Quick Start
ARK is a bit funky when starting, check out our article on the RCON Connection Process for information on what it's trying to do.
Setting your default/modded Server Map
ARK provides a number of default maps as part of the base game or DLC and you can also install 3rd party maps from the steam workshop using the Mods Startup Parameter then following the steps in our Installing ARK Mods article. The Server Map Startup Parameter is then used to select the map you want either by using the ID provided by the game, which you can find my hovering on the I next to modal title, or by using the ID provided by the mod author.
Setting your Server Password
If you want to limit who can join your server you'll need to set a server password. This would be required every time a player logs into the server from the ARK client and would need to be shared with the players you want to be able to join your server. WinterNode uses the command line to define the server password and you can provide the password you want to use by editing the Server Password startup parameter located on the Configuration → Startup Parameters tab and restarting your server.
Setting your Admin Password
The Admin Password is used to enable cheats in-game for players using the EnableCheats <Admin Password> command and for connecting to the server's RCON server. The default password provided by WinterNode should be a randomly generated string and can be found in the Admin Password startup parameter located on the Configuration → Startup Parameters tab. You can change your Admin Password for ease of use, if it gets leaked, or if you just want to by changing the value in the Admin Password startup parameter and restarting your server.
Disabling Battle Eye
Bye default, Battle Eye is enabled and required for players to log in to your server. This means that any player who wants to play on your server will also need Battle Eye Anti-Cheat installed and running when they connect. If you don't want to have that requirement, you can change the Battle Eye startup parameter located on the Configuration → Startup Parameters tab to a 0 instead of a 1, then restarting your server. This uses the -NoBattlEye command line argument to disable Battle Eye on the server and remove the requirement to have it installed locally when joining the server.