Some technical details for the Isle of Siptah update

Hi everyone, it seems like there is a lot of confusion regarding a few things and I am seeing some possible misinformation floating around, so I wanted to make a post to clarify how some of the technical features of the multi-map functionality works. I hope this helps clear up some uncertainty and answers some of the questions people have.

First I want to talk about the multi-map functionality. This update is titled after the Isle of Siptah, but it actually contains significantly more features than just the Isle of Siptah content. One of these features is added multi-map functionality. Prior to this update, Conan Exiles was played in the ConanSandbox map. It has always been possible for modders to go in and change this map to add resources, camps, dungeons, or even to remove the entirety of the map assets and replace the whole thing with their own map. However, with this update we have added support for the game loading entirely different map files, so modders will no longer need to replace, they will be able to add. Players will then be able to choose between all available maps, rather than having to add and remove mods that replace the base map. This feature also includes the ability to customize things like character creation, loading screens and tips, journey steps, map markers, and the map UI on a map-by-map basis. This should make it significantly easier for modders to create and add new maps to the game, and for players to download and play on those maps. We will be releasing documentation on how to use multi-map functionality in your mods on Monday.

Speaking of mods, I want to clear something up. Mods will work on the Isle of Siptah. We have already updated and released the mod dev kit to support the new version of the game. I have already spoken with several authors of popular mods who are already working to update their mods for the new version of the game, and checking out how those mods work in the Isle of Siptah. The only restriction on mods related to the Isle of Siptah release is that mods will not be able to modify the Isle of Siptah environment assets. The reason for this is twofold. First, similar to our DLC building pieces, we want to mitigate the risk of someone packaging the entire island into a mod and releasing it. Secondly, the Isle of Siptah is a significant amount of content, and making it available for modders would require it to be part of the base game. We know that Conan Exiles is already a very large game that takes up a lot of people’s disk space, and we did not want to eat up more disk space for players who choose not to purchase the Isle of Siptah Expansion.

Getting back to the idea of having multiple maps, I want to talk a little big about how players interact with different maps, and what that means for the characters and buildings you have already created in the Exiled Lands. Remembering that modders can now make maps, we need an infinitely expandable system that could support players playing on dozens of maps and switching between them at will. When the Isle of Siptah update hits, the server browser will have a new filter that allows you to filter for any map you have downloaded, or look through all the servers to find maps you maybe don’t have and want to try out. Similarly, starting a new game in single player mode will allow you to choose which map you want to play on. Dedicated server hosts will be able to choose a map for their server either by editing the command line parameters or the ini files on their server. More details on this will be included in the documentation being released on Monday.

Part of the Multi-Map functionality was adding a save file for each map. Single player, co-op play, and dedicated server play all behave the same way when it comes to saving. Each map, including mod maps, has its own database file that it writes to. They also each have their own backups in case something goes wrong and you need to roll back. The game will automatically choose the correct database file when your server or local game starts and will load the characters, buildings, and world state for the map you have chosen. If you choose to go back to another map, you will find all of your characters, buildings, and resources waiting for you just as you left them.

Finally, I want to say some things about the structure of the game as a whole. The multi-map functionality is a feature update to Conan Exiles. The Isle of Siptah is a content update to Conan Exiles. The Isle of Siptah is not a separate stand alone entity that recieves updates separate from the Exiled Lands. For example, we have made some significant improvements in memory usage, CPU usage, and network traffic in this update, and have more on the way. These improvements are not just present on the Isle of Siptah, but on the Exiled Lands as well. Another example is the new temperature system for armors, which ensures that armor can only ever be a benefit to a character, is available game wide. Updates like these are not bound to maps specifically, but to the game in its entirety. So you will continue to get bug fixes, QoL improvements, and new systems and features as they become available, regardless of which maps you choose to play on.

I hope this clears up some confusion and clarifies things for some people. I also want to remind people that you can currently play on the Isle of Siptah update on Testlive. You cannot yet access the new map, but all of the game-wide features are available on the Exiled Lands, including some interesting new things to check out in the admin panel. So if you are curious, feel free to experiment!

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So it’s technically possoble to add the old exiles map to the new add-on?

The Exiled Lands map and the Siptah map are both part of the same game. You can choose which map you want to play on when launching single player, coop, or dedicated server.

It is not possible to run multiple maps at the same time on the same server, single player, or co-op instance. You need a separate server, single player, or co-op instance with its own database. Characters are not shared between databases.

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I have a question regarding the restrictions involving environment assets on the Isle of Siptah: Does this involve exclusively the terrain of the map or can it also involves things like NPC placement or additions?

I was wondering because I wondered if it would be possible to mod the expansion to add characters such as NPC Merchants and the like to the map(in such places as the castaway camp city) to hire thralls from as one can in Flotsam in the Exiles Lands or would the modding restrictions prevents this?

(Alternatively: do such NPCs already exists on the new map? I just feel that if one can already buy ale at the castaway camp, then raiding the map’s many ruins for treasure that could then be used to hire desperate mercenaries to help you raid more ruins to hire more(or replaces ones lost in the last raid) mercenaries again could make interesting gameplay loop on some servers.

Especially if it leads competing camp to race to raid the same ruins and the threeway conflicts that might evolve from the two treasure seekers groups and the monsters of the ruin itself.)

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I have a question regarding the restrictions involving environment assets on the Isle of Siptah: Does this involve exclusively the terrain of the map or can it also involves things like NPC placement or additions?

The modding system unfortunately does not allow you to edit the actual map file itself to place new spawns, as that would require all of the assets referenced by the map file, which is all of them, to be available in the mod kit and included in the base game.

