Server hosting and renting.

[CrazyGecko]

Can anyone tell me the difference between hosting dedicated, hosting non-dedicated, and renting a server? What I want is to be able to host a server where i can choose about 5 other people to join me to form a tribe, with no one else able to have access to the server. One where i dont have to be online for the others to join the server. If I can acomplish this, how, and will my connection effect the entire server or just me?
Cheers

[sriggle]

Originally posted by CrazyGecko:

Can anyone tell me the difference between hosting dedicated, hosting non-dedicated, and renting a server? What I want is to be able to host a server where i can choose about 5 other people to join me to form a tribe, with no one else able to have access to the server. One where i dont have to be online for the others to join the server. If I can acomplish this, how, and will my connection effect the entire server or just me?
Cheers

Hosting a dedicated server means you're using software to operate a server that is seperate from your game client. This is what hosting companies do, you just pay to have access and control over one. Anyone can host a dedicated server completely free of charge. Since a dedicated server is seperate from your game client, it can be ran on any computer. A non-dedicated is ran through your game client and it limited to 4 people and when you close the game, nobody can access it. The only downfall to hosting your own server is that it's up to you to maintain it. You will have to update the server when updates are out and in order for your friends to always have access, your computer will always have to be running.

[CrazyGecko]

So how would i go about setting up a dedicated server? In terms of starting one, and setting up things like who can use console commands,what commands can be used etc? And of course who can/cant access it?

[SilvaDreams]

Originally posted by CrazyGecko:

So how would i go about setting up a dedicated server? In terms of starting one, and setting up things like who can use console commands,what commands can be used etc? And of course who can/cant access it?

Check out the guide section just above, there are guides specifically for server creation

[xboct]

i would recommend renting one, or using a computer that you are never going to use, takes a decent amount of ram to host, you can set a password to control who joins
http://comparegamehosting.com/game/ark-survival-evolved/?stph

[CrazyGecko]

Thanks :)

[Chuc]

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=468312476

[ELITE-OSIRIS]

Running a dedicated server is way cheaper than renting 1, but... you need quite a good rig to run a server and play yourself, preferably an I7 with hyperthreading and minimal 16 gigs of memory, for a stand alone server minimal 8 gigs of memory and a quadcore. And then it is all depended on your internet connection.

[CrazyGecko]

Is it the same with a rented server? Or would that have different requirements

[ELITE-OSIRIS]

They have different specs becaus they are actual servers, not a second game pc as in my case, but the requirments won't chance, they mostly offer parts of a server, like the server would actually have 64 gig ram, and they will let you use 8 gigs of them.

[Mez]

Wrong. Dedicated servers do not inherently have to be run on a separate computer from your client. It simply means you are hosting it independent of the game itself. In other words, through a command line, usually with a cmd prompt, via a launcher program of some time (or not). It is 'dedicated' to that task and that task alone. Hosting non-dedicated would be what you experience when you load up Ark, and click Host (that button at the top right) is not dedicated to the task of hosting. It is simply 'allowing' other connections within a LOT of limitations. Then you have 'third party' hosting. That means you have someone else, usually a company, host it. Just like everything else in a commercial world, specialization reaps specific rewards. I can't afford DDoS protection and extremely high bandwidth connections for my personal use, but a company that sells a hosting service can manage to as a part of their business.

If you want to host I recommend (as someone above me) the Official ASL (Ark Server Launcher). It's quite nice even for a modded server. Lots of options, lots of control, quite easy to use. Your connection will matter to an extent. That being said, you will not need TONS of bandwidth. I ran my dedicated server on the same computer I played on via a 25mb connection and everyone said it was smoother than any server they'd been on. The demands of a server are not large unless you want a lot of people. If it's just for 5-10, you should be fine hosting locally.

Downsides to hosting personally are small for private servers. Mainly your ISP will occasionally change your IP unless you have a static agreement, not a big deal..just hand out yourIP and have them re-favorite the new one every couple weeks. Few other minor things, nothing you won't figure out on your own :D

GL!

[sriggle]

In terms of hardware and network requirements, if the server is only going to be 10 people or less then even a low end computer will work just fine. If your internet is even capable of 1mbps upload then that's more than enough, I rarely see mine go over half of that even with a 20 man server. For ram you should go with 8gbs if that computer is only running the server and at least 16gbs if you plan on running a server on the same computer you play on.

[Chuc]

8gb is fine to run server and game just load the game up with low memory that's what I do and mine runs fine

[sriggle]

Originally posted by Chuc:

8gb is fine to run server and game just load the game up with low memory that's what I do and mine runs fine

Even in low memory the game can still take over 4gb, right now mine is at 7.6gb. If you get to the point where your computer is page filing then you're going to see drops in performance.

[hybris6]

I built a computer specifically to host an Ark server. Cpu runs at 4+GHZ (clockspeed is good for ark) I have 32GB but 1 instance take less than 5GB I think. I also use a SSD to minimise rubber banding on worldsave. I use windows10 as OS, SteamCMD to install and update server and mcrcon to send messages to the server.

(I also use RealVNC to control the server remote since I do not have any monitor mouse or keyboard connected to the server).

Right now I have 1 .bat file to start the server. 1 .bat filé to update the server through Steam CMD and tonight I will continue work on a bat file to sent rcon messages to the server at specific time intervals and then save the world prior to shutdown, make sure the game was saved and make a copy on another hard drive.

Then I will combine the bat files into one and last I will figure out how to check steamcmd if there is a newer version of the server available.

I also use Windows scheduler to start vnc server and arkserver automatically on reboot.

So when it's all done it will
See its time to update server. Send mig server goes down in 1h, 30 min, 10 min, 5 min... server is upgrading. Save world. Make sure world is saved. Make backup of save file to another drive. Shutdown server. Download and install update. Restart server. Make a check that server is running or tried to restart server x times.

There are probably visual arkserver managers that does this but I want to learn how to make good bat files. Also then I have full control of how the server operates.

[straykaiya]

I personally use hosthavoc.com the "smallest" server thay have is currently 17.50 a month and can host up to 35 people. I have 12 people on my server hosted by them.