Short version: If a mod adds new devices or items, the server and all players need it, in the same version. The exceptions are pure helpers that only run on your side, and mods that only change the game logic on the server.
Overview of all mods
| Mod | Server / host | Other players | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Engineering (Stromtechnik) | yes | yes | new devices |
| Steam Power (Dampfkraft) | yes | yes | new devices |
| Electric Smelter | yes | yes | new device |
| World Map | for shared markers | whoever wants to see the map | players without the mod can join |
| BMA Fire Alarm System | yes | yes | new devices |
| IC10 Editor Tablet | no | only whoever uses it | purely client-side |
| Electric Furnace T1 & T2 | yes | yes | new devices |
| Barren Stacks (Ingot Stacks) | yes | yes | the server sets the stack size |
| Ice Generator | yes | yes | new device |
| Gas Freezer | yes | yes | new device |
| Deep Miner Ice | yes | no | runs only on the host or server |
| Furnace Mod | yes | not needed | XML mod, the recipe list comes from the server |
| Air Conditioning | yes | yes | new devices |
| Fluix Line | yes | yes | new parts |
| RTG | yes | yes | new devices |
| Pipe Cooler | yes | yes | new devices |
| Extreme Cable | yes | yes | new parts |
| Power Cable+ | yes | yes | new parts |
| Nuclear Power Plant | yes | yes | new devices |
| Power Regulator | yes | yes | new device |
| Deep Well | yes | yes | new device |
| Substation | yes | yes | new devices |
| Control Station | yes | yes | new devices, dedicated server from 1.0.2 |
| Modular Consoles | yes | yes | new devices, dedicated server from 1.0.2 |
| Signs & Decals | yes | yes | new devices, the server shares own images |
| Square & Cylinder Tanks | yes | yes | new parts, the server calculates the display |
| Creative Mode+ | yes | not needed | only active in creative worlds, the server calculates |
| Exploration | yes | yes | new sites, the server creates and fills them |
| Drag Build | recommended, then it checks every drag | whoever wants to drag | players without the mod can join |
| Multi-Tool | yes | yes | new items |
| Filter Recycling | yes | yes | new devices |
| Lights & Lamps | yes | yes | new devices and items, night vision only works for the wearer |
| Cargo Lift | yes | yes | new parts, the server calculates travel and safety |
| Utility Bus | yes | yes | new parts, the server calculates the strands |
| Banking System | yes | yes | new devices, the server books and checks the PIN |
| Roleplay & Permissions | yes | yes | the server decides every permission, money via the Banking System |
Why new devices are needed everywhere
A device from a mod only exists in the game if the mod is loaded. If a player doesn't have it, their game simply doesn't know those parts. So that this doesn't blow up only when the first generator comes into view, LaunchPadBooster checks on connecting whether server and player have the same mods in exactly the same version. If they don't match, the server rejects the player.
In practice this means:
- Everyone updates at the same time. When an update comes out, have everyone restart Steam before the next session together.
- Everyone has the mod in the active mod pack.
- The version is shown in LaunchPad's mod list.
The special cases
World Map: The game provides the player positions anyway, so the server doesn't need the mod for that. Shared markers, however, are managed and saved by the server. Without the mod on the host there are only private markers. Players without the mod can still join, they just don't see a map. Versions 1.x are compatible with each other.
IC10 Editor Tablet: Runs only on your side. The server and the other players don't need it. In LaunchPad you can mark it as a client-side mod, then it comes along on other people's servers too. Writing to a chip uses the same path as the game's own editor and therefore also works in multiplayer.
Deep Miner Ice: Only changes what the Deep Miner spits out, and that is decided by the server. The other players don't need the mod.
Barren Stacks: The server and all players need the mod. The stack size is set by the server: everyone gets its value when joining, changes during a running game go out to everyone immediately.
Furnace Mod: Pure XML mod. In multiplayer the server sends its recipe list to the clients, so the server's recipes are what counts. If you want to be on the safe side, install it everywhere anyway.
Creative Mode+: Only the server needs the mod. It calculates building, deconstruction and the suit and decides with its settings. Players who have the mod also skip the placement wait of large structures. In worlds without creative mode the mod changes nothing.
Drag Build: Players without the mod may join, only whoever wants to drag needs it. If the server has Drag Build, a drag goes to it as one message and it checks everything itself: kit in hand, material per part, reach, count and the game's build rules. Without the mod on the server, Drag Build sends every part as the game's normal build message, so nothing that wouldn't work click by click. Server owners switch dragging off with MitspielerErlaubt and limit it with MaxTeile and MaxAbstandMeter.
Banking System: The server and all players need the mod. Players only send requests, the server checks PIN, rights and the distance to the device and then books. The accounts are stored as Bankensystem.json in the server's save, interest, fees and loans are set in the server's settings.
Roleplay & Permissions: The server and all players need the mod, the server decides every permission. The host is always admin. On a dedicated server you add the admins to AdminSteamIds or set an AdminPassword in the server's setting.xml, then they log in with rp login. In single player protection is off, for testing there is rp testmode on.
Host or dedicated server
- Host: One player starts the game and invites the others. Their computer is the server. It needs BepInEx, LaunchPad and every mod from the table with yes in the Server column.
- Dedicated server: BepInEx and LaunchPad have to be installed there as well, otherwise no code mod loads. There are no packs on the dedicated server. Instead, LaunchPad creates a server package with the mods and a
modconfig.xmlthat is extracted next torocketstation_DedicatedServer.exe(slp modpkgin the console or in the LaunchPad window). All mods are tested on a dedicated server. Mods with windows need at least Control Station 1.0.2, Modular Consoles 1.0.2, Signs & Decals 1.0.1, World Map 1.0.1 and IC10 Editor Tablet 1.3.2. Banking System, Roleplay & Permissions, Cargo Lift, Utility Bus and Lights & Lamps run there from 1.0.0, the FAS overview monitor from 0.7.0. The windows only exist for the players, the server calculates and saves.
Settings in multiplayer
The device logic is calculated by the server, so for power output, consumption, limits and the like it is the server's settings in BepInEx\config\<ModID>.cfg that count. Anything that only affects the display, everyone sets up for themselves: keys and minimap of the World Map, language and font size of the tablet.
Console commands in multiplayer
The test commands of Power Engineering, Steam Power, Electric Smelter and BMA (console F3) change the world and therefore only run on the host or server, or in single player. On a client you get a message saying that this only works there. The status commands work everywhere.
Checklist before the first evening together
- Everyone has BepInEx 5.4.23.5 and LaunchPad 1.0 installed.
- Everyone has subscribed to the same mods and has them in the active pack.
- Everyone has restarted Steam once so the mods are up to date.
- The host has a fresh backup of the save.
- Watch for messages from LaunchPad on the first connection. Rejected? Then a version doesn't match.