However, you may be able to do something crazy in blueprints like find the coordinates that you want to spawn things at in the world manually, and inject the spawned NPCs shortly after server startup. You could also add admin placeable spawners so that server admins could configure this themselves similar to some of what the Pippi mod does. You may actually also be able to create entire new sublevels and have your mod load them at runtime, but I am not positive on the technicalities behind that.

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Thank you for the answers, that was very detailed and welcomed!

Also I’d forgotten about Pippi’s mod, so thank you for the reminders regarding that feature of theirs.

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In ark you can travel from one world to the other.
Is it possible to do that in this game?

Currently it is not possible to do this in the Conan Exiles Isle of Siptah release.

You will keep your character and creations on the Exiled Lands map and be able to switch back to that map if you desire, and your character will be there waiting for you. But currently there is no way in the game to move characters between maps.

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Thanks for the detail explanation of the Expansion. It was very helpful. As a admin of a dedicated server, I have two questions at this time.

  1. Will the new database setup, have separate mod lists for each map? That way, when we do switch maps on a dedicated server, each map database will its own separate set of mods?

Asking since some mods like the popular River Boats of the Exile River, or dungeon, sandstorm/snowstorm, or other map adjustments will certainly not work on the new map.

  1. You mentioned that its not currently possible to port to one map to another (another server). Is there plans to adding that feature in the future?

Thank you for your time in responding to my questions.

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  1. Will the new database setup, have separate mod lists for each map? That way, when we do switch maps on a dedicated server, each map database will its own separate set of mods?

No there will not be separate mod lists for each map. However most mods should work regardless of which map you are playing on. Mods with map specific changes will simply not make those changes on maps that they do not apply to. So the drawback here would be requiring players to download mods that don’t actually do anything on the current map you are playing.

  1. You mentioned that its not currently possible to port to one map to another (another server). Is there plans to adding that feature in the future?

I can’t comment on future plans or releases as I’m not in charge of that sort of thing, sorry! :smile:

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Thank you.

One additional question. On the player’s computer, we can modify the modlist text file where we can load the proper order of mods of the server (or single play) without logging into the game and rearranging the mods manually. Is there a way to do so on the dedicated server so an Admin wishing to switch maps for a time frame will not to uninstall and reinstall mods every time they swap maps?

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I’m running a rented server on G-Portal.
Do I have to choose which map is active on my server for the players or are both maps active and the players are able to choose on the login screen which map they will use/play?

Yes, the map you select to run on your server is the map your players can play. You can’t run both at the same time.

Hello,

After talking for several days with modders after the stream.There is very good news.

Before i start i want make something very clear. Whether maps should be connected or not is a matter of personal opinion. No need to fight over the connection beeing good or bad.

It is possible to connect both maps while beeing run on seperate servers simultaneously.

Resources ,recipes ,levels and armor can be transferred between the 2 maps.Even the color of your characters hair will be possible.(Everything in short)

There are a few things that aren’t possible for now:
(Who knows what they can come up with in the future?)

-Dragging a thrall
-Riding a horse / A thrall following you.(pick up mods can deal with that)
-When a player who looted a DLC item from a enemy player jumps in between 2 maps.
If the player who doesn’t have the DLC for that item, arrives in the new map. This item will
not be returned to the players inventory.(There are ways to compensate for this but it requires work to
keep this “portal” up to date.)

It makes total sense why they wouldn’t make this feature standard.Now everyone has the freedom of choice to either:

-Run both maps seperate.
-Run both maps connected.
-Admins from different servers can now team up to run 2 different maps while beeing connected.
-Admins can run and connect 2 of the same maps to wage war between 2 servers.
-Story lines currently running in the old map can be expanded to the new map or visa versa.

People/Admins who have worked for years on their base/server do not have to lose all that work.

People/Admins who currently don’t have the financial means to buy the new map or rent a second server can stay on their current server and continue playing the game.
Without beeing demoralized or fearful that their admin/players will wipe/leave the server for a run in the new map.(That’s off course only if you can convince your admin to rent a 2nd server or wait until he has the money to rent a 2nd server to run the map seperate or connect it to the old one.)

Yes,some friendships will break and some servers will lose a big % of their players due to admins personal choices/limitations but the players/admins who really care will bring up the patience, wait and not lose 1000’s of hours of work in the old map.

The only reason i made this post, is to give more communities and friendships that currently exist in Conan exiles a better chance and hope to survive this new map launch.

Plz, be patient and talk to your admin or players about this.

Thank You.

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*I want to know if it’s possible to buy this new map early in the UK because so far all the info I have seen is regarding buying it in the US. *
I am not worried about restarting or any other things that are worrying others, I just want to be able to play it on the 15th the day it’s launched.

Sorry I have just taken another look after a long sleep and realised that this is totally the wrong place to ask that question.

Have you guys increased server population caps for Isle of Siptah and/or Exiled Lands?

you should join the conan exiles modding discord. we does not have special support or personal funcom favors but a whole discord server of experienced modders and the joy of sharing.

edit: discord link removed

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currently only the us price is known, but it is available in all countries

yes, you can strike out a helping hand, but then you must not complain if the mod falls on your feet :man_shrugging:t2:

sounds… not really true but it’s ok… good luck

pride comes before the fall

Thank you for your help Testerle especially as I was being a bit dim in posting it in the wrong place.

to believe that you really know everything and does not need help is not really knowledge. sorry, and some of your listed “problems” clearly shows that you does not know everything, but it’s fine for me. have fun, or not, I don’t care. have a nice day

EASY QUESTION:

I have a SWORD that i already crafted on Exiles land.
Could i bring it to Isle of Siptah? (Travel / Transfer)