server requires that the IP of the server computer will be known to OBEY players.

On a Local Network (LAN)

• modify serverSettings.txt to suite your preferences (set private=1 so it wont show up on the master internet list)
• double click RUN_SERVER.bat
• all players should now be able to find the server on the LAN by searching with the LAN option enabled.
• double click STOP_SERVER.bat once you are done (or the server will keep running in the background)

   If OBEY is unable to detect your server on a LAN, make sure:
   1) That you are searching for it while 'LAN' is highlighted.
   2) That usingMultipleServerInstances in serverSettings.txt is '0' or 'False'.  
      Joining a machine that is running multiple servers via LAN will require manual input of it's IP and PORT.
   3) If you are separated from the LAN server via subnet layers, it may not show up on OBEY's LAN discovery list.  
      The easiest solution to this is to manually input the IP and PORT into the upper right of the Join Server Screen, and then pressing 'JOIN'.

Over the Internet (NET)

• forward a port on your router to the machine running the server (If you don't know how to do this, instructions are below)
• modify serverSettings.txt to suite your preferences (set private=0 so it will show up on the master internet list)
• double click RUN_SERVER.bat
• all players should now be able to find the server by searching with the NET option enabled.
• double click STOP_SERVER.bat once you are done (or the server will keep running in the background)

HOW TO: forward a port on your router (a Windows example)

• In the start menu of the server machine, type cmd to open up a command console (a black window should show up with a prompt)
• type ipconfig
• look for the entry labeled 'Default Gateway'. That is your router IP address.
• look for the entry labeled 'IPv4 Address'. That is your computer IP address.
• open up a browser window (Internet Explorer or Chrome or Firefox etc.)
• type the ROUTER's IP into the address bar
• You will likely get a password prompt. If you don't know the password and have never done this before, the password is likely the default password set by the manufacturer of your router. Search for it online for your make/model. If that password doesn't work, reset the router settings with a tiny button somewhere on the router, and then it should work (and change your password to something you will remember!) :)
• Once logged in, look for a tab or option with something like: 'port forwarding' or 'gaming' or 'applications'
• If you found the right place, it will probably be organized like a spreadsheet with two or more columns. One of the columns will be the internal ip/port and the other will be the external port.
• Forward the external router port 57347 to port 57347 on your computer's IP.
• press 'save settings'

On certain Apple routers: It is not possible to forward a port using the steps above, and is only possible to do from a Mac computer connected to the network. If you have an Apple router and you are not able to log into the router using a browser, follow the steps outlined here to forward the port.

If nothing works!

The last resort is to simply manually give each player the ip address of the server. Players can type the ip and port in the upper right hand of the 'Choose Server' screen. However, for a game over the internet, the port 57347 must still be forwarded to the server.

Another alternative is to run your own virtual server.

Q&A Troubleshooting

Q: My friends can not connect to my server over the internet, why?

• A: Your port is not forwarded. See above.
• A: Windows Firewall or an antivirus firewall may be blocking the server. Look online how to create a firewall exception for an application (OBEY, in this case).

Q: Other people can connect to my server, but I can't connect to my server. Why?

• A: Make sure that in serverSettings.txt that serverPort and clientPort are not identical ports. The server and client running on the same computer, being independent instances of the game, require their own unique ports to function.

Q: I can't see my local LAN server, why?

• A: If your client and the server are on different sub-nets its possible that it will not show. Type the IP and port of the server manually into the upper right corner of the Join Server screen on the clients.
• A: The server has runMultipleServers set to True in it's serverSettings.txt (change it to 0 to fix this)

Q: I am unable to see my server in the list via NET or LAN.

• A: The server may be crashing. Check the server log text file.
• A: The server may be failing to load the map. Check the map name spellings and syntax of the map list in serverSettings.txt. If the map is not an official map, check that the map has a dropship and other necessary elements.

Command Line Launch Options

• -name <server name> Override the server name specified in the server settings file
• -port <port> Override the port specified in the server settings file
• -config <path> Specify a different server settings file than serverSettings.txt
• -help prints out these command line options
• -server will run the executable as a server instead of a client
• -batchmode will run the executable without graphics