Colony Survival is a first-person voxel RTS where you build a thriving colony and defend it against nightly monster attacks. This guide covers everything you need to set up and configure your dedicated Colony Survival server on Legion Hosting, from initial installation to player connections and world management.

First Start in GPanel

When you first receive your Colony Survival server, the game files will be installed automatically. Follow these steps to get started:

1. Log in to GPanel and select your Colony Survival server.
2. Navigate to the Console tab. The server will begin its initial installation via SteamCMD, downloading all required game files.
3. Wait for the download and installation to complete. You will see progress messages in the console as files are validated. This may take several minutes.
4. Once installation finishes, the server will start automatically. Look for a message indicating the server is listening for connections.
5. If the server does not start on its own, click the Start button in GPanel.

Startup Variables

GPanel provides startup variables that configure how the server launches. Navigate to the Startup tab in GPanel to view and modify these:

Startup variables set the basic launch parameters. For detailed configuration, you will use the server configuration file described in the next section.

Server Configuration

The main configuration file for Colony Survival is serverconfiguration.json, located in the server's root game directory. You can edit it using the File Manager in GPanel or via SFTP.

Key Settings

Example serverconfiguration.json

{
    "ServerName": "My Colony Survival Server",
    "MaxPlayers": 10,
    "NetworkType": "SteamNetwork",
    "Port": 27016,
    "AutoSaveInterval": 15,
    "Password": ""
}

World Settings

Colony Survival generates its world procedurally. World-related settings control the gameplay experience:

• World Size: Colony Survival worlds are large and expand as players explore. The server generates terrain on demand, which means early exploration may cause brief performance dips.
• Difficulty: The difficulty of monster waves scales with colony size. Larger colonies with more colonists will face tougher nightly attacks.
• Day/Night Cycle: The game has a day/night cycle where monsters spawn at night. Players must build defenses and arm guards to protect their colony.

Server Name and Password

To set a password for your server (making it private), add or modify the Password field in serverconfiguration.json:

{
    "ServerName": "Private Colony Server",
    "Password": "mySecretPassword123"
}

Leave the Password field as an empty string ("") for a public server with no password requirement.

How to Connect

Via Server Browser

1. Launch Colony Survival from Steam.
2. From the main menu, select Multiplayer.
3. Click Join Server to open the server browser.
4. Search for your server by name using the search/filter bar.
5. Select your server from the list and click Connect.
6. If the server is password-protected, enter the password when prompted.

Via Direct IP

1. Launch Colony Survival from Steam.
2. From the main menu, select Multiplayer.
3. Click Direct Connect or Connect by IP.
4. Enter your server's IP address and port in the format IP:PORT (e.g., 192.168.1.100:27016).
5. Click Connect. Enter the password if prompted.

Save Management and Backups

Colony Survival stores world data in a save directory within the server files. Proper backup management protects your colony's progress.

Save Location

Server saves are typically located in:

gamedata/savegames/

Each world has its own folder within the saves directory containing all colony data, terrain, and player information.

AutoSave

The server automatically saves at the interval defined by AutoSaveInterval in serverconfiguration.json. The default is every 15 minutes. You can adjust this:

• Frequent saves (5-10 min): Better data protection but may cause brief lag on large worlds.
• Standard saves (15 min): Good balance between safety and performance.
• Infrequent saves (30+ min): Smoother gameplay but more progress at risk if a crash occurs.

Creating Manual Backups

1. Stop your server from GPanel to prevent file corruption.
2. Navigate to the gamedata/savegames/ directory using the File Manager or SFTP.
3. Download the entire save folder to your local machine.
4. Label the backup with the current date and a description (e.g., colony-backup-2026-02-26-before-mods).

Restoring a Backup

1. Stop your server from GPanel.
2. Upload your backup save folder to the gamedata/savegames/ directory, replacing the existing files.
3. Start your server. The world will load from the restored backup.

World Reset

To completely wipe your world and start a new colony from scratch:

1. Stop your server from GPanel.
2. Navigate to the gamedata/savegames/ directory.
3. Delete the world save folder (or rename it if you want to keep it as a backup).
4. Start the server. A fresh world will be generated automatically.

Related Articles

• Colony Survival Admin and Mod Setup
• How to Find Your Server IP and Port
• How to Upload Files via SFTP
• Getting Started with Your New Server