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Add installer updater and server CLI
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Alexa
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# Easy mode — host your own server
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> Built for non-technical hosts. If you can install Discord, you can do this.
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>
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> **On Linux or macOS?** This guide is for the Windows GUI launcher.
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> For headless hosting from a Linux box / a Mac / a VPS, see
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> [server-cli.md](server-cli.md). Joiners on those platforms are not
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> supported yet — Rec Room itself is a Windows game.
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DorkNet bundles everything you need to run a private Rec Room server on
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your own machine and hand a join code to your friends. The launcher is a
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single Windows app that:
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- runs the server,
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- opens a public tunnel so friends anywhere can connect,
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- patches your local copy of Rec Room to point at the server,
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- packages a join code your friends paste into their launcher.
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## What you'll need
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- A Windows PC (Mac and Linux support coming later)
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- A copy of **Rec Room 2020.03.10** — the specific old build DorkNet targets.
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You acquire this yourself; see [Getting the 2020 client](#getting-the-2020-client) below.
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- Windows 10 or 11 (Mac and Linux support are not planned)
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- A copy of **Rec Room 2020.03.10** — the specific old build DorkNet
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targets. You acquire this yourself; see
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[Getting the 2020 client](#getting-the-2020-client) below.
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- A free Photon Cloud account — the launcher walks you through this on
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first run.
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- ~5 GB free disk space
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- About 10 minutes
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- About 10 minutes for first-run setup, ~30 seconds per subsequent launch
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## Step 1 — Download DorkNet
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## Download
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Grab `dorknet.exe` from the [latest release](https://github.com/YOUR_GH_USERNAME/dorknet/releases/latest).
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Two flavours on the
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[latest release](https://github.com/DorkSquadRR/DorkNet/releases/latest):
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> Windows SmartScreen may warn you. The exe is code-signed; click "More info"
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> → "Run anyway".
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- **`dorknet-setup-<version>.exe`** *(recommended)* — installer.
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Drops the launcher under `%LocalAppData%\Programs\DorkNet`, adds
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Start menu + (optional) desktop shortcut, sets up the auto-updater,
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registers an uninstaller. No admin rights required.
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- **`dorknet.exe`** — single-file portable. Drop it anywhere; state
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lives in `%APPDATA%\DorkNet`. No shortcuts, no auto-updates.
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## Step 2 — First launch
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Either works the same once it's running. Pick the installer if you'd
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like Start-menu integration and rolling updates; pick the portable exe
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if you'd rather no system changes.
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When you open DorkNet for the first time, you'll see a welcome screen
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asking what you want to do.
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> Windows SmartScreen may warn you on first launch because the binary
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> isn't EV-signed. Click "More info" → "Run anyway".
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### Auto-updates
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The installed launcher checks GitHub on every launch for a newer
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release. If one's available, a small banner appears in the sidebar
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with an **Install & restart** button. Click it; the launcher
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downloads the new binary, shuts itself down, swaps the exe in place,
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and relaunches.
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Turn this off during setup by un-ticking *Check for updates on launch*,
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or any time later by editing `HKCU\Software\DorkNet\AutoUpdate` (0
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disables). The portable `dorknet.exe` doesn't auto-update — pull a new
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release yourself when you want one.
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## First launch — the welcome screen
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The very first time you open DorkNet you get a hero screen.
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Click **🏠 Host a server**.
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Click **GET STARTED** to enter the setup wizard. The wizard only runs
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once; future launches drop you straight into the main view.
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## Step 3 — Patch your Rec Room install
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## The setup wizard
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DorkNet needs to redirect Rec Room to talk to your server instead of the
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official one. This is a one-time patch.
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Five steps, top stepper shows your progress. **Back** and **Next** sit
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in the bottom bar; the choice cards on the first step auto-advance when
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clicked.
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1. Click the **Patch game** tab.
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2. Click **Browse for Rec Room install...** — point it at the folder where
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`Recroom_Release.exe` lives.
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3. Click **Patch**. Takes 30 seconds.
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### Step 1 — Pick a mode
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✅ You're done with patching. You won't need to do this again unless you
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reinstall Rec Room.
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- **Run a server** — you'll host. The launcher will set up the tunnel
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and hand you a join code.
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- **Use a code** — a friend already hosts and gave you a join code.
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See [joining-a-server.md](joining-a-server.md) for that path.
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## Step 4 — Start the server + tunnel
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This page is also reachable later via **Re-run setup** in the sidebar,
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so don't worry about getting it wrong.
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1. Click **Start server** on the Status tab.
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2. After ~5 seconds you'll see a public URL like
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`https://abc-def-ghi.trycloudflare.com`. Anyone with that URL + a
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matching join code can connect to you.
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### Step 2 — Find your Rec Room install
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The wizard auto-detects common manual-install locations (it never
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touches your Steam library). If detection works you'll see a green
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"Detected install" banner with the path; otherwise click **Browse…** and
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point at your `Recroom_Release_Data` folder.
