Aska Server Settings Guide: Complete Configuration Reference

I've been running Aska servers since the November 2024 update dropped, and here's what actually matters: the server properties.txt file lives inside your server's config directory (on a standard LOW.MS Windows node, that's C:\Gameservers\ASKA\config\server properties.txt), and it uses a plain key = value format. One line per setting, no brackets, no quotes.

Honestly, most groups will never touch 80% of these options – but when you do need one, you really need it. This is the full reference, ordered the way the file itself is organised: core server settings at the top, then the custom gameplay block which only wakes up once you flip mode = custom.

Editing the file

The easiest route on LOW.MS is Configuration Files in the TCAdmin sidebar. That's the panel item built specifically for editing configs – it opens server properties.txt straight in the browser editor, no FTP round-trip. File Manager is there too if you need full filesystem access (uploading a save, grabbing logs, replacing world files), but for routine settings edits Configuration Files is the right tool.

FTP still works if you prefer a local editor. Credentials are in your LOW.MS Control Panel. Pull config/server properties.txt, edit it, upload it back, restart.

One thing worth flagging up-front – world generation settings (seed, terrain, starting season) are baked in at world creation. Changing them afterwards does nothing until you generate a new world.

Core settings

These apply regardless of what you've set mode to.

display name. This is what players actually see in the in-game session browser. Call it something your friends will recognise at a glance. Worth noting: on existing saves the server uses whatever name was baked into the save file, so display name mostly matters for fresh worlds.

server name. A separate internal identifier. It's not a duplicate of display name – the two fields are distinct, and the browser-facing one is display name. Leave server name as something sensible and move on.

password. Blank = open server, anyone in. Set a value and players have to type it to join. Case-sensitive. I set one every time, even for a two-friend co-op game – stops randoms finding the server in the browser and hammering the join button.

authentication token

This is your Steam Game Server Login Token – a GSLT. Aska needs one for the server to show up in the Steam master browser. Without it, people can still direct-connect, but the server won't list.

Generate yours at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers using App ID 1898300 (that's Aska). Paste the token into the file:

authentication token = YOUR_TOKEN_HERE

Keep it private. If you share the token or post the config in Discord, revoke it and generate a new one.

steam game port and steam query port

Two UDP ports – steam game port is what players actually connect through, and steam query port is what Steam's infrastructure uses to scrape server info for the browser.

Don't hard-code either of these on LOW.MS. Our provisioning assigns them automatically, and overriding them in the file is a reliable way to break your listing. Leave them as the values we set and they'll just work.

region

Pick the region closest to your player base – this is how the server advertises itself to Steam's relay network, and it affects browser placement more than raw latency.

There are 15 regions to choose from. The five you'll realistically pick between:

europe
usa east
usa west
asia
australia

The full set also covers default, japan, south america, south korea, canada east, hong kong, india, turkey, uae, and usa south central. Match your host location – a server physically in Frankfurt but advertising usa west just confuses everyone.

seed

Your world's fingerprint. Controls map layout, biome placement, resource distribution – all of it.

seed = whatever-you-want

The field accepts any value. Blank = random seed generated at world creation. If you find a layout you love, note it down and share it. Changing the seed on an existing save does nothing.

save id

Identifier used to load an existing save. Leave blank for a fresh world; fill it in to continue where you left off.

autosave style

When the server writes the world to disk. Valid values:

disabled
every 5 minutes
every 10 minutes
every 15 minutes
every morning

I default to every 10 minutes for group servers – frequent enough that a crash won't cost you a night of building, infrequent enough that you don't feel the hitch. every morning sounds charming but it's a bit too optimistic about server uptime. (If xgamingserver's docs list this slightly differently for a given patch, their wording takes precedence – the valid set has moved once already across updates.)

mode

The big one.

mode = normal

Two values – normal for the standard balance, custom to unlock everything in the next section. If mode = normal, every custom setting below is ignored regardless of what you've typed. Flip it to custom first, then tune.

keep server world alive

Does the world keep ticking when nobody's connected?

false (default) – world pauses on empty server. Recommended. No invasion events fire while everyone's asleep.
true – world runs 24/7. NPC villagers keep working, seasons keep progressing, invasions can trigger on an empty server. Pick this if you want a genuinely persistent world and you're fine with the consequences.

