Data Configs

TL;DR: Game data lives in dreamland_world, mounted at the runtime table directory. One folder per kind of data. XML folders are read by table loaders, JSON files by Configurable plugins. Both are read when their plugin starts, so plugin reload most applies a change. Areas are the exception and load at boot only. Use when: you tune a number, add a skill, race, religion or command, need to know which code reads a file, or wonder why an edit did not show up. Source of truth: plug-ins/system/configurable.h, plug-ins/system/xmltableloaderplugin.h (TABLE_LOADER), src/dreamland.h (main config fields), src/plugin/pluginmanager.cpp, dreamland_world/. Verified: 2026-11-02 against dreamland_code 88da8302, dreamland_world 43880467, dreamland_fenia_public c28874b

How data is loaded

Mechanism	What it reads	When
Main config	etc/dreamland.xml, the DreamLand object (src/dreamland.h)	boot. The server rewrites it with the new worldTime every tick
Table loader (TABLE_LOADER(Class, "folder", "Node"))	every .xml in dreamland_world/<folder>, one object per file	when the owning plugin loads
Configurable (CONFIGURABLE_LOADED(folder, name))	dreamland_world/<folder>/<name>.json	when the owning plugin loads
Area list	area.lst.xml in areaDir, then each area file	boot only
Fenia scripts	the script directories named in the main config	hot reload with cs commands, see Fenia-Scripts

Rules:

• A table loader or configurable runs in the plugin's initialization. To apply an edit, reload that plugin by name or use plugin reload most. plugin reload changed compares the mtime of the plugin .so, so an XML-only edit never marks anything changed. Use most.
• plugin reload all also unloads the [descriptor] plugin and drops every connection. most keeps it. Do neither with players online if you can avoid it.
• A configurable file is parsed from UTF-8 and converted to the internal KOI8 encoding. A broken JSON file keeps the old value and logs an error. A missing file, or a file that did not parse, leaves C++ on its compiled defaults.
• .config("folder/name") in Fenia returns the loaded JSON. Objects become Maps and arrays become array containers. A JSON float such as 0.5 reads as 0 and a boolean reads as 1 or 0 (measured live 2026-09-24), so a tunable shared by C++ and Fenia must be an integer (percent, centi-M). On a config array, for (v in arr) and a bare variable index throw, write arr[i + 0] instead. .config() copies the whole file on every call, so read once and keep the result.
• A new JSON file needs a CONFIGURABLE_DECL in a plugin that has the JSON headers, otherwise .config() cannot see it. The fight plugin works, the ai plugin does not compile that way.
• Never hand-edit a file the server writes (see the table below). The server rewrites it, and an edit made while it runs is lost.
• In-game editors (hedit, skedit, cmdedit, socedit, raceedit, reledit, fedit, gredit and others) rewrite the XML of their table on the running server. A checkout on a running server can therefore differ from git until it is synced back.

Folder map

Folder	Holds	Loader (plugin)	Notes
behaviors	behavior definitions, one XML per behavior, plus services.json	feniaroot (BehaviorLoader)	each carries its help article. services.json lists the services mobs sell
bonuses	daily and event bonuses (experience, learning, black friday)	bonus
card-skills	skills of the card deck	skills_loader
clans	clan definitions	clan
clan-skills	clan skills	skills_loader
commands	command definitions: name, aliases in three languages, flags, order flags, help	command (CommandPluginLoader), commands/fenia by feniaroot	channels.xml holds the channel wording
config	JSON settings, weather XML and translations/ catalogs	see the JSON table
craft-professions	crafting professions	craft
craft-skills	craft skills	skills_loader
craft-wearlocs	tattoo wear locations	craft
descriptions	per-race, per-profession character descriptions for creation	iomanager (nannyhandler.cpp)	JSON, registered under descriptions/<race>
desires	hunger, thirst, drunkenness, bloodlust	desire
fenia.examples	one sample script per Fenia entity kind	none	documentation only
fenia.local	legacy .f++ scripts for a local server	none by name, see Local-Setup	KOI8-R text
fight	combat and item JSON	fight_core, fight, loadsave, race	the biggest folder, listed below
generic-skills	class skills and spells, one XML each, with the help article inside	skills_loader	the skill help id is the handler id, never delete or move it
gquests	global quest definitions	gquest	the server writes these files
grammar	declension rules and argument synonyms	system
helps	standalone help articles	help	abc maxhelp gives the next free id
hometowns	hometowns: altar, recall, pit, limits	hometown
languages	in-game languages	languages
legacy-behaviors	old-style mob behavior definitions	loadsave (mobilebehaviormanager)
liquids	liquids	liquid
notes	note boards	note	the server writes these files
other-skills	affect-only skills, set bonuses, tattoo gifts, breath attacks	skills_loader
ports	one XML per listening socket	iomanager	see below
prio	command lookup priority, one JSON per language	command	decides which command a prefix resolves to
professions	the thirteen professions	profession
quests	quest type definitions for the questor	quest
race-aptitudes	racial skills	skills_loader
races	races and mob races	race
religions	gods	religion
scripts	lint scripts for world data	none	run by hand
skill-groups	skill groups with their cast flavour lines	skills_impl
socials	socials, one XML each	social
spell	spell JSON	skills_impl
wearlocations	wear locations	wearlocation
areas.local	demo areas for a local server	areas through areaDir	not live data

