Setup guide

§Introduction

DepMax is a complete, crossplatform MU Online Season 5.2 server package: the server suite plus PC, Android and browser (WASM) clients, sold as ready-to-run binaries under a per-machine license. This guide walks you the whole way — activate, set up the database, start the server, and point your clients at it.

Your server binaries are licensed per machine: they run only on a computer that holds a valid License.dpx for that machine. This is disclosed licensing — a clean refuse-to-start when unlicensed, nothing more. After a one-time activation the server verifies your license offline; it does not phone home on every start.

§What you received

After purchase you get download links on your account page. Each package is self-contained:

At minimum you need depmax-server.zip and one client package.

§Requirements

• A Windows machine or VPS for the server. A static IP or a domain name is strongly recommended.
• A MySQL or MSSQL database, set up from the DB / SQL files in the server package.
• Outbound HTTPS from the server machine — the activator reaches the license service once during activation. After that, verification is offline.
• Your license key, from your purchase email — it looks like DEPMAX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.

§The big picture

Five steps take you from a fresh download to players logging in:

1. Activate your license — run the activator once on the server machine to create License.dpx.
2. Set up the database — import the schema, point the server at it.
3. Start the server — launch the four services in order.
4. Connect your client — generate a signed Server.dcfg that points the client at your server.
5. Distribute your clients — hand the PC client, APK, or web build to your players.

1Activate your license

One time, per machine. Activation binds your license to that computer's hardware ID and writes the License.dpx your server needs to start.

1. Unzip the server package on the machine that will run the server.
2. Run the activator from a command prompt in the server folder, with your key:
   Command Prompt — server folderCopy

   dmx_activate DEPMAX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX --host https://license.your-provider

   Your provider gives you the exact --host URL. (If you self-host the license service, use its address.)
3. It writes License.dpx into the current folder:
   OutputCopy

   Machine HWID: 1A2B3C4D-…-…
   Activated. Wrote License.dpx (NNN bytes). You can start the server now.

4. Place License.dpx next to GameServer.exe and JoinServer.exe — copy it into each server's folder if they run from separate directories.

2Set up the database

The server package ships the database schema and connection files. In short:

1. Create the database in MySQL or MSSQL and import the schema from the package's DB / SQL folder.
2. Point the server at it — set your database host, name, user and password in the connection config that ships with the server (see DEPLOY.md in the package for the exact file and fields).
3. Confirm connectivity — the DataServer is the service that talks to the database; if it starts cleanly, your connection is good.

3Start the server

The server package includes StartUp scripts that launch the four services in the right order. Start them and watch each console come up clean:

Open the ports your services listen on in the machine's firewall (the client-facing port defaults to 44405). The exact port map is in DEPLOY.md.

4Connect your client — Server.dcfg

Your client needs to know where your server is. The clean, secure way is a Server.dcfg file — a small address file cryptographically signed by the license system, so players can't tamper with it or forge one to redirect your client somewhere else.

1. Open your account — sign in at your account page and open the Server tab.
2. Enter your server address — your public IP or domain, and the port (default 44405). Optionally a display name.
3. Generate & download Server.dcfg — one click produces the signed file.
4. Drop it next to Engine.exe in your PC client folder. That's the whole configuration.

On launch the client verifies the signature and connects to your server, overriding the placeholder address baked into the build. Changing servers later is just: generate a new Server.dcfg, replace the file — no rebuild, no tools.

Advanced: bake the address into ServerData.bmd

Alternatively you can bake the address in: set IpAddress / IpAddressPort in GetMain\GetEngine.ini and run GetMainInfo.exe (in depmax-tools.zip) to regenerate ServerData.bmd, then ship that file. A valid Server.dcfg, when present, still overrides this.

5Distribute your clients

PC

Ship Engine.exe together with its Data folder and your Server.dcfg. That's a complete, playable client.

Android

Re-sign depmax-android.apk with your own keystore before publishing to Google Play or distributing directly. Point it at your server the same way (a Server.dcfg mechanism for mobile is on the roadmap; until then use the baked-address method for the APK).

Web (WASM)

Serve the depmax-web files over HTTPS and run the included TCP↔WebSocket gateway, pointed at your GameServer. Browsers can't open raw TCP, so the gateway bridges the browser client to your server.

§Rebranding

DepMax ships unbranded so you run it under your own name, logo and domain. Rebrand freely: window title, loading screens, logos, and visual identity are yours to change. The PC client's window title lives in Dep.ini (WindowTitle); the client we ship already blanks anything that would point at us.

§Auto-updates

Engine.exe has a built-in launcher/updater. It's driven by Dep.ini under [Update]:

[Update]
; point this at YOUR update host to push patches to players
ManifestUrl = https://updates.your-domain/manifest.json
WindowTitle = Your Server Name

• Set ManifestUrl to your own update host to push patches — the client downloads only changed files, applies them atomically, and self-updates.
• Leave ManifestUrl blank to disable the updater — the client then just launches the game. The client we ship already has this blanked, so it never phones home to us; wiring your own updater is optional.

§Managing your license

Visit your account page, enter your key, and you can see status, renewal date and download links. Centrally, a license can be renewed, suspended, resumed, or revoked.

§Moving to a new machine

Your license is bound to one machine's hardware ID. To move servers:

1. Reset the HWID on your license — from your dashboard, or ask your provider.
2. Run dmx_activate again on the new machine to get a fresh License.dpx.

§Troubleshooting

Server refuses to start (license error)

License.dpx is missing or belongs to a different machine. Confirm it sits next to both GameServer.exe and JoinServer.exe, and that you activated on this exact machine. Moved machines? Reset the HWID and re-activate.

Client won't launch / error 0x00005

The client's ServerData.bmd doesn't match its Engine.exe. If you rebuilt or repacked Engine.exe, regenerate ServerData.bmd with GetMainInfo.exe (in depmax-tools.zip) and ship them together. If you didn't modify the client, re-download it — don't mix files from two different client versions.

Client can't connect, or connects to the wrong server

The Server.dcfg is missing, invalid, or wasn't placed next to Engine.exe. Generate a fresh one from your account's Server tab and drop it in the client folder. Remember: without a valid Server.dcfg, the shipped client intentionally fails locally rather than connecting anywhere.

Activation fails

The activator needs outbound HTTPS to your license host. Check the machine's network, verify the --host URL, and confirm the key isn't suspended or revoked on your dashboard.

§FAQ & support

Do I have to keep the server online to stay licensed?

No. Activation is a one-time online step. After that the server verifies your license offline on each start.

Can I run more than one server on the same license?

A license is bound to one machine. For multiple machines, you need a license per machine (talk to your provider about volume).

Can I change my server's IP later?

Yes — generate a new Server.dcfg and replace the file in the client. No rebuild needed.

Where do I get help?

Your provider's support channel (email or Discord, as listed on your account) is the fastest path. Include your license key (the DEPMAX-… string) and a description of what you saw.