ARK | GameUserSettings.ini Resetting on Server Restart Print

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.

Steps to fix GameUserSettings.ini resetting:

1. 1- Check if your file contains the [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameUserSettings] section. If this is missing, the file will be reset on server restart to generate this section. You can restart your server to generate this section, then copy and paste it into the configuration file you wish to use. Alternatively, a copy of this section has been included at the bottom of this article.
2. 2- Check your file for any errors. Each section begins with [SquareBrackets] and each line should look exactly like Key=Value without a space before or after the equals sign.

 

If the file is still resetting on server restart after checking the above steps, it is advised that you return to the default configuration, and make your own modifications to this file. This way, you can be sure the file contains all of the settings required by the server. The steps below explain how to do this:

1. 1- Create a backup of the configuration file you wish to use. This way you have a copy of the config options you wish to use.
2. 2- Restart your server. This will regenerate a working copy of the GameUserSettings.ini file.
3. 3- In the newly generated GameUserSettings.ini, replace the [ServerSettings] section with the one from the backup you created. You may also copy over any other missing sections, such as the [MessageOfTheDay] section if you have one.
4. 4- Restart your server again, and the new settings should be applied (it is advised that you take another backup of the file).

If you used an ARK INI Generator to generate the entire file, it is likely that you were missing additional required settings - because ARK cannot locate these settings, it resets to the default configuration so it can access them. When using an ARK INI Generator, is it recommend that you copy the config it outputs into your own file, but making sure you put the options under the correct settings. An easy way to find and resolve the issue is to start with a new working config, and apply the changes you wish to make to this file, by adding the config options you wish to add, or modifying existing options if they're already in the file.

If you require any further assistance with this, please open a new support ticket and attach the GameUserSettings.ini file you wish to use.