# Romestead Server Troubleshooting — Known Issues & Fixes (/docs/romestead/troubleshooting)



import { Step, Steps } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/steps';

Romestead launched into Early Access on May 25, 2026 and Beartwigs is still iterating on the dedicated server tool. This page documents the **real failure modes** we've seen during XGamingServer testing along with their causes and fixes. If you hit something not listed here, grab the **full Console output** from the panel (everything after `bash setup.sh`) and open a ticket — we'd rather extend this doc than have you stuck.

Server Boots Into a Menu Instead of a World [#server-boots-into-a-menu-instead-of-a-world]

**Symptom in the Console:**

```
Cancelling world creation
```

or the server appears to start but never loads a world.

**Cause:** The `AUTO_START_WORLD_NAME` Startup tab variable was empty. When the server can't find a world to load and the name field is blank, it skips world creation and waits for one to be specified.

**Fix:** Set `AUTO_START_WORLD_NAME` to a value (anything will do — `World` works fine) on the **Startup** tab, then restart.

> **Already fixed for new installs.** New XGamingServer Romestead deployments now default `AUTO_START_WORLD_NAME` to `World` in the egg, so this only affects servers spun up before that fix landed. If you see this on a new install, your egg is out of date — open a support ticket.

Crash Referencing GameAnalytics [#crash-referencing-gameanalytics]

**Symptom in the Console:**

```
System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: Could not find a part of the path '/home/steam/.local/share/GameAnalytics/...'
```

or similar startup crash that mentions GameAnalytics, `.local/share`, or a missing directory in the steam user's home.

**Cause:** Romestead's dedicated server uses the GameAnalytics SDK, which expects `~/.local/share/GameAnalytics` to exist before launch. The directory isn't created by the binary itself.

**Fix:** Fixed in the XGamingServer egg — the directory is now created during `init.sh` before the server starts. If you still see this crash, your install is on an older startup script. Open a support ticket and we'll force-refresh the egg.

CPU Pegged at 100% / Players Reporting Lag [#cpu-pegged-at-100--players-reporting-lag]

**Symptom:**

* The **Dashboard** CPU widget sits at or near 100% of your allocated cores
* Players report combat feels laggy, enemies hitch, builds rubber-band
* The **Console** may show tick warnings

**Cause:** Romestead's world simulation is **CPU-intensive**. Larger worlds, more concurrent players, and active combat all push CPU usage up faster than memory usage.

**Fix:** Upgrade to a plan with more cores. From observed behaviour during XGS testing:

| Group / world size                     | Cores needed                  |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| 1-4 players, default world size        | 2 cores (Novice)              |
| 5-8 players, default-to-medium world   | 3-4 cores (Rookie or Pro)     |
| Full 8-player lobby with combat events | 4+ cores (Pro recommended)    |
| Beyond 8 players, larger world         | 6-8 cores (ProMax / Ultimate) |

Upgrades are immediate from the panel — billing follows you, no re-order. RAM is almost never the bottleneck on Romestead servers; **CPU is**.

"Address Already in Use" on Port 8050 [#address-already-in-use-on-port-8050]

**Symptom in the Console:**

```
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: Address already in use
```

or the server fails to bind to UDP 8050.

**Cause:** A previous dotnet process didn't shut down cleanly, or you have two servers trying to use the same port mapping.

**Fix:**

1. Click **Stop** on the **Dashboard** and wait 30 seconds (the panel sends `stop` to the server's stdin and lets the world save before force-killing)
2. Click **Start**
3. If it still fails, the previous process may be stuck — open a support ticket and we'll force-clean the container

JSON Parse Error on Startup [#json-parse-error-on-startup]

**Symptom in the Console:**

```
Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReaderException
```

or:

```
Failed to parse config.json
```

**Cause:** You edited `config.json` directly via the **Files** tab and introduced a syntax error — most commonly a trailing comma, an unquoted string, or a missing brace.

