Hi Hytaler,
Update 6 is mostly talked about for Spectator, Hardcore and the Mod Browser. If you run a server, though, the interesting part is further down the patch notes. A couple of those lines are the reason some servers sat empty for a day after August 27.
Table of Contents
- The protocol bump: hytale/2 → hytale/3
- OpenGL 4.1 on the client side
- NAT got a lot less painful
- The hotfixes you actually want
- New admin commands
- My update checklist
1. The protocol bump: hytale/2 → hytale/3
The network protocol moved from
hytale/2 to hytale/3, and the packet layout changed with it. In plain terms: an old server and a new client don't talk to each other. The patch notes are explicit that servers and plugins need to be rebuilt before players can reconnect.What that means in practice:
- Update the server itself first. A client on Update 6 won't join a server still running the old build.
- Every plugin you run needs a build against the new version. If a plugin author has gone quiet, that plugin is now a blocker. Find out before you update, not after.
- If you run a network with a lobby and several backends, update all of them in one window. Half-updated networks are worse than either state.
I'd keep a copy of the old server folder and world around for a few days. If a key plugin isn't ready yet, rolling back beats running a broken server.
2. OpenGL 4.1 on the client side
The client now needs OpenGL 4.1 or newer and closes immediately if the machine doesn't have it. Not your server's problem directly, but it will show up in your Discord as "the game won't even start". Usually that's old laptops or outdated GPU drivers. Point people at a driver update before anything else.
3. NAT got a lot less painful
Update 6 added STUN and TURN, so a lot of connections that used to fail at the NAT now just work without extra tools. Two caveats:
- Double NAT still doesn't work. If you're hosting from home behind a provider router and your own router, that's still on you to fix (bridge mode or a proper port forward).
- Hytale is still QUIC over UDP, default port 5520. Forwarding TCP does nothing. If people can't connect, check that first. More on that in the connection troubleshooting thread.
4. The hotfixes you actually want
The September hotfixes are easy to skip, but two of them matter for servers:
- Sep 7: automatic port forwarding no longer gives up too early when other devices on the network are slow to answer.
- Sep 10: a server memory leak where unloaded worlds could stay in memory after their world maps were generated is fixed.
If your RAM usage crept up over a few days and a restart "fixed" it, that second one is probably why. Update, then see if the creep goes away before you throw more RAM at it. Sizing tips are in the RAM thread.
5. New admin commands
A few additions worth knowing:
/triggervolume tag set,/triggervolume tag remove,/triggervolume tp,/triggervolume renamefor managing trigger volumes/prefabpreviewto spawn a ghost preview of a prefab before placing it/encounter add <asset>to spawn encounters from the new Encounter Manager- A new block spawner permission for the in-world spawner config panels
Trigger volumes also gained "always active" rules like
No Build, No Destroy, Fly and Damage Multiplier. For a hub or spawn area that's a cleaner way to lock things down than stacking plugins.6. My update checklist
What I do now before every bigger Hytale update:
- Read the "server" and "modding" sections of the patch notes, not just the headline features.
- Check every plugin for a build that matches the new version.
- Back up the world and the whole server folder (I covered the how in the backup thread).
- Update during your quietest hour and post a heads-up in your Discord.
- Join with a fresh client and walk around for ten minutes before you announce it's back.
Boring, but it's the difference between a 20-minute update and a lost weekend.
If you hit something weird after Update 6, post it in Help & Troubleshooting with your server version and plugin list. Odds are someone else has hit it too.
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