How to Change the Difficulty on Your SCUM Server

SCUM gives you a lot of control over how challenging the game feels for everyone on your server. Whether you want a hardcore survival experience or a more relaxed run with your friends, you can adjust the difficulty settings directly from the RiverHosting panel without editing any files by hand.

Before you start

• Make sure you have an active SCUM server with RiverHosting.
• Log in to the RiverHosting panel at panel.riverhosting.com.
• It is a good idea to let your players know before you change difficulty settings, as some changes take effect on the next server restart.
• Stop your server before saving major config changes to avoid any conflicts.

1. Open the Server Config page

The easiest way to change difficulty settings on your SCUM server is through the built-in Server Config page in the panel.

1. Log in to the RiverHosting panel.
2. Click on your SCUM server from the server list.
3. In the left-hand menu, click Server Config.
4. The Server Config page will load with all of the main settings for your server.

2. Adjust the difficulty settings

Once you are on the Server Config page, look for the sections that control gameplay difficulty. SCUM has a number of settings that together shape how difficult the experience is for players. Common ones include zombie strength, zombie count, loot availability, and player hunger or thirst drain rates.

1. Scroll through the Server Config page to find the settings you want to change.
2. Look for settings related to:
   • Zombie difficulty or damage multipliers
   • Loot abundance or respawn rates
   • Player metabolism rates such as hunger and thirst drain
   • Puppet (zombie) density or spawn frequency
3. Adjust each setting to your preferred value using the input fields or dropdowns provided.
4. When you are happy with your changes, click Save at the bottom of the page.

3. Restart your server to apply the changes

After saving your settings, you need to restart the server so the new difficulty values take effect.

1. In the left-hand menu, click Console to go back to your server's main page.
2. Click the Restart button at the top of the page.
3. Wait for the server to come back online. This usually takes a minute or two.
4. Once the server is running, log in to SCUM and verify that the difficulty feels as expected.

Troubleshooting

• Settings do not seem to have changed in-game. Make sure you clicked Save on the Server Config page before restarting. If you navigated away without saving, your changes will not have been applied.
• The server is not starting after the change. A setting with an invalid value can sometimes prevent the server from starting. Go back to the Server Config page, double-check any values you changed, and make sure they are within the expected range. Reset any unusual values to their defaults.
• Zombie behavior still feels the same. Some difficulty changes affect newly spawned zombies only. Try moving to a fresh area of the map or waiting for zombies to respawn before judging whether the change worked.
• I cannot find the setting I am looking for. A small number of advanced settings may not appear in the Server Config visual editor. If that is the case, you can open the relevant config file directly through the File Manager in the left-hand menu. Search for the file and edit the value there, then save and restart.

Need help?

If you run into any issues adjusting your SCUM server difficulty or anything else is not working as expected, the RiverHosting support team is happy to help.