Get your crew into the depths of Europa. This guide covers all the steps for hosting your own Barotrauma games and joining existing multiplayer sessions.
Barotrauma offers robust options for both hosting and joining games, catering to various playstyles and group sizes. Whether you're looking to embark on a cooperative campaign with friends or dive into a public server, understanding the hosting mechanics is crucial for a smooth experience. Dedicated servers provide a stable environment for persistent campaigns, allowing players to join and leave without interrupting gameplay. This is particularly important for longer expeditions where crew members might have varying schedules. The game also supports in-game hosting, which is a simpler method for quick matches or private sessions with a few friends. For those interested in setting up a persistent world, managing campaign settings is key. These settings can influence everything from the difficulty of missions to the availability of resources, directly impacting the challenge and progression of your Europa journey. You can also configure karma systems, which can be used to track player behavior and enforce server rules, fostering a more positive community environment. Permissions management is another vital aspect of hosting, allowing administrators to ass roles and control access to various server functions, ensuring that only trusted individuals can make significant changes.
Joining games is a straightforward process, with players able to browse available servers through the in-game server browser. This browser displays information such as server name, player count, game mode, and ping, allowing you to make informed decisions about where to connect. For those who prefer a more controlled environment or wish to host their own games, dedicated servers offer a powerful solution. The process of setting up a dedicated server involves several steps, including downloading the server files and configuring them appropriately. A comprehensive list of config files is available, providing granular control over server behavior and gameplay parameters. Furthermore, enabling mods on a dedicated server can significantly enhance the gameplay experience, introducing new submarines, creatures, and game mechanics. This requires careful management of mod files and ensuring compatibility between the server and client installations. Console commands are also available for both in-game and dedicated servers, offering powerful tools for server administration, debugging, and even creative gameplay modifications. These commands can be used to spawn items, change game states, or manage players, providing a high degree of flexibility for server operators.
In-Game Hosting
In-game hosting provides a quick and accessible way to start a Barotrauma session without the need for dedicated server software. This method is ideal for spontaneous multiplayer sessions with friends or for testing out new submarine dess in a controlled environment. When hosting in-game, the host's computer acts as the server, meaning that the performance and stability of the game can be affected by the host's hardware and internet connection. You can configure basic campaign settings directly within the in-game lobby, such as selecting the mission type, difficulty, and the number of players. While convenient, in-game hosting is generally less stable and scalable than a dedicated server, especially for larger groups or longer campaigns. It's important to ensure that all players have a stable internet connection to minimize disconnections. The host also has direct control over player permissions and can manage the lobby, kicking or banning players as needed. For those looking to experiment with mods, in-game hosting can also be used, though managing mod synchronization between You can sometimes be more challenging than with a dedicated server setup.
Dedicated Servers
Dedicated servers offer a more robust and persistent solution for hosting Barotrauma games. These servers run independently of any player's client, ensuring greater stability and allowing for continuous gameplay without the host needing to be online. Setting up a dedicated server involves downloading the server application and configuring various settings through a set of XML files. This level of control allows server administrators to fine-tune every aspect of the game, from resource spawn rates to the types of creatures encountered in the depths of Europa. You can join dedicated servers through the in-game server browser, and these servers are often used for persistent campaigns where progress is saved between sessions. Enabling mods on a dedicated server is a common practice to expand the game's content and features. This requires careful installation and configuration of mod files to ensure compatibility. The official wiki provides extensive documentation on hosting dedicated servers, including a list of config files and guides on enabling mods, making it an invaluable resource for anyone looking to run their own persistent Barotrauma world. Console commands are also fully accessible on dedicated servers, providing powerful administrative tools for managing the game and its players.
100% Human-Written. AI Fact-Checked. Community Verified. Learn how AntMag verifies content