Custom gameplay settings

Everything below is gated behind mode = custom. If mode is normal, the server reads these lines and throws them straight in the bin.

Heads-up before you start tuning: anything tied to world generation (terrain, starting season, seed) only applies when a new world is built. Edit them mid-campaign and nothing changes until you wipe the save.

invasion difficulty

Controls how hard the invasion and raid events hit. Four settings:

off – no invasions at all. A pure build-and-explore experience.
easy – reduced frequency, weaker attackers. Good for a casual group or anyone still learning combat.
normal – the shipped experience.
hard – more frequent, meaner. You'll want proper defences.

If your group leans toward building rather than fighting, easy plus good walls is a sweet spot.

monster density and monster population

Two knobs for hostile creature numbers. They do slightly different things:

monster density controls concentration per area – values off, low, medium, high. Set it to off and hostile creatures simply don't spawn; useful for a peaceful building server.

monster population controls the overall world total – values low, medium, high. Think of density as "how clustered" and population as "how many across the whole map."

They stack. monster density = high with monster population = low gives you sparse regions with occasional dense pockets.

bear population

How many bears roam the world. low, medium, high. Bears are genuinely dangerous to unprepared players and they'll happily wander into an undefended village and start chewing on villagers, so don't crank this unless you're ready.

herbivore population

Deer, rabbits, the passive food-on-legs category. low, medium, high.

Higher values make hunting trivial and food abundant. Lower values force you to actually farm, and winter becomes genuinely threatening. I run mine on medium and most groups should do the same.

wulfar population

The hostile NPC tribe. Three levels – low, medium, high. Higher values mean more pressure from organised enemies rather than just wildlife.

day length

How long a daylight period lasts in real minutes. Values scale from minimum → reduced → default → extended → maximum.

Longer days = more time to accomplish things in safety. Shorter days = constant pressure, nightfall always looming. For a two-hour evening session with friends, extended keeps the whole session mostly in daylight; minimum cycles you through several full day-night transitions.

year length

Same five values, same logic, but applied to seasons. minimum cycles you through spring-summer-autumn-winter fast; maximum gives you ages to prepare for winter. If your group plays sporadically, extended or maximum is kinder – otherwise you'll log in to find it's been winter for a week of real time.

starting season

spring / summer / autumn / winter. Spring is the gentle on-ramp and what I recommend for 90% of groups. Winter starts are punishing; autumn is a nice middle ground if you want pressure from the first minute.

structure decay

The structure decay setting controls how quickly unreinforced buildings fall apart when you're away. Three levels – low, medium, high. Higher decay means maintenance is a real chore; lower lets you leave a base alone for weeks and come back to it intact.

precipitation

A numeric scale, 0 through 6. 0 is permanent sunshine, 6 is soggy miserable fenland weather. The default of 3 is genuinely fine for most groups – crank it up to 5 or 6 only if your crew enjoys misery, and drop it to 1 if you want a drier build-focused world.

terrain aspect

terrain aspect = normal

Three values – smooth, normal, rocky. Smooth is the easiest to build on; rocky looks dramatic but placing a square village on jagged ground is a pain. Normal is the sensible default.

terrain height

flat / normal / varied. Flat = easy settlement building. Varied = mountains, valleys, proper terrain drama at the cost of harder construction. Pairs with terrain aspect – rocky + varied gives you the most cinematic world and the most frustrating foundation work.

Suggested presets

Three configs I actually use, not a marketing list.

Relaxed builder:

mode = custom
invasion difficulty = off
monster density = off
day length = extended
year length = extended
structure decay = low
herbivore population = high

Balanced co-op (what I run for mixed-skill groups):

mode = custom
invasion difficulty = normal
monster density = medium
day length = default
year length = default
structure decay = medium
bear population = medium

Hardcore survival (for a group that's already beaten the game once):

mode = custom
invasion difficulty = hard
monster density = high
day length = reduced
year length = reduced
structure decay = high
herbivore population = low
starting season = autumn

Once you've tweaked the file, save it in Configuration Files and restart the server from Service Settings in the panel – give it thirty seconds to come back up, check the console says it's listening, and you're done. If you changed anything tied to world generation, remember the existing save will keep its old layout until you start a fresh world.

Aska Server Settings Guide: Complete Configuration Reference