Server Sorter & Direct Connect

Tired of scrolling through endless pages of lobbies or struggling to find your friend's game? The vanilla server browser lacks basic filtering and offers no way to join a specific lobby directly.

This mod completely overhauls the multiplayer connection experience by combining two massive features: Advanced Server Sorting and a Direct Connection Code System.

Note: The Sorting features are entirely CLIENT-SIDE. However, for Direct Connect, both the host (to copy the code) and the client (to paste the code) must have this mod installed.

PART 1: Server Sorter & Filters

1. Sorting Options

Previous: Lobbies were displayed in a seemingly random or completely unsorted order. Current: The mod adds a clean, native-looking UI panel next to the server list. Clicking any sorting option automatically refreshes the list. You can now sort lobbies by:

• Ping: Find the smoothest connection (Ascending/Descending).
• Players: Sort by lobby population to find an empty lobby for your friends or a nearly full one to jump straight into the action.
• Name: Alphabetical sorting.
• Default: Clears all active sorting filters.

2. Filtering Options

Previous: You had to manually check if a lobby was full or password-protected by clicking on it. Current: You can now toggle specific filters to hide unwanted lobbies entirely:

• [ON/OFF] Open (No Password): Instantly hides all locked/password-protected lobbies so you can just click and play.
• [ON/OFF] 3+ Players: Hides empty or low-population lobbies, perfect if you are looking for a chaotic, fully-packed game.

3. Friend Prioritization & Highlighting (NEW)

Never lose your friends in the server list again! Lobbies hosted by your Steam friends are always pinned to the top of the list, regardless of your active sorting filters. Additionally, friend lobbies are highlighted in a distinct golden color, making them impossible to miss.

4. Quality of Life UI

Adds a convenient red "X" close button next to the refresh button in the server browser, allowing you to quickly close the panel without hitting ESC. The mod also natively integrates into the game's UI and guarantees text visibility using safe fallback fonts.

PART 2: Direct Connect

1. Instant Connection UI

Adds a new "DIRECT CONNECT" panel directly inside the server browser menu. Simply paste the 27-digit code you received from the host and click connect. Bypasses the need to refresh or scroll through the server list entirely!

2. Smart Input Field

The Direct Connect text field is smart: it automatically ignores accidental spaces or invalid characters when you paste the code, ensuring a smooth connection process without frustrating typos.

3. In-Game Code Sharing

Adds a clean UI to the in-game pause menu (ESC). The host, or any player currently in the lobby, can easily copy the lobby code to their clipboard with a single click to share it with friends via Discord/Steam.

4. Streamer Safe & Secure

To protect content creators, the lobby code is hidden behind asterisks (***-****-****-****) by default in the pause menu. You have to explicitly click "Show" to reveal it. Furthermore, the 27-digit code is cryptographically obfuscated (using a unique salt and secret XOR key), meaning your raw Steam Lobby ID cannot be stolen, decoded, or scraped by malicious players.

5. Full Password Support

Works perfectly with private and password-protected lobbies. If you connect to a password-protected lobby using a code, the game's vanilla password prompt will seamlessly appear, keeping your lobby secure.