Euro Truck Simulator 2: Convoy Server, Mods and Settings

The server does not know your mods - a file does

A Euro Truck Simulator 2 server works differently from most. The server itself has neither the game, the DLC nor any mods installed. Everything it needs to know about the map, your DLC and your mods lives in two files that you generate in the game and upload.

That means three things:

• You have to export those files from your own computer before the server can even start
• You have to export them again every time you change mods or DLC
• Your players need exactly the same mods in the same order as the ones you exported with

---

The three files

File	Where it comes from
server_config.sii	Created automatically the first time the server starts
server_packages.sii	You export it from the game
server_packages.dat	You export it from the game

All three live in the server's home folder, which you find under Files in the Potionhost control panel.

Without the server_packages files the server will not start. The error in the log is Server packages file not found.

---

Step 1 - Export your server packages

This is done in the game on your own computer, not on the server.

1. Find your game folder under Documents/Euro Truck Simulator 2/ and open config.cfg.
2. Change these two lines:

uset g_developer "1"
uset g_console "1"

3. Launch the game and load the profile that has exactly the mods and DLC the server should run - enabled, in the right order.
4. Drive into the game world so the map is loaded.
5. Open the console with the key above Tab (~, or ² on an AZERTY keyboard) and type:

export_server_packages

6. The two files are now in Documents/Euro Truck Simulator 2/. Upload both to the server's home folder.
7. Restart the server.

Export again every time you: add, remove or update a mod, enable or disable a DLC, or change map mod. The files are a snapshot of your game setup - not a live connection.

---

Step 2 - server_config.sii

The file is created by the server itself on first startup. Stop the server, then edit it:

lobby_name: "My convoy server"
description: ""
welcome_message: ""
password: ""
max_players: 8
max_vehicles_total: 100
max_ai_vehicles_player: 50
max_ai_vehicles_player_spawn: 50
connection_virtual_port: 100
query_virtual_port: 101
connection_dedicated_port: 27015
query_dedicated_port: 27016
server_logon_token: 
player_damage: true
traffic: true
hide_in_company: false
hide_colliding: true
force_speed_limiter: false
mods_optioning: false
timezones: 2
service_no_collision: false
in_menu_ghosting: false
name_tags: true

Key	Default	Meaning
lobby_name	-	The name in the session browser. Max 63 characters
description	""	Description. Max 63 characters
welcome_message	""	Welcome message. Max 127 characters
password	""	Password to join
max_players	8	The officially supported ceiling is 8 players
max_vehicles_total	100	Total vehicles in the session
player_damage	true	Whether players can damage each other
traffic	true	AI traffic
hide_in_company	false	Hide other players inside company areas
hide_colliding	true	Hide a colliding vehicle after a teleport
force_speed_limiter	false	Force the speed limiter on everyone
mods_optioning	false	true makes mods marked optional genuinely optional
service_no_collision	false	No collisions at service stations
in_menu_ghosting	false	No collisions while a player has the game paused
name_tags	true	Name tags above vehicles

Moderators are added with a count and an indexed list of SteamID64s:

moderator_list: 2
moderator_list[0]: 76561198000000000
moderator_list[1]: 76561198000000001

They become moderators automatically on joining and can use commands such as /set_time and /set_rain_factor.

friends_only and show_server appear in the file but are not used on a dedicated server. They do nothing, whatever you set them to.

---

Step 3 - Get a logon token

Without a token the server runs on an anonymous account and gets a new server ID every time it restarts. That makes it hard to find again and unreliable to favourite.

1. Go to Steam's game server account page at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers.
2. Create a token using the game's app ID: 227300 - not the server tool's ID.
3. Put it into server_config.sii:

server_logon_token: your_token_here

Use the game's app ID, not the server's. A token from the wrong game fails login with error 15. An invalid or expired token gives error 106.

One token per running server. Two servers sharing a token will conflict.

---

Ports: two kinds, and only one needs opening

This confuses almost everyone.

Type	Keys	Default	Needs opening?
Virtual ports	connection_virtual_port, query_virtual_port	100 and 101	No. They are internal identifiers in Steam's networking layer, not real ports. Valid range is 100-200
Dedicated ports	connection_dedicated_port, query_dedicated_port	27015 and 27016	Yes. These are what Steam uses to list the server in the session browser

If you run several servers on one machine, each instance needs its own dedicated ports, its own virtual ports and its own token.

---

Mods on a convoy server

As noted, the server holds no mod files. Everything is decided by what you had enabled when you ran export_server_packages.

So:

• Every player needs the same mods installed and enabled, in the same order. Otherwise they cannot join.
• For a mod to be genuinely optional for players, the mod itself has to be marked optional and mods_optioning has to be true.
• Uploading .scs files to the server makes no difference. That is not how mods work here.

---

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Server packages file not found	The server_packages files are missing	Export them in the game and upload both
The server is not in the session browser	The dedicated ports are not open	Open 27015 and 27016
Still not visible	The server has no public IP	Use direct search - dedicated servers do not support NAT punching
The server changes identity on every restart	Missing server_logon_token	Get a token and put it in
Login fails with error 15	The token is from the wrong game	Create the token with app ID 227300
Login fails with error 106	Invalid or expired token, or it is in use elsewhere	Create a new one
Players cannot join - mod mismatch	Their mods or order do not match the export	Export again and have them match the list
Mods were updated and now nothing works	server_packages predates the update	Export and upload again
Steam disconnected and the server closes	The Steam connection dropped	Known behaviour - start the server again
Two servers conflict	Same ports or same token	Give each instance its own

---

Good advice

• Keep a copy of the server_packages files that work. When troubleshooting it is good to be able to go back.
• Write a fixed list of your mods and their order, and share it with your players. The order matters as much as the mods themselves.
• Always export from a profile set up exactly as the server should run - not from your everyday profile with random mods enabled.
• Set welcome_message to your Discord link. It is the one place everyone sees it.
• Remember to export again after a game update that changes the map.

Can your players not join? Send us your mod list and server_config.sii in a ticket.