Want to make the high seas a little more forgiving, or are you looking for a hardcore pirate experience? Every Windrose world uses a specific configuration file called WorldDescription.json to handle gameplay mechanics like difficulty, resource rates, and enemy scaling.

You can easily adjust these settings by applying a global preset (Easy, Medium, Hard) or by switching to a Custom preset to manually tweak individual values. Here is how to configure your world exactly the way your crew likes it.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Shut down your server.

   Always stop the server by going to Actions > Shutdown before editing save files. Editing while the server is running can cause corruption or your changes to be overwritten.

   

    

2. Locate the world folder.

   Go to File Manager and go to the save profiles path. The usual path is:

   /Server/R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB/version/Worlds//Worlds

   

    

3. Open the world folder you want to change and find WorldDescription.json.

   If you have multiple worlds, you will have multiple world folders and therefore multiple WorldDescription.json files (one per world, obviously); edit the file for the world you intend to modify.

   

    

4. Edit WorldDescription.json.

   You can either:

   • Set the preset value to one of Easy, Medium, or Hard to apply a full preset.
   • Set the preset value to Custom and then manually change the individual boolean, float, and tag entries in the file to fine-tune the world.

    

Use a plain text editor (Notepad, Notepad++, VS Code, etc.). Do not use word processors that add formatting. Keep the file encoding as UTF-8.

Example snippets (Illustrative only):

{
  "WorldPresetType": "Medium",
}

{
  "WorldPreset": "Custom",
  "AllowPVP": true,
  "ResourceMultiplier": 1.25,
  "SpawnRateTag": "High"
}

1. In the Custom case, change the boolean values (true/false), the float numbers (like 1.25), and string tags (like "High") as needed.

1. Save the file.

   To save the config, you should see a Save File option at the very bottom.

   

    

   Before saving, it's a best practice to make a backup copy of the original WorldDescription.json (for example, WorldDescription.json.bak). Save the edited file in the same location.

2. Restart your server.

   Start the server again by going to Actions > Restart. The changes you made in WorldDescription.json should apply when the world loads.

   

Important Reminder: Custom Preset Rules (How to Avoid Resets)

If you choose to use the "Custom" preset, the game is very picky about the numbers you type. If you break its hidden rules, the server will reject your file and reset your world back to default when it boots up. Here is how to keep your custom settings locked in:

1. Keep Your Numbers the Same: You cannot mix and match different multiplier numbers. For example, if you set enemy health to 1.5, you must also set enemy damage to 1.5. Every multiplier needs to be the exact same number.

2. Match Your Numbers to Your Difficulty: The numbers you choose must match the CombatDifficulty tag you set in the file.

3. Making a Custom Hard World: If you set "CombatDifficulty": "Hard", every single multiplier must be set to exactly 1.5. If you try to make it even harder by typing 2.0, the game will reject it and reset your server.

4. Making a Custom Easy World: If you set "CombatDifficulty": "Easy", every single multiplier must be set to exactly 0.5, and you must also make sure "EasyExplore" is set to true.

Values for parameters

Troubleshooting

If your new settings aren't working as expected, run through these common checks:

• Settings Revert to Default (Validation Failure): If your settings keep reverting to normal on boot, it is highly likely your custom multipliers and difficulty tags did not match perfectly and failed the strict rules mentioned in the Important Reminder section.

• Settings aren't applying: Ensure you edited the correct world save. The world folder name must match the World Save ID referenced in your Basic Settings (or your ServerDescription.json file). If you edited a different folder, the live world won't see those changes.

• File gets reverted after a restart: This almost always means the JSON syntax was broken. A malformed file gets rejected or replaced by the server. Double-check your formatting (look for missing commas or stray quotes) using a free online JSON validator before starting the server.

• Editor or encoding issues: Ensure the file is saved as UTF-8 without adding a BOM or special formatting. Rich text editors can insert extra hidden characters that break the game's ability to read the file.

• Server overwrites changes on shutdown: Never edit files while the server is running. The server constantly reads and writes data; if it shuts down after you make changes, it will overwrite your edits with its current live state.

   

Conclusion

Taking control of your WorldDescription.json lets you tailor the Windrose experience perfectly to your crew's playstyle. Whether you're ramping up boss aggression for a brutal challenge or tweaking resource rates for a more relaxed voyage, a few quick edits can completely change your adventure.

If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to our customer care agents through our live chat or email at support@pingplayers.com. 

Happy gaming!