Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Nodecraft

OpenTTD is an open-source transport management and simulation game based on the classic Transport Tycoon Deluxe. It focuses on building profitable transportation networks using trains, road vehicles, ships, and aircraft, with both single-player and multiplayer modes.

Key Features

• Build and manage transport networks across procedurally generated maps
• Multiplayer gameplay for cooperative or competitive company management
• Extensive modding via NewGRF content and in-game online content downloads
• Scriptable AI and Game Scripts support (for custom AIs and gameplay scenarios)
• Broad platform support and long-term savegame compatibility across versions
• Frequent updates with UI improvements, new map generation options, and gameplay additions

Use Cases

• Hosting a persistent multiplayer server for friends or a community
• Creating custom gameplay scenarios with Game Scripts and mod packs
• Experimenting with logistics optimization and large-scale transport networks

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires separate graphics/sound base sets (downloaded or installed alongside the game)
• Multiplayer desyncs can be difficult to debug in complex modded setups

OpenTTD is a mature, feature-rich simulation game with a strong community and a long history of compatibility and mod support. It is well suited for both casual play and highly technical, large-scale sandbox simulations.

auto-mcs is a cross-platform Minecraft server manager that simplifies creating, importing, updating, and running multiplayer servers. It provides a single interface to manage vanilla and modded servers, handle backups, and perform administrative tasks without manual server installation.

Key Features

• Create a Minecraft server quickly from templates or from imported server/modpack files
• Supports a wide range of distributions and modloaders (Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Quilt, Forge, NeoForge, Spigot, CraftBukkit and more)
• Mod & plugin manager with Modrinth integration for searching, installing, and updating addons
• Automatic server installation, updates, and configurable automatic backups
• Built-in console with a universal scripting API and an integrated IDE for automation and custom scripts
• Firewall-like access control UI for operators, bans, whitelist, and basic permissions management
• Remote management capabilities and NAT traversal integration to avoid manual port forwarding
• Crash detection with accessible crash reports and a server.properties editor for quick configuration

Use Cases

• Host a private multiplayer server for friends with minimal setup and maintenance overhead
• Manage and update a modded Minecraft server (install modpacks, switch modloaders, update mods) from a single UI
• Provide remote administration and automated backups for hobbyist or small community servers

Limitations and Considerations

• The project is under active development; features and behaviors may change between releases
• No-port-forwarding convenience depends on third-party NAT traversal/remote-access integrations when used
• Some interactive desktop features (IDE, UI-driven workflows) may be limited or behave differently in headless or containerized deployments

auto-mcs consolidates server lifecycle tasks — creation, mod management, backups, and remote administration — into a single, approachable app for running Minecraft servers across platforms.

Veloren is an open-source action-adventure role-playing game set in a large fantasy world with voxel visuals and multiplayer support. It focuses on exploration, character progression, and dynamic combat within a procedurally generated, simulated world.

Key Features

• Vast fantasy biomes to explore, including mountains, deserts, jungles, and caves
• Fast-paced action combat with multiple weapons and play styles
• Procedural world generation with interconnected simulation as you play
• Towns with NPC interactions and crafting systems for equipment and progression
• Dungeons, hideouts, bosses, and hostile creatures to encounter
• Mining and resource gathering in expansive underground cave networks
• Tameable creatures that can act as companions or mounts
• Multiplayer gameplay on public servers, LAN play, and the ability to host your own server

Use Cases

• Host a private multiplayer RPG server for friends or a community
• Explore and progress solo in a procedurally generated fantasy world
• Contribute to an open-source game project (gameplay, assets, engine, or tooling)

Veloren is a strong fit for players who want a community-driven open-source RPG and for hobbyists interested in running their own game servers. Its procedural world and multiplayer focus make it especially suitable for long-running shared-world play.