How to Set MinutesPerPage for Multiplayer Reading (Build 42.19)

Build 42.19 · multiplayer book reading · default MinutesPerPage = 2.0

What MinutesPerPage does

In multiplayer, players cannot use the single-player time-speed controls to skip book reading. MinutesPerPage is the sandbox setting that sets base reading pace for the whole server:

• Lower value → faster reading (for example 0.5 or 0.01).
• Higher value → slower reading.
• In-game description: in-game minutes required to read one page of a book.
• If the option is missing or set below zero, the game uses 2.0.
• Apocalypse, Outbreak, Extinction, and Rising presets all ship with MinutesPerPage = 2.0.

Skill books still use fixed page counts (level 1–5 = 220 / 260 / 300 / 340 / 380). Readable items without a page count are treated as 5 pages for timing.

How to change it (Host / dedicated server UI)

1. Open the server settings editor (Host game setup, or Edit Selected Settings for a dedicated preset).
2. Open sandbox settings.
3. Go to the Character page.
4. Set MinutesPerPage (default 2.0). Smaller numbers make books finish sooner.
5. Save the preset, then restart the server (or fully relaunch Host) so clients load the updated sandbox values.

This is not a client-only preference. Every player on that world uses the same base MinutesPerPage; personal traits and sitting still apply on top.

Manual file path

Do not put this in servertest.ini. Reading speed is a sandbox value in the SandboxVars file:

1. Stop the server completely before editing (avoids partial writes).
2. Back up the current <ServerName>_SandboxVars.lua.
3. Inside the SandboxVars = { ... } table, set for example MinutesPerPage = 1.0, (or 0.5, 0.01, etc.).
4. Save the file and start the server again.

If you use a control panel or Docker mount, edit the same SandboxVars file the process actually loads—not a copy left in a different folder.

Real-time speed depends on Day Length

In-game minutes scale into real time through the world’s Day Length. A simple baseline formula (no traits, no glasses, not sitting) is:

real minutes ≈ pages × MinutesPerPage × day_length_hours ÷ 24

Equivalently, pages finished per real minute ≈ 24 ÷ (MinutesPerPage × day_length_hours).

Apocalypse on Build 42.19 uses Day Length option 4 = 1 hour 30 minutes real time per game day, not a flat 1-hour day. Many guides still quote the 1-hour case because the math is clean; both are listed below.

Pages per real minute (baseline)

Assumptions: no Fast/Slow Reader, no Reading Glasses, not sitting. Values rounded for readability.

Skill book totals (pages + example real time)

Page counts match Build 42.19 skill books (Carpentry I–V and the other skill series share the same page tiers). Real-time columns use no traits / glasses / sitting.

Multipliers that stack on top of MinutesPerPage

After base duration from pages × MinutesPerPage and Day Length, Build 42.19 multiplies remaining reading time as follows:

These multiply together. Example: Fast Reader + glasses + sitting ≈ ×0.7 × 0.9 × 0.9 = ×0.567 of the base real time. Slow Reader cannot combine with Fast Reader.

Reading time calculator

Uses the same baseline formula as the tables, then multiplies selected factors. It estimates uninterrupted reading of the remaining full page count (not partial progress or interruptions).

Practical server choices

• 2.0 — vanilla pace; long multiplayer reading sessions if Day Length is also long.
• 1.0 — about twice as fast as default for the same Day Length; common quality-of-life pick.
• 0.5 — four times default pace; still readable as a deliberate house rule.
• 0.01 — near-instant books; useful for heavy roleplay/loot servers that treat skill books as unlocks rather than time sinks. It does unbalance skill progression versus single-player expectations.

Changing Day Length also scales cooking, foraging waits, and zombie activity pacing. Prefer MinutesPerPage when you only want faster books.

FAQ