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Godlike.Host offers hosted Soulmask servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
The reliable way to automate Soulmask dedicated-server updates is to schedule a job that warns players, saves and backs up the world, waits for a clean shutdown, runs SteamCMD with app ID 3017310, and starts the server again only after the update finishes. On managed hosting, a provider task can package most of this workflow. On Windows or Linux self-hosting, you assemble the scheduler, warning, shutdown, backup, update and health-check stages yourself.
Do not let SteamCMD replace files while the Soulmask process is running. A warning without a graceful save, or an update without a rollback backup, can turn a routine patch into lost progress or a server that will not start.
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What the automatic-update job must do
A safe unattended update is a sequence, not a single command:
- Determine whether an update is needed.
- Tell connected players exactly when the interruption will occur.
- Save the world and create a dated backup.
- Stop the dedicated-server process and wait for it to exit.
- Run SteamCMD against app ID 3017310.
- Start the server and verify its process, ports, logs and a real connection.
Skipping the “wait until stopped” stage is the most dangerous mistake. SteamCMD can overwrite binaries or data while the game still has files open, producing an incomplete installation or inconsistent world state.
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Choose an automation method
| Environment | Best-fit method | What it can automate | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed hosting panel | Recurring Steam Update task | Countdown, save, world backup and update; often conditional on a new version | Task labels and timezone handling differ by provider |
| Windows self-hosting | Task Scheduler plus batch or PowerShell scripts | Broadcast warning, graceful stop, backup, SteamCMD update and restart | You must set paths, permissions and shutdown timing |
| Linux self-hosting | systemd service and timer, optionally an appmanifest watcher | Service lifecycle, scheduled update, notifications and logging | A watcher needs least-privilege access and protection against overlapping jobs |
| Several server instances | One controlled job per instance, or a cluster orchestrator | Ordered updates and per-instance health checks | Every instance must end on the same compatible files |
Run the complete sequence manually once before enabling an unattended schedule. The first run reveals the actual save time, shutdown time, SteamCMD path, backup location and startup behavior on your machine.
Managed hosting: create a conditional Steam update task
On a panel that exposes a Steam Update scheduled task, use the provider’s task creator rather than adding a second independent restart job. GTXGaming’s documented workflow is an example: the task repeats on a schedule, offers Update only if a new version is available, sends a 10-minute in-game countdown, saves and backs up the world, and then updates the server.
- Open the server’s scheduled-task or automation page.
- Create a recurring task and select Steam Update.
- Set the recurrence during the lowest expected player activity.
- Enable Update only if a new version is available when that option is present. This avoids an unnecessary restart when Steam has no new files.
- Confirm the panel’s displayed machine-local timezone before choosing the clock time. Do not assume it uses your browser, community or billing timezone.
- Set or review the warning text and countdown. Make it explicit that the server will restart and include the scheduled time.
- Save the task, run a supervised test, and inspect the task log for save, backup, shutdown and update results.
Panel implementations vary. Some providers perform the backup and stop internally; others expose separate tasks. Keep those stages in one ordered workflow where possible so a standalone “restart” task cannot race the update task.
Windows self-hosting: build a warning, update and restart chain
Prepare the host
- Install SteamCMD and record its full path.
- Record the Soulmask server installation directory and the command you normally use to start it.
- Choose a backup directory on storage that is not inside the live installation directory.
- Run the scheduled task under the Windows account that can read and write the server, backup and SteamCMD directories.
- Ensure the account can broadcast an in-game message through the server’s normal administration mechanism, or provide a Discord notification as a second channel.
Use separate scripts for shutdown, update and start, then call them from one reboot script. Separation makes it possible to test each stage without accidentally launching an update while the server is still running.
Design the Windows sequence
- Broadcast a 15-minute warning such as
Server update in 15 minutes; save and log out. - Wait through the warning period, repeating a shorter notice if your broadcast mechanism supports it.
- Issue the game’s save command or invoke its graceful shutdown path.
- Wait for the Soulmask process to exit. A community recipe waits roughly 16 minutes after the warning; use a longer value if your world takes longer to close.