**Fix:**

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Stop trying to fix the file by hand [#stop-trying-to-fix-the-file-by-hand]

    The panel regenerates `config.json` from your **Startup** tab variables on every restart, so direct file edits are fragile. See [Server Configuration](/docs/romestead/server-config#startup-tab-vs-configjson).
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Update the Startup tab variable instead [#update-the-startup-tab-variable-instead]

    For whichever setting you wanted to change, go to **Startup** and edit the corresponding variable there. The panel writes clean JSON on the next restart.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Restart [#restart]

    **Dashboard** → **Restart**. The malformed file is overwritten with a fresh one.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Friends Can't Find / Connect to the Server [#friends-cant-find--connect-to-the-server]

**Symptom:** Your server is **Online** on the Dashboard but friends say they can't connect, or they hit a connection timeout.

**Causes & fixes (in order of likelihood):**

| Cause                                      | How to verify                                                     | Fix                                                                                        |
| ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Wrong IP/port shared                       | Check **Dashboard** for IP and **Network** for the port           | Resend with `IP:port` format, e.g. `123.45.67.89:8050`                                     |
| `PORT` changed but Network tab not updated | Compare `PORT` Startup variable vs the **Network** tab allocation | Make them match. Always change the Startup variable, then update Network                   |
| Friend is on Xbox / PlayStation            | Ask them                                                          | Romestead is PC (Steam) only — no console version exists yet                               |
| Friend on different game version           | Compare their Steam version vs your server build                  | Ensure both are on latest Romestead. Server restart with `UPDATE_ON_START=true` to refresh |
| Server password mismatch                   | Confirm the `Password` value they're using                        | Case-sensitive; an empty `Password` Startup variable = open server                         |
| Firewall on friend's end                   | They can try a hotspot or different network briefly to isolate    | If it works from a different network, their ISP/firewall is blocking UDP 8050 outbound     |

World Lost After a Romestead Update [#world-lost-after-a-romestead-update]

**Symptom:** You restarted, the server pulled a new patch, and now your world won't load or is missing progress.

**Cause:** Beartwigs is in active Early Access. Patches occasionally **break save compatibility** with previous versions — your save format from yesterday may not be readable by today's binary.

**Fix:** Restore from a [backup](/docs/romestead/world-backups) taken before the update. **This is the entire reason** to run scheduled backups on a Romestead server right now — if you don't have a recent snapshot, you may be starting fresh.

**Preventing it next time:** Set `UPDATE_ON_START=false` on the **Startup** tab if you want to pin to a known-good version, then update manually after taking a backup. Worth doing for important worlds during EA.

Console Commands Do Nothing [#console-commands-do-nothing]

**Symptom:** You type `list` or `say Hello` into the **Console** tab and nothing happens.

**Causes & fixes:**

| Cause                              | Fix                                                                                                                     |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Server isn't running               | Check **Dashboard** power state. Click **Start** if Offline                                                             |
| Typed in the wrong tab             | Commands go in the **Console** input field at the bottom of the **Console** tab — not the search bar or the file editor |
| Subuser without console permission | Re-check **Subusers** permissions for the user trying to type                                                           |
| Server is mid-world-load           | Wait until the **Console** stops scrolling startup messages — commands are processed once the world is up               |

When in Doubt [#when-in-doubt]

1. Check the **Console** tab — Romestead logs errors there clearly
2. Take a backup before any change you're not sure about — restore is one click
3. Open a [support ticket](https://xgamingserver.com/) with the relevant Console excerpt — we'll dig in

Related Guides [#related-guides]

* [Getting Started](/docs/romestead/getting-started)
* [Server Configuration](/docs/romestead/server-config)
* [Admin Setup & Console Commands](/docs/romestead/admin-setup)
* [Automated World Backups](/docs/romestead/world-backups)
* [Join Your Server](/docs/romestead/join-server)