Vintage Story Server Playstyle Settings Guide

This guide explains how to adjust the playstyle settings on your Vintage Story server, letting you tailor the game’s difficulty, survival mechanics, and world interactions to your preferred experience. You’ll learn how to modify these settings in the server configuration files, what each option does, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

What You’ll Need

• Access to the server’s file system (either locally or via FTP/SSH).
• A text editor (like Notepad++ or VS Code) to edit the configuration files.
• Basic understanding of JSON syntax (though the guide will walk you through it).
• Permission to restart the server for changes to take effect.

Step-by-Step

1. Locate the server configuration files. The main settings are in a file named serverconfig.json, located in the server’s root directory (where the server executable is). If you’re using a hosting panel, there may be a file manager or a settings UI that edits this file for you.
2. Back up your current configuration. Before making any changes, copy serverconfig.json to a safe location. This allows you to revert if something goes wrong.
3. Open the configuration file. Use your text editor to open serverconfig.json. You’ll see a JSON object with many key-value pairs. The playstyle-related settings are mostly under the "WorldConfig" section, but some are at the top level.
4. Adjust the difficulty setting. Look for "GameMode" (or similar) at the top level. This controls the overall game mode: survival (default, with health, hunger, and death), creative (unlimited resources, no health/hunger), and adventure (like survival, but with locked world editing). Set it to your preference.
5. Modify world generation settings. Under "WorldConfig", you’ll find options like "WorldHeight", "WorldSize", and "Climate". These affect the world’s physical properties, but not the playstyle directly. For playstyle, focus on "PlayerSpawn", "TemporalStability", and "SurfaceGravity".
6. Set player-related options. Look for "PlayerHealth" (max HP), "PlayerHunger" (max hunger), and "PlayerSaturation" (how fast hunger depletes). Lower values make survival harder; higher values make it easier.
7. Configure death and respawn behavior. Find "DeathPenalty" (e.g., none, drop, scatter) and "RespawnMode" (e.g., bed, spawn, random). These change the consequences of dying and where you respawn.
8. Adjust creature and enemy settings. Under "WorldConfig", look for "MobSpawning" (enable/disable), "MobDifficulty" (e.g., easy, normal, hard), and "DrifterSpawnRate" (how often drifters appear). These directly affect combat challenge.
9. Set resource availability. Options like "OreDensity", "TreeDensity", and "CropGrowthRate" control how abundant resources are. Increasing these makes gathering easier, while decreasing them forces more exploration and management.
10. Enable or disable quality-of-life features. Look for "ToolModes" (e.g., hammer to crush ore, knife to cut grass), "CaveIns" (collapse risk), and "FireSpread" (fire propagation). Disabling these can make the game more relaxed.
11. Save the file. After making your changes, save serverconfig.json.
12. Restart the server. For the changes to take effect, you must restart the server. If you’re using a hosting panel, use the restart button. If you’re running it manually, stop the process and start it again.
13. Test the settings. Join the server and verify that the changes feel right. You may need to adjust values iteratively.

Common Mistakes

• Editing the wrong file. Some servers have multiple config files (e.g., serverconfig.json vs worldconfig.json). Make sure you’re editing the correct one for the setting you want to change.
• Syntax errors. JSON is strict—a missing comma or quote can break the entire file. Always validate your JSON before saving (e.g., using an online validator).
• Not backing up. If you don’t back up, you risk losing your entire server configuration if you make a mistake.
• Setting values too extreme. For example, setting PlayerHealth to 9999 might make the game trivial, but it could also cause unexpected behavior. Stick to reasonable values.
• Forgetting to restart. Changes won’t apply until the server restarts. If you don’t see changes, you likely forgot this step.

Tips

• Use the in-game commands for quick testing. Some settings (like time of day, weather) can be changed in-game with commands, but playstyle settings generally require a restart.
• Start with small changes. Change one or two settings at a time, test them, and then adjust further. This helps you understand what each setting does.
• Consider the community. If you run a public server, ask your players what they prefer. A hardcore survival server might not suit everyone.
• Keep a changelog. Document what you changed and why. This helps you remember your setup and revert if needed.

Troubleshooting

• Server won’t start after editing. This is almost always a JSON syntax error. Check for missing commas, unclosed braces, or stray characters. Use a JSON validator to find the error.
• Settings don’t take effect. Make sure you restarted the server. Also, verify that you edited the correct file—some settings are in serverconfig.json, while others might be in the world’s worldconfig.json (inside the world folder).
• Game crashes when a specific feature is used. If you disabled something like CaveIns and the game crashes when a block breaks, it might be a bug. Try re-enabling that setting and see if the issue persists.
• Players report weird behavior. If you set MobDifficulty to hard and players complain about impossible fights, it’s working as intended. Adjust it down.
• Can’t find a setting. The config file might not have every option listed by default. You can add the key manually—the server will read it. However, be sure you spell it correctly (case-sensitive).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change playstyle settings without restarting the server?

No, most playstyle settings require a server restart to apply. Some world settings might be reloaded with a world reload command, but it’s safer to restart.

What’s the difference between GameMode survival and adventure?

Survival allows full world editing (breaking/placing blocks). Adventure mode restricts block interaction, making it more about exploration and combat—useful for adventure maps.

How do I make the game easier for new players?

Increase PlayerHealth and PlayerHunger, set MobDifficulty to easy, and increase resource density (e.g., OreDensity). You can also disable DeathPenalty to avoid losing items.

Can I change settings per player?

No, playstyle settings are global to the server. However, you can use permissions mods to give certain players creative mode or other advantages.

What does TemporalStability do?

It affects the stability of the world’s temporal axis. Lower values cause temporal storms and rifts, which spawn dangerous creatures. Setting it to 0 disables these events.

Is it safe to edit the config while the server is running?

It’s not recommended. Editing the file while the server is running can cause the server to overwrite your changes or crash. Always stop the server before editing.

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