Setting Up Your 7 Days to Die Experimental Server: A Quick Guide

Are you eager to dive into the latest features and changes of 7 Days to Die before they hit the stable version? Setting up an experimental server is your gateway to experiencing the cutting-edge of the game. This guide will walk you through the process of downloading the 7 Days to Die experimental server files using SteamCMD, a powerful command-line tool used for managing dedicated game servers.

What You Need to Get Started

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

SteamCMD: This is the essential tool from Steam that allows you to download server files. If you don’t have it already, you’ll need to download and install SteamCMD from the official Steam website.
A PC: You’ll need a computer where you want to host the server files. This machine will download and store the necessary files for your 7 Days to Die experimental server.

Downloading 7 Days to Die Experimental Server Files via SteamCMD

The quickest and most efficient way to download the experimental server files for 7 Days to Die is by using a simple batch script in SteamCMD. Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

Navigate to your SteamCMD Installation Folder: Open the directory where you installed SteamCMD. This is usually a folder named “SteamCMD” wherever you chose to install it.
Create a New Text File: Inside the SteamCMD folder, create a new text file.
Paste the Batch Script: Open the text file and paste the following lines into it:
```
@echo off
start "" steamcmd.exe +login anonymous +force_install_dir "C:7DaysToDie" +app_update 294420 -beta latest_experimental +quit
```
Let’s break down what each part of this script does:
- @echo off: This command turns off the command echoing, making the output cleaner.
- start "" steamcmd.exe: This starts the SteamCMD application.
- +login anonymous: This logs into SteamCMD anonymously, which is sufficient for downloading public server files.
- +force_install_dir "C:7DaysToDie": This sets the installation directory for the 7 Days to Die server files. In this example, it’s set to C:7DaysToDie. Important: You can change "C:7DaysToDie" to any directory you prefer. Just ensure the path is correctly specified.
- +app_update 294420 -beta latest_experimental: This is the core command that tells SteamCMD to download and update the server files for the application ID 294420 (which is 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server). The -beta latest_experimental part specifically instructs SteamCMD to download the latest experimental branch of the server.
- +quit: This command closes SteamCMD after the download is complete.
Save the File as a Batch File: Save the text file with a .bat extension. For example, you can name it Download_7D2D_Exp.bat. Make sure the “Save as type” is set to “All Files” to prevent it from being saved as a .txt file.
Run the Batch File: Double-click the Download_7D2D_Exp.bat file you just created. This will execute the batch script.
SteamCMD will Start and Download Files: A command prompt window will appear, and SteamCMD will start working. It will connect to Steam, log in anonymously, and then begin downloading the 7 Days to Die experimental server files to the directory you specified in the force_install_dir command (e.g., C:7DaysToDie).
Wait for Completion: The download time will depend on your internet connection speed and the size of the server files. Once the download is finished, the SteamCMD window will close automatically.
Access Your Server Files: Navigate to the directory you set as the force_install_dir (e.g., C:7DaysToDie). You will find all the 7 Days to Die experimental server files there, ready for configuration and launching your server.

Downloading the Stable Branch Instead

If you ever want to download the stable version of the 7 Days to Die server files, you can easily modify the batch script. Simply remove -beta latest_experimental from the app_update line. The modified line would look like this:

+app_update 294420 +quit

By removing the beta branch specification, SteamCMD will download the default, stable branch of the 7 Days to Die server files.

Conclusion

Downloading the 7 Days to Die experimental server files using SteamCMD and a batch script is a straightforward process. This method is widely used by hosting providers and experienced server administrators due to its efficiency and reliability. With these steps, you’re well on your way to setting up your own 7 Days to Die experimental server and exploring the newest features the game has to offer. It might seem technical at first, but once you try it, you’ll see how easy it is to manage your server files with SteamCMD.