4. How do I verify my server? A step by step guide
- Firstly, that you have an SCP:SL server online and active. See here for a guide on how to create a server.
- Next, be sure that your server has been Port Forwarded, and can be connected to by players outside of your network.
- Before continuing, note that verifying your server is a commitment. The Verified Server list is designed for servers that will have close to 100% uptime. In theory, the Verified Server list is for server owners who have, or seek to grow, a community of players. For Server Owners looking to create a small-scale server for their friends, or a similar operation, the Verified Server list may not be relevant for you.
- Your server also needs to be able to handle all connected players. Which means that it shouldn’t undergo massive lag spikes when it gets close to the player cap. Ensure that your server meets the minimum requirements to host a server. You’ll want a machine with at least two physical cores, 4gb of memory, and 20gb of storage. For servers with a higher player count, or more plugins, you may need a more powerful system.
- Then, and perhaps most importantly, this guide assumes that you have read and understood the latest revision of the VSR. The latest copy of the VSR can be found here.
- Finally, note that by having your server on the Verified List (and to a lesser extent, by port forwarding to begin with), you open yourself up to DDoS attacks. For this reason, we strongly recommend against hosting a verified server from your own home.
Table of Contents:
Section one: Necessary Server Config Preperation
In order to pass The Verification Team’s checks when submitting your server for Verification, you need to ensure that a few of your config values in your Config_gameplay.txt are filled in correctly. A list of each Config Value you’ll need to edit is below:
| Config Field | Description | Default Value |
|---|---|---|
| server_name | Server name displayed in the server list. | My Server Name |
| serverinfo_pastebin_id | Set pastebin id used for the info tab on the server browser. | 7wV681fT |
| contact_email | Contact email address for the server owner or administration. | Note: this field must be manually added to the server config. |
| max_players | Max amount of players that can be connected to the server at once. | 20 |
server_name
Setting a custom server name is very simple, but creating a name that is flashy using colours and styles is a bit more involved. SCP: SL uses Unity’s built-in Rich Text UI system for server names, meaning that you have a few options to work with. Only certain types of styling are available for Server Names, specifically the Color tags (use hex codes, not unity default color names), Italics, Bolding, Underlining, and Strikethrough. We highly recommend that you read the relevant documentation to learn this skill for yourself.
You can find the Unity Rich Text documentation here: *Unity Rich Text.*
To provide some examples specific to SCP: SL, let us imagine a fake server named Gingerbread’s Gaming Group. An example for how one might style the name is below.
<b><color=#ffa500ff>Gingerbread’s</color></b> <b><i><color=#ff0000ff>GAMING</color></i></b> <b>Group</b> Take note of a few things in this example, specifically the order in which the tags are closed. Tags must be closed in the proper order, or else the server name will not accept the styling. Tags must be closed in the reverse order from which they are opened, so if I open an italics tag and then a bolding tag, I must close the blowing tag before closing the italics tag. A visual example of this is below.
<i><b>Your Text Goes Here</b></I>Many servers opt to create customized “color gradients”, in order to stand out on the Server List, with each letter being a different color. A third-party tool for visualizing and creating gradients is linked below. Please ensure that you copy the “Unity Rich Text” option.
NOTE: This is a Third-Party tool, not developed, created, or monitored by Northwood Studios. Please note that you access it at your own risk.
serverinfo_pastebin_id
Creating a custom Pastebin entry to contain your server’s essential information is a required step in the Verification process. That being said however, the goal of a Pastebin is to both inform users about a server’s rules, and attract players to your server.
To start this process, navigate to pastebin.com and create a new paste. We highly recommend that you create an account, in order to edit your pastes in the future.
Once you’ve done this, it’s simply a matter of creating your paste in order to meet the Verification standards. Verification requires that your paste contains a “communication method”, for players of the server to contact the server’s staffing team. This can take a few forms, but typically an email or Discord Server invite link will suffice. We highly recommend creating a Discord Server community alongside a game server, if you are wishing to build up a player base.
Your Pastebin should probably also include your rules, as well as other information you want to convey to your players.
Once your paste is written, it’s typically a good idea to style your paste, in order to attract players to your server. Much like the previous section on server_name, you can use Unity’s rich text system to style your text appropriately. We highly recommend messing about with the <size> and <color> tags to format your paste.
Once you’re happy with your paste, you’ll need to actually link it into your config file. To do this, you will want to copy the Identifier found in your Pastebin’s link within your browser.
It is this identifier that should be placed in your config file, as the value for the serverinfo_pastebin_id line. In order to check your Pastebin before your server is verified, you’ll need to join your server, reading the server info from the pause menu.
contact_email
Once you’ve done the above, we’re left with the easy step. The contact_email field must be added to your config file manually. It can be added wherever, and the only acceptable value is a valid email address. An example of the correct formatting of the line is below.
contact_email: email@domain.comThis email will be used by the Verification Team to contact you regarding your server, should that be required. As a note, the email that you add to your server config must be the email you use to email the Verification Team in future steps.
max_players
This is an optional line to edit, as the default value is acceptable. Should you wish to have more or less players on your server, you can alter this value. Keep in mind that the maximum number of slots a Verified Server is allowed (under normal circumstances) is 60. Verification will de-list any server using more than 60 slots!
Section Two: Contacting The Verification Team
If you’ve made it this far, your server should be prepared to undergo the Verification process.
Before continuing, please be certain that your server will be online during the entirety of this process, which can take up to a week. Verified servers are designed to maintain a significant degree of uptime - the Verified Server List is primarily designed to encourage community-building. Any Verified Server that remains offline for a consecutive period greater than 14 days will have its Verification Token revoked.
Automatic verification
This is an alternative to sending an email to the verification team, which is the next part below.
If you are sure your server passes all the checks you can enter into your server console:
!verify static - if you have a static IP address
!verify dynamic - if you have a dynamic IP address
This will get our central servers to check if the connection to your server is successful - if the connection is not successful you may want to check over your port forwarding/firewall rules.
If you encounter any issues that for some reason can't be fixed, you can email the verification team instead.
Sending the Email
In order to begin the Verification Process, you will need to send the Verification Team an email. This email should be composed form the same address listed within your contact_email field in the server config file. Your email should include the following:
- Your Public IPv4 (we do not Support IPv6 or Domain Server Verification at this time).
- Whether your IP is Static or Dynamic (If you aren’t sure, it is likely Static).
- The port that your server is running on.
Do the Verification Team a favour, and please ensure that your email is cleanly written, in proper English. Include an appropriate subject, and ensure that your email does not contain any attachments.
Once the email is sent, your server will be placed in the Verification Queue! It can take anywhere from 3-7 business days for you to receive a response.
Finalizing the Verification Process
The final step is very simple! A link should be generated in your console, which will ask you to formally sign the Verified Server Rules agreement. once the steps have been followed, your server will show up on the verified list.
Should you receive a notification outlining that you have been verified, but no link generates in your console, restart your LocalAdmin instance. Should the link still not generate, restart the machine your server is running on. Should the link still refuse to generate, there may have been an error on the part of the Verification Team. Please open a Technical Support Ticket on the official SCP:SL Discord, here.
Congratulations! If you’ve made it this far, your server should now be on the Verified Server List.
My server was not verified!
If your server was denied verification, then please see the following page:
I Need Help with Server Verification!
Please read the above page before opening a Technical Support Ticket regarding a failed Server Verification.
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