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Procedural map generation works on ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE), not ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA). To run a generated map on an ASE dedicated server, create it in single-player, copy three generated settings into the server’s Game.ini, and start the server with PGARK as the map name.
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The important operational detail is that an existing save takes precedence over changed procedural settings. If you want a different terrain, you must use a new PGMapName or remove the existing save data for that procedural map.
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What PGARK is—and which ARK edition supports it
PGARK is the launch-map name used by ARK: Survival Evolved for a procedural map whose terrain and related settings were created in the game’s procedural-map interface. The workflow is not available in ARK: Survival Ascended. The ARK community wiki lists procedural generation as not applicable to ASA, so an ASA server should not be configured with the ASE procedure below.
| Edition | Procedural-map support | Server executable | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARK: Survival Evolved | Supported through PGARK | ShooterGameServer.exe |
Use the single-player-generated INI values and launch with PGARK. |
| ARK: Survival Ascended | Not applicable according to the ARK community wiki | ArkAscendedServer.exe |
Do not expect the ASE PGARK workflow to generate a procedural map. |
This distinction matters before you edit any configuration. A correctly copied ASE configuration will not add procedural-map support to an ASA installation.
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How the PGARK workflow fits together
The process has two separate phases. First, ASE creates a procedural configuration in single-player. Second, the dedicated server reads the resulting settings from its own Game.ini when it starts with the PGARK map name.
- Create and tune the procedural Ark in ASE single-player.
- Open the single-player
Game.iniand copy the generated procedural entries. - Paste those entries into the dedicated server’s
Game.ini, using Advanced Mode in a control panel if that mode is required. - Start the ASE server with
PGARKfirst in the launch command.
The generated configuration is the portable part of the setup. Do not attempt to recreate it by typing a shortened version of the terrain string: copy the complete values exactly as the game wrote them.
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Step 1: Create the procedural map in ASE single-player
Open the procedural-map creator
- Start ARK: Survival Evolved.
- Choose Local Game.
- Select Create Procedural Ark.
The labels above are the relevant ASE menu path. If you are running another edition, do not substitute its server executable or menus; this procedure is for ASE.
Tune the map before saving the configuration
Use the procedural-map controls to set the terrain and other options you want the server to use. Treat this screen as the source configuration for the dedicated server: the server will use the values exported to the INI, not the visual choices you remember making later.
When you are satisfied, allow the game to create the procedural map. The resulting settings are written to the single-player configuration file. You need the exact generated lines from that file for the server phase.
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Step 2: Copy the three generated INI entries
Find the single-player Game.ini
Open the ASE single-player Game.ini associated with the installation or profile where you created the procedural Ark. The exact file location can vary with installation method and operating system, so use the configuration location exposed by your ASE installation rather than assuming an unrelated path.
Copy these keys in full
Copy all three of the following entries, including every character in their values:
| INI key | What to do | Important handling |
|---|---|---|
PGMapName |
Copy the generated value exactly. | This identifies the procedural map whose save data the server will load. |
PGTerrainPropertiesString |
Copy the complete terrain-properties value. | The value can span multiple lines; preserve the complete multi-line content. |
PGLastPreset |
Copy the generated preset value exactly. | Do not replace it with a hand-written or partial value. |
Do not copy only the first visible line of PGTerrainPropertiesString. A line-wrapped or multi-line value is still one generated setting. Losing a continuation line can leave the server with an incomplete procedural configuration.
Preserve formatting while copying
- Copy the key name and its entire value, not just the value after the equals sign.
- Keep the original line breaks in the terrain-properties string.
- Do not add quotation marks unless they already appear in the generated file.
- Do not “clean up” separators, spacing, or parameter order.
- Copy the three settings as a group so that the map name, terrain string, and preset remain matched.
Keep an untouched backup of the copied text before editing the server configuration. That gives you a known-good source if a control panel reformats the file or a later experiment produces an unwanted map.
Step 3: Put the settings in the dedicated server Game.ini
Open the server configuration editor
Open the dedicated server’s Game.ini in the server installation or hosting control panel. Some panels hide direct INI editing until you enable Advanced Mode. If your panel has that switch, enable it before pasting the generated entries.
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Paste the complete block
- Stop the server before changing its configuration.
