Cluster & Sector Setup

Once your servers are registered in the controller, you can create clusters and sectors to define how your world is divided. This is done through the Nexus Setup pages in the controller.

For a conceptual overview of clusters and sectors, see the Nexus Capabilities page.


Cluster Setup

Navigate to Nexus Setup → Cluster Setup to manage your clusters. A cluster represents an entire world that can be distributed across multiple servers.

Adding a Cluster link

Click the New Cluster button to create a new cluster entry.

Cluster Properties link

Cluster ID link

A unique numeric identifier for this cluster. Must be between 1 and 255.

Cluster Name link

A friendly display name for this cluster.

Cluster Description link

An optional description to help identify the purpose of this cluster.

Lobby Server ID link

The server ID of the lobby server for this cluster. All Synced & Sectored servers in this cluster will inherit this as their lobby destination for the !nexus lobby command. The lobby server must already be registered in the Server Setup page.

Important

Every cluster should have a lobby server assigned. Without one, the !nexus lobby command will not function for players on servers in this cluster.

General Sector link

The sector ID that acts as the catch-all for this cluster. Any space in the cluster’s world that is not covered by a specific sector belongs to the general sector. The general sector’s assigned server will handle all entities in unassigned space.

Warning

You must assign a General Sector to each cluster. Without one, entities in space not covered by any sector will have no home server.


Sector Setup

Navigate to Nexus Setup → Sector Setup to manage your sectors. Sectors divide a cluster’s world into regions, each assigned to a specific server.

Adding a Sector link

Click the New Sector button to create a new sector entry.

Sector Properties link

Sector ID link

A unique positive numeric identifier for this sector.

Sector Name link

A friendly display name shown in the !nexus sectors command and GPS markers.

Sector Description link

An optional description displayed when players list sectors with GPS details.

On Server ID link

The server ID that this sector runs on. This must match a registered server that is Synced & Sectored and assigned to the same cluster.

Note

Multiple sectors can be assigned to the same server. For example, you could assign all planet sectors to a single torch instance.

Sector Shape link

The geometric shape used to define this sector’s boundaries. Choose from the options below.

Spherical link

The most common shape. Defined by a center point and radius.

Field Description
X, Y, Z Center position (World GPS coordinates)
Radius (KM) Sphere radius in kilometers

Cuboid link

An axis-aligned box. Defined by two opposite corner points.

Field Description
X, Y, Z First corner position
DX, DY, DZ Second corner position (opposite corner)

Tip

You can get GPS coordinates ingame by pressing F9 to show your position, or by creating a GPS marker and copying the coordinates.

Torus link

A doughnut shape. Ideal for asteroid belts and rings.

Field Description
X, Y, Z Center position
DX, DY, DZ Direction vector (perpendicular to the ring plane)
Radius (KM) Distance from center to the middle of the ring
Ring Radius (KM) Cross-section radius of the ring tube

Note

The Ring Radius must be smaller than the main Radius.

Sector Boundary Script link

An optional script name that will be executed when grids attempt to cross this sector’s boundary. The script must implement CanGridsSwitchSector and/or CanGridsJumpSector. See the Scripting API page for details.

Sector Boundary Texture link

The visual texture displayed at the sector boundary ingame. Players approaching a sector edge will see this visual indicator.

Sector Boundary Color link

The color of the sector boundary visual effect.

Hidden Sector link

When enabled, this sector will not appear in the !nexus sectors command output. Useful for internal or administrative sectors.

Enable Sector Info Provider link

When enabled, displays sector information to players through the HUD when they are within this sector.

Nesting Sectors link

Sectors can be nested inside each other to create hierarchical regions. For example, a large sphere covering an entire planet system could contain smaller spheres for individual planets.

When sectors overlap, the smallest (most specific) sector containing an entity determines which server owns it.

Warning

Overlapping sectors at the same level (where neither fully contains the other) will cause conflicts. Volume intersection checks are performed on torch startup to warn you of any issues.

Example Setup link

Here is a simple example for a Sol System cluster with two servers:

  1. Create a Cluster — Name: “Sol System”, ID: 1
  2. Create Server A — ID: 2, Type: Synced & Sectored, Cluster: 1 (Earth/Moon)
  3. Create Server B — ID: 3, Type: Synced & Sectored, Cluster: 1 (Everything Else)
  4. Create Sector “Earth” — Sphere centered on Earth, Radius: 200 KM, On Server: 2
  5. Create Sector “Moon” — Sphere centered on Moon, Radius: 100 KM, On Server: 2
  6. Create Sector “General” — Assign as the cluster’s General Sector, On Server: 3
  7. Set the cluster’s General Sector to the “General” sector ID
  8. Set the cluster’s Lobby Server to whichever server you want as the lobby