CryoFall Server Hosting

Why CryoFall Suits a Server of Your Own

CryoFall is a sci-fi colony survival game set on a forgotten planet. Players start with primitive tools and work through the technology ages, industrial, modern and futuristic, up to sci-fi. Along the way they farm with crop simulation, build power grids, refine oil, extract lithium, drive vehicles and fit bionic implants. Steam calls it a game of meaningful player interaction rather than mindless combat, and much of that comes from its economy: players can issue currency and trade through vending machines they set up to buy or sell even while they are offline.

All of that depends on the people on the server. On AtomicTorch's official servers the world is wiped on a schedule, every 12 weeks for PvE and every 2 weeks for PvP according to its 2026 notes, and you share it with whoever turns up. On your own server, you decide how long a world lasts, how fast players progress and whether bases can be raided. For a group of friends or a community with its own culture, that control is the point.

How AtomicTorch's Server Is Set Up

The CryoFall Dedicated Server runs on .NET and, by AtomicTorch's guide, can run on Windows, Linux and Mac. Since October 2021 it has been on Steam as a separate download, which makes updates simple. On first start it creates the world and its settings files in a folder called Data. We install and update it for you; these are the files you will work with:

Edit them in the Configuration Files section of the panel, with the server stopped. Each setting in SettingsServer.xml has an XML comment explaining it. The description and welcome message are better edited in game, from the Current Game menu, once you are an operator. Most rates in ServerRates.config start commented out with a # sign; remove it from any line you want to apply.

PvE or PvP: Choosing the Rules

Steam describes two ways to play: a relaxed PvE experience with no competition, or brutal and unforgiving PvP. A new server is PvE. To make it PvP, stop the server, open ServerRates.config, find the PvP line, remove the # in front and set it to 1, then start the server again. Our knowledge base walks through it.

PvP servers have two kinds of raid protection. Since alpha 27, the S.H.I.E.L.D. protection system is on by default, and AtomicTorch recommends it over the older approach. You can still set fixed raiding hours with the admin command /admin.setRaidingWindow, followed by your time zone offset, the hour raids start and how many hours they last. Players can check the window in the Politics menu, which shows it in their own local time.

Whichever you choose, decide before the first base goes up. Switching a world from PvE to PvP halfway through changes the deal players thought they had.

Admin Commands and Moderation

Admin powers come from SettingsServer.xml. Add your in-game nickname to server_operators_list, restart, connect, and press the ~ key to open the console. Server commands start with a /, and Tab completes them. The moderation tools cover the usual needs:

• Whitelist: /mod.whiteList.add and /mod.whiteList.remove, switched on with /mod.whiteList.enabled 1, for a private world.
• Blacklist: /mod.blackList.add bans a player from the server.
• Kick: /mod.kickList.add with a name and minutes removes a player for a set time.
• Mute: /mod.muteList.add with a name and minutes stops a player using chat for a while.

Operators can also open the server rates from the in-game menu with an Edit button, which is handy for small changes without stopping the server and editing the file.

Mods and Custom Maps

CryoFall was built to be changed. Steam lists extensive modding, including real-time code editing and open source game code, and a feature-rich map editor. A modded server loads its mods from ModsConfig.xml: upload the mod files with the File Manager or SFTP, list them, and restart. Players joining a modded server need the same mods, so tell them what to install.

AtomicTorch's own servers have shown what a different map can do: its PvP notes of 2022 describe moving official PvP to a smaller community-made map for more fighting and less travelling. On your own server, a custom map is a way to give a community its own identity. Take a backup before every change of mods or map.

Updates, Saves and Wipes

When AtomicTorch releases a new server version, update from the panel. Its guide asks for two precautions: back up the Data folder first, and know that saves do not always carry across major versions, because the format can change. Many patches are client only; AtomicTorch's notes say so when no server update is needed.

Wipes are your call. The server can start a new world on demand, and some communities like a fresh start each season while others keep one world for years. Whatever you decide, tell players in advance, and keep a backup of the old world in case anyone wants to look back at what they built.

Choosing a Size and Location

Slots are sold one at a time from 10 to 300, so pay for the players who are online at once. AtomicTorch's figures put about 30 players at 1.5GB of RAM and about 300 at 2.5GB, and say the server cannot use more than two CPU cores, so clock speed matters more than core count. Every plan here includes 5GB of RAM and a 5.0GHz CPU, with faster CPUs as add-ons. Then run the ping test on this page and choose the location closest to most of your players; all 9 cost the same.

What to Check Before You Rent a CryoFall Server

The things that decide whether a CryoFall host suits you.

1. Access to the config filesYou need to edit SettingsServer.xml and ServerRates.config yourself.
2. Mod uploadsSFTP or a file manager, so you can add mods and a custom map.
3. Fair slot pricingPay for players online at once, and change size as you grow.
4. BackupsEasy world backups before updates, mod changes and wipes.

CryoFall Server Glossary

SettingsServer.xml

The main server settings file: name, public listing and operators.

ServerRates.config

The file holding PvP and the gameplay rates; lines apply once the # is removed.

Server operator

A player listed in server_operators_list, with access to admin commands.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

CryoFall's base protection for PvP servers, on by default since alpha 27.

Raiding window

Optional fixed hours when raids are allowed on a PvP server.

LP

The progression points players earn; ServerRates.config can change how fast they are gained.

Renkei Engine

AtomicTorch's in-house engine, built for hundreds of players on one server.

CryoFall Help and Next Steps

Guides and official pages.

• Enable PvP and PvP protection on my CryoFall serverOur step-by-step guide.
• How to moderate on my CryoFall serverOperators and moderation commands.
• CryoFall server setup, AtomicTorch wikiThe developer's own guide.
• CryoFall news on SteamUpdates and official wipe dates.