Managing ICARUS Prospects and Session Saves
Understand how ICARUS Prospects work on a dedicated server and how to create, load, resume, and back up prospect save files.
Managing ICARUS Prospects and Session Saves
ICARUS uses a session-based system called Prospects — these are individual missions or maps that players load into. On a dedicated server, prospects can be persistent, allowing players to return to the same session across multiple play sessions.
What Is a Prospect?
A prospect in ICARUS is essentially a named save file that represents a specific mission or open-world map instance. Players join a prospect rather than connecting to a general game world. Each prospect tracks its own progress, resources, and state independently.
Prospect Save File Location
All prospect save files are stored as .json files at:
Icarus\Saved\PlayerData\DedicatedServer\Prospects\
Each file is named after the prospect. The file name is also the prospect name used in ServerSettings.ini.
Creating a New Prospect
To create a new prospect on server start, set the following in ServerSettings.ini:
CreateProspect=MyNewProspect
When the server starts, it will create a new prospect named MyNewProspect and load it. After the first start, change this to ResumeProspect to avoid creating duplicates.
Loading an Existing Prospect
To load a specific existing prospect:
LoadProspect=MyExistingProspect
Resuming a Prospect
To resume a prospect from where it was last left off:
ResumeProspect=MyProspect
This is the most common setting for ongoing server sessions. It ensures the same prospect is loaded each time the server restarts.
Important: Prospect Names Are Case-Sensitive
The prospect name in ServerSettings.ini must exactly match the .json file name in the Prospects\ directory, including capitalization. A mismatch is a common cause of prospects failing to load.
For example, if your file is MyProspect.json, the setting must be:
ResumeProspect=MyProspect
Not myprospect or MYPROSPECT.
Backing Up a Prospect
To back up a prospect, copy its .json file from the Prospects\ directory to a safe location. You should also back up the full Icarus\Saved\ directory regularly.
See Backing Up and Restoring Your ICARUS Server for a full backup guide.
Resetting a Prospect
To reset a prospect (wipe progress and start fresh), delete its .json file from the Prospects\ directory and use CreateProspect=ProspectName on the next server start.
Player Data
Individual player character data (inventory, XP, unlocks) is stored separately from prospects:
Icarus\Saved\PlayerData\
Player data persists across different prospects, so a player's character progress carries over between sessions.