Pavlov VR Server

Docker image to deploy a Pavlov VR Community Server

Basic usage

# pull latest image
docker pull ihadeed/pavlov-server

# create Game.ini file with any text editor
# see http://wiki.pavlov-vr.com/index.php?title=Dedicated_server#Server_Configuration for more details
#
# example:
cat << EOF > Game.ini
[/Script/Pavlov.DedicatedServer]
bEnabled=true
ServerName="Pavlov VR"
MaxPlayers=24
bSecured=true
MapRotation=(MapId="datacenter", GameMode="SND")
MapRotation=(MapId="sand", GameMode="DM")
EOF

# run it in daemon mode, mount Game.ini, and expose required ports
# by default the image runs the server on port 7500
# you can override it with the PORT environment variable
docker run --name pavlov -d \
-p 7500:7500/udp \
-p 7900:7900/udp \
-e PORT=7500 \
-v $(pwd)/Game.ini:/home/steam/pavlovserver/Pavlov/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini \
ihadeed/pavlov-server

Docker compose

Check the provided docker-compose.yml file in this repository for a example usage that only mounts Game.ini and RconSettings.txt.

Modifying item prices and stats

Mount the provided BalancingTable.csv to /home/steam/pavlovserver/Pavlov/Content/BalancingTable.csv and (re)start the server.

In case the provided file is ever out of date, you can retrieve an up to date version from the running docker container:

#
# assuming the container name is pavlov
# make sure that you don't have a file mounted at the BalancingTable.csv path so it reads the default file
docker exec pavlov cat /home/steam/pavlovserver/Pavlov/Content/BalancingTable.csv > BalancingTable.csv

• The buy menu in game will still display the normal prices and will restrict you from buying something you cannot afford
• Providing a negative price for an item would give you money when purchased
• Providing a negative armor damage value with 0 base damage would result in increasing the target armor instead of hitting them

Admins, whitelisting, blacklisting

Create the desired file (mods.txt, whitelist.txt and/or blacklist.txt) as specified here and mount it to the config directory.

Rcon

Edit the provided RconSettings.txt file or create your own. Make sure to expose the TCP port that you specify in that file.

Updating server config

If you modify any of the configuration files and wish to restart the server to apply them, here are a few options:

# Fastest method is to restart the same container
# This will retain any temporary data the game downloaded (custom maps)
# 
# Docker example:
docker restart pavlov
#
# Docker compose example:
docker-compose restart pavlov

# Recreate the container
# This will spin up a fresh new container with no extras
# 
# First we need to remove the existing one, then recreate it using the initial command we used
# 
# Docker example:
docker rm pavlov
docker run --name pavlov ... # rest of arguements here
#
# Docker compose example:
docker-compose up --force-recreate -t 1

Updating the server game files

When an update is released, check this docker image to see if it has been re-built. If so, you can pull the image again and restart the server to deploy the latest version.

To pull latest image run this command:

# With docker
docker pull ihadeed/pavlov-vr-server

# With docker compose (must be ran in same directory that contains docker-compose.yml)
docker-compose pull

In case this image is out of date, restart the server and it will download any required updates automatically before running again.

Bonus tutorial

Here's a tutorial on how to setup an Ubuntu 18.04 server from scratch and get a server running:

#
# This guide assumes you are logged in to your server as a privilaged (root) user

# Update package repository
apt update -y

# Install docker & docker-compose
apt install -y docker.io docker-compose

# Ensure Docker service is enabled
# So it's always running, and auto-starts if server ever reboots
systemctl enable --now docker

# Docker should be running as soon as you install it.
# We can verify that with one of the following commands:

# This checks that the service is running
systemctl status docker

# This lists the running apps/containers. List should be empty
# It will display an error if docker is having issues
docker ps

# Let's make a directory where we will keep config files for our server
# We can later copy this directory & modify the settings if we want multiple servers
mkdir pavlov-server

cd pavlov-server

# Pull the docker-compose.yml, Game.ini, and RconSettings.txt files provided in this repo
curl -sO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ihadeed/pavlov-vr-server/master/docker-compose.yml
curl -sO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ihadeed/pavlov-vr-server/master/Game.ini
curl -sO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ihadeed/pavlov-vr-server/master/RconSettings.txt

# Edit Game.ini using your favorite text editor to change the server settings
# examples:
# vim Game.ini
# nano Game.ini

# Edit RconSettings.txt and change the password, change the port too if you prefer (if you're running multiple servers on the same host)
# vim RconSettings.txt
# nano RconSettings.txt

# Start up the server
docker-compose up -d

# To read logs:
docker-compose logs pavlov

# To read last 20 lines of logs, and print all new logs:
docker-compose logs -f --tail=20 pavlov 

# To see all options available for viewing logs:
docker-compose logs --help

#
# Your server may or may not have a firewall enabled by default. 
# It is a good idea to enable the firewall to restrict access to some ports (like SSH + Rcon).
#
# Assuming your hosting provider isn't using an external firewall and is relying on the OS to do it,
# the chances are UFW is being used.
# 
# To check if UFW is enabled, run:
ufw status
 
# The first line of the output should indicate whether it's active or inactive
#
# If UFW is inactive and you wish to keep it that way, you're done! no need to read the remaining of this guide.
# Your server should be visible in game shortly after you ran `docker-compose up -d` command.

#
# It's important that you allow access to port 22 before enabling the firewall,
# so you can remain connected to server & be able to access it later on.
# 
# You can allow access to port 22 to all ports, but it's recommended to whitelist your IP address only (in case it's static).
# Example if my IP was 160.100.100.1:
# $ ufw allow from 160.100.100.1 to any port 22
# 
# To allow any port to connect:
ufw allow 22

#
# You can configure Rcon port the same way as SSH
# 
# For example:
ufw allow from 160.100.100.1 to any port 15200

# 
# You need to allow everyone to access the ports that the game server is using
# There are two ports that you need to enable for each server.
#
# You can either enable them individually like so:
ufw allow 7500/udp
ufw allow 7900/udp

# Or enable a range of IP address if you're planning on deploying multiple servers later on
# We can allow traffic to all ports between 7500 and 8000
# This lets us deploy up to 100 servers that use ports in a sequencial order
# (Don't try to deploy 100 servers on the same machine.. not going to happen)
ufw allow 7500:8000/udp

# Once you're done configuring your firewall
# Run this command if it was disabled before:
ufw enable

# and run this if it was already enabled:
ufw reload