- Verify that the process is actually gone before touching files.
- Create a dated world backup and record whether the copy completed.
- Run SteamCMD and capture its console output to a log.
- Start the server with the same arguments used for a manual launch.
- Check the process, listening ports and startup log before declaring success.
The wait is a maximum safety window, not proof that shutdown finished. A robust script checks for the process and loops until it disappears, with a timeout that fails safely rather than updating a still-running server.
Run SteamCMD with the Soulmask app ID
The core update command is:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 3017310 validate +quitIf SteamCMD is outside the installation directory, specify the destination explicitly:
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steamcmd +force_install_dir "C:PathToSoulmaskServer" +login anonymous +app_update 3017310 validate +quitUse the actual executable path and server path on your host. Redirect output to a timestamped log. Treat a nonzero process exit, an interrupted download or an incomplete-looking log as a failed update; do not automatically start a potentially partial installation without investigating.
Schedule the reboot script
In Windows Task Scheduler, create a task that runs whether or not a user is logged on, uses the service account with file permissions, and starts in the directory containing your scripts. Set a weekly or daily trigger that matches your patching policy, then configure retries only if they cannot create overlapping runs. A lock file, named mutex or equivalent guard should cause a second invocation to exit immediately.
Keep the warning window long enough for players to finish an activity. The documented Windows example uses 15 minutes and waits approximately 16 minutes before updating; measure your own shutdown and backup times and adjust the values rather than copying them blindly.
Linux self-hosting: systemd, timers and manifest notifications
Run the server as a systemd service
A systemd service gives the server a known process identity, restart policy and journal. Put the actual executable and arguments in the service unit, use a dedicated unprivileged account, and make the working directory the Soulmask installation directory. Do not run SteamCMD as root simply because the service uses a restricted account; grant that account ownership or the minimum write permissions it needs.
Keep update logic outside the long-running game service. An update script should:
- Acquire a lock before doing anything.
- Send the warning.
- Save and stop the service with systemd.
- Wait until systemd reports the service inactive and the process is gone.
- Back up the world to a separate location.
- Run SteamCMD with app ID 3017310 and log the result.
- Start the service and return a failure status if it does not become healthy.
A systemd timer can invoke this script at a fixed local time. Document the host timezone and inspect the timer’s next-run value after creating it; daylight-saving changes can otherwise move the maintenance window from the time your community expects.
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Use an appmanifest watcher when updates are detected externally
The Linux operations pattern described for Soulmask watches Steam’s appmanifest with inotify. When the manifest changes, the watcher posts notices at 10, 5 and 1 minutes before restarting. Treat that as an implementation pattern rather than a complete drop-in script: the watcher must run with least privilege, write an audit log, and use the same lock as scheduled updates.
Do not restart merely because a file timestamp changed. Confirm that SteamCMD completed successfully, then perform the warning, save, shutdown and backup sequence. If an update job is already running, the watcher should report that fact and exit instead of starting a second update.
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The message should state the event, the remaining time and the action required. For example:
Server update in 10 minutes; save your character and log out.Restart in 5 minutes for a Soulmask server update. Do not start a new activity.Restart in 1 minute. The server will disconnect shortly.
Ten minutes is the countdown used by the documented managed-host workflow; the Windows example uses 15 minutes, and the Linux watcher announces 10, 5 and 1 minutes. Choose one window and publish it in your community’s Discord or status channel as well as in-game when possible. Include the expected clock time if your audience spans time zones.
Do not promise that a patch is available unless your scheduler has confirmed it. A conditional managed-host task can skip the restart when no new version exists; a self-hosted job should make the same decision only if its update check is reliable.
Save and back up before changing files
Save through the game’s graceful path
Use the server’s save command or graceful shutdown mechanism before stopping the process. Give the save operation time to finish and watch the log for confirmation. A forced process termination can leave the latest world state unwritten even if the operating system later copies the files successfully.
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Create a rollback backup
Back up the world before SteamCMD changes the installation. Store the copy outside the live server directory, add the date and time to its name, and retain multiple generations so a bad patch can be rolled back. Verify that the backup contains the expected world files and that the copy completed without permission or disk-space errors.
