Offworld Industries - the developers and publishers of Squad - have a licensing system that they use to ensure that servers existing on the official Server Browser are to a certain standard. This includes making sure that the server has enough admins/moderators, has the correct hardware to run Squad at a good tickrate or TPS, and is networked in such a way that players can get in touch with them with regards to bans or questions. Southnode has been a Partner and Official Host of Squad since its inception, so we know how to make a good server (of which you can purchase one yourself here).
This doesn't mean you can't have an unlicensed server though - it just means that any unlicensed servers will be in the Custom Browser, as this is where all new servers go regardless of affiliation.
How to...
Licensing is relatively easy to get, so long as you have the following prerequisites for each license you hold:
- Have 10 admins/moderators per server license - these are people that have at least kick/ban permissions on the server (Find out how to add admins to your server here)
- Have capable hardware that fits the licensing requirements (Southnode is a Partner Host for Offworld Industries - one of our server instances immediately qualifies for this)
- Have a Discord server or ticketing system on a website that allows players to appeal a ban
- That you have a server, it is online and is not password protected
- That said server is limited to no less than 80 players
Once you have the prerequisites out of the way, you can apply for a license from Offworld Industries themselves by following one of these two links here - the first is for a dedicated server wherein you have access to the host Operating System - ie it is self-hosted, and not a server instance hosted by Southnode: https://master.joinsquad.com/dedicatedserverlicense or for those who are using a Southnode instance, you can apply for a license at this link, stipulating Southnode as your hosting provider: https://master.joinsquad.com/serverlicense
After 1-5 business days you will receive a reply from Offworld Industries either accepting your application, or denying it. Once you have the license key, you need to put this into your License.cfg file of your server.
- Make sure your server is stopped if it is not already.
- Navigate to your server installation folder (or the File Manager if you are a Southnode customer)
- Navigate to the SquadGame/ServerConfig folders, and edit the License.cfg file
- Place the full code received from OWI, including the ID and full license key into this file. Save the file.
- Restart the server. If you have correctly placed the license key into the License.cfg file, your server should now be visible on the Server Browser.
Further Reading
How to add Admins to your Squad Dedicated Server
How to change the Map Rotation of your Squad Dedicated Server
How to change the name of your Squad Dedicated Server
How to setup RCON for your Squad Dedicated Server
Still have questions?
Click here to submit a ticket. We'll be happy to assist!
