Run your own server

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

• you must 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.

Q&A Troubleshooting

• 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.