Conan Exiles Dedicated Server Launcher (Official Version: 1.7.5 / Beta: 1.7.7)

Yeah, I’m not losing the frame on how “supported” the tool is-either in QA, or in development- believe me. Sysadmin-by-trade, but not someone with a team… or a sub-three-digit number of employees to support, or less than a half-dozen complex mission critical systems to maintain, or less extravagantly-remedial coddling to do on a day-to-day basis.

(“how I maek ecksell collum biggr? How?!?”)

Anyway: #relatable.

That said, it does sound like this wasn’t really designed with my situation in mind, and nor was the guide.

And it sounds like you’re saying the best thing for me to do might be to:

  • Build a “new” server from scratch,
  • Have the tool build in all the inis,
  • Overwrite those inis with settings from my old server. (though I am not clear on exactly how the tool manages inis- does it write them to it’s own folder, then copy them to the “real” locations?- and some clarity on just what and where I am overwriting might be helpful)
  • The “new” server becomes the old server, and this manages it, thenceforth.

That about right?

I would say as a request… well, i mean ideally a way for the tool to read back the inis of an existing server structure would be swell, but I realize that’s probably way more work than I’m making it sound there.

I can copy and paste as well as anyone. But like I said above, some clarity on just how the files are managed- which informs what I should be overwriting and where- would be exceedingly helpful in that pursuit.

I mean, the overwrite warning- in the situation i described- is kinda jarring on its own. I’m logically assuming- if I have an empty UI in the tool- it’s going to copy 0’s/nulls back to the ini settings of my existing server. This is definitely not what I want to do.

But maybe that’s not what it does? I dunno.

Still, even in the Make-a-new-server-then-overwrite-it scenario I am essentially going to be “handling” that new data with the tool at some later point, and knowing it’s not going to overwrite the thing I just overwrote is kinda crucial.

I don’t really share most people’s dispassion for reading. I’m fast at it, and good at skimming for what I’m looking for. But if it’s not there to be found in the first place, well… yeah.

Is it possible to shutdown automacally ?
The button restart automatically is a good thing, but does it restart the lancher or the server ?
I want to have a server working only for a few hours in a day.

Thanks for your help and sorry for my English, i prefer do working my head instead of Google Translate :wink:

It depends.
The option in the Preferences menu is just for the Launcher itself, but the “Start server is not running” is for the Server. So if you have both checked, the tool will start automatically, and then start the server automatically if it is not yet running.

Is it possible to shutdown automacally ?
I want to have a server working only for a few hours in a day.

Hmm, nobody actually asked me that feature, so no, it’s not actually possible.

Not quite sure how I could implement that easily, without making the UI even more complicated than it is.

Is there a reason why you want the server only accessible for a few hours?

The launcher tool only uses the game server ini file, there are no external settings at all (with the exception of one registry key entry for the “start launcher with windows session” feature), the few specific parameters used only by the launcher are also stored in the ini files, with a DedicatedServerLauncher prefix in the name of the key.

The way I designed it, you can’t break it by removing and modifying files. No parameter is necessary, in the worse case if they are missing they are reset to default, and if the values are incorrect they are ignored or truncated.

I’ve the feeling you have been burnt way too many times by programs that break just by looking at them, I’ve too, so I tried to make it as simple/stupid as possible.

I mean, the overwrite warning- in the situation i described- is kinda jarring on its own. I’m logically assuming- if I have an empty UI in the tool- it’s going to copy 0’s/nulls back to the ini settings of my existing server. This is definitely not what I want to do.

Your previous message imply that you had edited at least some of the fields.

If you got the warning without having edited anything at all, then it’s a bug, and if you can find a 100% repro case, then I will fix it.

That about right?

Correct.

I would say as a request… well, i mean ideally a way for the tool to read back the inis of an existing server structure would be swell, but I realize that’s probably way more work than I’m making it sound there.

I guess I could add an “import” button which would allow the user to select an existing server install, and then overwrite the current config with the files of the old server.

The reason is simple : this server is only to play with a few friends (my internet connexion is not very fast), we all work during the day and I don’t want to keep this PC switch on for nothing.

Oh, so it’s the actual machine you wish to switch off and on automatically?

I’ve actually no idea on how to get a PC to automatically start at some specific time, maybe “wake up on lan” would work… not sure, but let’s assume we found out a way to do that.

Let’s try something, not sure if that would work, but who knows:

  • Make sure that your computer auto logs in on startup
  • Set up the launcher to automatically start on session startup
  • Enable the “Start server is not running” option
  • Download “SysInternal” PS Shutdown tool: PsShutdown - Sysinternals | Microsoft Learn
  • Add a batch file somewhere that calls the shutdown tool and make sure to have it run as a script after the backup is done

at this point, if you setup the right values for “restart daily” and “restarts per day”, you should be able to correctly setup how long you want the game server to run, then it will send the warning messages, then it will stop the server, the backup of the files will be done, then the script will run and shut down the machine.

