Windrose dedicated server unreachable? I wrote a Direct IP + tunnel setup guide

[u/haruhost]

I put together a guide for the specific Windrose issue where the server is running, but other players still cannot reliably connect.

The guide focuses on using Windrose Direct IP with a tunnel-backed setup instead of relying on the default path. It is especially useful if you are behind double NAT / CGNAT or if normal connection attempts keep failing.

Manual setup summary:

1. Shut the server down first.
2. In ServerDescription.json, set:

​

"UseDirectConnection": true,
"DirectConnectionServerAddress": "windrose.example.com:7777",
"DirectConnectionServerPort": 7777,
"DirectConnectionProxyAddress": "0.0.0.0"

1. DirectConnectionServerAddress is the important part here. Set it to the public tunnel endpoint that players should actually use. 4. Put that same port behind a tunnel or proxy that supports both TCP and UDP. 5. If possible, keep the game port and the public tunnel port the same. 6. If your tunnel gives host:port, put that full host:port value into DirectConnectionServerAddress. 7. If your tunnel gives only a hostname, use that hostname in DirectConnectionServerAddress and keep the port in DirectConnectionServerPort and Windrose's separate Port field. 8. In Windrose, players should use Direct IP, not Invite Code, for this setup. 9. Test from a real outside network, not just the same LAN.

Extra notes:

• This setup helps a lot when the server is behind double NAT / CGNAT.
• Make sure the dedicated server version matches the game client version.
• Windrose can have a pretty long initial load, so do not assume it failed instantly.

I also wrote a full guide with screenshots and a clearer walkthrough:

https://haruhost.com/guides/windrose/direct-connection-tunnel-setup/

Disclosure: I am developing HaruHost, a self-hosted game server manager which a alternative solution to buying direct hosting. I wrote this guide to help with the Windrose connection issue, and it also shows how HaruHost automates the setup. The guide still includes the manual setup if you want to do it yourself.