Rawblin

Humminah is correct. From personal experience, once you start modifying the game.ini and gameusersettings.ini via FTP, you can pretty much completely stop using the control panel features for those. If you have things set up the way you want through the control panel though, and are looking to start doing FTP edits, I'd suggest letting the server do a "save settings and restart" from the control panel, let it load fully, and then grab the game.ini and gameusersettings.ini files via FTP. Save these to your local PC and keep them as backups. Then start modifying with those. Forever after, any time you want to change a setting you simply modify your backup version of the files, shutdown the server, upload (and overwrite) them to the server, and then start the server up. You'll never want to go into the modify screens for those from the control panel and "save settings and restart" ever again, or you'll end up back at square one.

Probably a mod that updated. I'd restart your server with the "Ark Update" "Yes- run update" section selected. Then give joining a whirl.

The dino level increment is actually a multiple of your difficulty setting. So difficulty 5 means all dinos are 5,10,15 etc. Diff 4 means 4,8,12,etc. It's a nice easy way to know if your current difficulty setting is working properly. After you wipe all dinos from any previous setting of course.

Is that command line under the heading [serverSettings] in your .ini? That should be the only requirement, besides a restart of the server of course. Edit: Just in case, there are also no quotes in the actual .ini file for that command. Pretty sure you used them here just to emphasize the text. But I just wanted to cover all the bases

Do you know how to use FTP? There are 20 backup files stored on your server, each from 2hrs10mins apart. The control panel backup feature is quite frankly terrible. I think it shows you like three backup options with 6+ hour intervals? Icky. FTP is definitely your friend when admin'ing a third-party hosted server.

The other option would be to use the "Custom" option under the "Map" heading, which allows you to insert custom launch parameters. Not sure what the maximum character limit is in that window (or even if there is one) but it may allow you to add more mods.

Sounds like an issue with the mod itself. If the mod author doesn't properly enable editing through their coding then anything you put in the .ini simply doesn't affect things. I once had a meat spoiling mod that looked like a mini industrial furnace, and played this horrid music while it was active. The mod page said you could add a command line to the .ini to shut the music off, but it didn't work either. I'd bring it up on the mod webpage (or see if its mentioned already) and hope the author can fix it.

The option in the control panel is the valentine's day event from 2016. That one just had the bonuses to mate boost and mating if I'm not mistaken. It was only this year in 2017 that they added the chocolates and the recipes used to "pimp your hair", as it were. So unless there is a command line to enable THIS year's VDay event, and that command line gets added to the control panel, you'll be out of luck

Are you talking about ResourceNoReplenishRadiusPlayers=1.00 ResourceNoReplenishRadiusStructures=0.4 these? 1.0 is the default value for both. A lesser value means resources spawn closer, higher than 1 means farther. I like 0.4 because it keeps resources plentiful on a server but doesn't run the risk of rocks and such spawning INTO a base. These both go in the Game.ini anywhere under [/script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] For your initial post, even though you found out those go in the Game.ini, I feel it is important to note that almost no options are going to be written into the GameUserSettings.ini or Game.ini files by default. It is only when you want to change a default value that you need to add a line. A completely blank file in these locations just means your server is running pure default Ark settings.

Doesn't sound like anything I've heard of here. Probably best to submit a support ticket so they can tinker with stuff directly for ya.

Out of curiosity, are you on The Center? It's the only place I've ever experienced this. From two separate issues. The first was breeding loads of wyverns together. A triplet pack was very very close to each other at hatching, and then grew up, into each other and the wall (because of where I had them sitting) and then all went poof. This is a known... mmm, issue I guess because it isn't really a bug. Every time baby dinos grow up to the next level the game runs a check to make sure they aren't clipping into things. The same way it does when a dino is created by the server. If clipping, then poof. The second time was when I decided to get all sneaky and build on the very very edge and the very very bottom of the map on a piece of land on The Center. I flew my prize Wyvern over there with a bunch of building materials, got settled in, started building, logged off... No issues. Started moving my dinos over there, and the minute I had them at the location and left clip range, they went poof. Not sure why. THAT I can definitely label as a bug as they weren't clipping into anything, just at the very edge of the map. Guessing TheCenter has some improperly programmed despawn zones because it isn't truly a proper developed map. But that's just a guess. Anything similar for you?