Top-level files: badnames.xml (names refused at creation), bugtracker.xml and spellpriority.xml (a KOI8-R file, the priority order of spells, read by SpellManager).

Encoding: XML files declare their own encoding. Nearly all are UTF-8. bugtracker.xml, spellpriority.xml and one note board are still KOI8-R. Keep the declaration when you edit.

Ports

ports/<number>.xml has port, listen, local (only localhost), backdoor (one-line login protocol, no character creation prompts), websock (WebSocket framing), wrapped, allowedIP. The shipped files:

Port	Role
9000	telnet, character creation
1234	WebSocket for the web client
1236	WebSocket with the old character creation flow
9001	backdoor, open to the network
9127	backdoor, localhost only

apiPort in the main config is the HTTP API port and is not in ports.

Main config

etc/dreamland.xml, loaded into DreamLand (src/dreamland.h):

Field	Meaning
pulsePerSecond, pulseViolence, pulseMobile, pulseTick	timing, see Engine-Time-and-Pulses
options	server flags: pk, log_all, log_imm, wizlock, newlock, save_objs, save_mobs, shutdown, buildplot, log_comm
basePath, tablePath, miscPath, libexecPath, dbPath	runtime directories. tablePath is where dreamland_world is mounted
areaDir, areaListFile, savedDir	area files, the list of areas to load, saved rooms and mobs
playerDir, playerDeleteDir, playerRemortDir, playerBackupDir, tempFile	player files and their backups
feniaDbDir, feniaScriptDir, feniaPublicScriptDir	Fenia database and script directories
immLogFile, logPattern, shutdownFile	logs and the shutdown marker
apiPort	HTTP API, 0 turns it off
bootVersion, worldTime, merchantBank	counters the server maintains

buildplot marks a builder server: it turns off hunger and thirst updates and mob aggression against players.

JSON tunables

One row per file. "Read by" names the C++ source (under plug-ins/) that declares the file. Fenia scripts may read more files through .config().

