Automated Dino Wipes
Server administration in ARK: Survival Ascended is a constant balancing act. Wild dinosaur populations can spiral out of control, straining server performance and disrupting the natural flow of gameplay. Manually wiping dinos with console commands is tedious, and doing it at the wrong time can destroy player progress or enable clever survivors to exploit the system. The Automated Dino Wipes mod solves this by introducing a sophisticated, customizable system designed specifically for server maintenance. It takes the guesswork and the manual labor out of population control, giving you a set of precise tools to keep your world healthy, challenging, and fair.
Why Automate Your Dino Wipes?
For any dedicated server owner, a routine dino wipe is essential. It clears out accumulated wild creatures, reduces lag, and forces players to re-explore and re-engage with the map. However, a blunt-force wipe can be devastating. Imagine a tribe about to attempt a boss fight, only to have their carefully scouted path blocked by a fresh wave of high-level Rexes. Or worse, imagine wiping dinos right before a scheduled boss run, allowing a tribe to cheese the Tek Cave without any interference. The Automated Dino Wipes mod is engineered to prevent these scenarios.
Selective Wiping: Protecting Player Progress
The core intelligence of this mod lies in its selective wiping system. It is not a simple "destroy all" command. The mod is intelligently designed to exclude tamed dinos, boss dinos (including those in the Tek Cave), sleeping dinos, and any dino with a taming percentage (including passive tames). This ensures that your players' hard work is never undone by a routine server cleanup. It also prevents any exploitation of known wipe schedules to cheese bosses or ascension, preserving the integrity of your server's progression.
Key Features of the Mod
Beyond its smart filtering, the mod is packed with features that make server management a breeze. You can set specific times for automated wipes based on your server's needs, allowing for regular cleansing without manual intervention. When enabled, the server will broadcast warnings to all players, ensuring everyone is aware of the upcoming dino wipe and can prepare accordingly. This transparency builds trust and prevents frustration.
- Scheduled Wipes: Set specific times for automated dino wipes based on your server's needs.
- Broadcast Warnings: When enabled, the server will broadcast warnings to all players, ensuring everyone is aware of the upcoming dino wipe.
- Manual Trigger: Use the command
cheat scriptcommand ADW_BeginWipeto manually initiate a wipe at any time. - Version Check: Use
cheat scriptcommand ADW_Versionto verify the installed mod version.
Configuration Options Explained
The true power of Automated Dino Wipes for ARK: Survival Ascended lies in its deep configuration options, all managed through your GameUserSettings.ini file. This allows for a level of control that is rare in server mods. You can tailor every aspect of the wipe to fit your server's unique ruleset and population dynamics.
Fine-Tuning Your Wipe Schedule
The WipeSchedule option is your primary tool. It accepts a comma-separated list of times in UTC format (hh:mm). For example, to schedule wipes at 7 AM, 8:30 PM, and midnight CST, you would set WipeSchedule=13:00,2:30,6:00. The schedule is flexible, allowing for multiple entries to cover various times of the day. This is perfect for servers with a global player base or those that want to clear dinos during off-peak hours.
Advanced Settings for Server Stability
Performance is a major concern for any server admin. The WipeLengthSeconds option (default 60) controls how long the wipe takes to complete. A value of 0 is instant, while 600 is 10 minutes. Higher numbers result in less lag, as the server isn't trying to destroy thousands of entities at once. You can also enable WipeCaveDinos to clear out cave spawns, or use the Blacklist option to protect specific dinos by name (e.g., Dodo,Ovis). For those who want a truly comprehensive cleanup, WipeBeehives and WipeNestEggs (experimental) can be toggled to clear wild beehives and Wyvern/RockDrake/Deinon/Magmasaur eggs.
When you are ready to streamline your server management, you can download Automated Dino Wipes from the mod catalog. For players using the foxygame.net launcher, the process is even smoother; the launcher's integrated add-on catalog allows you to install Automated Dino Wipes with a single click, and it will automatically handle version compatibility checks for your ARK: Survival Ascended setup, ensuring you always have the latest stable build without manual file management.
How to Install and Get Started
Getting started is straightforward. To understand how to install the mod, you simply add it to your server's mod list. After subscribing to the mod on the Steam Workshop, you will need to add the configuration block to your GameUserSettings.ini file. The default settings are safe to use, but you will likely want to customize the schedule and broadcast messages to suit your community.
[AutomatedDinoWipes]
WipeOnServerStart=False
WipeSchedule=
BroadcastWarnings=True
WipeBeehives=False
WipeNestEggs=False
WipeLengthSeconds=60
WipeCaveDinos=False
Blacklist=
BroadcastMessage=<$> Minute WarningThis configuration block gives you a clear starting point. The BroadcastMessage option uses the <$> variable to display the number of minutes until the wipe, allowing you to craft messages like "Dinos wiping in <$> minutes." This keeps your player base informed and engaged with the server's maintenance cycle.
Conclusion: A Must-Have for Serious Server Admins
Automated Dino Wipes is more than just a convenience; it is a professional-grade tool for maintaining a balanced and performant ARK: Survival Ascended server. Its selective wiping protects player investment, its scheduling removes the burden of manual maintenance, and its broadcast warnings foster a transparent community environment. By preventing exploitation and reducing lag, this mod ensures that your server remains a fair, stable, and enjoyable place for all survivors. Whether you run a small private server or a large public community, this mod is an essential addition to your administrative toolkit.