Essential Admin Commands
Icarus admin commands are best handled as controlled operational tools, with clear limits on when intervention is acceptable in live player sessions.
Enabling Admin Access
To grant yourself admin powers, you must add your SteamID64 to the Admins.txt file located in your server's /Saved/ directory.
Common Commands
/KickPlayer [PlayerName]- Remove a player from the session./BanPlayer [PlayerName]- Permanently ban a player./GiveItem [ItemName] [Amount]- (Cheat) Spawn items./TeleportToPlayer [PlayerName]- Teleport to another user.
Server Management
/Shutdown- Safely shut down the server and save progress./Save- Force an immediate save of the world state.
Administrative Intervention Policy
Set explicit boundaries for command use across moderation, recovery, and event support. Predictable policy reduces disputes and keeps server governance consistent when multiple admins cover different time windows.
- Moderation scope: Focus on safety and technical continuity, not progression favoritism.
- Emergency scope: Use world-impacting commands only for verified outages or corruption risks.
- Audit trail: Record command-based interventions with timestamp and reason.
Operational Checklist
Treat this topic as a repeatable server operation, not a one-time change. Schedule changes during lower traffic, announce maintenance windows, and keep a rollback snapshot before each update. If your server is modded, validate changes on a staging copy first so startup logs, world loading, and player joins are confirmed before production rollout.
Validation Steps
- Capture baseline metrics: Record CPU, RAM, and average player ping before changes.
- Apply one change at a time: Avoid batch edits that make root-cause analysis difficult.
- Review logs after restart: Check for version mismatch and dependency warnings immediately.
- Run a real join test: Confirm fresh clients can connect and complete core gameplay actions.
- Observe for at least 24 hours: Validate behavior under peak load, not only right after reboot.
Performance and Stability Notes
Most hosting incidents come from resource spikes combined with configuration drift. Keep restart cadence predictable, review world/save growth weekly, and cap optional systems that generate extreme entity counts. When performance drops, compare with your last known-good baseline and revert recent high-risk changes quickly to reduce downtime.
Backup and Rollback Policy
Use automated daily backups plus pre-change snapshots for risky operations. Keep at least one off-node copy and test restore procedures routinely. A practical retention strategy is 7 daily, 4 weekly, and 2 monthly restore points. If a change causes instability, roll back first, stabilize service, and then reattempt with a narrower test scope.
Game-Specific Hosting Notes
- Session model awareness: Align save handling with mission/session lifecycle expectations.
- Patch testing: Validate dedicated server tools and launch args after each update.
- Backup cadence: Snapshot before major world events or config changes.