DorkNet/docs/joining-a-server.md

Joining a friend's DorkNet server

Built for players whose friend already runs a server and gave them a code. If you want to host instead, see easy-setup.md.

A "join code" is a one-line string your host's launcher generated when they hit Start hosting. It contains everything DorkNet needs to point your Rec Room at their server: the public hostname, the Photon AppIds, the version, and the server's display name. The launcher decodes it locally — nothing is sent anywhere until you actually launch the game.

What you'll need

• Windows 10 or 11
• A copy of Rec Room 2020.03.10 — your own, see Getting the 2020 client
• The join code your friend gave you (a base64-looking blob a few hundred characters long)
• No accounts / installs needed for the default Friends anywhere · Localtunnel join: the host's *.loca.lt URL is baked into the join code, you just paste it and play. The first time your machine hits a given *.loca.lt URL, your browser may show a one-time "Click to Continue" interstitial — open the URL once in any browser to clear it.
• About 2 minutes

You don't need a Photon account of your own. The join code carries your friend's AppIds; the launcher rewrites them into your client.

Download

Grab dorknet.exe from the latest release. Same single-file binary as the host's. Drop it anywhere; state lives in %APPDATA%\DorkNet.

First launch

Welcome screen → GET STARTED → setup wizard.

Wizard step 1 — Pick "Use a code"

The right-hand card.

Join mode skips the host-only wizard steps (server name + Photon), so your wizard runs 3 steps total instead of 5.

Wizard step 2 — Find your Rec Room install

The launcher auto-detects common manual-install locations. If detection worked you'll see a green "Detected install" banner; otherwise click Browse… and point at your Recroom_Release_Data folder (the *_Data sibling of Recroom_Release.exe).

Wizard step 3 — Done

That's it for the wizard. Click Finish to land in the main view.

The main view — Join

• Sidebar (left): same nav as the host's launcher — Host a server, Join a friend, Settings, Re-run setup. You're on Join a friend.
• Header (top): JOIN eyebrow, "Join a friend" title, and the Screen mode checkbox top-right.

Paste the join code

Paste the code your friend sent you into the PASTE THE CODE YOUR HOST SHARED textbox. Hit Preview — the launcher decodes the code and pops a "Server preview" panel showing:

• the server's display name,
• the host address (Localtunnel *.loca.lt, LAN sslip.io, or a custom host),
• the version key (must match your install — the patcher will warn if not).

Sanity-check it. Codes from strangers can point anywhere — only paste codes from people you trust. A malicious code wouldn't compromise your machine, but it could send your Rec Room login traffic to someone else's server.

Confirm your Rec Room install

Same picker as on the wizard. The path shows in monospace below the Rec Room install header. Click Browse… to change it if needed.

Applying the patch

Click APPLY PATCH (the orange button below the install picker; it stays disabled until you've pasted a valid code).

The launcher runs three steps:

1. Download patcher — fetches the version-specific patcher payload. ~10 MB, cached for next time.
2. Strip Steam DRM — only runs if your install is a Steam build.
3. Apply patch — rewrites network URLs and Photon AppIds in place.

Progress steps show inline. If anything fails, the row turns red and you get Retry + Get help buttons.

The original Recroom_Release.exe and its DRM-stripped copy are preserved as backups next to the modified files; the patcher is reversible.

Launching Rec Room

When the patch completes, the LAUNCH REC ROOM button (teal) appears. Click it. The launcher starts your patched Rec Room with the right command-line.

Tick Screen mode in the top-right of the header first if you want to play in 2D desktop mode instead of VR.

You'll see the regular Rec Room login screen — log in with the account your host gave you (each DorkNet server has its own player database), and you're in their world.

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Switching to a different friend's server

You can re-patch any time. Paste the new code, hit Preview to verify, click APPLY PATCH again. The patcher detects the existing patch and updates the destination — no need to repair first.

If you want to go back to the official Rec Room servers, the patcher's backups are still there: rename Recroom_Release.exe.bak (or .steamless.bak) back to Recroom_Release.exe. Or just reinstall.

Switching to host mode

Sidebar → Host a server. You'll need to fill in server name + Photon AppIds before you can host. See easy-setup.md for that workflow. The launcher preserves your install path and screen-mode preference when you switch.

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My account doesn't exist on the server

Each DorkNet server runs its own player database. The first time you join, you need an account on that server. Your friend can sign you up through their admin panel, or you can use the in-game "Create account" flow if signups are enabled.

If you've joined the same server before and switched away, your old account is still on their database — log in with the same credentials you used before.

Voice chat doesn't work

Voice routes through Photon Voice, which is a separate AppId. If your host hasn't set one up, voice chat won't work in-game. You can still use Discord or any other voice tool alongside.

"Photon CustomAuth 401" or game stuck on the loading screen

Almost always one of:

• Your host set up a new Photon AppId since your last join. Paste the new code, re-apply the patch.
• Your Photon region in the code doesn't match the server's. This is set by the host; ask them to confirm the region.
• The patch didn't actually apply — check the launcher's progress panel; a red row means the patcher errored.

"Check your internet connection" / black screen

Almost always: the host restarted hosting since they sent you the join code, so the Localtunnel URL it points at no longer exists. Ask the host to copy the current join code from their launcher and re-share it. Re-apply the patch with the new code.

If that doesn't fix it, open the host's *.loca.lt URL in your browser once — Localtunnel sometimes shows a one-time "Click to Continue" interstitial that needs to be cleared by hand before the patched client can reach the server.

More troubleshooting

troubleshooting.md lists the rest.