In this article, we will be covering crashing for ARK servers.
To clarify, the type of crash we're looking at here isn't a full application crash. It's best thought of as an "engine crash", where the full application doesn't crash, but rather the server goes into a hanging state and is not playable or connectable from players' games.
Symptoms which indicate that the server application is crashing/hanging:
- The server goes unresponsive and does not start back up on its own (our control panel will automatically restart applications if they crash fully)
- The CPU usage drops down to 0% and shows no further activity
Causes for this sort of crash/hanging state:
- Mods and modded saved data
- This generally only becomes an issue after game updates are released. Most of the time, it's the modded saved data which is the cause of the crashing issues more so than the mods themselves
- Corrupt saved data (once again, almost always a result of mods)
Solutions:
- Removing mods; generally speaking, you shouldn't have to remove every single mod, however, we always recommend only using actively updated and supported mods, for ARK is a game that actively sees game/devkit updates which will introduce confliction with mods.
- Resetting saved data; Whenever you add/remove mods, it's suggested that you reset your saved data, otherwise, you're opening doors for mods to conflict with one another. This is one of the many reasons we suggest keeping your mod list small and only use up to date, actively supported mods.
- File validation; refer here: https://www.24-play.co.uk/store/index.php?rp=/knowledgebase/49/How-to-force-a-file-validation-with-the-Steam-updater.html
*Notes: We at Host Havoc run the exact same ARK server application/package as any other provider or privately hosted server owner uses. We all obtain updates the same way - from Steam, we all obtain mods and mod updates the same way - from Steam. We at Host Havoc do not alter the server package in any way, shape or form, nor do we introduce additional files/settings which would impact the server in such a way to induce crashing. If the server crashes but does not start back up on its own, it is going into what we call a "hanging" state, and is occurring within the game engine itself and is not a result of anything on our end. ARK currently does not provide any sort of logging utility beneficial to the cause of crashing/hanging diagnosis; we are provided with the exact same information are as server owners, thus, there are significant limitations as to how much we/you can diagnose. That does not go without saying that we will do all that we can to assist in sorting out such issues, however, we cannot make any guarantees that a resolution will always be found should the server owner not wish to remove/alter their modded content selection.