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## Step 5 — Share the join code with your friends
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The path should look like `…\<install>\Recroom_Release_Data` — the
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*_Data sibling of `Recroom_Release.exe`. The launcher validates this
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when you continue.
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1. Click the **Share** tab.
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2. Click **Copy join code**.
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3. Paste it to your friend in Discord / iMessage / wherever.
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### Step 3 — Set up your server
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That's it for hosting. Your friend opens DorkNet, picks "Join a server",
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pastes the code, and they're in.
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- **Server name** — what shows up in your join code. Use whatever your
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friends will recognise ("Adam's Sunday games", "DorkSquad Test", etc.).
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- **Who can join?** — three options, only one shows extra inputs:
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- **Friends anywhere · Tunnelto** *(default, recommended)* — the
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launcher runs a Tunnelto tunnel that gives your server a public
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`*.tunnelto.me` URL. Works for anyone, anywhere. No router config.
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- **Tunnelto wildcard base** — advanced. If you've got a wildcard
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Tunnelto subscription, paste the apex domain. Subdomains like
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`api.<base>`, `auth.<base>`, etc. get auto-generated.
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- **Same WiFi only · sslip.io** — bind on your LAN only. Friends must
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be on the same network. No tunnel, lowest latency.
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### Step 4 — Connect your Photon account
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Photon Cloud runs the in-room realtime sync (positions, voice, room
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state). DorkNet doesn't ship one — you bring your own free account.
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Click **OPEN WALKTHROUGH** to launch the in-app Photon wizard. It opens
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your browser to `dashboard.photonengine.com` and walks you through
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creating two apps (Realtime + Voice). The wizard waits for you to paste
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the AppIds back in. Voice is optional; without it, voice chat is
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text-only and you can use Discord on the side.
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If you've already got AppIds from a previous setup, paste them directly
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into **REALTIME APPID** and **VOICE APPID** in step 4 and skip the
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walkthrough.
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> For a standalone screenshot-by-screenshot guide to the Photon
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> dashboard, see [photon-setup.md](photon-setup.md). Useful if you
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> get stuck mid-walkthrough or want to re-do it later.
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### Step 5 — Done
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Confirmation card. Click **Finish** to enter the main view.
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## The main view
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The launcher's everyday UI:
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- **Sidebar** (left): **Host a server**, **Join a friend**, **Settings**,
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**Re-run setup**. The brand-coloured stripe marks the active section.
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The footer at the bottom shows your server's live status (Idle /
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Starting / Live / Failed) and the launcher version.
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- **Header** (top of content): a short eyebrow describing the view,
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the title, and a **Screen mode** checkbox top-right.
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- **Content**: two panels — **Server** and **Photon Cloud** — followed
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by the action bar.
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Everything in the wizard is editable here. If you change anything mid-
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session, the new values get used the next time you hit Start hosting.
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### Server panel
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- **REC ROOM INSTALL** — same picker as the wizard. The path shows in
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monospace so you can sanity-check it.
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- **SERVER NAME · SHOWN TO JOINERS** — text input. Updates the embedded
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name inside your next join code.
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- **REC ROOM VERSION TO HOST FOR** — dropdown. Pre-selects the version
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matching your install. Picking a different version means the launcher
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will fetch that server build the next time you Start hosting.
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- **WHO CAN JOIN?** — the same three options as step 3 of the wizard.
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- **TUNNELTO BASE HOST** — only visible when you pick the wildcard
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option. Auto-generated otherwise; not needed for the default or LAN
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modes.
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### Photon Cloud panel
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- **REALTIME APPID** — required. Realtime is the matchmaking + room
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sync layer. Click the **WALKTHROUGH** button (top-right of the
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panel) any time you want to re-run the in-app Photon wizard.
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- **VOICE APPID · OPTIONAL** — if set, voice chat works through Photon
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Voice. If empty, players use Discord.
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- **CLOUD REGION** — picks the Photon datacenter. All clients must
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match. Default is US; change for European / Asian players.
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### Screen mode
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The **Screen mode** checkbox in the header passes `+forcemode:screen`
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when launching Rec Room, opening the game in 2D desktop mode instead
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of looking for a VR headset. Useful for testing or for friends who
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don't have VR.
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## Starting your server
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Hit **START HOSTING** (orange button, bottom of the content panels).
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The launcher runs through six steps in order:
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1. **Download server** — fetches the matching server build into
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`%LOCALAPPDATA%\DorkNet\servers\<version>\`. ~50 MB the first time;
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reused on subsequent launches.
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2. **Open tunnel** — starts Tunnelto and assigns a public hostname.
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Skipped in LAN mode.
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3. **Start server** — boots the server process. SQLite database lives
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in `%APPDATA%\DorkNet\dorknet.db`.
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4. **Download patcher** — fetches the client-patcher payload that
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matches your version.
