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How to Change the Tick Rate on a Killing Floor 2 Server

Change the Killing Floor 2 dedicated-server tick rate in the [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver] section, with exact Windows, Linux, hosted-panel and Docker steps plus safe testing and rollback guidance.
Length9 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Change a Killing Floor 2 server’s tick rate by editing NetServerMaxTickRate in the [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver] section of the server engine configuration, then restarting the dedicated server. On Windows, the file is usually KFGame/Config/PCServer-KFEngine.ini; Linux installations use the corresponding LinuxServer-KFEngine.ini file. The commonly reported internet value is 30, while LAN configurations commonly show 35. Values above 35 should be treated as experimental because Tripwire developer Molly warned that they can cause problems such as zeds sinking through floors.

What the KF2 tick rate controls

A server’s tick rate is the number of simulation updates it attempts to perform each second. The server uses those updates to process movement, combat, AI, physics and other game state before sending results to connected players. A higher value can make the server simulate more often, but it also increases the work the host must perform and may require different bandwidth settings. No independent benchmark establishes a guaranteed latency, hit-registration or frame-rate improvement for a particular KF2 tick-rate value, so treat a change as a controlled configuration experiment rather than an automatic performance upgrade.

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The setting is server-side. A client cannot force a server to run at a higher rate, and players do not need to edit a matching client file. The dedicated server must be configured, restarted and tested first.

Which settings you need to edit

Tick-rate controls live in the [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver] block of the server engine configuration. Do not change a similarly named value in an unrelated demo-recorder or replay section.

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Setting Scope Commonly reported value or example How to use it
NetServerMaxTickRate Internet games 30 is commonly reported as the default Set this to the tick rate you want internet clients to receive.
LanServerMaxTickRate LAN games 35 is commonly shown in configuration guides Set separately if you run matches for local-network players.
MaxClientRate Client bandwidth cap used by the network driver Guide examples include 32000 for six slots at 60 tick and 64000 for twelve slots at 60 tick These are sizing examples, not universal requirements. Match the value to your host, player count and chosen tick rate.
MaxInternetClientRate Internet-client bandwidth cap The same community guide discusses 32,000 and 64,000 examples for six- and twelve-slot 60-tick servers Use the setting that applies to your deployment; the examples are not guarantees for every provider or connection.

The figures above come from published configuration guidance: Tripwire Interactive documentation is quoted in a 2020 Steam discussion for the commonly reported 30 internet value, and a 2017 Lamron Steam guide lists 35 for LAN and the bandwidth examples. They describe configuration examples, not a measured performance test.

Before changing the server

  • Confirm that you are editing the dedicated server’s files, not a client installation or a different server instance.
  • Stop the server cleanly before opening the configuration. A running process can overwrite your changes when it shuts down.
  • Make a copy of the entire configuration file, or at minimum save the original lines for NetServerMaxTickRate, LanServerMaxTickRate, MaxClientRate and MaxInternetClientRate.
  • Record which value applies to your players. Internet and LAN tick rates are separate, so changing only one can make a test appear to have had no effect.
  • Plan a real match for validation. A menu, server browser listing or idle console does not show whether gameplay remains stable under live AI and player traffic.

Windows: change the tick rate in PCServer-KFEngine.ini

  1. Stop the dedicated server. Use the service, panel or script that normally launches it, and wait until the server process has exited.
  2. Back up the configuration. Copy KFGame/Config/PCServer-KFEngine.ini to a dated backup location. Keep the copy outside any process that automatically regenerates configuration files.
  3. Open the engine configuration. Edit KFGame/Config/PCServer-KFEngine.ini with a plain-text editor. Avoid a word processor that can insert formatting.
  4. Find the network-driver section. Search for the exact header [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver]. If the file contains several similarly named sections, use the one with the network-driver header, not a demo-recorder block.
  5. Set the internet value. Locate NetServerMaxTickRate= and enter the number you want, for example:
    [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver]
    NetServerMaxTickRate=30
    LanServerMaxTickRate=35

    If the entry is missing, add it under this header rather than placing it in another section.

  6. Set the LAN value separately when needed. Keep or change LanServerMaxTickRate according to your LAN test. It does not replace NetServerMaxTickRate for internet players.
  7. Save without changing the file type. Preserve the .ini extension and the section spelling. Do not add quotation marks around the numbers.
  8. Restart the server. Launch it through the normal service, script or control panel and wait for it to finish loading.
  9. Test one change at a time. Join a live match, note the map and player count, and watch for simulation or physics problems. If you are comparing values, change only one tick-rate variable between tests.

Linux: edit the Linux server engine configuration

Linux dedicated-server packages use the corresponding LinuxServer-KFEngine.ini configuration under the server’s KFGame/Config directory. The exact absolute path depends on how you installed the server, so use the path created by your distribution, SteamCMD layout or hosting image.

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  1. Stop the Linux server process or service and verify that it is no longer writing logs or configuration.
  2. Copy the existing KFGame/Config/LinuxServer-KFEngine.ini file to a backup.
  3. Open the file with a text editor and locate [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver].
  4. Set NetServerMaxTickRate for internet play and LanServerMaxTickRate for LAN play. Use the same spelling and capitalization shown in the configuration.
  5. Save the file, start the server again and validate the setting in an actual match.

