Obtain SteamCMD from https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd.zip

Step 1: Extract the single file to a directory named "steamcmd" in the root directory of the drive. For example:

C:\steamcmd\

Step 2: Run steamcmd by doubleclicking on the executable inside your newly created directory. This will download a bunch of files and get steamcmd up to date.

Step 3: Type "quit" after it's done updating

Step 4: Open notepad
Step 5: Add the following line:

"C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.exe" +login anonymous +force_install_dir ./blackwake_server/ +app_update 423410 validate +quit

Step 6: Save the file as "server update.bat" in your steamcmd directory - In notepad you will need to change the file extension on the bottom to All Files (*.*) in order to save this correctly

Step 7: Run your new batchfile from your steamcmd directory and wait for the file to download. This can take a bit since it's about ~350MB
Step 8: Edit your batch file (server update.bat) and add this new line to the bottom:

start "" "BlackwakeServer.exe" -batchmode -nographics

Step 9: Move your server update.bat file to blackwake_server directory

Step 10: In order to get people to be able to connect to your server, you need to forward a couple of ports:

25001 UDP
26915 UDP
27015 UDP

Step 11: Next step is allowing BlackwakeServer.exe through windows firewall. To do this, add an application through the firewall, and find BlackwakeServer.exe in blackwake_server directory. This is important to not forget if you have windows firewall on
Step 12: If you have an antivirus, allow BlackwakeServer.exe through the firewall

Step 13: run server update.bat from the new location in the blackwake_server directory - it will validate the app again, then launch blackwake server. (starting the server will spike resources for ~2-3 minutes then normalize after it is started)
Step 14: After the server starts, a config file Server.cfg will be generated. Open this up in notepad.
Step 15: Edit options as needed. The options you can edit are the following:

serverName= Name of the server on list (Default: my server)
port=(1-65535) Game server port (Default: 25001)
useIp= Game server ip binding - advanced users only (Default: )
sport=(1-65535) Steam server port (Default: 27015)
hideFromList=(0 or 1) Hide server from steam list (Default: 0)(1 means hide)
restartHour=(0-23) Hour of the day to restart (Default: 00) (-1 is an option to never restart)
password= Password protect your server (Default: ) (Minimum 3 characters)
gamemode=(1-7) Game mode to run: 1= 1v1 Hoy | 2= 1v1 Galleon | 3 - | 4 - | 5 2v2 Hoy | 6 2v2 Galleon | 7 Fleet | 8 Capture The Booty (Default: 5)
friendlyPlayerCollision=(0 or 1) Player Collision. Could be bad. (Default: 0)
friendlySpreadFires=(0 or 1) Requires the above setting to be on, and will spread fires between friendly players that bump into eachother (Default: 0)
friendlyFire=(0 or 1) Hand Weapons Friendly Fire (Default: 0)
friendlyShipDamage=(0 or 1) Cause damage to friendly ships (Default: 0)
forceEqualFactions=(0 or 1) New players have to balance teams (Default: 1)
shipSpeedFactor=(0-x) Speed of the ships % based (Default: 1)
playerUpdateRate= (10-x) times/s player position is updated (Default: 15)
allowGlobalVoice= (0 or 1) Able to talk to other team outside win screen (Default: 0)
discordLink=(https://discord.gg/<invite>) Link for discord invite
teamCount=(2 4 or 6) Teams must be divisible by 2 (4 means 2 crews on each faction, for example) (Default: 6)
captureSpeedMultiplier=(1)
resourceGainMultiplier=1
useAndWinByTickets=1
ticketAmount=300
useTicketScaling=1
friendlyFireCanToggle=1
allowExperimentalModes=0
gateExplosiveAmount=10
towerHealthHits=10


Step 16: In admin.txt add yourself with your steam64 id like such:

RadSquirrel=00000000000000000

Step 17: Make sure BlackwakeServer.exe isn't running from the task manager(end it if it is), and rerun your batch file for the final time to get it started and you should see it in the steam server list

This is a known issue, and it is semi-intentional - users are not meant to run this on their home machines. This game uses a large amount of network, expecially once you get up to the 54 player slot mark, so it's not meant to play on a consumer internet, it's meant for fully dedicated servers. Most likely will not be fixed anytime soon.

A known work around is to start blackwake through steam, then start your dedicated server up after blackwake is open. However if you close blackwake for any reason you'll have to stop the dedicated server first.


There actually are no maps - Islands are generated randomly. There will be a weather setting in the future according to devs.


Make sure you are running the BlackwakeServer.exe out of the right directory - otherwise it won't be able to find the configuration file


Blackwake takes a few minutes to start - it won't show up until it's fully loaded which you'll know if it doesn't show. Most likely you missed the step where you need to add BlackwakeServer.exe to the windows firewall allowed programs, or opening one of the ports above.

It takes up ~2.5GB with steamcmd


Yes! There is now a -configFile option you can add to your batch file and will look like such:

start "" "BlackwakeServer.exe" -batchmode -nographics -configFile radsquirrel.cfg

However there is an issue where the auto restarter calls server update.bat which would only have one configuration in it, and each auto restart would call that batch file, launching one server multiple times - not ideal. Devs are working on a way to fix this for now!


When running multiple servers, it's important to switch the port option to 25002 and the sport option to 27016. This will change the ports for the 2nd server to the following:

25002
26916
27016

Note that the second port in the list is always (sport - 100), so if you were to change the sport to 27014 - it would be 26914


Yes! Now you can! the useIp= option allows you to enter an ip like such:

useIp=172.16.76.156

This properly binds to ip's and if the internal ip's are associated with different adapaters, you can have two servers on two different adapters with two different external ip's, which means two servers running on the same machine on the same ports using different IP's. OR you could just bind to one of your ip aliases!

Note that the game port doesn't bind to an IP still - so you need to change that for multiple game servers at the least.


Not yet, but it has been confirmed by developers that this will exist soon!


No, outside the existing game mode times (listed below in another question), you are unable to customize ship layouts.


When you join your server and hit tab, you should see yourself highlighted in red (meaning you are admin) If you click on another player it will show additional options such as to kick, mod, mute, or ban them. Clicking the mod button will make them highlighted in yellow, and permanently added to the servers mod.txt file.


Mods can kick and mute players. Kick comes with a temporary ban ~25minutes. Mods are not able to mod other players or ban players permanently.


After a player has been banned, bans.txt


1 (Hoy vs Hoy): 16 slots
2 (Galleon vs Galleon): 30 slots
5 (2v2 Hoys): 32 Slots
6 (2v2 Galleons): 52 slots
7 (Fleet): 54 slots
8 (CTB 2v2 Hoy) 32 Slots