These are the options on the Settings, Game Settings page of a PlayNHost ARK: Survival Ascended server, taken from the panel's own definitions. Rows marked read only are set by your plan or the server and cannot be changed.
All settings
| Setting | What it does | Allowed | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server Name | The name shown in the server browser and to joining players. | letters, numbers and spaces and these symbols: _ - . [ ] ( ) ! + # | A PlaynHost ARK Server |
| Server Map | Which map the server runs, written the way ARK names it - TheIsland_WP is the starting map, and ScorchedEarth_WP is the desert one. Other official maps follow the same pattern. Changing this starts a separate world - the world you had is kept and comes back if you switch the map back. | 1 to 64 characters, letters and numbers and these symbols: _ - | TheIsland_WP |
| Server Password | Password players must enter to join. Leave empty to run a public server. | up to 64 characters, letters, numbers, dashes and underscores | empty |
| Admin Password | Unlocks admin commands in game, and is what the console on this page uses to save your world and shut it down cleanly. Choose something only you and your admins know. | up to 64 characters, letters, numbers, dashes and underscores | a default is set, change it |
| PvE Mode | Off is the standard game, where players and tribes can fight and raid each other. Turn it on for a peaceful world where players cannot damage each other or each other's buildings, and only the wildlife is a threat. | on or off | off |
| BattlEye Anti-Cheat | Runs the BattlEye anti-cheat alongside the server. It is off by default because we have not been able to confirm it works on our platform, and when BattlEye does not come up players are blocked from joining. Turn it on only if you are willing to check that people can still connect afterwards. | on or off | off |
| Auto Update | Check for a game update each time the server starts. Turn this off only if you need to stay on a specific build for mod compatibility. | on or off | on |
| Mod IDs | The mods your server loads, given as CurseForge project IDs separated by commas and nothing else. A mod's project ID is shown on its page on curseforge.com. The server downloads and updates them itself every time it starts. Leave empty for a server with no mods. | numbers separated by commas | empty |
| Extra Map Settings | Extra world settings added to the map line. Each one starts with a question mark and they run together with no spaces, for example ?DifficultyOffset=1?AllowThirdPersonPlayer=True. Leave empty unless you know the setting you want. | up to 512 characters, letters and numbers and these symbols: _ - . , = ? | empty |
| Extra Launch Flags | Extra launch flags, separated by spaces, for example -crossplay -ForceRespawnDinos. Leave empty unless you know the flag you want. | up to 512 characters, letters, numbers and spaces and these symbols: _ - . , = | empty |
| Max Players (read only) | The player limit included with your plan. This field is read-only. To run with fewer players, click Players on your server overview and pick any number up to your plan limit - you can raise it back whenever you like. Upgrading your plan raises the limit itself. | set by your plan or the server | set by your plan |
Good to know
- These settings are put on the server's launch line, so changes take effect the next time the server starts; restart the server after changing any of them.
- The panel saves a value when you leave its field. If the value is not allowed, the panel tells you and keeps the old one.
- Passwords and tokens are not listed with a value. Each server starts with one set for you, or with none, as the row says. Change any password before you invite players.
- To open the page, follow How to set up your ARK: Survival Ascended server or How to change your server settings.
