Multifaction on dedicated server: time control unresponsive / simulation won't advance (latest continuous) #991

Summary

On a dedicated/standalone server with multifaction = true, time control is unresponsive and the simulation does not advance for connected players. The exact same world + mods works perfectly when hosted directly from the RimWorld client.

Environment

• RimWorld 1.6.4871
• Multiplayer [Continuous] build ea633b8 — the server and the clients run a bit-identical MultiplayerCommon.dll (verified by SHA-256)
• Standalone Linux server (Docker, mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/runtime:8.0), using Server-beta.zip from the continuous release
• Mods: Prepatcher + Core + Royalty/Ideology/Biotech/Anomaly/Odyssey + Multiplayer (no other mods)
• settings.toml: multifaction=true, asyncTime=true, timeControl="EveryoneControls", direct=true, steam=false (tested with pauseOnJoin both true and false)

Behavior

• A fresh multifaction world uploaded via the bootstrap flow loads fine (Loaded state from Saved/ directory (1 maps)).
• With a second player, the server loops Simulation paused because some players are too far behind: <player> indefinitely — including for a LAN client with ~0 latency, so it is not a network/performance problem.
• Time control / the in-game UI is unresponsive; players cannot start time and eventually leave (ClientLeft).
• The client Player.log shows this every tick:

Exception ticking the server: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
  at Multiplayer.Common.ServerPlayer.get_IsHost () [0x00000] in MultiplayerCommon/ServerPlayer.cs:43
  at Multiplayer.Common.FreezeManager+<>c.<Tick>b__9_0 (Multiplayer.Common.ServerPlayer p) [0x00000] in MultiplayerCommon/FreezeManager.cs:32
  at Multiplayer.Common.FreezeManager.Tick () [0x00000] in MultiplayerCommon/FreezeManager.cs:32
  at Multiplayer.Common.MultiplayerServer.Run () [0x00045] in MultiplayerCommon/MultiplayerServer.cs:114

Ruled out

• Version mismatch — server and client MultiplayerCommon.dll are byte-identical (same SHA-256)
• Network / firewall — inbound UDP to the game port verified with tcpdump (packets arrive), world data transfers both ways, players connect and load
• Mod conflicts — vanilla + DLCs only, no third-party content mods
• Corrupt save — a brand-new world behaves the same way

Works

• Hosting the identical world + mods directly from a RimWorld client (in-game "Host") — time runs and is controllable normally. The problem is specific to the dedicated/standalone server.

Note

Release notes mention "Server: Allow game to continue without host in FreezeManager" and "Server: Fallback time control to allow all players when host is absent", but on dedicated + multifaction + asyncTime the FreezeManager still throws the NRE above / time control stays unresponsive on the latest continuous build.