Managed workflows may perform both save and backup automatically. A GUI tool such as SoulMask Server Manager advertises automatic backups and pre-update protection, along with scheduled restarts and optional broadcast warnings. Even when a tool handles the copy, check where it stores backups and how many generations it retains.
Stop cleanly, update, then restart
The update stage should begin only after the dedicated-server process has exited. On Windows, check the process list; on Linux, check the systemd state and process table. If the process remains, extend the wait or investigate a hung shutdown. Never solve a slow save by shortening the wait.
Run:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 3017310 validate +quitThe validate option asks SteamCMD to verify the installation while applying the update. Keep the full output with the maintenance record. If the command fails, preserve the old files and backup, notify an administrator, and avoid repeatedly launching the same job without correcting the cause.
After a successful command, start the server using the known-good launch configuration. Do not assume that a process appearing briefly means the server is ready; wait for the normal startup log entries and listening ports.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Verify every unattended run
Use these checks in order:
- Process: exactly the expected Soulmask server process is running under the intended account.
- Ports: the configured game and query ports are listening and are not occupied by another instance.
- Logs: startup completed without missing-file, permission, version or world-load errors.
- Connectivity: connect from a client and confirm that the world and player data load.
- Persistence: make a harmless change, save, reconnect and confirm it persists.
- Notifications: record the update result and send a failure alert if any check fails.
For several instances, update and restart them in a controlled order. Verify that each instance uses the same intended files and that cluster members are compatible before allowing players back into the full cluster.
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Safeguards that prevent avoidable outages
- Maintenance timing: schedule during the lowest expected activity and write the host’s timezone in the maintenance documentation.
- Multiple backups: retain several dated generations, not only the newest copy.
- Concurrency lock: prevent a timer, watcher and manual command from updating simultaneously.
- Explicit warnings: keep messages short, state the restart time and repeat them in Discord when that is where your community watches for notices.
- Least privilege: run the watcher and server with only the permissions they require.
- Logging: save scheduler output, SteamCMD output, backup status and post-start health results.
- Manual rehearsal: test the entire chain, including a failed update and a slow shutdown, before enabling unattended operation.
Troubleshoot common failures
The server restarts but no patch was needed
This usually means the scheduler runs an unconditional restart. On a managed panel, enable Update only if a new version is available. On self-hosting, separate the update check from the restart decision so a no-change result leaves the live process untouched.
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SteamCMD reports success but the server will not start
Read the SteamCMD log and the server startup log together. Check free disk space, write permissions, the force-install directory and whether the command targeted the same directory used by the startup script. If files are incomplete, stop the server, preserve the failed logs, restore the pre-update backup where appropriate, and retry only after identifying the cause.
The update begins while the process is still running
Your script is relying on a fixed sleep instead of a process check, or the check is looking for the wrong executable. Correct the identity check, increase the timeout to cover the measured shutdown duration and make the failure path abort before SteamCMD runs.
Players receive no warning
Confirm that the scheduled account can access the broadcast mechanism and that the warning command targets the correct instance. Add Discord notifications as a secondary channel, and test delivery during a supervised maintenance run rather than discovering the problem during a patch.
Two updates overlap
Use one shared lock for scheduled tasks, manifest watchers and manual maintenance commands. The second invocation should log that another job owns the lock and exit without stopping or updating the server.
The world appears to roll back
Check whether the save completed before shutdown and whether the backup was taken from the live world directory. Compare timestamps and sizes, restore the newest known-good backup only after stopping the server, and then investigate why the save or copy stage reported success prematurely.
Maintenance record to keep
For each run, retain the scheduled start time and timezone, warning timestamps, save and shutdown confirmation, backup path, SteamCMD exit status and log, server start time, health-check results and any player-impacting error. This record makes it possible to distinguish a game patch problem from a scheduler, permissions, storage or networking problem without guessing.
No authoritative current Soulmask build number or fixed release cadence is established here, so schedule by update detection and verify the installed files after each run rather than hard-coding a version or assuming a particular patch day.
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