fight/

File	Read by	Controls
to_hit.json	loadsave/tohit.cpp	hit chance, armor damage reduction, model switch, see Mechanics-Combat
saves.json	fight/magic.cpp	saving throw model and dispel chance, model 0 is the legacy roll
str_app.json, int_app.json, wis_app.json, dex_app.json	loadsave/stats_apply.cpp	per-stat bonus rows indexed by stat value: hit, carry, wield, damage, learn, practice, spell level bonus, missile hit and damage, defensive AC
damage_nouns.json, damage_verbs.json, attack_nouns.json, skill_dammsg.json	fight_core/damage_impl.cpp, damage.cpp, attacks.cpp	words used in damage messages, per language
material.json	fight_core/material.cpp	materials: price per kg, density, hardness, burns (ignition ease and burn duration, 0 never burns, -1 puts fire out), floats, vuln immunity bit, names. Wool at 4 to 5 is deliberate
item_value.json, item_affixes.json, item_weight.json, pc_baseline.json, spell_value.json, spell_combat_value.json, magic_items.json	fight_core/*	the item power ruler, see Item-Power
weapon_tiers.json, weapon_damroll_tiers.json, weapon_ave_tiers.json, weapon_ave_penalty.json, weapon_level_penalty.json, weapon_value2.json	fight_core/weapontier.cpp, weaponcalculator.cpp	weapon tiers, base hitroll and damroll, average damage per tier and level, per-class multipliers, level penalty and dice. Rows are indexed by the weapon_class table order
weapon_classes.json, weapon_names.json	fight_core/weapongenerator.cpp	weapon classes and generated names
weapon_affixes.json	fight_core/weaponaffixes.cpp	weapon flag affixes with prices, tier, alignment window and adjectives
weapon_defense.json	fight_core/weapons.cpp	defence factors per weapon class in percent
armor_profiles.json, armor_names.json	fight_core/armorgenerator.cpp	armor families and names
mob_tiers.json	race/mobbodyconfig.cpp	mob tiers: how hit points, damage, armor, experience and variance derive from level, race and form. Tier 10 is the training dummy
mob_forms.json	race/mobbodyconfig.cpp	mob forms and parts, their groups, renames and effects
loot.json	fight/fight_death.cpp	corpse looting: share lost by a wanted player, items allowed per corpse for others, which loot kinds can be taken
combat_ai.json, boss_mods.json	declared in fight/fight_death.cpp	profiles and boss moves for the scripted combat AI

weapon_names.json and weapon_classes.json must have the same set of weapon class keys. If one has a key the other lacks, name generation returns early, the name config stays at its default and the next short-description build throws, which crashes the server on every area reset.

config/, spell/, grammar/, prio/, behaviors/

File	Read by	Controls
config/update.json	updates/update.cpp	autoquit: minutes idle before a player is quit, -1 off. lostlink: minutes before a link-dead player is quit, 0 means at once
config/areaquest.json	quest/core/areaquestcleanupplugin.cpp	lifetime: days before an untouched area quest is cancelled
config/affectpanel.json	web/impl.cpp	the columns and short labels of the web affects panel
config/flagmessages.json	system/morphology.cpp	per-language names of flag table entries
config/mssp.json	iomanager/mssp.cpp	MSSP server status fields
config/settings.json	comm/configweb.cpp	pages, wording and limits of the web settings dialog
config/achievements_public.json	comm/help.cpp	public achievement list
config/weather.xml	updates/weather.cpp	weather and sunrise lines per season, three languages
config/translations/*.json	system/translations.cpp	translation catalogs, see L10n
spell/damage_tiers.json	skills_impl/feniaskillaction.cpp	spell damage dice per tier at level 1 and level 110
spell/handless_flavour.json	skills_impl/defaultspell.cpp	cast lines for casters without hands
grammar/rules.json	system/morphology.cpp	Russian and Ukrainian ending rules for declension
grammar/synonyms.json	system/arg_utils.cpp	argument synonyms: all, yes, no, in, on, from, to, by
prio/commands_<lang>.json	command/commandmanager.cpp	command order for prefix matching, one list per language
behaviors/services.json	feniaroot/behaviorloader.cpp	services sold by mobs: names, prices, spell, target

Files the server writes

Do not hand-edit while a server runs: config main file values (worldTime), gquests/*.xml, notes/*.xml, bugtracker.xml, and anything an in-game editor owns.

Adding a file or a tunable

1. New value in an existing file: add the key, read it with a default in C++ (item_value("measure", "key", default) style) and tolerate absence. In Fenia, check for null.
2. New JSON file: declare it with CONFIGURABLE_DECL(folder, name) or CONFIGURABLE_LOADED(folder, name) in a plugin with JSON headers. Rebuild. The file name and folder become the .config() path.
3. New XML table: add a TABLE_LOADER(Class, "folder", "Node") and register the class. See Engine-Architecture.
4. After editing, plugin reload most for a running dev server, then check the log for Configurable <path> loaded with N entries.

See also

• Engine-Architecture
• Item-Power
• Mechanics-Combat
• Local-Setup
• Help-Articles