What Enabling Anomaly Changes
Loading Anomaly.Server.dll into a LabAPI server changes how players connect and what content the server can provide. Review these changes before running Anomaly in production.
The server runs in offline mode
Section titled “The server runs in offline mode”Anomaly-enabled servers do not use NorthWood Central Authentication for player joins. Operationally:
- The server is not listed in the vanilla public server browser.
- Players must know how to connect to your Anomaly server directly.
- NorthWood ban enforcement does not apply to Anomaly identities.
- Steam overlay, friends, and presence can still work on the client side.
If your community requires vanilla public-server visibility or Central Authentication enforcement, do not enable Anomaly.
Vanilla clients cannot connect
Section titled “Vanilla clients cannot connect”Anomaly clients and servers perform a modded-client handshake before gameplay starts. Vanilla clients do not speak that handshake and are rejected before entering the lobby.
The reverse is also true: an Anomaly client cannot join a vanilla server.
Servers can require an Anomaly password
Section titled “Servers can require an Anomaly password”Anomaly.Server can require a shared server password before a client reaches the lobby. The client prompts for it during pre-join authentication, and wrong passwords are rejected before gameplay.
This password is separate from @anomaly identity, bans, whitelists, and remote-admin permissions. See Configuration for setup.
Players use @anomaly IDs
Section titled “Players use @anomaly IDs”Anomaly clients have a persistent local identity. When a player joins, the server verifies that identity and exposes the resulting @anomaly ID through normal LabAPI user-id surfaces.
@anomaly IDs are:
- Stable as long as the player keeps the same
user.jsonidentity file. - Usable in bans, whitelists, permissions, and player-scoped data.
- Separate from Steam IDs, with no automatic migration from existing Steam-based permissions.
See Auth Model and @anomaly IDs for operator guidance.
Custom asset distribution becomes available
Section titled “Custom asset distribution becomes available”If you configure AssetDirectory, the server can offer textures, audio, bundles, and override data to connecting clients. Clients cache downloaded files and only fetch what they are missing on later joins.
This is optional. A server with no configured assets simply skips the transfer phase.
See Asset Distribution and Late-Join Behaviour for the lifecycle.
New mod-author surface
Section titled “New mod-author surface”Server companion plugins can send custom Anomaly messages, spawn or override assets, and coordinate with client-side MelonLoader mods through supported Anomaly APIs.
See the Mod Developer track for the author-side workflow.
What does not change
Section titled “What does not change”- LabAPI plugins continue to load normally next to Anomaly.Server.
- EXILED-targeted plugins may work if their wrappers expose the underlying LabAPI data they need.
- Remote admin still uses LabAPI’s existing permission model.
- Vanilla round flow and gameplay rules are not replaced by Anomaly.