Running a Server

This guide is for anyone who wants a Nytheria server that stays online, whether it runs on your own machine or on a hosting plan. It belongs to the Multiplayer hub. It covers what the server needs, the ports, the first start, the ranks that only exist on servers, and the release lock on the quest book. If you only want to play with a friend for an evening, open your world with e4mc instead.

Before you start#

What you need:

• The same mod versions as every client. A mismatch is the most common reason a player cannot join.
• QuestBridge and Sporran on both sides. Since QuestBridge 2.0.0, the mod must be on the server and on every client. It also needs GeckoLib 4.9.3 or newer.
• Minecraft 1.21.1 with Fabric Loader 0.19.5 and Java 21.
• Two open ports: 25565 (TCP) for the game and 24454 (UDP) for voice chat.
• Memory. The server template sets 10 GB in variables.txt. It uses 8 GB for machines with 10 to 11 GB and 12 GB for machines with 16 GB or more. The machine needs about 25 % more than the amount you give the server.

Step 1: get the server files#

Check the download page for the server pack and for its build date, then compare it with the client pack you play. The server pack builder produces a zip with the mods, the configs and a branded template: start.bat, start.sh, variables.txt, server.properties and a README. The launcher jars in the last build are fabric-server-launch.jar and fabric-server-1.21.1-0.19.5.jar. Hosting panels must start one of these two files. The second name is the one that the BisectHosting panel starts.

A server pack contains only what a server needs. The builder leaves out mods that declare themselves client-only (56 in the last build) and 34 further mods that were removed by hand. A server therefore has fewer jars than a client.

Step 2: check the settings#

The template's server.properties ships these values:

variables.txt also sets Java 21 and auto-restart on. These values are the builder's template, not part of the client pack. Change them to suit your group.

Step 3: first start#

Start the server with start.bat or start.sh. The first start is slower than the later ones. Sporran remaps the four NeoForge jars once, which adds about 30 to 40 seconds, and the pack has several hundred mods. Wait for the console to say that the server is ready.

Nytheria includes Fabric Chunk Pregenerator. The server template's README mentions /pregen start 200 for generating land ahead of time, which needs operator level 2. This is an older note, so check the command in the console with /pregen help first.

Step 4: make yourself owner#

Ranks exist only on dedicated servers. The pack has ten Nytheria ranks, and the first owner is created in the server console, not in the game:

1. Type ftbranks add <your name> owner into the server console.
2. Type save-all. The /ftbranks add and remove commands stay in memory until the next save.

FTB Ranks (Fabric) reads the highest-power rank. Ranks do not inherit from each other, so every staff rank lists everything it needs. A rank without a condition applies only after /ftbranks add <player> <rank>. The rank member is automatic for every player.

The ranks#

None of the player ranks changes homes, claims, teleports or cooldowns. In chat a message reads [Admin] Steve: hello; the format comes from a data pack in the server files named nytheria_chat_format.

Step 5: understand the release lock#

The client pack and the server both carry a rank called nytheria_release_lock. It has a power of 100,000 and is always active, and it turns seven FTB Quests commands off for everyone, operators included: editing_mode, locked, generate_chapter, delete_empty_reward_tables, import_reward_table_from_chest, cleanup_stale_translations and reload. The in-book edit button is not covered, and needs operator level 2.

That is why you cannot edit the quest book on a Nytheria server through commands.

Step 6: voice chat and claims on a server#

Open UDP port 24454 for voice chat. The server config for Simple Voice Chat sets a range of 48 blocks, a whisper range of 24 blocks, groups on and recording allowed. force_voice_chat is off, so players without the mod are not kicked.

Open Parties and Claims reads its admin rights through FTB Ranks. Only owner, admin and moderator get claim nodes: owner and admin hold the admin nodes, and moderators have claim moderator mode. Staff with these nodes can use /oclaims admin-mode, moderator-mode, impersonate and teleport, and /oparties admin-mode and impersonate. See Claims & Parties.

Commands for server owners#

Staff ranks hand out many of these through rank nodes. Full lists are on Commands.

Hosting on a panel#

Rented servers usually run from a control panel. The panel must start fabric-server-launch.jar or fabric-server-1.21.1-0.19.5.jar; the second name is the one the BisectHosting panel starts. BisectHosting is the pack's hosting partner. The title screen has a "Need a server? Click here!" button that opens the BisectHosting order screen, and you can also reach them at BisectHosting. Open the two ports in the panel's network settings, and make sure the panel's file list shows the same mod versions as your clients.

What the server files add#

The pack folder server_only holds exactly four files that the game itself never reads. The server pack builder copies them in:

• A rank file with the ten Nytheria ranks and the release lock. It replaces the client's rank file, which carries only the release lock.
• An empty default rank file for new worlds, empty on purpose.
• Two files of a data pack called nytheria_chat_format, which makes chat read [Rank] Name: message.

Because of this, singleplayer worlds and worlds opened with e4mc never show ranks. A player joining your server sees them straight away.

Teleports and limits players get#

These values come from FTB Essentials and apply in singleplayer as well as on a server. Every command has a 3-second warm-up. Ranks do not change them.

The ender chest command is off. Commands such as /heal, /fly, /god, /hat and /open need operator level 2. Neither the player ranks nor the shipped staff ranks change the cooldowns.

Keeping the server up to date#

When the client pack updates, the server has to follow, because a mismatch stops players from joining. Compare the mod list of the server with the client's before you announce an update. The same applies to the server pack you download: it carries the mod versions of the day it was built. Back up the world folder before every update.

Common problems#

• Players cannot join. Compare the mod versions. The server and every client must match, and QuestBridge and Sporran must be on both sides.
• Nobody hears anyone. Open UDP 24454 and check that the voice mod is on the client.
• Vanilla chat format. Ranks and their chat format exist only on a server built from the server pack. Singleplayer and LAN worlds use vanilla chat.
• Slow first start. The first start remaps the NeoForge jars and can take a minute longer.
• No server pack. Check the download page.

More help is on Troubleshooting. The Nytheria Discord is at Discord.

See also#

• Multiplayer - the hub for parties, loot and voice chat
• Claims & Parties - limits and admin rights
• Installation - the client side, memory and Java
• Commands - player and operator commands
• Troubleshooting - startup and connection problems
• Performance & Shaders - TickMender and its memory hint