Local Development Setup with yarn start

This guide explains how to run Octane locally with Vite, using:

• local UI on http://localhost:5173;
• local API/emulator on http://localhost:2096;
• local WebSocket on ws://localhost:2096;
• remote plain assets and gamedata, so you do not need to copy the full client/nitro folder locally.

1. Start the emulator

Inside Arcturus-Morningstar-Extended/Emulator, start the emulator with WebSocket enabled.

Recommended local config.ini values:

ws.enabled=true
ws.host=0.0.0.0
ws.port=2096
ws.whitelist=*
ws.ip.header=

crypto.ws.enabled=0

nitro.secure.assets.enabled=false
nitro.secure.api.enabled=false

For local development, it is easier to disable:

• crypto.ws.enabled;
• nitro.secure.assets.enabled;
• nitro.secure.api.enabled.

This keeps debugging simple and avoids the secure runtime layer.

2. public/configuration/client-mode.json

File:

octane/public/configuration/client-mode.json

Recommended local config:

{
    "distObfuscationEnabled": true,
    "secureAssetsEnabled": false,
    "secureApiEnabled": false,
    "apiBaseUrl": "http://localhost:2096",
    "plainConfigBaseUrl": "http://localhost:5173/configuration/",
    "plainGamedataBaseUrl": "https://hotel.example.com/client/octane/gamedata/"
}

Notes:

• secureAssetsEnabled=false avoids /nitro-sec/file.
• secureApiEnabled=false avoids encrypted /api/* requests.
• apiBaseUrl must point to your local emulator.
• plainGamedataBaseUrl can stay remote if you do not have gamedata copied locally.

If you want everything local, use:

"plainGamedataBaseUrl": "http://localhost:5173/client/octane/gamedata/"

but the files must really exist under:

octane/public/client/octane/gamedata/

3. public/configuration/renderer-config.json

File:

octane/public/configuration/renderer-config.json

Minimum local values:

{
    "socket.url": "ws://localhost:2096",
    "api.url": "http://localhost:2096",
    "crypto.ws.enabled": false,
    "gamedata.url": "https://hotel.example.com/client/octane/gamedata",
    "external.texts.url": [
        "${gamedata.url}/ExternalTexts.json",
        "${gamedata.url}/UITexts.json"
    ],
    "furnidata.url": "${gamedata.url}/FurnitureData.json?t=%timestamp%",
    "productdata.url": "${gamedata.url}/ProductData.json?t=%timestamp%",
    "avatar.actions.url": "${gamedata.url}/HabboAvatarActions.json?t=%timestamp%",
    "avatar.figuredata.url": "${gamedata.url}/FigureData.json?t=%timestamp%",
    "avatar.figuremap.url": "${gamedata.url}/FigureMap.json?t=%timestamp%",
    "avatar.effectmap.url": "${gamedata.url}/EffectMap.json?t=%timestamp%",
    "login.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/auth/login",
    "login.register.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/auth/register",
    "login.forgot.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/auth/forgot-password",
    "login.logout.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/auth/logout",
    "login.remember.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/auth/remember",
    "login.health.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/health",
    "login.health.method": "GET",
    "login.check-email.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/auth/check-email",
    "login.check-username.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/auth/check-username",
    "login.register.imaging.url": "${api.url}/api/avatar/imaging",
    "login.news.url": "${api.url}/api/auth/news",
    "badges.custom.list.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/badges/custom",
    "badges.custom.create.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/badges/custom",
    "badges.custom.update.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/badges/custom/%badgeId%",
    "badges.custom.delete.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/badges/custom/%badgeId%",
    "badges.custom.texts.endpoint": "${api.url}/api/badges/custom/texts"
}

Important:

• Do not use https://localhost:2096/nitro-sec/file locally if secureAssetsEnabled=false.
• Do not use ws://192.168.x.x/:2096; it is malformed. Use ws://localhost:2096 or ws://192.168.x.x:2096.

