Game Servers

A game server is an instance of a game running on a machine, managed by the Arcadium agent.

What is a Game Server?

Game servers in Arcadium are:

• Containerized or process-based instances
• Automatically installed and configured
• Monitored for health and performance
• Controllable via RCON commands
• Backed up on schedule

Server Lifecycle

graph LR
    A[Register] --> B[Installing]
    B --> C[Stopped]
    C --> D[Starting]
    D --> E[Online]
    E --> F[Stopping]
    F --> C
    E --> G[Crashed]
    G --> H[Restarting]
    H --> E

States Explained

State	Description	Actions Available
Installing	Downloading game files via SteamCMD	Wait, Cancel
Stopped	Server installed but not running	Start, Update, Delete
Starting	Server process starting up	Wait
Online	Server running and players can connect	Stop, Restart, Console
Stopping	Server shutting down gracefully	Wait
Crashed	Server exited unexpectedly	Start, View Logs
Updating	Installing game update	Wait

Supported Games

Steam Games (via SteamCMD)

• ARK: Survival Evolved / Ascended
• Rust
• Valheim
• Palworld
• 7 Days to Die
• Project Zomboid
• Counter-Strike 2
• Team Fortress 2
• Garry's Mod
• And more...

Non-Steam Games

• Minecraft Java Edition (Paper, Vanilla, Spigot, Fabric)
• Minecraft Bedrock Edition

See the full game list in the dashboard when creating a server.

Server Configuration

Each game server has:

Basic Settings

• Name - Display name in dashboard
• Port - Network port for players (auto-assigned or custom)
• Max Players - Player slot limit
• Map - Starting world/map

Game-Specific Settings

Varies by game:

• ARK - Session name, password, mods, rates
• Minecraft - Server type (Paper/Vanilla), Java version, properties
• Rust - World size, seed, decay rates, wipe schedule
• Valheim - World name, password, modifiers

Resource Limits

• CPU Cores - Allocated CPU (e.g., 2 cores)
• Memory - RAM limit (e.g., 8 GB)
• Disk - Storage quota

Docker Mode vs Legacy Mode

Arcadium supports two server management modes:

Docker Mode (Recommended)

• Runs servers in containers
• Better resource isolation
• Easier updates and rollbacks
• Consistent environment

Legacy Mode

• Direct process execution
• Lower overhead
• Better compatibility with some games
• Uses SteamCMD directly

RCON Control

Most games support RCON (Remote Console) for server management:

Supported Protocols

Protocol	Games
Source RCON	ARK, CS2, TF2, Rust
Minecraft RCON	Minecraft Java
WebRCON	Rust (alternative)
Telnet	7 Days to Die
REST API	Palworld

Common RCON Commands

ARK:

SaveWorld
Broadcast Server restarting in 5 minutes
KickPlayer <PlayerName>

Minecraft:

/stop
/say Server maintenance in progress
/tp <player> <x> <y> <z>

Rust:

save
say "Wipe incoming!"
kick <player> <reason>

File Management

Access server files via:

1. Web File Manager - Browse and edit through dashboard
2. SFTP - Connect with FileZilla, WinSCP, etc.
3. API - Programmatic file access

Common use cases:

• Upload custom configs
• Install mods/plugins
• Download logs
• Modify world files

Backups

Automated backup system:

Backup Types

• Manual - On-demand backup
• Scheduled - Daily/weekly automatic backups
• Pre-update - Before game updates

Backup Includes

• World/save files
• Configuration files
• Mod/plugin files

Restoration

Restore from any backup point through the dashboard. Server stops during restoration.

Tasks & Automation

Schedule recurring tasks:

Task Types

• Restart - Restart server at specific time
• RCON Command - Execute commands on schedule
• Backup - Automatic backups
• Update - Check for and install updates
• Conditional - Trigger based on player count

Example Tasks

Daily Restart: 4:00 AM (low player count)
Broadcast Warning: Every hour ("Use /shop")
Auto-backup: Daily at 3:00 AM
Wipe Server: First Thursday of month

Monitoring

Real-time metrics for each server:

• Status - Online/Offline/Crashed
• Players - Current/max players, player list
• Performance - CPU/RAM usage, tick rate
• Network - Bandwidth in/out
• Uptime - Since last restart

Player Tracking

Arcadium tracks players across servers:

• Join/Leave Events - Real-time notifications
• Playtime - Total hours played
• First/Last Seen - Player history
• Server Hopping - Track movement between servers

Best Practices

Server Naming

Use descriptive names: ARK-Island-PvP instead of Server1

Resource Allocation

Leave 20-30% headroom on machines. A 16GB machine should run servers totaling 10-12GB.

Port Conflicts

Each server needs unique ports. Arcadium auto-assigns ports to prevent conflicts.

Mods & Stability

Test mods on dev servers before production. Some mod combinations cause crashes.

Next Steps

• Creating Your First Server
• Server Management
• Troubleshooting