The Tool Desk
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Playing with friends? Godlike.Host runs hosted ARK: Survival Evolved servers from 10 data-center locations, with free DDoS protection.
Procedural map generation (PGARK) works with ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE), not ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA). To run a generated map on an ASE server, create it in single-player, copy the generated PGMapName, PGTerrainPropertiesString, and PGLastPreset entries into the server’s Game.ini, then launch the server with PGARK as the map name. A server that already has save data for that procedural map will continue using that data until you remove it or choose a new map name.
Check the ARK edition before changing anything
PGARK is a feature of ARK: Survival Evolved. It is not available in ARK: Survival Ascended, so changing ASA configuration files will not produce a procedural map. The server executable also identifies which game you are running:
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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ARK: Survival Evolved (PS4) | $19.49 | Buy on Amazon |
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ARK: Survival Evolved - Xbox One | $23.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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ARK: Survival Evolved (Nintendo Switch) | $35.49 | Buy on Amazon |
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ARK: Survival Evolved - Xbox One (Renewed) | $21.17 | Buy on Amazon |
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ARK Survival Evolved Definitive Complete Guide & Walkthrough (Latest Update 2025) All Strategies,... | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Game | Procedural-map support | Dedicated-server executable |
|---|---|---|
| ARK: Survival Evolved | Supported through the PGARK map name | ShooterGameServer.exe |
| ARK: Survival Ascended | Not applicable | ArkAscendedServer.exe |
If your host offers one combined ARK control panel, select the ASE instance explicitly. Menu labels, file locations, and whether an “Advanced Mode” switch is required vary by game version and provider.
What PGARK does
A procedural map is generated from a set of terrain parameters rather than loaded as one of the named, fixed ARK maps. The single-player editor writes those parameters into your configuration. The server then reads the same values when it starts with the special map name PGARK.
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The generated configuration has three important entries:
PGMapNameidentifies the procedural map and, importantly, the save-data identity used by ARK.PGTerrainPropertiesStringcontains the terrain-generation settings. It can extend across multiple lines, so copy its complete value.PGLastPresetrecords the preset selected by the procedural-map creator.
The server does not receive a separate map file from single-player. It receives these configuration values and generates or loads the corresponding world when it starts.
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Prepare a safe test and backup
Stop the server before editing its configuration. Keep an untouched copy of the current Game.ini and the existing save data. Procedural generation can make a new world look as if characters, structures, or resources have disappeared when you have actually pointed the server at a different map identity. A backup gives you a way to restore the previous world.
- Confirm that the server is an ASE instance, not ASA.
- Record the current map name and launch options.
- Back up
Game.iniand the server’s save-data directory before replacing values. - Perform the first test with the server stopped and no players connected.
Step 1: Create the procedural map in single-player
- Start ARK: Survival Evolved.
- Choose Local Game.
- Select Create Procedural Ark.
- Adjust the available terrain and world settings until the map has the shape and preset you want.
- Start or save the procedural map so ARK writes the generated values to the single-player configuration.
The exact controls displayed in the procedural-map screen can change between game versions. The important result is not a screenshot of the settings; it is the configuration that ARK writes after you create the map.
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Step 2: Copy the three generated entries
Open the single-player Game.ini after creating the map. Locate and copy these entries, including every character after the equals sign:
PGMapName=...
PGTerrainPropertiesString=...
PGLastPreset=...The ellipses above are explanatory only; use the actual values generated on your computer. PGTerrainPropertiesString may wrap onto several physical lines. Copy the entire value rather than only the first displayed line. A truncated terrain string can produce a different world or prevent the server from loading the configuration.
Keep the three entries together while transferring them. Do not replace the generated text with a manually shortened version, and do not change punctuation inside the terrain string. If you are using a host panel with a text editor, paste into the raw INI editor rather than a simplified gameplay-settings form that may discard unknown keys.
Step 3: Put the values in the server Game.ini
- Stop the ASE server if it is running.
- Open the server’s
Game.ini. In some control panels you must enable Advanced Mode before the file or custom INI fields are visible. - Paste the complete
PGMapName,PGTerrainPropertiesString, andPGLastPresetlines into the server configuration. - Save the file without removing other settings that your server already needs.
There is no universal control-panel path for this file. Some providers expose one large text area; others expose separate “custom Game.ini” fields or require an uploaded configuration. Use the provider’s ASE configuration editor, but verify the resulting file contains all three keys exactly as generated.
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Do not paste these values into an ASA configuration. ASA uses a different executable and does not provide PGARK procedural generation.
Step 4: Launch the server with PGARK
The procedural map name must be the first argument after the server executable. Launch an ASE server with PGARK, then place options after a question mark:
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ShooterGameServer.exe PGARK?listenIn this syntax, ShooterGameServer.exe is the ASE server executable, PGARK is the map name, and listen is an option. If your existing launch line has additional options, retain the host’s required options while keeping the order rule: map name first, options after ?. For a control panel, enter PGARK in the map-name field and place query-style options in the panel’s launch-options field if it separates those fields.
After saving the launch command, start the server and watch its startup output. A successful test should load the procedural world associated with the copied INI values. If the server instead loads a normal named map, check the map field and command order before changing terrain settings.
