Dedicated Server Settings

To change these settings you have two primary methods available. The first is to add to the command line for launching the server. For temporary changes and testing settings this is not a bad solution.

An example of using the command line method would be:

You shouldnot touch the first part of the settings file. Settings that are of importance to administrators are broken into groups at the bottom of the file.

Below is a list of the settings in GameUserSettings.ini, along with their default values and a description of what they mean. Please be aware that we have also created a few tools that allow easy configuration and code generation for these settings. You can find a complete listing of these tools at the bottom of this page.

Ok, here is where it gets ugly. I've put this into a table below. And below that you'll find the more complex settings listed one by one with detailed information. Some of these settings are mammoth and may result in hundreds of lines of code. As a result, in addition to a simple description, I have created tools to help you configure these ones. These tools allow you to simply enter the values you want into handy labeled boxes and then generate the code you need. You will also find the information you need, or links to the information you need, to create the code by hand, if you prefer.

As previously mentioned, it got ugly. Some of these settings are simply enormous to implement. Below you'll find some examples for some of these ones. For others, you'll also find links to simple tools I have built to take the sting out of doing the code by hand.

To calculate the index of an Engram, you have to be in game and have the engrams view open. Then from left to right, row after row, count the engrams. 1, 2, 3, etc. Ya, I know, but that is the way it is. Also note that if the developers add an engram in an update, you can just start counting all over again! The same is true if you add a mod with custom engrams. Once you know the index of the engram you want to modify, the values work like this: Hidden is true or false. If true, then players cannot select this engram because they won't even see it. Point cost is the number of Engram Points required to purchase it. Engram Level Requirement is the level a player must be to unlock the engram. Remove engram prereq is an odd one. I've seen it misrepresented in several places. Here's an example: to make a pistol you need to have learned to make a flare gun. If you remove the prerequisite, then all the engrams required to learn the engram would be removed. Like a wood foundation would no longer require you to learn a thatch foundation. Here is an example of overriding an Engram's default settings:

OverrideEngramEntries=(EngramIndex=1,EngramHidden=False,EngramPointsCost=10,EngramLevelRequirement=3,RemoveEngramPreReq=True)

I have created a simple tool that will generate the code you need. You can find it here: Engram Configuration Tool

I also have an up to date list of the Engrams and thier Indexes here: Engram Index

LevelExperienceRampOverrides=(ExperiencePointsForLevel[<n>]=<points>[,ExperiencePointsForLevel[<n>]=<points>]

This is one very complex setting. First off, the line above must be used twice in a row, once for player progression and once for dino progression. You need to specify every level for each on the single line. Don't panic, I've put together a simple tool that will allow you to generate all the code you need. And if you'd rather do it yourself, that's fine too. You can easily enter simple data into the tool and see how the code comes out to manually do the code yourself.

Once you have constructed the above mentioned two lines, you then need to add a line for each level of the player to set the engram points. So if you have 500 levels, you've gotta do 500 lines, one after another. The base code is:

OverridePlayerLevelEngramPoints=<points>

After that you then need to specify a new max xp level for both players and dinos. You do that using:

OverrideMaxExperiencePointsPlayer=<value>
OverrideMaxExperiencePointsDino=<value>

Please note, I have created a tool here that allows you to enter the level,xp, and engram data for player progression, as well as level and xp data for dino progression, here: Custom Character & Dino Levels Tool. This tool will also automatically generate the code required for the max xp values, in addition to all the other code you will need. It's an all-in-one solution for custom levels, xp, and engram rewards.

I have created 2 tools that quickly generate the code that you require to modify these settings quickly and easily.

The first is the PerLevelStatsMultiplier Tool, which only generates the code required to adjust the PerLevelStatsMultipliers.

The second is the Custom Character & Dino Levels Tool, which allows configuration of these settings, plus levels, engram points, xp progression, and xp cap.

This is a list of simple web-based tools that will quickly and easily generate the code required to customize the various settings of your Ark: Survival Evolved Server:

Engram Configuration Tool
Dino Spawn Configuration Tool
Taming Configuration Tool
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool
Custom Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool
Custom Character & Dino Levels Tool
PerLevelStatsMultiplier Tool