If a package uses a different directory layout, search within that server installation for LinuxServer-KFEngine.ini rather than creating a second file in an arbitrary directory. Editing a file the running instance never reads will produce no visible change.

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Hosted panels and containers

Managed hosting panels

Some control panels expose a startup field named Tickrate, so you may not need direct file access. Shockbyte’s Killing Floor 2 documentation, for example, lists a Tickrate option in its server settings. Stop the server if the panel requires it, enter the value, save the startup configuration and restart. If the panel also offers raw configuration-file access, make sure the panel value and the file value are not fighting each other; the option used by the launch process is the one that will win after a restart.

Docker deployments

Docker images can expose the variable KF2_NET_SERVER_MAX_TICK_RATE. The cited KF2 image documents a default of 30. Change the environment value in your compose file, container environment or deployment panel while the container is stopped, then recreate or restart the container according to that image’s instructions. Editing a file inside a running container may be lost when the container is replaced.

environment:
  KF2_NET_SERVER_MAX_TICK_RATE: "30"

The environment-variable name is an image-specific interface. If your image uses a different name, follow that image’s documentation rather than assuming the variable will be recognized.

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Choosing a value: 30, 35 or 60?

30: the conservative internet starting point

30 is the commonly reported internet-server default in the Tripwire documentation quotation cited by a 2020 Steam discussion. It is the sensible rollback value when you want the configuration that has been most widely reported for standard internet play.

35: the commonly listed LAN value

35 is commonly shown for LAN play in the 2017 Lamron configuration guide. Because LAN and internet settings are independent, placing 35 only in LanServerMaxTickRate does not raise the rate for internet clients.

60: an experiment, not a supported guarantee

A Steam guide says the value can be raised to 60, but Tripwire developer Molly issued a stronger caution: “I’d like to add here that changing your server tick rate to above 35 can result in issues. Most commonly people see zeds sinking into the floor. We do not recommend going above that rate.” Treat any value above 35 as experimental. A successful startup is not proof that the setting is safe; play long enough to expose AI, collision and map-geometry problems.

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If you test 60, change only the relevant variable, keep the backup, restart fully and test with the actual slot count and map you intend to host. There is no published independent benchmark in the available material showing that 60 delivers a particular latency or hit-registration improvement.

Bandwidth settings when increasing tick rate

The same [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver] section contains MaxClientRate and MaxInternetClientRate. The Lamron guide gives 32000 as an example for a six-slot server running at 60 tick and 64000 as an example for twelve slots at 60 tick. Those numbers are sizing examples, not universal prescriptions: available uplink, provider limits, player connections, slot count and the rest of the server configuration all matter.

  • Change bandwidth caps only when you have a reason to do so; do not assume that raising them fixes a tick-rate problem.
  • Keep the tick-rate test separate from a bandwidth test when possible. Changing several network variables at once makes failures difficult to diagnose.
  • Check the host’s actual network allowance before choosing a higher cap. A configuration value cannot create bandwidth that the machine or provider does not supply.

How to verify that the change took effect

  1. Stop and restart after every edit. A server that was never restarted is still using its previous in-memory settings.
  2. Confirm that you changed the file or startup field used by the running instance. Multiple server installations, containers and panel profiles can point to different configurations.
  3. Join from the connection type you changed. Test an internet connection for NetServerMaxTickRate and a local-network connection for LanServerMaxTickRate.
  4. Run a representative match rather than an empty server. Include the normal number of players and enough AI activity to exercise the simulation.
  5. Observe stability, AI movement, collision, hit registration and disconnects. Do not claim a performance improvement from the number alone; keep the setting only if the match remains reliable for your use.
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Troubleshooting common failures

The server still behaves as if it is on 30

  • Check that the server was stopped before editing and restarted afterward.
  • Verify the section header is exactly [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver] and that the entry is not inside a demo-recorder block.
  • Make sure you changed the variable matching the test: internet clients use NetServerMaxTickRate; LAN clients use LanServerMaxTickRate.
  • On a panel or container, inspect the startup field or environment variable. It may regenerate the .ini file at launch.
  • Check for duplicate entries. Remove or correct stale duplicates so there is one clear value under the network-driver section.

Zeds sink through the floor or physics become unstable

Immediately stop the server and restore the last known-good backup, then restart and retest. If you want to investigate further, lower the value and change only one setting at a time. The documented warning about values above 35 specifically identifies zeds sinking through floors as the most common symptom, so do not keep an unstable value merely because the process starts successfully.

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The configuration keeps reverting

  • Check whether a hosting panel writes its startup settings into the file on every launch.
  • For Docker, edit the deployment environment or compose definition instead of a temporary file inside the container.
  • Confirm that the account running the server can read the edited file and that your editor actually saved it with the .ini extension.

Players report no improvement after raising the number

Tick rate is only one part of a server’s behavior. Confirm that the server actually loaded the new value, then test under the same map, player count and connection type. Because no independent benchmark establishes a guaranteed gain, a higher number should not be treated as proof of lower latency.

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Rollback procedure

  1. Stop the dedicated server or container.
  2. Replace the edited engine configuration with the backup, or restore the previous values under [IpDrv.TcpNetDriver].
  3. If you used a panel or container variable, restore that value there as well; otherwise it may overwrite the file again.
  4. Restart and run a normal match to confirm that the original behavior is back.

Keeping a dated copy before every experiment makes rollback predictable and prevents a temporary test value from becoming a permanent mystery.

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