How to Adjust Auto-Save and Performance Settings on Your Sons Of The Forest Server

Your Sons Of The Forest server has a few settings that control how often the world is saved, how hard the server works, and whether time keeps moving when nobody is online. You can change all of them from the Server Config page in the RiverHosting panel, with no file editing needed.

Before you start

• You need to be logged in to the RiverHosting panel and have your Sons Of The Forest server open.
• The server must be stopped before you can save changes. The game only reads these settings when it starts, so the fields are locked while the server is running.
• Changes apply the next time the server starts.
• Players who are online will be disconnected when you stop the server, so pick a quiet moment.

1. How to stop the server and open Server Config

1. Open your server in the RiverHosting panel.
2. Click Console in the left-hand menu.
3. Click Stop and wait until the status badge at the top shows OFFLINE.
4. Click Server Config in the GAME section of the left-hand menu.

If you see a notice saying the server must be stopped, use the stop button in that notice or follow the steps above.

2. How to change the auto-save interval

1. On the Server Config page, find the Saving & Game Mode group.
2. Change Auto-Save Interval (seconds). The default is 600, which is every 10 minutes.
3. Click Save Config. You should see the message "Server config saved. Changes apply on next start."

A lower number saves more often, so less progress is lost if something goes wrong. A higher number saves less often. For most servers the default is a good balance.

3. How to change the performance settings

1. On the Server Config page, find the Performance group.
2. Adjust the fields you need:
   • Active Target Framerate: default 60.
   • Idle Target Framerate: default 5.
   • Idle Day-Cycle Speed: default 0. A value of 0 pauses day and night while the server is empty. A value of 1 keeps time moving at full speed.
3. Click Save Config.

4. How to apply your changes

1. Click Console in the left-hand menu.
2. Click Start.
3. Wait for the status badge to show ONLINE, then join the server to check that everything works as expected.

5. How to undo a change

You have two ways to go back if a change does not work out.

1. Before saving: click Revert on the Server Config page to discard the edits you have not saved yet.
2. After saving: scroll to the Config Snapshots card on the Server Config page. Every save first stores a copy of the previous file, and the last 10 are kept. With the server stopped, click Restore next to the snapshot you want. You can also Download a snapshot or Delete one you no longer need.
3. Start the server again so the restored settings take effect.

Troubleshooting

• The fields are greyed out or Save Config does not work: the server is still running. Stop it from the Console page, wait for OFFLINE, and try again. The panel shows "Stop the server before saving config changes" in this case.
• My changes did not seem to apply: the settings only take effect on the next start. Start the server and check again.
• The world time does not move when nobody is online: this is expected when Idle Day-Cycle Speed is 0. Set it to 1 if you want time to keep running while the server is empty.
• The server will not start after a change: the Server Config page will show default values if the config file is damaged. Saving from that page writes a valid file again, or you can use Restore on a snapshot in the Config Snapshots card.
• I want extra protection for my world: go to Backups and click Create Backup before you change settings. A full backup covers all of your save slots at once.

Need help?

If your settings will not save or your server will not start after a change, our team is happy to take a look. Visit the RiverHosting support page and let us know what you changed.