Now regarding on the starting up of the machine… no idea. If anyone has a clue, please share :slight_smile:

I’m gona try this evening. Can you confirm me that the backup is every minut.

You can in BIOS with the RTC alarm : It wakes up automatically PC. :wink:

No, the backup is only done when the server is not running: Backing up files while the server runs is a good way to get the database in a broken state :scream:

I thought all the information of the game was in the file called “game.db” in the case called “saved”.

This file is changing every minut (that’s why I was thinking that…).

Yes, but it’s not a backup, it’s just the way the game keep saving data, it’s how SQLite works, and there are multiple files being accessed at the same time, you don’t want to have a separate program to lock access to them at the same time.

So yes, while it’s running the Game Server keeps touching these files, but after the server is stopped it’s safe to then do a copy of the Saved folder (which is the actual Backup operation)

To run the script to shutdown the machine, I have to make sure that the backup is done.
The problem is the option “start server is not runnig” : when the back up is finished, the server restart automatically…

I don’t how to do … Because the server is always running and the shutdows will broke the database. Except if there is no acces to database when there is no player connected.

DISCLAIMER: This is as ugly as it gets, but I tried it and it worked for me :crossed_fingers:

Basically the idea is:

  • To have a batch file launches PsShutdown as a separate process and then wait
  • Start the batch file from a shortcut that has been given administrator rights (else psshutdown will fail)
  • Start the shortcut instead of the batch file in the Backup and Automation section

Here is what it looks like:

All you need in the batch file is that:

@ECHO OFF
START C:\Path\To\psshutdown.exe -k -m "Server Is Shutting Down" -t 5
ECHO Machine Is Shutting Down - Please Wait
PAUSE >NUL

You can tweak the options to restart faster or slower, cleanly shut down the applications or not, etc…

It’s a template, you can do what you want with that :slight_smile:

I’m at work, I will see that this evening. I will tell you the results.

Thanks for your help.

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I think I have forget something because it doesn’t work.
I only have the message “Machine is shutting Down - Please Wait”

Visibly psshutdown command doesn’t work on my PC. (Maybe a syntax problem : It’s not my job and I’m learning… :wink:)

I will try again this evening.

A good way to approach this type of issue is “divide and conquer”: Open a command shell window, and run the psshutdown command directly from there, and look at whatever error message you get.

You may be interested to know that “psshutdown -a” aborts a shutdown in progress, can be useful to avoid your machine to reboot while you are doing your tests :smiley:

As far as I can see, the only thing that made it not work on my machine was the fact it had to run in administrative mode… also you have to run it once directly to accept the EULA (all the SysInternal tools have that, just a dialog to click and then it does not bother you ever again).

You’re a good teacher for me :star_struck:

I will try this evening.

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The script works, the problem is when I select the shortcut (for the administrator permission) in the launcher, it selects the target not the shortcut.
I can put the shortcut in any folder, the launcher target the original script, not the shortcut.

I have no idea for this problem…

Hi. I have a question. Will you add a player chat window ?To view the player chat separately from the general LOG window

If you look at the screenshot I posted, in the explorer window there are two files:

  • ShutDownScript.bat (the actual batch file)
  • AdminShutDownScript.bat (the shortccut to the batch file)

…but, in the LauncherUI, the file is actually called AdminShutDownScript.bat.lnk

I had to enter the name by hand, because as you discovered, Windows is too smart and resolves the shortcut target location for you.

Nobody requested that, but yes, that’s doable.
Are there other information which would be useful to see separately?

I have seen it, changed the name but I forgot “.ink” at the end of the shortcut. ( you can call me Noob :rofl: )

I will try it this evening.

An idea for the evolution of the launcher :

  • A button with automatic time to close the server and shutdown the computer (like restart daily at…)

  • a button to close the server without restart : if restart automatically is selected, it restarts when you shutdown by the button

  • For @DemarumeRu a Chat window :wink:

Hi, good tool you have there. The following features would be great.

  • Resizeable. The window should be possible to be enlarged so that it is possible to see more logfile text.
  • Scrollbars in the log text horizontal.
  • Separate the tool (maybe just optical) in two areas. The onetime setup and maintenance.
    Maintance could get things like

o Chatwindow (System, Local, Clans…)
o List of all online Playernames (+Steam, +ID, +ClanName)
o Mark Player and functions (whisper to player, kick, teleport…)
o Map with position of big structures and Players
o Statistics (Diagrams with history of current active blocks, loaded objects…)
o Ingame functions like StartPurges, De-/Activate PvP