How do I use custom world settings?

Create a preset in the game, upload the worldCustomization_[Name] file to your server’s presets folder, set Game Mode to custom, and enter the file name under Custom Preset. The preset only applies to a new world.

ASKA: Server Configuration

Q: Which autosave options are available?

You can choose every 5 minutes, every 10 minutes (default), every 15 minutes, every 20 minutes, every morning, or disabled. ASKA doesn’t save when the server stops, so keep autosave enabled.

Learn how to configure your server name, password, region, autosave, and custom world settings with a preset for your ASKA game server → Find out more

10 November 20265 min read0 Views0 helpful

Introduction

With the right configuration, you can turn your ASKA game server into exactly the server you have in mind: with a custom name, password, region, world settings, and save interval that work for your group. In this guide, we’ll show you which settings are available, where to find them in ZapX, and how to create a customized world using a preset.

How configuration works

ASKA reads its settings from the server_properties.txt file in your server’s main directory. However, you don’t have to change the most important values manually: you can find them in ZapX under the Configuration tab, in Startup Parameters.

Every time your server starts, it writes the values from the startup parameters to the corresponding lines in server_properties.txt. All other lines, such as save id, remain unchanged and can be edited directly in the file. You can open the file in the Configuration tab by selecting Edit Directly, or in the Files tab.

Important

Always change values that are available as startup parameters in the Startup Parameters, not directly in server_properties.txt. Any changes made in the file will be overwritten with the values from the startup parameters the next time the server starts.

After saving, ZapX will offer to restart the server. Your changes will only take effect after the restart.

Startup parameters at a glance

Startup parameter	Meaning
Steam server token	Required. Your Steam Game Server Login Token (GSLT) for App ID 1898300. Find out more in our guide Create a server token (GSLT).
Server name	The name of your server in the in-game session list. Default: `ZapX ASKA Server`
Server password	Password required to join. Leave blank for an open server.
Region	The region where your server hosts its session. The default `default` selects the region with the best ping.
Game mode	`normal` for the default settings or `custom` for a world with your own preset
Custom preset	The full file name of your preset in the `presets` folder, including the file extension if it has one. Only used in `custom` mode.
World seed	Optional seed for world generation. Only applies when a new world is created.
Keep world running	`true` or `false` (default); see below
Autosave interval	How often the game saves automatically. Default: `every 10 minutes`

Info

ASKA supports a maximum of 4 players at a time, so there is no separate setting for the player count.

Region

The following values are available for Region: default, europe, usa east, usa west, usa south central, canada east, south america, asia, japan, south korea, hong kong, india, australia, turkey, united arab emirates, and south africa.

With default, your server automatically selects the region with the best ping. If your group plays in a specific region, you can also set it manually. This often helps if you can’t find your server in the session list.

Keep world running

If Keep world running is set to false, your server loads the world when the first player joins and unloads it when the last player leaves. Time in your world will stand still while nobody is playing.

With true, your world keeps running even when nobody is online. Your settlement will continue to develop, but events such as attacks on your settlement can also happen while none of you are there.

Autosave interval

Under Autosave interval, you can choose how often ASKA saves automatically: every 5 minutes, every 10 minutes, every 15 minutes, every 20 minutes, every morning, or disabled.

Warning

ASKA only saves automatically and when the last player leaves the server, not when the server is stopped. If you select disabled, your server will only save when everyone has left the world. It’s best to leave autosave enabled and wait for the next autosave before restarting, or have all players leave the server.

Custom world settings with a preset

In normal mode, you play with ASKA’s default settings. To customize things like enemies, seasons, or terrain, use custom mode. In current versions of ASKA, individual world settings are no longer stored in server_properties.txt. Instead, they’re saved in a preset that you create in the game itself.

Create a preset in the game

Start ASKA and begin creating a new world with custom settings (Custom Game).
Adjust the world settings to your liking.
Save the settings as a preset using the preset button, then give it a name. You don’t need to start the world.

The game saves the preset as a file in the WorldCustomizationPresets folder, alongside your local save files. On Windows, you can find it here:

Code

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Sand Sailor Studio\Aska\data\WorldCustomizationPresets

The filename starts with worldCustomization_ followed by your preset’s name, for example, worldCustomization_server.

Upload a preset to the server

In the Files tab, upload the preset file to your server’s presets folder.
In the Configuration tab, under Startup Parameters, set Game mode to custom.
Under Custom preset, enter the full file name exactly as it appears in the presets folder, for example, worldCustomization_server. If the file has an extension, include it. Enter only the file name, not the folder.
Save and restart your server.

Important

A preset only affects a new world. If your server loads an existing world, that world keeps the settings it was created with. Find out how to create a new world without losing your old one in our guide Manage savegames and upload a custom world.

Info

If your server can’t find the specified preset file in the presets folder, it starts in normal mode and displays a warning in the Console. If this happens, check the file name in the Files tab for typos or a missing file extension.

More settings in server_properties.txt

Some values are only available directly in server_properties.txt. The most important one is save id: it determines which world your server loads. If the line is empty, your server creates a new world and then adds its ID to the file.

On the other hand, every time your server starts, it overwrites these lines with the values from the startup parameters, so changing them manually won’t help: display name, server name, password, authentication token, region, keep server world alive, autosave style, mode, custom game preset path, and the steam game port and steam query port ports. The seed line is overwritten if you’ve entered a World seed.

Find out more about seeds in our guide Set a world seed.

Conclusion

Your ASKA server is now set up just the way you want it. If something isn’t working as expected, our guide Common issues can help. If you have any other questions, our support team is available every day! 🙂

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Go to Configuration > Startup Parameters to set the server name, password, region, game mode, custom preset, world seed, whether the world keeps running, and the autosave interval. Other values, such as save id, are set directly in server_properties.txt.

Whenever the server starts, it writes the startup parameter values to the corresponding lines in the file. Always change these values in Startup Parameters. Other lines, such as save id, are left unchanged.

With false, the server loads the world when the first player joins and unloads it when the last player leaves. With true, the world keeps running even when no players are online.

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ASKA: Server Configuration

Introduction

How configuration works

Startup parameters at a glance

Region

Keep world running

Autosave interval

Custom world settings with a preset

Create a preset in the game

Upload a preset to the server

More settings in server_properties.txt

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

ASKA

How configuration works

Custom world settings with a preset

Create a preset in the game

Upload a preset to the server

More settings in server_properties.txt

Conclusion

Game Server

Servers & Hosting

ZAPX

Resources

ZAP-Hosting