Stormworks Server Lag Fix: Vehicles, Physics and Despawn Settings

Stormworks server lag is almost always a vehicle problem. Every spawned vehicle runs physics on the server whether anyone is near it or not, so abandoned boats, parked aircraft and huge part count builds slowly drag the whole server down. The fixes, in order of impact: clear vehicles nobody is using, set despawn_on_leave="true" so leavers take their vehicles with them, keep build complexity in check, look at physics_timestep, and remove Lua addons that spawn things. Restart the server regularly so it starts clean.

What lag looks like in Stormworks

If only one player lags, check their ping and connection before you touch the server. If everyone lags together, keep reading.

Fix 1: clear vehicles nobody is using

This is the single biggest win. Each vehicle in the world is simulated: its physics, its fluids, its electrics and its logic. Ten forgotten boats on the other side of the map cost the server about as much as ten boats in use.

• Ask players to despawn their vehicles at the end of a session, from the workbench or the vehicle menu.
• As admin, despawn what is clearly abandoned.
• The vanilla game has no single command to wipe every vehicle at once. Restarting the server is the reliable way to clear the world of player spawned vehicles, which is one reason a scheduled restart helps so much.
• Some Lua admin addons from the Workshop add commands for clearing vehicles. If you rely on one, keep it updated along with the game.

Fix 2: set despawn_on_leave

In server_config.xml, on the server_data element:

<server_data ... despawn_on_leave="true" ... >

With this on, a player's vehicles are removed when they leave the server. Without it, everything they spawned keeps running after they go to bed. For a busy public server this one setting does more than any amount of tuning. A small group of friends who want their ships to stay where they parked them can leave it off, but then the cleanup is on them.

Stop the server before editing, since it only reads the file on start.

Fix 3: keep builds sensible

Part count and moving parts matter more than size alone. The things that cost the server most:

• Physics joints: every hinge, pivot, robotic pivot and rotor adds a separate physics body. A crane with twenty joints is heavier than a much bigger ship with none.
• Fluid systems: large tanks and pump networks with many pipes.
• Microcontrollers with heavy Lua: scripts that run every tick on every vehicle.
• Many small subgrids: doors, turrets and landing gear each count.

You do not need to ban big builds, but agree on a rule, such as one large vehicle per player in the world at a time. Lag spikes at the moment someone spawns a vehicle point straight at that vehicle.

Fix 4: check physics_timestep

physics_timestep sets how many physics steps the server runs per second. Accepted values are 60, 120, 180, or 0 for automatic:

<server_data ... physics_timestep="0" ... >

More steps make fast vehicles and fine mechanisms more accurate, and cost more CPU. If the server is struggling with a busy world, a lower value can give it room. Some complex builds, especially fast aircraft and delicate joints, behave worse at low step counts, so change it, test with the group's usual vehicles, and keep what works. Restart after each change.

Fix 5: trim addons and missions

Lua addons and Workshop missions in the <playlists> section run on the server. Mission addons spawn their own vehicles and characters, and some run heavy scripts every tick. If lag started after adding an addon, take it out of the playlists, restart and compare. Run only the addons you actually use.

Wildlife and sea monsters add work too. If you do not need them, wildlife_enabled="false" and turning off sea_monsters in the config lower the load a little.

Fix 6: restart on a schedule

A Stormworks world that runs for days accumulates vehicles, debris and script state. A restart once a day, at a quiet hour, clears that and starts the session clean. Tell players before, and use ?save first so nothing is lost.

Fix 7: give it the right amount of memory

Memory is rarely the first cause of Stormworks lag, but a server that is swapping is slow at everything. A small group with modest vehicles works on 4 GB. For 10 or more players or crews spawning large ships and aircraft, 6 GB is the safer size, and a busy 32 player server with addons belongs on 8 GB. More memory does not fix too many vehicles, though. It only stops memory from being an extra problem. For how to read the numbers, see how much RAM a game server needs.

A quick diagnosis order

1. Does lag hit everyone or one player? One player means their connection.
2. Does it build up over hours? Vehicles. Turn on despawn_on_leave and restart.
3. Does it spike when someone spawns? That build is too heavy.
4. Did it start after a change? Undo the last addon, mission or setting.
5. Still slow on an empty world after a restart? Look at memory and physics_timestep.

Running it on a hosted server

All of these settings are in server_config.xml, and on a GamezServers Stormworks server you edit it in the file manager, restart from the panel and watch the live console as the world loads. You can change plans any time if the group outgrows its memory, with the price prorated, and one click backups make a scheduled restart or a config experiment safe. For the rest of the setup, our Stormworks hosting guide covers the config file and admin commands, and if friends cannot get in at all, see the Stormworks connection fixes.

FAQ

Why is my Stormworks server so laggy?

Usually too many vehicles in the world. Every spawned vehicle runs physics on the server, even with nobody near it. Clear them and turn on despawn_on_leave.

Is there a command to delete all vehicles in Stormworks?

Not in the base game. Players can despawn their own, admins can remove abandoned ones, some Workshop admin addons add a clear command, and a restart clears player vehicles.

What does physics_timestep do?

It sets how many physics steps per second the server runs: 60, 120, 180, or 0 for automatic. Higher is more accurate and uses more CPU.

Does more RAM fix Stormworks lag?

Only if the server is short on memory. Lag from too many or too complex vehicles is a CPU problem, so clearing vehicles helps far more.

How often should I restart a Stormworks server?

Once a day at a quiet hour is a good habit for a busy server. Save first and warn players.