Deploying Dedicated Space Engineers via Torch

Keen Software House ships an official Space Engineers dedicated server (SEDS), but anyone running a real community quickly outgrows it. SEDS has no plugin system, no live console, no scheduled cleanup, and no way to throttle the VRAGE physics tick when floating debris accumulates. The community maintained Torch project wraps SEDS with a proper management UI, an in process plugin loader, and the essential cleanup utilities. This guide stands Torch up on a Windows Server bare metal host, installs the Essentials and Concealment plugins, and schedules a debris purge that keeps the simulation tick within budget.

Prerequisites

• Windows Server 2022, fully patched, with .NET Framework 4.8.
• At least 16 GB RAM, 6 modern CPU cores (high single thread clocks matter more than core count for VRAGE).
• TCP 27016 and UDP 27016 open at the firewall.
• A dedicated low privilege Windows account for the service.

Step 1: Install SteamCMD and SEDS

$New-Item -ItemType Directory C:\SE\steamcmd
$Invoke-WebRequest https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd.zip `
$  -OutFile C:\SE\steamcmd\steamcmd.zip
$Expand-Archive C:\SE\steamcmd\steamcmd.zip -DestinationPath C:\SE\steamcmd
$cd C:\SE\steamcmd
$.\steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir C:\SE\Server +login anonymous `
$  +app_update 298740 validate +quit

Step 2: Install Torch on Top of SEDS

Torch is shipped as a small launcher that loads next to the SEDS binaries. Download the latest stable release from torchapi.com and drop it into the SEDS install directory so it can patch into the same process space.

$Invoke-WebRequest https://build.torchapi.com/job/Torch/job/master/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/bin/torch-server.zip `
$  -OutFile C:\SE\torch.zip
$Expand-Archive C:\SE\torch.zip -DestinationPath C:\SE\Server -Force
$cd C:\SE\Server
$.\Torch.Server.exe -autostart

Step 3: Install Essentials and Concealment Plugins

Open the Torch UI on http://localhost:8080, navigate to Plugins, Browse, and install Essentials (admin commands, scheduled scripts) and Concealment (puts dormant grids to sleep). Both are signed by the Torch maintainers.

Step 4: Schedule a Debris Purge

Floating ore chunks, dropped components, and abandoned voxel hand grids are the largest single source of VRAGE physics load on a long lived world. Essentials exposes a scheduled command runner, paste the following into Torch, Plugins, Essentials, Scheduled Commands.

$Schedule: */15 * * * *
$Command:  !cleanup scan
$Then:     !cleanup deletefloatingobjects
$Then:     !cleanup deletegrids -name "Wheel" -older 30m
$Then:     !cleanup deletegrids -ownerless -blocks "<6"
$Announce: "Server cleanup complete, FPS restored."

Step 5: Run Torch as a Windows Service

$sc.exe create TorchSE binPath= "C:\SE\Server\Torch.Server.exe -nogui -autostart" `
$  start= auto obj= ".\torchsvc" password= "REPLACE_ME"
$sc.exe failure TorchSE reset= 86400 actions= restart/30000/restart/30000/restart/30000
$sc.exe start TorchSE

Performance and Tuning

• Cap PCU per player to 50000, that single setting saves more CPU than any plugin.
• Enable Concealment with a 2 km activation radius, dormant grids cost zero physics.
• Run an Essentials world backup every 30 minutes, the .sbs file format is fragile under power loss.

Conclusion

Torch turns SEDS from a black box into a managed, scriptable, plugin aware service. With Essentials handling cleanup, Concealment trimming dormant load, and the whole thing running as a Windows service, a Space Engineers world can survive months of continuous play without the sim speed collapse that kills vanilla SEDS deployments.