Block limits (BlockLimitsEnabled) decides whether the world has limits and who shares them. None turns every limit off: there is no PCU limit at all, and Most blocks in one grid and Most blocks per player are ignored. Set For everyone together, Per faction or Per player to turn limits on. You change it on World settings in the Config Editor, with the server stopped.
PCU is the game’s cost count for blocks. The PCU limit guide explains it. This guide is about how the limit is shared. A new server starts with None.
Choose how the limit is shared
- Choose Stop and wait for Offline.
- Open the Config Editor and choose World settings. A new server shows that tab only after two starts: see the world settings guide.
- In the Building and limits group, open the Block limits list (1).
- Pick one of the four choices, then choose Save and Start.
- Block limits
The choices, as the panel names them, with the game’s rule (from Keen Software House, the game’s makers):
- None: no block limits and no PCU limit. The game counts this as experimental, so players need Experimental mode on in their game.
- For everyone together: the world’s PCU limit is one pool for everybody.
- Per faction: the PCU limit is divided by Most factions. When that is 0, each faction gets the whole number to share. Players with no faction get 0 PCU.
- Per player: the PCU limit is divided by the world’s player limit.
The caps beside it
All three sit in the same group and count in whole numbers.
- Most blocks in one grid (
MaxGridSize): the biggest single ship or station (a grid is one connected build). 0 has no limit. - Most blocks per player (
MaxBlocksPerPlayer): how many blocks one player may own. 0 has no limit. - Most factions (
MaxFactionsCount): how many factions the world allows. 0 has no limit.
The first two do nothing while Block limits is on None. Keen also says values outside what its own game screens allow are not tested and not officially supported.
Limits for one kind of block
The game also caps single block types, so one player cannot cover a base in them. When a world file defines none, Keen’s reference gives these defaults: 24 each of assemblers, refineries and blast furnaces, 30 antennas and drills, 50 of each turret type, pistons and rotors, 100 ship welders and 150 ship grinders. They count only while Block limits is on, so with limits on a player may be refused a 25th assembler. No row in the Config Editor edits them.
Keen says the game can group blocks by their pair, where a large block and its small twin count together, or by tag. Tag groups can be changed by a mod.
PCU trading
PCU trading, in the Economy group, lets players sell PCU to each other. Admins can switch on Ignore PCU limits in the game’s admin tools, and then they pass every limit.
If it does not work
- Save is greyed out. The server is not offline. Stop it first.
- The PCU limit and the grid rows do nothing. Block limits is on None.
- A player says “PCU limit reached”. See the PCU limit reached guide.
- Players cannot join after a change. A new server already needs Experimental mode in the game (Options, Game). Check the Console line
Experimental mode:afterLoading session, and the reason line under it.
Sources: spaceengineers.wiki.gg: PCU, spaceengineers.wiki.gg: SessionSettings, spaceengineersgame.com: Dedicated servers