Helpdesk

Using the ‘Pause When Empty’ Setting in DST

The pause_when_empty setting controls whether the world time stops progressing when no players are online. This can help preserve world seasons and player-built structures while the server is inactive.

Method 1: Enable or Disable It Using the RocketNode Panel

1. Log in to the RocketNode Game Panel.

2. Select your Don’t Starve Together server.

3. Stop the server from the Overview tab.

4. Go to the Configuration tab and open Startup.

5. If available, look for a setting related to Pause When Empty.

6. Set it to:

   • true to pause world time when all players disconnect.
   • false to keep the world running 24/7 regardless of player presence.

7. Go back to the Overview tab and start your server.

If this setting isn’t visible in the panel, use the manual method below.

Method 2: Configure ‘Pause When Empty’ Manually

1. Open the File Manager tab in your panel.
2. Navigate to: /DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini
3. Locate the line: pause_when_empty = true
4. Set the value to false if you want the world to keep running when empty: pause_when_empty = false
5. Start your server again from the Overview tab.

Why Use This Setting?

• Enabled (true): Ideal for cooperative or private servers where players don’t want to miss in-game seasons, events, or spoilage timers while offline.
• Disabled (false): Best for persistent public servers or roleplay worlds where time progression should continue regardless of player activity.

Need help fine-tuning your server for active or passive worlds? Visit the RocketNode Helpdesk or open a ticket.