You see your pal has loaded in beside you. You begin punching trees, gathering resources… Then you hear something; a shriek in the dark.
The raptors have come.
You gather what little you have and prepare to fight. Taking strategic angles, you avoid their insta-kill strike, and right as you’re about to land the killing blow you see “ERROR: Client Crash.”
The dodo of a server you were playing on has crashed. And all that work is lost. Sound familiar?
You need server hosting. I’ll explain.
What Are Servers in Ark?
Bugs, like dinosaurs, are a part of Ark’s identity. Server issues are no exception and though it can be fun to dive deep into the mess of public servers, their fragility is well renowned.
And until some steps are taken to fix those issues, such as utilizing a bug-bounty program, getting a dedicated server will prove your best bet.
Simply put, a server hosts the interactive online space where you play with other people in an online game. It connects everyone, houses the game data, and, sadly, can be taken advantage of by and corrupted outside forces.
Most game companies have their own servers. Massively multiplayer games are a prime example. When you select a server, most often, that data stays on that server and can’t transfer to another.
Meaning if that server is taken offline or corrupted, you’re out of luck.
What Is Server Hosting?
Server hosting is a way for you, or a small group of friends, to have control over one of these online spaces. On top of controlling who can enter the server, you can also allow anyone to play in it at any time.
This differs from many Peer-to-Peer connections. Minecraft is a great example, where if a friend starts a Seed, you can only play on that seed while they are online.
A dedicated server allows anyone to hop on and wrangle some dinos, even when the server host isn’t online.
How Do I Start a Dedicated Server?
In most situations, there are different companies that allow you to host a server. Some games allow you to do so through their own platforms, other’s require external services.
The best sites offer free trials to see what games look like running off their servers. Then they offer either daily, weekly, monthly, or annual passes to keep that server open.
Anyone you the then give access to can chip in and use the server.
Play Ark; Don’t Fear Public Servers
With server hosting, you no longer need to fear having your data wiped or your experience ruined by griefing players. You can control who is in it, what modifications (if any) are being used, and make the experience your own.
Friends of mine have had great experiences with Ark. How can’t you enjoy riding and fighting dinos? And it’s all the better when you can do so worry-free.
Want to know more about entertainment, game server hosting, and all things tech? Check out our most recent tech blog posts here.
