This update workflow deletes the active worldRoot folder and starts a new world. That includes player progress stored inside it. There is no automatic undo. Make your own backup before confirming.
Proto Nova saves planes, entities, celestial objects, player records and round state under worldRoot. Several of these files are serialized Protocol Buffers messages. The new server reads them using the generated code and gameplay assumptions shipped in that release. The save loader currently reads the files directly; this update workflow has no version-by-version converter that can prove an old world is safe for a new release.
A release can change a message's field meanings, types, identifiers, relationships or the game rules that interpret them. An entity can reference another entity or a plane; a player record can refer to an entity in that same world. A round's JSON state also belongs to those saved objects. Updating just one part can leave references to data that no longer exists or no longer has the expected meaning.
A file that parses successfully is not necessarily a valid world. The binary format can accept data while the new gameplay code interprets a value differently or expects relationships that an old save never established. Conversely, incompatible data can fail to parse or leave incomplete loaded state.
No. Protocol Buffers supports compatible schema evolution, including many additive changes. Resetting is this updater's conservative policy for Proto Nova releases without a supported save migration contract; it is not an unavoidable property of protobuf and is not proof that every release breaks every save. The official Protocol Buffers compatibility guide explains the underlying distinction.
Deleting only terrain or only entities can leave dangling player/entity/plane references and a round state that describes a different world. Resetting the complete folder gives the new server a consistent starting point. The server's validator creates its expected folders and the game generates a fresh world. Inventory, buildings and other progress represented inside this folder are lost together. Custom files placed inside worldRoot are also deleted, so move anything you want to retain before confirming.
proto-nova.pak is staged in the packager's own .packager-updates directory. Uploading alone does not stop the game or erase anything.stop and waits for the game to exit. If it will not stop, the reset is aborted.worldRoot is recursively cleared. The new application payload is selected for future starts. A fresh empty worldRoot is created before restarting.Download a trusted server release, extract it, and select its app/proto-nova.pak in Updates. On macOS it is inside the app's bundled resources. Upload the actual server payload, not the outer ZIP, the launcher/client payload or an installer. The dashboard displays its SHA-256 fingerprint so the confirmation is tied to that upload. Only use releases from a source you trust: a server payload is executable code.
This updates the game payload within the existing hosting environment. It preserves custom assets and the existing Java runtime, browser panel and signed client distribution. If a release also requires changes to those components, follow that release's instructions and update them separately while keeping your persistent data. This panel does not claim to perform a complete container image or hosting-tool upgrade.
Back up the complete worldRoot while the game is stopped if you may need the old world later. Backups kept outside worldRoot are not deleted by this update. To restore an old world, stop the game and restore its matching old server version and complete world backup together. Copying an old world into the new version defeats the reason for the reset and may reproduce the incompatibility.
There is no automatic world backup or rollback. Once deletion begins, it cannot be undone by Cancel. If deletion or activation is interrupted, the packager records an incomplete reset and blocks normal game startup until you retry a confirmed update or repair the state offline. A failure after the new version starts may still require manual recovery; the old world has already been reset. The dashboard remains available to show errors.
Yes. That would require a versioned save format, compatibility rules, converters for breaking changes, validation of cross-file references and tests using historical saves. Until that exists for the release you install, this workflow deliberately uses a fresh world and requires explicit confirmation.