How to Move an Empyrion Save to a Dedicated Server

To move an Empyrion save to a dedicated server, copy the save's folder from Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Saves\Games\<name> in your game folder into Saves/Games/ on the server. Set GameName under GameConfig in dedicated.yaml to the folder's exact name. If the save uses a scenario such as Reforged Eden 2, upload that scenario to Content/Scenarios under the same folder name the save was created with, and set CustomScenario to it. Run the same game version as your client.

What you can and cannot move

Before you start

• Save and quit to the main menu, then close the game.
• Back up the whole Saves folder.
• Match the version and branch. Stable save to stable server, experimental to experimental.
• Find out the scenario. Note whether you started the save in the default galaxy or a scenario, and which one.

Step 1: Find the save folder

In Steam, right click Empyrion, choose Manage, Browse local files, and open Saves\Games. Each folder is one save, named what you called the game.

Copy the whole folder. Long running saves with many visited planets get large, so zip it or use SFTP.

Your character is in Players under your SteamID64, the same ID a dedicated server uses, so it carries over without renaming. The same goes for friends who joined a locally hosted game.

Step 2: Stop the server and back up its save

Stop the server. If it already started a galaxy, that save sits in Saves/Games/ under the old GameName. Download it as a backup.

Step 3: Upload the save folder

Upload your save folder into Saves/Games/ on the server, so you have Saves/Games/<name>/ with Players, Playfields and game.dat inside.

Step 4: Set GameName

Open dedicated.yaml with the server stopped. Under GameConfig, set GameName to the folder name. Capitals count: Frontier and frontier are two different saves.

GameConfig:
  GameName: Frontier
  Mode: Survival
  Seed: 1011345
  CustomScenario: ReforgedEden2

Use spaces for indentation, never tabs, or the YAML breaks. If GameName does not match, the server creates a new galaxy with that name instead of loading yours. Seed is ignored for an existing save, so you can leave whatever is there.

Step 5: Match the scenario folder name

This is the trap that leaves people with a vanilla galaxy or a loading loop. A save remembers its scenario by folder name, which the game reads from game.dat inside the save. The scenario has to be in Content/Scenarios/ on the server under that exact name, and CustomScenario in dedicated.yaml must say the same.

Workshop scenarios arrive as numbered folders. For a server they are copied into Content/Scenarios and renamed to something readable, because community setup guides report that a numbered folder causes a scenario loading loop on servers. The Empyrion wiki's dedicated server setup guide describes the layout. Two rules follow:

• The name you choose is permanent for that save. When a new version of the scenario comes out, put it in a folder with the exact same name, or the save loses its scenario.
• If your save was created on another server, use that server's scenario folder name. Check the old dedicated.yaml for its CustomScenario value, and keep a backup of the save until it loads correctly.

Players do not need to subscribe to the scenario: the server sends them its shared data when they join.

Step 6: Start and check

Start the server and give it time. Each occupied planet runs as its own playfield server, so the first warp can be slow on a big scenario. Join, check your base and ships, and add yourself to adminconfig.yaml in the Saves folder with your SteamID64 if you need admin.

Common problems

• Server starts a new galaxy: GameName does not match the folder name exactly, or the folder is not directly inside Saves/Games/.
• The galaxy is vanilla instead of your scenario: CustomScenario is empty or wrong. Stop, fix it, and start again. The scenario folder name must match what the save expects.
• Endless loading or timeouts when warping: a numbered Workshop folder, a mismatched scenario version, or a slow playfield boot. Rename the folder, update the scenario, or raise TimeoutBootingPfServer.
• You spawn as a new player: your .ply file is missing from Players, or you joined from a different Steam account.
• YAML error on start: a tab or a broken indent in dedicated.yaml.

Moving it to GamezServers

On an Empyrion server from GamezServers, click Backup, stop the server, and upload over the SFTP login in Settings or in the file manager, which also extracts zipped saves and scenarios and can download a file from a link straight to the server. The game files sit in the empyrion folder, with dedicated.yaml, Saves/Games and Content/Scenarios inside it, and the galaxy keeps running without anyone's PC on. For scenarios, see how to add a custom scenario to an Empyrion server.

FAQ

Where are Empyrion saves stored?

In your game folder under Saves\Games, one folder per save. Dedicated servers use Saves/Games too, set by SaveDirectory in dedicated.yaml.

Will my character come with the save?

Yes. Player files are named by SteamID64 in the save's Players folder, which is how a dedicated server finds you.

Can I change the scenario on an existing save?

No. A save is tied to the scenario it was created with. Start a new save with a new GameName for a different scenario.

Why does my save load as a vanilla galaxy?

CustomScenario is missing or the scenario folder has a different name than the one the save was created with.