DriftwoodConnect
Join a dedicated How to Fish server by address. Adds IP:Port join to the game's own Join Game menu. Pairs with DriftwoodServer, the open-source dedicated server.DriftwoodConnect
Join a dedicated How to Fish server by address, from inside the game.
How to Fish has no dedicated server: its co-op runs in a Steam lobby hosted from one player's game. DriftwoodServer runs the game as a dedicated server, and this mod is the client half. It teaches the game's own Join Game menu to dial one directly, and tells the server which Steam account is joining so you get your own saved character back.
How to join a server
- Install this mod (r2modman / Gale, or drop
DriftwoodConnect.dllintoBepInEx/plugins). - Launch the game and open Join Game.
- Paste the server's address and port, written as
address:port, into the lobby-ID box and press Join.
That is the whole flow. Steam lobby IDs still work in the same box exactly as before.
What it changes, and what it does not
- Joining by address uses the game's own direct-connection path, the same code the singleplayer and lobby flows already share. No custom netcode, no reimplemented transport.
- Before you spawn, the mod sends the server your Steam account ID, so the server loads your own saved character rather than whichever one belongs to your join slot (DriftwoodServer 0.1.7 or later). Nothing else about you is sent.
- Nothing runs until you type an address. No address typed, no launcher involved: the game is vanilla. The mod never auto-joins on its own.
- No gameplay changes, no saved settings, nothing written outside BepInEx's own config folder.
- Works with the Driftwood launcher when present, but does not require it.
Running your own server
The server side is free and open source: DriftwoodServer wraps the retail game headless on Windows, with console commands (kick, block, say), chat commands, a catch leaderboard and consistent world saves. Setup guide: https://github.com/HumanGenome/DriftwoodServer
Compatibility
- BepInEx 5 (Mono), the standard pack for this game.
- If a game update moves the menu, the mod disables itself and logs why rather than breaking the menu. Your game keeps working, and the address box goes back to lobby IDs only.