This can be done via an FTP client (Like Filezilla) The credentials to get into your server with this are on your control panel webpage, under "FTP Details". *SHUT DOWN your server before copying these files to your desktop!* Input the info into the correct fields in Filezilla, connect to your server, then navigate just like on a normal computer to /ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArk##### and simply drag and drop (or right click and say download) TheIsland.ark to your computer, along with any and all of the ###.arktribe and #########.arkprofile files in there. These are your tribes and players characters, respectively. That is the barebones version of saving your map and tribes/characters. If you want the super easy version (that takes a lot longer to download and a lot more diskspace), simply copy the "Saved" folder under /ShooterGame/ to your desktop. This includes all of your configuration files as well as all of the backups the server has made of your map and players/tribes. Once this is on your desktop, you can safely delete the SavedArk##### folder from your server in the FTP window. Switch the map on your control panel webpage to "ScorchedEarth" or whichever you like, and then click "save and restart" at the bottom. When you want to boot your server up with this map/characters again, simply shut it down, back up whatever you currently have in your Saved folder, and then replace it with your Island version of the Saved folder. I think that fully covers it, but that's just off the top of my head so let me know if you run into any issues.

Not sure why it would do this, but I use the manual method anyway. If you are familiar with FTP, you can edit the Game.ini file and simply put the text in there yourself for dino levels. (and player levels). You can use any website like http://arksurvivalevolved.gamewalkthrough-universe.com/dedicatedservers/customizationtools/customlevelstool/Default.aspx and input the values you want, and it'll spit out the text you need once you are done. Could do as a workaround until the control panel is fixed up?

I had a support ticket in asking about the automated server backup interval as well. They gave me the same reply. I don't know how to ask any more specifically about the actual backups the server creates. I am aware of the AutoSavePeriodMinutes= we can modify, which is why I said it above. That isn't related to what I am asking about. I haven't found anything about it in server configuration options on the wiki, but I also can't modify the server broadcasts before a restart so I figured it may be something you guys could change for me on the back end somewhere. I will assume it is not possible since you guys keep defaulting back to server save interval

Haha yea, there is a bit of a surplus of dinos on here. When I first started my server it was at 3.0 That was insane.

This is a straight copy of my current GameUserSettings.ini file. This file should be located in /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer on your server when you view it using an FTP program. Not to be confused with the Game.ini file. I can confirm that the dinos are up to level 150 on my server with these settings. Please note, a 150 dino is very rare! But you can confirm the setting is working by seeing dinos with levels that are a multiple of 5. (5,10,15,20,25,etc) If difficulty level is still 4, and the settings have not worked for you, you will see levels that are multiples of 4. (4,8,12,16,20,etc) I hope seeing this helps! I have highlighted the two pieces affecting dino level in blue. The order they are in shouldn't really matter, as long as both are under this server settings header. [serverSettings] DifficultyOffset=5.000000 XPMultiplier=10.000000 DayCycleSpeedScale=0.844600 DayTimeSpeedScale=0.946875 NightTimeSpeedScale=1.106250 TamingSpeedMultiplier=10.000000 HarvestAmountMultiplier=10.000000 PerPlatformMaxStructuresMultiplier=1.000000 MaxPlatformSaddleStructureLimit=60 DisableDinoDecayPvE=false PvEDinoDecayPeriodMultiplier=1 ResourcesRespawnPeriodMultiplier=0.400000 DinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier=1.250000 PlayerCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier=1.250000 DinoCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier=1.250000 DinoCharacterWaterDrainMultiplier=1.000000 StructureResistanceMultiplier=0.250000 DinoCountMultiplier=1.500000 FastDecayUnsnappedCoreStructures=true AllowRaidDinoFeeding=false GlobalVoiceChat=false ProximityChat=false AllowAnyoneBabyImprintCuddle=true ShowFloatingDamageText=True NoTributeDownloads=false PreventDownloadSurvivors=False PreventDownloadItems=False PreventDownloadDinos=False PreventUploadSurvivors=False PreventUploadItems=False PreventUploadDinos=False PreventOfflinePvP=true PreventOfflinePvPInterval=1800 PvPStructureDecay=true PreventTribeAlliances=false PreventDiseases=false NonPermanentDiseases=false AutoSavePeriodMinutes=20.000000 ServerCrosshair=true ServerForceNoHUD=false AllowThirdPersonPlayer=true AlwaysNotifyPlayerLeft=true DontAlwaysNotifyPlayerJoined=false ShowMapPlayerLocation=true ServerHardcore=false KickIdlePlayersPeriod=86400 MaxNumberOfPlayersInTribe=2 BattleNumOfTribesToStartGame=15 TimeToCollapseROD=9000 BattleAutoStartGameInterval=60 BattleSuddenDeathInterval=300 MaxTamedDinos=4000 EnablePVPGamma=false DisablePvEGamma=false SpectatorPassword= AllowFlyerCarryPVE=true ClampResourceHarvestDamage=false AllowCaveBuildingPvE=true BanListURL=http: AdminLogging=true MaxTribeLogs=100 ServerAdminPassword=YourAdminPass RCONEnabled=True RCONPort=Yourport TheMaxStructuresInRange=10500.000000 StructurePreventResourceRadiusMultiplier=1.000000 RaidDinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier=1.000000 ListenServerTetherDistanceMultiplier=1.000000 RCONServerGameLogBuffer=600.000000 AllowHitMarkers=True OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.000000 AllowCrateSpawnsOnTopOfStructures=True UseOptimizedHarvestingHealth=true ServerPassword= [/script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameUserSettings]

The RCON password is correct and working. I've got a ticket in now, thank you. Any info on the automated backup interval?

