The open-world survival game ARK: Survival Evolved has been on Steam’s most-played list for years. Official servers are offered in the game itself, but you can’t change any settings there or play in Creative mode. There is also the option to rent a server, which usually starts at around 10€ per month. But if you already have a reasonably powerful Unraid server at home, you can host your own server instead. This requires the Docker function and the Community Applications plugin.
Install ARK: Survival Evolved Docker
Under the Apps tab, simply search for “ARK” and “ARKSurvivalEvolved” by ich777 should appear at the top of the results. Install it with a click on “Install”. In the settings you can specify a Steam user and password, but Steam Guard must be disabled. (Careful: use a separate account, otherwise you may run into problems!) This step is optional and not mandatory.
Optionally, a server password and an admin password can be set. The server password is requested when someone wants to enter the server, and the admin password when you want to use the administrator interface or cheats.
Don’t be surprised if the installation takes a really long time — the server files still have to be downloaded, which puts your Internet line under heavy load.
Further settings can be made in the corresponding config file. To do this, access the Unraid server via FTP. You will find the configuration file under “User” → “Appdata” → “ark-se” → “Config” → “DefaultGameUserSettings.ini”. If you open this file, you will find a number of rules that you can modify as you like.
Beginner’s Tip
As a beginner, you should set the “TamingSpeedMultiplier” and the “HarvestAmountMultiplier” high. The “PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier” and the “PlayerCharacterWaterDrainMultiplier” should be set lower (e.g. 0.25).
The settings become valid after a server restart. In the event of an update, the server also has to be restarted; it will then update automatically.
Forward Ports
So that your friends can also play with you on your server, the ports must be opened. By default, ports 27015 and 27020 are required. The first one has to be released as UDP and the second one as TCP. Then your friends can join you under your public IP followed by port 27015.
With most Internet connections, the IP address changes every 24 hours, which would mean sending your friends a new IP that often. To avoid this, it is best to use a DynDNS service. For Unraid, DuckDNS is particularly suitable.