GameUserSettings.ini is one of the primary files for making configuration changes to an ARK:Survival Evolved servers. If your GameUserSettings.ini file is resetting on server restart, this usually means there is an error in the file. This is often due to either a syntax error, or required settings missing from the file.
Before making any modifications to this file, please create a backup of it so you can restore it in case the file is reset again.
Verify GameUserSettings.ini Formatting
- Settings are sorted into sections which are indicated by the header at the start of each section. Check that your file contains the following headers:
[ServerSettings]
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameUserSettings]
[ScalabilityGroups]
[SessionSettings]
[/Script/Engine.GameSession]
If any of these sections are missing, they will be regenerated with default settings.
- Each setting should be on a new line and should look exactly like
Key=Value
without a space before or after the equals sign. - Check that each setting is correctly spelt and has a correct value type assigned to it. A list of settings can be found on the ARK Wiki here.
If you have identified any issues, you can compare your file to the default file to see what changes to your file are necessary. If you used an ARK INI Generator to generate the entire file, it is likely that some required settings are missing.
Configuring GameUserSettings.ini from Defaults
If your file continues to reset after checking that it is valid and making any necessary changes, it is recommended to revert to the default file and make your desired changes one by one.
- Ensure you have a copy of the file you wish to use so you can see which settings to change.
- Restart your server. This will generate a working copy of the
GameUserSettings.ini
file. - Stop the server so that you can make changes to the new
GameUserSettings.ini
file. - Open the copy of the settings you wish to use and do the following for each setting:
- "Key" will refer to the part of each line before the equals sign. "Value" will refer to the part of each line after the equals sign. (i.e. `Key=Value`)
- Check if the key is already somewhere in the newly-generated GameUserSettings.ini on your server. If it is, change the value if necessary. Ensure that the value type does not change (e.g. you should not be changing a `True` to `12`)
- If you cannot find the key, create a new line for your setting. Ensure it is in the correct section. Check the ARK Wiki to see if the key name and value type are correct.
- Create a copy of this new file in case it is reset again so that you do not lose it.
- Start your server and connect to ensure the changes have taken effect.
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