Settings that “reset” are one of three things: a key V3 no longer reads, a serverconfig.xml an update replaced, or a command-line override. How to tell which, and how to run the server on your own copy so restarts and updates leave it alone.
The big overhauls target V2.6 or V1.4, not V3. Which version each needs, the Steam branches that still exist, pinning the server and every player, EasyAntiCheat and DLL mods, why settings files and worlds must stay per version, and the console trade-off.
V3.0 moved thirty gameplay settings — GameDifficulty, every BloodMoon key, day length, loot, XP — into one SandboxCode. TFP’s own words, the full list, how to make and paste a code, how to check it with gso, and the V3.1 change that can invalidate old codes.
Yes, since V2.0 — with crossplay on, EasyAntiCheat on and 8 or fewer slots. What TFP requires, what host guides add, the CROSSPLAY DISABLED FOR SESSION warning we measured on V3.4, and why a pinned or modded server is PC-only.
TFP publishes no server figure. What exists: the game’s 8/12 GB requirements and the “double ram” warning, our own idle measurement of about 2 GB on Navezgane, and the config settings the file itself says drive load — zombies and view distance.
Anonymous SteamCMD install of app 294420, a settings file updates cannot replace, the day-one serverconfig properties, ports and SteamNetworking, SandboxCode, and keeping the server on the players’ branch — from TFP’s notes and our own V3.4 install.