Knowledgebase

How to Set Up an American Truck Simulator Dedicated Server on AnonVM Hosting

Introduction

American Truck Simulator is a popular truck simulation game where players drive trucks across the United States, transporting cargo. By setting up a dedicated server, you can host a multiplayer experience with custom settings, mods, and a persistent world for you and your community.

Prerequisites

• An AnonVM VPS with at least 2GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores (recommended for smooth gameplay).
• SSH access to your VPS.
• Basic knowledge of Linux command-line operations.
• American Truck Simulator server files (available via SteamCMD or from SCS Software’s distribution).

Step 1: Access Your AnonVM VPS

1. Log in to your AnonVM dashboard and locate the details for your VPS.
2. Use SSH to connect to your VPS:
    

   ssh root@your-vps-ip
   Replace your-vps-ip with your VPS’s actual IP address.

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

1. Update your system to ensure you have the latest packages:

    

   apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y

2. Install required libraries for running ATS:

    

   apt-get install lib32gcc1 -y

Step 3: Install SteamCMD

SteamCMD is a tool that allows you to install and manage game servers. It is required for installing the ATS server.

1. Install SteamCMD: First, create a directory to store SteamCMD and download it:

    

   mkdir -p /home/steam cd /home/steam wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

2. Extract SteamCMD: Unpack the SteamCMD files:

    

   tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

3. Run SteamCMD: Start SteamCMD:

    

   ./steamcmd.sh

   Type quit to exit once you’ve initialized SteamCMD.

Step 4: Download the American Truck Simulator Server Files

1. Install the server files: Use SteamCMD to download the ATS server files:

    

   ./steamcmd.sh

   Inside SteamCMD, use the following commands:

    

   login anonymous force_install_dir /home/atsserver app_update 270880 validate quit

   The 270880 app ID corresponds to American Truck Simulator. This will install the dedicated server files to the /home/atsserver directory.

Step 5: Configure the Server

1. Navigate to the ATS server directory: Once the files are downloaded, go to the server folder:

    

   cd /home/atsserver

2. Edit the server configuration: American Truck Simulator server configuration files are located in the config folder. Open the main configuration file to modify settings:

    

   nano /home/atsserver/server_config.sii

   Common configuration options to modify:

   • server_name: Set your server’s name.
   • max_players: Adjust the maximum number of players.
   • password: If you want a password-protected server, set one here.
   • game_mode: Choose between "Freeroam" or "Convoy" mode.

   Example configuration:

   ini

    

   server_name: "American Truck Simulator - Custom Server" max_players: 8 password: "securepassword" game_mode: "Freeroam"

Step 6: Open Necessary Ports on Your VPS

To allow players to connect to your server, you need to open specific ports in your firewall.

1. Identify required ports for ATS. The default ports for ATS multiplayer servers are:

   • TCP/UDP Port 27015: For game traffic.
   • TCP/UDP Port 20810-20812: For Steam-related services.

2. Open the ports using UFW:

    

   ufw allow 27015/tcp ufw allow 20810:20812/tcp ufw reload

Step 7: Start the Server

1. Launch the server: Now that the configuration is set, you can start the server with the following command:

    

   ./start.sh

   To run the server in the background, use screen or tmux to ensure it stays running even if you disconnect from the session.

   • Install screen (if not already installed):

      

     apt-get install screen -y

   • Start the server in screen:

      

     screen -S atsserver ./start.sh

   • To detach from the screen session, press Ctrl + A, then D. To reattach later, use:

      

     screen -r atsserver

Step 8: Connect to the Server

Once the server is running, players can join your server by entering the IP address of your VPS along with the port (e.g., your-vps-ip:27015).

1. Launch American Truck Simulator.
2. Navigate to Multiplayer, then choose Server Browser.
3. Search for your server by name, or input the server’s IP address manually.

Step 9: Update the Server

To ensure your server stays up to date, periodically check for updates using SteamCMD.

1. Stop the server by pressing Ctrl + C in the screen session.

2. Run the following commands to update the server:

    

   ./steamcmd.sh login anonymous force_install_dir /home/atsserver app_update 270880 validate quit

3. Restart the server by running ./start.sh again.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you now have a dedicated American Truck Simulator server running on your AnonVM VPS. You and your friends can now enjoy trucking across the United States with custom settings, mods, and a persistent multiplayer world. Make sure to check for regular updates to keep your server up to date and optimize the experience for players.

If you want to enhance your server, you can also add mods or use custom maps to create a more unique experience. Explore the ATS modding community for more ways to personalize your server.