Sons of the Forest server requirements

1. Download

   Free anonymous download, Steam app 2465200, about 3.3 GB. Force the Windows build.

   docker volume create sotf_files
   docker run --rm -v sotf_files:/data steamcmd/steamcmd:latest \
     +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +force_install_dir /data \
     +login anonymous +app_info_update 1 +app_update 2465200 validate +quit
   docker volume create sotf_data
   docker run --rm -v sotf_files:/a -v sotf_data:/b alpine chown -R 1000:1000 /a /b

2. Wine 11 image

   Debian 13 with WineHQ stable, Xvfb and winbind.

   printf 'FROM debian:trixie-slim\nRUN dpkg --add-architecture i386 && apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ca-certificates wget gnupg xvfb xauth winbind \\\n && mkdir -pm755 /etc/apt/keyrings && wget -qO /etc/apt/keyrings/winehq-archive.key https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key \\\n && wget -qP /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/debian/dists/trixie/winehq-trixie.sources \\\n && apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends winehq-stable && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && useradd -m -u 1000 game\nUSER game\n' | docker build -t wine_hq -

3. First starts

   The self-test writes steam_appid.txt, then the config files, and asks for a restart after each.

   for i in 1 2; do
     docker run --rm -v sotf_data:/d alpine rm -f /d/server.log
     docker run -d --name sotf --init --memory 10g -e WINEDLLOVERRIDES="mscoree,mshtml=" \
       -v sotf_files:/sotf -w /sotf -v sotf_data:/home/game/sotf \
       wine_hq sh -c 'rm -f /tmp/.X0-lock; Xvfb :0 -screen 0 1024x768x16 -nolisten tcp & sleep 1; DISPLAY=:0 exec wine ./SonsOfTheForestDS.exe -userdatapath "Z:\\home\\game\\sotf" -logfile "Z:\\home\\game\\sotf\\server.log"'
     until docker exec sotf grep -q 'Please restart the server' /home/game/sotf/server.log 2>/dev/null; do sleep 2; done
     docker rm -f sotf
   done

4. Reachability test

   Without port forwarding, skip the internet self-test.

   docker run --rm -v sotf_data:/d alpine sed -i 's/"SkipNetworkAccessibilityTest": false/"SkipNetworkAccessibilityTest": true/' /d/dedicatedserver.cfg

5. Run

   Exact bench command. Add -p 8766:8766/udp -p 27016:27016/udp -p 9700:9700/udp to publish the ports.

   docker run -d --name sotf --init --memory 10g -e WINEDLLOVERRIDES="mscoree,mshtml=" \
     -v sotf_files:/sotf -w /sotf -v sotf_data:/home/game/sotf \
     wine_hq sh -c 'rm -f /tmp/.X0-lock; Xvfb :0 -screen 0 1024x768x16 -nolisten tcp & sleep 1; DISPLAY=:0 exec wine ./SonsOfTheForestDS.exe -userdatapath "Z:\\home\\game\\sotf" -logfile "Z:\\home\\game\\sotf\\server.log"'

6. Ready line

   61 seconds after container start, including creating the save.

   until docker exec sotf grep -q 'Dedicated server loaded' /home/game/sotf/server.log 2>/dev/null; do sleep 2; done

File: dedicatedserver.cfg (JSON) in the user data folder, written on first start.

Stops at 'Assertion Failed: CalcUnIPThisBox - GetAdaptersAddresses returned 13'

Seen with Debian's Wine 10. WineHQ stable (Wine 11) runs the server.

'#DSE [Self-Tests] Please restart the server.'

Expected on the first two starts: steam_appid.txt, then the config files.

Self-test fails on reachability

The test checks from the internet. Forward UDP 8766, 27016 and 9700, or set SkipNetworkAccessibilityTest to true.

Killed during the first start

Creating the first save needed more than 5 GB here and reached our 10 GB limit.

Exits on restart: 'Server is already active for display 0'

Docker keeps /tmp across restarts. Remove /tmp/.X0-lock before starting Xvfb, as in the run command.

Changes from defaults

• Wine 11 from WineHQ. Debian's Wine 10 stops at a Steam network assert.
• SkipNetworkAccessibilityTest: true. The self-test checks reachability from the internet; the lab has no port forwarding.
• Mono and Gecko installs skipped (WINEDLLOVERRIDES=mscoree,mshtml=).
• Xvfb runs in the same container and counts toward its memory.
• A 5 GB limit killed the first save creation; this run used a 10 GB limit and reached it.

Full method