Barotrauma Dedicated Server Setup and serversettings.xml Campaign Configuration

Barotrauma is a hardcore 2D cooperative survival game about submarine expeditions beneath Europa's ice. As a Campaign progresses, a Dedicated Server independently hosts submarine state, outpost ranks and credits, supplies, and automated wiring networks. Crew members can take turns running expeditions under the first officer or chief engineer while the host is offline. This article covers installation and configuration tuning for the dedicated server.

1. Server hardware baseline

2. Install the dedicated server with SteamCMD

Download the dedicated server anonymously through SteamCMD (AppID 1026340):

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 1026340 validate +quit

After the download, the main executable is in the root directory: DedicatedServer.exe (DedicatedServer on Linux).

3. Plan the two network ports

4. Key campaign settings in serversettings.xml

On first startup, the server creates serversettings.xml in the root directory:

<ServerSettings
  ServerName="LanGame Barotrauma Submarine"
  ServerMessage="Welcome to Europa Deep Sea Expedition"
  Port="27015"
  QueryPort="27016"
  MaxPlayers="12"
  Password="your_secure_password"
  SubmarineSelectionMode="Manual"
  VoiceChatEnabled="true"
  AllowDisguises="true"
  KarmaEnabled="false"
  SaveInterval="300"
  AutoRestart="false">
</ServerSettings>

Key fields:

• SubmarineSelectionMode: How submarines are selected. For Campaign mode, Manual is recommended so the captain chooses a submarine before departure.
• KarmaEnabled: The karma penalty system. Set to false for a group of friends to avoid passive penalties from accidental friendly fire during electrical wiring.
• VoiceChatEnabled: Enables in-game short-range radio voice communication.
• SaveInterval: Automatic save interval (seconds).

5. Administrator permissions and Workshop submarines

1. Grant administrator permissions

Edit Data/clientpermissions.xml and add the administrator's 64-bit SteamID:

<Client
  name="CaptainName"
  accountid="76561198000000000"
  permissions="All" />

2. Load custom submarines and mods

Place player-made or Workshop-downloaded submarine files (.sub) directly into Submarines/ in the server root. Restart the server to select them in the lobby submarine list.

6. Choose an approach: manual configuration or LanGame Server Manager (LGSM)

Manual Barotrauma maintenance involves editing XML nodes, managing .sub files, and protecting advanced campaign saves against corruption from power loss or unexpected exits.

We recommend the official open-source dedicated server management platform to automate routine administration:

• Tool overview and client: LanGame Server Manager (LGSM) product page
• Open-source repository: GitHub - SZSLGJCOM/LanGame-Server-Manager

LGSM features:

1. One-click campaign snapshots: Automatically packages campaign data (.save) before diving into abandoned abyss outposts or attacking sonar bosses, protecting against submarine destruction and corrupted saves.
2. Visual XML syntax protection: Presents room names, ports, karma, and voice options as graphical forms to avoid XML syntax errors.
3. Two-port conflict scanning: Detects use of ports 27015 and 27016 automatically to ensure stable broadcasts to Steam lobbies.
4. Self-healing watchdog: Monitors the game process in the background and restores it without data loss after unexpected crashes.