How to configure your ARK: Survival of the Fittest server Print

  • ARK, Ark survival of the fittest, configuration
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The following basic guide will show you how to configure your ARK: Survival of the Fittest game server.

NOTE: It is recommended that you stop your server before making any changes to it.

Configuring the core settings
To configure your ARK: Survival of the Fittest server, you must first log into the Game Control Panel and access your server. From there, you can go into the "Configuration Files" section.


Once there, you can edit "GameUserSettings.ini" using the "Text Editor".


If you scroll down to the bottom of "GameUserSettings.ini" you will see "[ServerSettings]". Proceed to edit the settings to your liking.

Here is an example, the server name (SessionName), ServerAdminPassword as well as ServerPassword have been highlighted for you.


Below you'll find a useful table with the various options that are available to you:
Option Value Type Default Effect
Options which can be added under [ServerSettings] and configured accordingly in the GameUserSettings.ini file.
alwaysNotifyPlayerJoined boolean False Players will always get notified if someone joins the server
alwaysNotifyPlayerLeft boolean False Players will always get notified if someone leaves the server
allowThirdPersonPlayer boolean False Enables 3rd Person view
globalVoiceChat boolean False Voice chat turns global
ShowMapPlayerLocation boolean False Show each player their own precise position when they view their map
noTributeDownloads boolean False Disables downloading characters from other servers
proximityChat boolean False Only players near each other can see their chat messages
serverPVE boolean False Disables PvP, enables PvE
serverHardcore boolean False Enables hardcore mode (player characters revert to level 1 upon death)
serverForceNoHud boolean False HUD always disabled
DisableStructureDecayPvE boolean False Disable the gradual (7 days) decay of player structures
DisableDinoDecayPvE boolean False Disable the gradual (7 days) decay of dinosaur ownership. Without this set to true, every dinosaur can be claimed by any player.
AllowFlyerCarryPvE boolean False Permit flying dinosaurs to pick up other dinosaurs and players when mounted by a player in PvE
MaxStructuresInRange integer Unknown Specifies the maximum number of structures that can be constructed within a certain (currently hard-coded) range.
DifficultyOffset float Unknown Specifies the difficulty level.
ServerPassword string None If specified, players must provide this password to join the server.
ServerAdminPassword string None If specified, players must provide this password (via the in-game console) to gain access to administrator commands on the server.
SpectatorPassword string None To use non-admin spectator, the server must specify a spectator password. Then any client can use these console commands: requestspectator <password> and stopspectating. See patch 191.0 for more information and hotkeys.
DayCycleSpeedScale float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the passage of time in the ARK, controlling how often day changes to night and night changes to day. The default value1 provides the same cycle speed as the singleplayer experience (and the official public servers). Values lower than 1 slow down the cycle; higher values accelerate it. Base time when value is 1 appears to be 1 minute real time equals approx. 28 minutes game time. Thus, for an approximate 24 hour day/night cycle in game, use .035 for the value.
NightTimeSpeedScale float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the passage of time in the ARK during night time. This value determines the length of each night, relative to the length of each day (as specified by DayTimeSpeedScale. Lowering this value increases the length of each night.
DayTimeSpeedScale float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the passage of time in the ARK during the day. This value determines the length of each day, relative to the length of each night (as specified by NightTimeSpeedScale. Lowering this value increases the length of each day.
DinoDamageMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the damage dinosaurs deal with their attacks. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values increase damage. Lower values decrease it.
PlayerDamageMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the damage players deal with their attacks. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values increase damage. Lower values decrease it.
StructureDamageMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the damage structures deal with their attacks (i.e. spiked walls). The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values increase damage. Lower values decrease it.
PlayerResistanceMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the resistance to damage players receive when attacked. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values decrease resistance, increasing damage per attack. Lower values increase it, reducing damage per attack. A value of 0.5 results in a player taking half damage while a value of 2.0 would result in taking double normal damage.
DinoResistanceMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the resistance to damage dinosaurs receive when attacked. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values decrease resistance, increasing damage per attack. Lower values increase it, reducing damage per attack. A value of 0.5 results in a dino taking half damage while a value of 2.0 would result in a dino taking double normal damage.
StructureResistanceMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the resistance to damage structures receive when attacked. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values decrease resistance, increasing damage per attack. Lower values increase it, reducing damage per attack. A value of 0.5 results in a structure taking half damage while a value of 2.0 would result in a structure taking double normal damage.
XPMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the experience received by players, tribes and dinosaurs for various actions. The default value 1 provides the same amounts of experience as in the singleplayer experience (and official public servers). Higher values increase XP amounts awarded for various actions; lower values decrease it.
PvEStructureDecayPeriodMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the decay rate of player structures in PvE mode. The specific effect(s) of this option and its range of valid values are unknown as of this writing.[1]
PvEStructureDecayDestructionPeriod Unknown 0 Specifies the time required for player structures to decay in PvE mode. The specific effect(s) of this option and its range of valid values are unknown as of this writing.[1]
TamingSpeedMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for dinosaur taming speed. Higher values make taming faster.
HarvestAmountMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for yields from all harvesting activities (chopping down trees, picking berries, carving carcasses, mining rocks, etc.). Higher values increase the amount of materials harvested with each strike.
HarvestHealthMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the "health" of items that can be harvested (trees, rocks, carcasses, etc.). Higher values increase the amount of damage (i.e. "number of strikes") such objects can withstand before being destroyed, which results in higher overall harvest yields.
ResourcesRespawnPeriodMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for the respawn rate for resource nodes (trees, rocks, bushes, etc.). Lower values cause nodes to respawn more frequently.
PlayerCharacterWaterDrainMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for player characters' water consumption. Higher values increase water consumption (player characters get thirsty faster).
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for player characters' food consumption. Higher values increase food consumption (player characters get hungry faster).
PlayerCharacterStaminaDrainMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for player characters' stamina consumption. Higher values increase stamina consumption (player characters get tired faster).
PlayerCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for player characters' health recovery. Higher values increase the recovery rate (player characters heal faster).
DinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for dinosaurs' food consumption. Higher values increase food consumption (dinosaurs get hungry faster).
DinoCharacterStaminaDrainMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for dinosaurs' stamina consumption. Higher values increase stamina consumption (dinosaurs get tired faster).
DinoCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for dinosaurs' health recovery. Higher values increase the recovery rate (dinosaurs heal faster).
DinoCountMultiplier float 1.0 Specifies the scaling factor for dinosaur spawns. Higher values increase the number of dinosaurs spawned throughout the ARK.
AllowCaveBuildingPvE boolean False If set to True, allows building in caves when PvE mode is also enabled. (Patch 194.0)
BanListURL URL "http://playark.com/banlist.txt" Use the official global ban list, or point to any online ban list that you want. Must be enclosed in double quotes. (Patch 201.0)
PvPStructureDecay boolean false Turns off structure decay on PvP servers.
PerPlatformMaxStructureMultiplier float 1.0 Higher number increases (by percentage) max number of items place-able on platform saddles and boats.
MaxPlatformSaddleStructureLimit integer unknown Change the maximum number of platformed-creatures/rafts allowed on the ARK (a potential performance cost). (Patch 212.1)

You will then be able to change these options accordingly and restart your server and those settings should apply.

Did the above information not work for you? Please contact our support via a ticket.

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