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- Capture and Tame Dinosaurs: Discover over 100 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures on the island, finding ways to tame them into useful additions for your tribe's dino herd
- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety, and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
- Customize Everything: An extensive crafting system invites you to mix and match materials scavenged from the island, while also modifying the colors, textures, shapes, and styles
- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout
Why changing Game.ini may appear to do nothing
PGARK does not rebuild a map merely because you edited its INI values. Once ARK has save data for a particular PGMapName, the server loads that existing world. This is the most common reason a new terrain configuration appears to have been ignored.
Option A: Use a new PGMapName
For a low-risk test, create a new procedural map in single-player and let it receive a different PGMapName. Copy all three newly generated lines to the server, then start it with PGARK. Because the map identity is new, ARK has no old save for that identity and can generate a fresh world.
Option B: Remove the old map’s save data
To regenerate under the same map name:
- Stop the server completely.
- Make a separate backup of the current save data.
- Identify the save data associated with that
PGMapName. - Delete or move that save data out of the server’s active save location.
- Confirm the desired three INI entries are present, then start with
PGARK.
Deleting the active save is destructive to that world. Move it to a backup location instead of permanently deleting it until the new map has loaded and you have confirmed that the old world is no longer needed. A host may label the save folder differently, so use its ASE file manager or support documentation to identify the correct data rather than removing unrelated maps.
Seeds and reproducibility
The procedural seed is stored as MapSeed inside PGTerrainPropertiesString. Keeping the same complete terrain string, including its MapSeed, is the way to preserve the same generated result. If you want to reproduce a map on another ASE server, copy the complete generated values rather than typing only the seed.
Community discussions have suggested a seed range from 1 to 999, but that range is not verified. Treat it as unresolved: do not promise players that values outside or inside that range are supported, and do not design an automated seed picker around it without testing the specific game build.
A seed by itself is not a substitute for the rest of the terrain string. Other procedural parameters determine how the seed is interpreted, so retain the entire PGTerrainPropertiesString line set.
Troubleshooting checklist
| Symptom | Likely cause | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| The server starts a standard map | The launch map is not PGARK, or the map name is not first. |
Set the ASE map field to PGARK and use the form ShooterGameServer.exe PGARK?options. |
| The server starts an old procedural world | Save data already exists for the current PGMapName. |
Use a new map name or stop the server and remove/move the matching save data after making a backup. |
| Terrain does not match the single-player version | PGTerrainPropertiesString was truncated, altered, or only partly pasted. |
Recopy the complete, possibly multi-line value from the ASE single-player Game.ini. |
| Settings are missing after a restart | The host panel’s simplified editor discarded custom keys. | Enable Advanced Mode or use the raw/custom Game.ini editor, then verify all three entries were saved. |
| PGARK is rejected or has no effect in ASA | ASA does not support procedural maps. | Run the procedure on an ASE server; ASA uses ArkAscendedServer.exe and is not a PGARK target. |
| Players report that characters or structures vanished | The server loaded a new map identity or a regenerated save. | Stop the server, restore the backed-up save and INI, and confirm the original PGMapName before allowing connections. |
Moving a procedural map between servers
For a second ASE server, transfer the three generated INI entries as a set and use PGARK as the launch map. The destination server must be running the same game family—ASE—not ASA. If the destination has an existing save using the same PGMapName, it will load that save rather than creating a clean copy. Choose a new map name or clear the destination’s matching save data after backing it up.
When diagnosing a mismatch between two servers, compare the raw values character by character. Differences in the terrain string, a missing continuation line, or a different map name can produce a different world even when the servers appear to use the same seed.
Version and hosting-panel caveats
No official Studio Wildcard PGARK guide was identified for this procedure. The detailed workflow is documented mainly in hosting guides and community discussions, some of which are undated. Consequently, menu labels, INI key handling, and startup-field names can differ by ASE version and host panel. The durable parts of the workflow are the three generated keys, the PGARK launch map, and the save-data rule; validate the exact editor path against the interface you are using.
If a server update changes the editor or rejects a previously accepted key, preserve your backups and test the configuration on an empty instance before changing a live community world. Do not infer ASA support from a host panel that lists both games together.
Operational checklist
- Use an ASE installation and the
ShooterGameServer.exeexecutable. - Create the world through Local Game → Create Procedural Ark.
- Copy complete
PGMapName,PGTerrainPropertiesString, andPGLastPresetvalues from the single-playerGame.ini. - Paste them into the server’s raw or Advanced Mode
Game.ini. - Launch with
PGARKfirst, followed by any query options. - Use a new map name or remove the matching save data when you need a fresh generation.
- Back up both configuration and saves before every regeneration.
Final answer
To generate a procedural map on an ARK server, use ARK: Survival Evolved, create the map locally, transfer the three generated procedural settings to the server’s Game.ini, and start ShooterGameServer.exe with PGARK as the map name. If the world does not change after editing the INI, the existing save for that PGMapName is being reused; select a new name or remove the old save after backing it up. ARK: Survival Ascended cannot run this PGARK workflow.
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