You said you read plenty of the other topics on this in here, but they explain exactly what you are asking. First, make sure you have [server Settings] in your GameUserSettings.ini file. Then underneath that either create or change DifficultyOffset=1.000000 to 5.000000 or whatever you wish. Then underneath that either create or change OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0 or whatever you wish. Save the .ini, send it to the server via FTP, then restart the server. Once the server is running again, you can either wait for dinos to be killed and the new spawns will be the proper level variance, or you can wipe all dinos on the server (which usually crashes mine so be prepared) with "admincheat destroywilddinos", no quotes, in the console. And voila.

Starting today (Have server set to 12hour restarts, so 1230,0030 for me) my server started to have an issue that the appointed restart time simply causes the server to stop. An additional issue is that there are no longer notifications at the 15,10,5,2,any second! marks. The server simply stops. Any way you can fix this up Ryan? I haven't changed any mods or anything else about the server recently, and I don't believe Ark had a patch yesterday/today. Any help greatly appreciated For now I have simply turned off the auto restart feature. Oh also, is there any way to change the automated backup interval timer for the server? I know we can change the server save time with AutoSavePeriodMinutes=. But I'm talking about the actual automated backups that the server creates named TheIsland_date_time.ark These seem to be every 2 hours 10 minutes. I'd really like them to be like... every 20 minutes. But thats just because I'm paranoid.

An update doesn't take that long. Big mods will take a long time to download/install though, or if you have hundreds it could take a while to both install them and also to start the server itself. Just hit the refresh button on the control panel page though, itll eventually say the server is ready and then you are good to go!

The new custom parameter settings for main server and cluster server are great. But they have caused a few problems. Firstly, the cluster server has its own Whitelist option now, and it actually seems to obey that. Once this new option window dropped I had random people joining my cluster server. The second is the config saving in these custom windows. Each window, for each server, needs to be adjusted and then hit save and restart inside said window. This means a server restart for changing anything on either server, and you HAVE to do each server separately. Would it be possible to change up the entire control panel page so that you could set every setting the way you like, whether it be on the main page, under the Modify Server Config button, or under the Advanced Launch Params buttons, and then simply hit Save Settings and Restart Server at the bottom on the main page, and have it register and save from ALL input fields?

Sorry to hear that, I'm out of ideas. Hope the support ticket works. If so definitely let us know here!

Any time! I was in your boat when I first started my server. Soooo many crazy settings and ways to go about tinkering with them. Us new server owners have to stick together! Happy Arking!

I believe you still have to put the offset setting at 5.0 as well, its just that OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.000000 in the GameUserSettings.ini actually allows it to function. This command can also be used on the commandline if you put it in as ?OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0 But either way should work, just make sure you are putting it in GameUserSettings.ini and not just Game.ini (Under Shootergame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer) And then inside that file it should be under the [serverSettings] area, but it shouldn't matter what order, just as long as it's under that heading. And then of course a reboot will be necessary. But this is working 100% for my server. Let me know if you have any issues.

The backup restore option on the control panel page only gives you a restore point sporadically. To grab full control of this feature you want to log into your server with an FTP software (like Filezilla) and navigate to your Shootergame/Saved/SavedArk###/ Folder. Inside you will find the autosave entries listed out. They use some random time in the naming scheme, so I just look at the file modified time (which is based on my PC settings) to know when each backup occured. To use any of these backup saves, simply change the name from TheIsland_whatevertime/date.ark to just TheIsland.ark (after saving your current TheIsland.ark to your local PC and then deleting said entry from the server. Do this while the server is stopped btw, or things will get bad juju. As far as the mod update issues.... make sure when you are restarting the server, whether it is manually or automatically, that you do NOT ever click another server altering command until the server is fully sitting at [started] (Playernumber) [Ready] under server details in top left of screen. If you see [Loading] in yellow instead of the green ready, you CAN refresh the page to see if it is [Ready] yet (doesn't update on its own from what ive seen). But if you click start, stop, reload, or save settings at any point before it is [Ready] you will usually kill a mod. Hope that helps!