Instances and privacy
A world can run several times at once on its server: each copy is an instance, with its own players. Whoever starts an instance owns it and chooses who can join.
Who can join
| Choice | Who can join |
|---|---|
| Open | Anyone can join and discover it. |
| Social | Friends of anyone inside can join. |
| Friends | Only your friends can join. |
| Invite | Only invited players can join. |
| Hidden | No one else can join or see it. |
Only the owner of the instance can change it. Others see the choice as a label; if they try, the menu says Only the instance owner can change this.
Invites and invite requests
- Invite sends an invite to a friend. It reaches them as a notification with Join, valid for 5 minutes.
- Ask for an invite asks the owner of an instance you cannot join directly. The owner sees your request on the World page and answers Approve or Deny.
On the World page
Who can join your instance, its invite requests and the friends to invite are on the World page of the menu, with the players of the instance and the other instances of the world. Invite friends and Manage on Home open it.
Open an instance from the website
On the website, Open in NodeWorld takes you to an instance, from your computer or from the Quest's browser (not from a phone):
- on a world's page, next to each instance under Running now;
- on a friend's profile, when they are in a world;
- on an invite in Notifications.
If the game is open, it shows the instance on the World page of its menu: choose Join there. If the game is closed, the website starts it: on a PC, your browser may ask whether to open NodeWorld, accept; on Quest, the browser opens the NodeWorld app. If nothing opens, install NodeWorld first.
The game started this way joins the instance once you are signed in. If the instance can no longer be joined (closed,
full, not open to you), the loading screen says Couldn’t join this world. and its Retry takes you home. While
the game is open, a nodeworld://instance/ link opened elsewhere (NodeWorld started a second time with it, or the
Quest's browser) also shows the instance on the World page.
Start a new instance
On a world's page, choose New instance, pick Who can join, then choose Open in NodeWorld. If you show 18+ content (see 18+ content), you can also switch on 18+ instance. The instance waits 10 minutes for its first player.
What your friends see of where you are
Your friends see the server and the world you are in, and can join you if the instance lets them. To hide it, open Settings, then Privacy, and turn off Show my current server/world to friends: your friends then only see that you are online, and the side bar of the menu says Hidden from friends under your name.