4. public/configuration/ui-config.json

File:

octane/public/configuration/ui-config.json

For the login view, you can use remote plain images:

{
    "loginview": {
        "images": {
            "background": "https://hotel.example.com/client/octane/images/reception/background_gradient_apr25.png",
            "background.colour": "#6eadc8",
            "drape": "https://hotel.example.com/client/octane/images/reception/drape.png",
            "left": "https://hotel.example.com/client/octane/images/reception/mute_reception_backdrop_left.png",
            "right": "https://hotel.example.com/client/octane/images/reception/background_right.png"
        }
    }
}

If you see ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED, the configured domain does not exist or is not reachable.

5. Database-backed news

Login news should come from the database through the emulator.

In renderer config use:

"login.news.url": "${api.url}/api/auth/news"

The emulator reads from:

ui_news

Reference SQL:

Arcturus-Morningstar-Extended/Database Updates/013_UI_Client_News.sql

Main columns:

• title
• body
• image
• link_text
• link_url
• enabled
• sort_order

public/configuration/news.json can stay as a mock/fallback only, but it is not the correct production flow.

6. Start Octane

Inside octane:

yarn start

Open:

http://localhost:5173

Recommendation: use localhost, not 192.168.x.x, because cookies and API sessions are host-based and can otherwise cause 401 Unauthorized.

7. Common errors

Unable to load renderer-config.json

Check:

public/configuration/client-mode.json

It must contain:

"secureAssetsEnabled": false

Invalid JSON ... Unexpected token '<'

The client requested JSON, but Vite returned HTML.

This happens when a URL points to a file that does not exist, for example:

http://localhost:5173/client/octane/gamedata/ExternalTexts.json

Fix:

• use remote plain gamedata;
• or copy the gamedata files into public/client/octane/gamedata.

WebSocket 1006

Check:

"socket.url": "ws://localhost:2096"

and emulator config:

ws.enabled=true
ws.port=2096

/api/maintenance (or any /api/...) 502 (Bad Gateway)

Vite could not reach the emulator. In development every /api/... call is forwarded by the Vite proxy (see vite.config.mjs) to the emulator's WebSocket port, and a 502 is Vite's answer when that connection fails. The real cause is printed in the yarn start terminal as:

[vite] http proxy error: /api/maintenance
Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:2096

The proxy target is, in this order: the AUTH_PROXY_TARGET environment variable, then "api.url" from public/configuration/renderer-config.json, then http://127.0.0.1:2096. Every failed call also prints a one-line [octane] /api proxy: ... failed (ECONNREFUSED) diagnosis with the target.

Check, in this order:

• the emulator is running and its log shows WebSocket server started on 0.0.0.0:2096 (SSL: false);
• ws.host is 0.0.0.0 (or 127.0.0.1), not only the LAN IP;
• "api.url" in renderer-config.json points at the emulator's real address and port (the proxy follows it);
• if that log line says SSL: true (an ssl/cert.pem + privkey.pem pair next to the emulator), the port speaks TLS and the target must be https://....

To override the target for one run:

# Windows cmd
set AUTH_PROXY_TARGET=http://192.168.0.8:2096 && yarn start
# PowerShell
$env:AUTH_PROXY_TARGET='http://192.168.0.8:2096'; yarn start
# Linux / macOS
AUTH_PROXY_TARGET=http://192.168.0.8:2096 yarn start

crypto.ws.enabled and crypto.ws.signing.enabled only apply to the WebSocket session after the upgrade; they never affect these HTTP calls. The net::ERR_ABORTED next to the 502 is the login page cancelling the probe on unmount and is harmless.

Walking looks choppy or the speed seems to change

system.fps.max in renderer-config.json caps the render loop, and the client used to default it to 24 when the key was missing. Pixi then ticks at an alternating 33/50 ms on a 60 Hz display, so avatars move in uneven steps and the walk animation is sampled irregularly. The default is now 0 (the display's refresh rate); set it explicitly if your config predates this:

"system.fps.max": 0

Server-side, a room ticks every 500 ms and an avatar moves one tile per tick (two with :fastwalk), which the client interpolates over 500 ms.

Custom badges 401 Unauthorized

This is normal if you are not logged in or if you open Octane from a different host.

Use:

http://localhost:5173

and API:

http://localhost:2096

8. Difference from production

Local yarn start:

<script type="module" src="/src/bootstrap.ts"></script>

Production build:

<script src="/configuration/bootstrap.js"></script>

Do not mix the two flows.