Relay servers

In some countries and on some networks the game server cannot be reached directly, or the connection is throttled so badly that the game keeps dropping. A relay is a small program that community members run on their own machines. It accepts players and passes everything on to the main server, so people who cannot connect directly can still play.

Playing through a relay

You do not need to download anything. In the game open Options, then Game server list. The game fetches the current relays, shows the ping to each one and remembers your choice. Pick the relay with the lowest ping, or switch back to the main server at any time from the same menu.

Your account, your character and your items are the same wherever you connect from. Relays keep no logs and store nothing about you.

Running a relay for others

If you have a VPS or a computer with a public IP address that can reach our server, you can run a relay and help players in your region. It needs very little: one open UDP port, a little memory and roughly 50 kbit per second per player.

Download the relay for Windows (ZIP) Download the relay for Linux (tar.gz) Read the setup notes as plain text

Windows

  1. Unpack the zip into a folder of its own.
  2. Open port.txt if you want a different port and change the number. Leave host.txt as it is unless we ask you to change it.
  3. Allow that port for UDP in Windows Firewall. At home, forward the port on your router as well.
  4. Start relayserver.exe and keep the window open. Once a minute it shows how many players are connected.

Linux

  1. Unpack the archive into a folder of its own: tar xzf LifeInNature_Relay_Linux.tar.gz
  2. Change the number in port.txt if you need another port. Leave host.txt alone unless we ask you to change it.
  3. Open the port for UDP, for example with sudo ufw allow 10001/udp
  4. Start it with ./run_relay.sh. To keep it running after you log out, use screen or a systemd service.

Getting listed

Send us the public IP of your relay, the port and a short name, for example Iran relay 1. The fastest way is a ticket from inside the game: open the game menu, then the Ticket menu, and the staff sees it immediately. You can also write in the Telegram group, on the forum or through the contact page. Once it is on the list, players see it in the game right away. Please keep it running as much as you can, do not modify the program, and let us know before you take it down for good.