Time of Day Rust Plugin

in Rust

By Nathan Young

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Overview

Rust’s nighttime can be too dark for some players, as there are hardly any light sources nearby in the map. This can complicate your gameplay since it hinders exploration and makes surviving harder. Solving this problem involves using uMod plugins on your Rust server, which are addons that implement new features to the game. A popular choice to fix darkness is Time of Day, used to control the world’s time. If it’s the middle of the night, then simply executing a command from this plugin will switch it to daytime. Using this on your server is straightforward and easily customizable through our panel. However, new owners may have issues preparing everything. Due to this, we’ve created this Apex Hosting tutorial to show you how to install and use the Time of Day plugin on your Rust server.
 

Plugin Download

1. Navigate to Time of Day on uMod’s page.
2. Locate and press Download, near the top right corner.
   
3. Save this file somewhere easily accessible on your computer for later.

Server Installation

Our easy-to-use panel makes installing this plugin simpler, as it only takes a few moments.

1. Head towards your Apex server panel and click FTP File Access at the top left.
   

   Important: Ensure you’re using the correct Server Profile for this installation.

2. Login with your password, then enter in the oxide directory.
   
3. Continue to the plugins folder and press Upload in the top left corner.
4. Drag and drop the downloaded file into the respective area.
   
5. Wait for this to reach 100%, then return to the main panel.
6. Restart the server and join to confirm the plugin was successfully installed.

How to Change the Time of Day in Rust

Upon joining the server, try running the /tod command to check your current time settings. This should display all relevant information to your world’s day and night cycle, with exact precision. If you’re wanting to jump right into changing the time, then you’ll want to use commands in the Console area of your panel. Although, sometimes owners want to change how the plugin behaves, which is done through its configuration file. We’ll be reviewing all the commands and how to edit settings to get you started with Time of Day.
 

Time of Day Commands

The core feature from this plugin are its several console commands. Most of these aren’t allowed in-chat, making them only viable through the panel. There are some for freezing the time, skipping days, and more possible actions. Whether you’re wanting to simply skip ahead or completely pause the game’s day/night cycle, these commands will help you do that. Check them out down below to gain a better understanding of what Time of Day offers you.

Using the Console

When you’re ready to try some commands out, follow the steps below to begin.

1. Open your server panel and locate the Console button near the top left corner.
   
2. Click it and find the text box near the bottom of the console.
3. Either enter or copy and paste your desired command in the field.
   
4. Afterwards, press Send to the far right so it’ll execute properly.
5. If done successfully, check for any return messages in the console.
   

   Note: The message should always start with “[TimeOfDay]”.

Command Examples

The following are brief examples of what you’re allowed to do with the Time of Day plugin.
 

Configuration

As for tweaking the plugin’s settings, this is done in the configuration file. Whether you’re wanting to edit the day’s length or manually set a date, it’s all done through this area. Each option’s description can be found on Time of Day’s uMod page, allowing you to easily learn the file. Follow the instructions below to know how to access, edit, and apply changes to the server.

1. Enter the oxide directory from your FTP File Access area in the panel.
2. Continue towards the config folder, then locate the TimeOfDay.json file.
   
3. Once found, click Edit to the far right so the panel editor opens.
   
4. Make any necessary changes, then press Save at the top.
   
5. Return to the main panel and Restart the server to apply the edits.

Common Issues

In cases where you’re unable to perform Time of Day commands or anything related to it, the plugin is likely incorrectly installed. Ensure you’re using the correct server profile and it’s in the right FTP directory. In other words, make sure to have Rust selected in the Game File section of the panel and that Time of Day is uploaded in oxide’s plugins folder. After confirming this, Restart the server and you should be able to use it once everything is loaded.
 

When editing the plugin’s configuration file, make sure to Save and Restart the server to apply the changes. However, confirm that the setting formats aren’t broken since this could pose issues. For example, removing a space or having a typo in an option’s value results in errors. This even happens if you’ve capitalized “true” when trying to toggle a feature. Once everything is valid, apply the changes to see if that works.
 

Useful Links

Time of Day on uMod
How to Add Plugins to a Rust Server
Becoming an Admin on Rust
How to Edit Rust Plugins