World settings and difficulty

In Windrose, the difficulty and gameplay settings are stored in each world, in a WorldDescription.json file. Two worlds on the same server can therefore have different settings.

Choosing a method

Method	Advantage	When to use it
Create the world in the game in solo, then import it	Settings chosen in the game's interface, no risk of syntax errors	The simplest method, especially for a new world
Edit WorldDescription.json on the server	No need to go through the game	Tweak an existing world (see the warning below)

For the first method, see Importing a solo world.

Where is WorldDescription.json?

The file is in the world's folder, under R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/:

R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/
└── RocksDB/                    ← the exact name may vary with the version (e.g. RocksDB_v2)
    └── <GameVersion>/
        └── Worlds/
            └── <WorldId>/
                └── WorldDescription.json

• <WorldId> is the world identifier: it matches IslandId in WorldDescription.json and WorldIslandId in ServerDescription.json
• Never rename the <WorldId> folder: the world database relies on this identifier

Changing the settings

Stop the server and take a backup

Stop the server from the Console and create a backup in the Backups tab before editing WorldDescription.json. A syntax error can prevent the world from loading.

1. Stop the server
2. Open WorldDescription.json in the Files tab
3. Change the preset or the parameters you want
4. Save, then start the server
5. Check in game that the new settings are applied

Settings not applied?

According to the official dedicated server guide, changes to WorldDescription.json on an existing world must be applied with a command-line tool, R5WorldDescriptionUpdater.exe, shipped with the server. This tool cannot be run from the panel. If your changes are not applied after a restart, contact support, or use the "create the world in solo, then import it" method.

File structure

{
  "IslandId": "…",
  "WorldName": "My world",
  "WorldPresetType": "Medium",
  "WorldSettings": {
    "BoolParameters": { },
    "FloatParameters": { },
    "TagParameters": { }
  }
}

Key	Purpose
IslandId	World identifier, same as the folder name. Do not change
WorldName	Displayed world name
WorldPresetType	Preset: Easy, Medium, Hard or Custom
WorldSettings	Detailed settings, split into booleans, numbers and tags

Difficulty presets

Preset	Enemy HP	Enemy damage	Ship HP	Ship damage	Boarding
Easy	×0.7	×0.6	×0.7	×0.6	×0.7
Medium	×1	×1	×1	×1	×1
Hard	×1.5	×1.25	×1.5	×1.25	×1.5

As soon as you change a parameter by hand, the world switches to the Custom preset.

Detailed parameters

In WorldSettings, each parameter is identified by a key in a special format: a small escaped JSON string containing the parameter name (WDS.Parameter.…). Copy these keys exactly as they appear in your file and only change the value. Example:

"FloatParameters": {
  "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.MobHealthMultiplier\"}": 1.5
}

Combat and sailing (FloatParameters)

Parameter	Purpose	Range	Default
MobHealthMultiplier	Enemy health	0.2 to 5	1
MobDamageMultiplier	Damage dealt by enemies	0.2 to 5	1
ShipsHealthMultiplier	Enemy ship health	0.4 to 5	1
ShipsDamageMultiplier	Damage dealt by enemy ships	0.2 to 2.5	1
BoardingDifficultyMultiplier	Boarding difficulty	0.2 to 5	1
Coop.StatsCorrectionModifier	Adjusts enemy health and how fast they lose posture based on the number of players	0 to 2	1
Coop.ShipStatsCorrectionModifier	Adjusts enemy ship health based on the number of players	0 to 2	0

In the file, decimal values use a dot (1.5).

Options (BoolParameters)

Parameter	Purpose	Default
Coop.SharedQuests	A co-op quest completed by one player is completed for every player on the server	true
EasyExplore	When true, disables the map markers for points of interest, making them harder to find	false

Combat difficulty (TagParameters)

CombatDifficulty sets how hard boss encounters are and how aggressive enemies are in general. It accepts Easy, Normal or Hard:

"TagParameters": {
  "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty\"}": {
    "TagName": "WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Hard"
  }
}

The game keeps changing

Windrose is in Early Access: parameter names, ranges and defaults may change from one version to the next. Always rely first on the contents of your own WorldDescription.json.

See also

• Configuring the server (ServerDescription.json)
• Backups, world import and updates
• Troubleshooting