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Maps and mods

Add-ons are maps, mods, plugins and frameworks installed on a server in one click. You build the catalog under Maps and mods; customers install from it on their server's Maps and mods tab. The panel pulls in dependencies, registers the add-on in the game's configs and removes it cleanly on uninstall.

What you need first

  1. An engine for the game. Open the game under Games and, in the Maps and mods block, pick the engine (GoldSrc, Source, Source 2, Minecraft Java, Rust/Oxide, BepInEx and others) and the game directory. The starter games come with this set up. Details are in Game catalog. The engines themselves (which content types exist and where files go) are edited under Content engines, see Content engines; usually there's no need to touch them.
  2. S3 storage. Add-on files are kept in the default storage (Modules → Backups and S3 storages). Without it, uploading to the catalog isn't available. To keep add-ons apart from backups, mark the storage you want with Store addons here. More in S3 storages.

The catalog

On the Maps and mods page pick a game. The list shows the add-ons, their type, latest version and dependencies. There are several ways to add one.

Your own add-on

New addon:

  • Slug — an ID unique within the game, e.g. de_dust2 or amxmodx. Dependencies refer to it.
  • Name, Tags (comma-separated: aim, classic), Description.
  • Requires — slugs of other add-ons. They're installed automatically.
  • Incompatible with — slugs of add-ons that can't be installed alongside this one.
  • Custom config edits — extra actions after installation when the type's rules aren't enough. Rarely needed.

Then upload a version file (Upload version). The format depends on the type: a single file (e.g. .jar or .smx), a zip or tar.gz archive with one folder, or an archive with paths relative to the game directory (maps/de_x.bsp). Up to 1 GiB. For Minecraft you can set Game versions (1.21.1, >=1.20.1 <1.21) and Loaders (fabric, paper); left empty, they're read from the .jar.

From external catalogs

The buttons above the list depend on the game's engine:

  • Find on Modrinth — Minecraft mods and plugins;
  • Find on Thunderstore — BepInEx mods (Valheim, V Rising and others) with their dependencies;
  • Find on uMod — Oxide plugins for Rust with their dependencies;
  • Find on Factorio Mod Portal — needs a factorio.com account; the login and token are entered right there, and the token is stored encrypted;
  • Find on GameBanana — maps and mods. The author, license and link are kept in the add-on's description. Make sure the license allows putting the file on your customers' servers.

The file is downloaded, checked and saved to the panel's storage. If the add-on is already in the catalog, searching for it again offers to update it to the new version.

Steam Workshop

Add from Workshop — links or IDs, one per line. A collection link adds all of its items. No files are stored: the panel writes the IDs to the config, and the items are downloaded by the game server itself (Project Zomboid, CS2, GMod and others) or by an installer on the node (Arma 3, DayZ — see below).

Bulk import

Bulk import — a zip or tar.gz archive of up to 4 GiB with maps, wad files, sounds and sprites laid out as in the game directory (a whole cstrike folder works). Each map becomes its own add-on with the resources it needs; maps already in the catalog are skipped. For GoldSrc maps the panel generates a .res so players download the resources from the server.

Sets

Sets → New set — several add-ons a customer installs with one button, e.g. "Classic CS 1.6: AMX Mod X and 20 popular maps". No need to add dependencies. A set can also be picked when creating a server, in the Starter set field. Deleting a set doesn't touch what's already installed on servers.

The server tab

The Maps and mods tab on a server's page is available to the owner and to whoever they gave the Maps and mods permission:

  • Catalog — search by name, slug or tag. Install adds the add-on with all its dependencies. If it doesn't fit the server (another game version, loader or a conflict), the panel warns; it can still be installed, but the server may fail to start.
  • Installed — what's on the server, the version and status. Large packages install in the background, with progress in the same list. Restart needed means the add-on is picked up after the server restarts.
  • Update and Update all — to the catalog's latest version. Pin keeps "Update all" away from an add-on. Files you edited after installation (configs, for example) stay in place on update and removal.
  • Verify against the server — compare what's installed with what's actually on disk, e.g. after edits over SFTP.
  • Sets — install a whole set.
  • Upload your own — your own map or mod. The file becomes the owner's private add-on marked mine: only the owner and admins see it, and it can go on any of the owner's servers. Own uploads are limited (1024 MB per owner and 200 MB per file by default; the plan can change this). Steam Workshop items can be added by link there too if the plan allows that source.

Limits — how many add-ons can be installed, which external sources are allowed, whether own uploads are on — are set in the server's plan, see Plans.

Installers

Some mods can't be uploaded to the catalog in advance: an Arma mod weighs gigabytes and Steam only hands it out to an account that owns the game. For such mods the node runs a one-off installer container that downloads the files straight onto the server. Installers are listed under Installers.

The built-in steamcmd-workshop installer downloads Steam Workshop items with steamcmd. For Arma 3 and DayZ mods it needs a Steam account that owns the game:

  1. Create a separate Steam account (not your personal one — its password will be stored in the panel) and buy Arma 3 and/or DayZ on it. One account is enough for the whole panel: every node and server downloads mods through it.
  2. Turn off Steam Guard on it.
  3. Installers → steamcmd-workshop → Edit → add the variables STEAM_USER and STEAM_PASSWORD. The password is stored encrypted and never shown again.

The Arma 3 or DayZ server itself downloads without an account; it's needed only for mods. A step-by-step guide to setting the game up is on the Installers page.

Installer limits: one add-on is up to 4 GB and no more than the server's free disk quota; run time up to 60 minutes (can be raised to 180); memory 1 GB (2 GB for steamcmd-workshop). Add your own installer with New installer. The container has internet access, so use only images you trust.

When an add-on won't install

The error is shown in the installed list on the Maps and mods tab and on the server's Tasks tab. Common causes:

  • the game has no engine selected — the server tab says "Maps and mods for this game are not configured";
  • the add-on doesn't fit the server's game version or loader;
  • the server's disk quota or the plan's limit is used up.

If files ended up in the wrong folders, the game image has its own layout — fix the Game directory in the game's settings.