[Switching Maps - Do we keep levels/gear/dinos/buildings?]

Greetings all.

 

I am very new to Ark and hosting my own server. 

 

Myself and friends that play on my private server were wanting to see the other maps and maybe play on them but in case we do not wish to stay, can anyone tell me if I switch the map, will we all keep our levels we are at?  Also if we switch back to the map we are on now, will it save everything that we now have built?

 

Any help would be grand.  

 

Thank you 

[ARK not updating properly to the latest version?]

How do I get my server to update to the new patch?  I take it that it should do it by itself I would think.  Right now all that play on my server can not get in because Steam updated our accounts and the server has not. Am I right in that I just have to wait until it does it?  I have done a restart for my server but still no joy.