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5. **Strip Steam DRM** — only runs if your install is a Steam build
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(Steamless does the unwrap; original `Recroom_Release.exe` is backed
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up next to itself).
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6. **Apply patch** — rewrites the game's network URLs, Photon AppIds,
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and embedded keys in place.
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Progress steps show inline. If any step fails, the row turns red and
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**Retry** appears under the steps list (along with **Get help** which
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opens the troubleshooting docs).
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## Sharing your server
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When step 6 finishes, the join code panel appears with the orange
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"SERVER LIVE" header.
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You get:
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- a **QR code** on a white tile — scan with a phone to get the join
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string into your friend's clipboard,
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- the join code itself in monospace,
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- three share actions:
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- **COPY CODE** — copies just the code,
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- **Copy as message** — wraps it in a friendly Discord-ready blurb
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that links back to the DorkNet download,
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- **Email** — opens your mail client with subject + body filled in.
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Your friend opens DorkNet, picks **Join a friend** on first launch
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(or from the sidebar later), pastes the code, and gets the matching
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patcher.
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## Launching the game
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Once your server is live, the **LAUNCH REC ROOM** button (teal, sits
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next to **STOP**) becomes visible. Click it; the launcher starts your
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patched copy with the right command-line args. Toggle **Screen mode**
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in the header first if you want desktop play.
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## Stopping the server
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**STOP** kills the server process and the tunnel cleanly, hides the
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join code panel, and re-enables **START HOSTING**. Your data
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(`dorknet.db`) persists; relaunching restores everything.
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The launcher also stops the server automatically when you close the
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window. Don't quit mid-game — your friends will get disconnected.
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## Settings
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Sidebar → **Settings**.
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- **Cache locations** — read-only paths to your state file, server
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cache, patcher cache, and logs. Useful for "I want to clear the
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cache" or "where did my db go".
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- **Dev overrides** — only appears when one of the `DORKNET_LOCAL_*`
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env vars is set. Lists which overrides are active. Unset the env
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vars to return to the normal release-fetching mode.
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- **About** — version, license (AGPL-3.0), and a link to the GitHub
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repo.
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The sidebar also has a **Re-run setup** entry. It clears the
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"setup-complete" flag without losing your saved values, so the wizard
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walks again from step 1 — handy if you want to change modes (host
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↔ join) or re-do the Photon walkthrough.
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## Switching from host to join
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From the sidebar, click **Join a friend**. Your host settings are
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preserved (Photon AppIds, server name, etc.) so switching back later
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picks up where you left off. The SQLite database also stays put.
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See [joining-a-server.md](joining-a-server.md) for the join-side flow.
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---
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## Hosting-mode deep-dive
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| Mode | Tunnel | Public URL | Best for |
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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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| Friends anywhere · Tunnelto | yes | `dorknet-<random>.tunnelto.me` | Default — works for everyone, no setup |
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| Tunnelto wildcard base | yes | `<your-apex>` + `api.<apex>`, `auth.<apex>`, … | Power users with a wildcard Tunnelto plan |
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| Same WiFi only · sslip.io | no | `<lan-ip>.sslip.io` | LAN games, lowest latency, no internet exposure |
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Default mode is the right pick for >95% of cases. The wildcard mode is
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only useful if you've already got a stable apex domain set up. LAN mode
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is for when everyone's in the same room.
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---
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@@ -80,14 +304,22 @@ DorkNet's authors can't help you obtain the game. Search the web for
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## Troubleshooting
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See [troubleshooting.md](troubleshooting.md) for common issues.
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See [troubleshooting.md](troubleshooting.md) for the full list.
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The most common ones:
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- **"This site can't be reached" when joining** — your tunnel URL changed.
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Get the new one from the Status tab and share it again. (Cloudflare
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Quick Tunnels give a new URL each session. See
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[advanced-setup.md](advanced-setup.md) if you want a stable one.)
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- **Friend can't connect** — they need to use the same Photon region as
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you. Settings → Photon region. Default is `eu`.
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- **Game launches but stays on the loading screen** — your friend isn't
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patched. Make sure they ran the Patch tab in their copy of DorkNet.
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The most common problems:
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- **Server starts but friend can't connect** — Cloudflare Quick Tunnels
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rotate the URL on every restart. Re-share the join code if you've
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restarted hosting.
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- **"Photon CustomAuth 401" in the server log** — your Realtime AppId
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on the server doesn't match what the launcher patched into the
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client. Make sure both sides use the same AppIds.
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- **Game launches but stays on the loading screen** — your friend
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didn't run the patcher. Their Join view needs to complete step 3
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(Apply Patch) before launching Rec Room.
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- **Game launches but goes straight back to the title screen** — your
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Photon region setting differs from your friend's. Both clients must
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match. Set in Photon Cloud → CLOUD REGION.
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Logs live at `%LOCALAPPDATA%\DorkNet\logs\` and capture the full
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server output for each session.
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