- Open the server’s
Game.iniin Advanced Mode when necessary. - Paste the complete
PGMapName,PGTerrainPropertiesString, andPGLastPresetentries. - Save the file without truncating the multi-line terrain string.
- Reopen the file, if the panel permits, and verify that all three keys and their full values are still present.
Do not paste these values into a different configuration file by mistake. The procedural settings belong in Game.ini; the launch command separately selects PGARK as the map.
Step 4: Start the ASE server with PGARK
Use the ASE executable
An ASE dedicated server uses ShooterGameServer.exe. The basic command form is:
ShooterGameServer.exe PGARK?listenIn this syntax, PGARK is the map name and listen is an option after the question mark. The map name must come first; launch options follow it after ?. Your host panel may expose these fields separately, but the same ordering rule applies when the panel assembles the command line.
Check the command before launching
- The server is an ASE installation, not ASA.
- The executable is
ShooterGameServer.exe. PGARKis the first map argument.- Any options appear after the question mark.
- The server
Game.inicontains all three generated PG keys.
If your provider asks for a map-name field and an options field rather than a complete command, enter PGARK in the map field and place options such as listen in the options field. Avoid entering PGARK?listen into a field that already appends its own map or question-mark syntax unless the panel’s instructions explicitly require the combined form.
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Procedural settings are not a regeneration command for an existing save. If the server already has save data for the current PGMapName, changing the INI does not rebuild that map. On startup, the existing save can continue to load, making it appear that your new terrain settings were ignored.
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- 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
Use a new PGMapName
The least ambiguous way to start over is to create or assign a new PGMapName and launch with the same PGARK map type. The new name separates the new procedural world from the old save data.
Or remove the existing save data
To regenerate the same named procedural map, stop the server and delete the save data associated with that PGMapName. Make a separate backup first: deleting a save is destructive, and restoring the wrong directory can produce a different result from the one you intended.
- Stop the server completely.
- Back up the existing world and player data.
- Identify the save data belonging to the current
PGMapName. - Remove that save data only after confirming the backup.
- Confirm the desired procedural values in
Game.ini. - Start with
ShooterGameServer.exe PGARK?listenor your panel’s equivalent.
Do not delete unrelated server saves merely because they are in the same parent directory. The relevant target is the save for the procedural map name you are changing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Seeds, repeatability, and what is still uncertain
Where the seed appears
The seed is contained in the terrain string as MapSeed. Using the same seed is reported to reproduce the same map, but that point is documented with low confidence. Treat the seed as a repeatability aid rather than a guarantee across every game build, preset, or configuration change.
The alleged 1–999 seed range
A forum post suggested a seed range from 1 to 999. That range is unverified, so it should not be treated as an ASE specification. There is no established basis here for assuming that values outside the suggested range fail or that every value inside it is valid.
Practical seed procedure
- Record the complete terrain string, including its
MapSeedvalue. - Keep the associated
PGMapNameandPGLastPresettogether. - When testing repeatability, change one variable at a time.
- Use a new map name for each test so an old save cannot mask the result.
Because the seed behavior and range are not fully established, preserve the complete generated configuration instead of relying on the seed alone as a portable map description.
Troubleshooting by symptom
The server loads a normal map instead of the procedural map
- Confirm that the launch map is exactly
PGARK, not a normal map name. - Check that the executable is the ASE
ShooterGameServer.exe. - Verify that the three PG entries are in the server’s
Game.ini, not only in the single-player file. - Check that a control panel did not save the settings in a basic mode that omits advanced keys.
The server starts, but terrain changes do not appear
- Check whether save data already exists for the current
PGMapName. - Use a new
PGMapNameor remove the old map’s save data after making a backup. - Confirm that the complete multi-line
PGTerrainPropertiesStringsurvived the edit. - Make sure the copied keys came from the same single-player procedural map rather than from different attempts.
The map fails to load after editing Game.ini
- Restore the backed-up INI block.
- Compare the server entries character-for-character with the single-player entries.
- Look for a missing continuation line in
PGTerrainPropertiesString. - Remove accidental quotation marks or formatting changes introduced by the editor.
- Restart only after the file contains all three complete keys.
You are using ARK: Survival Ascended
Stop and verify the edition before troubleshooting syntax. Procedural generation is not applicable to ASA according to the ARK community wiki. ASA’s ArkAscendedServer.exe is not a substitute for ASE’s ShooterGameServer.exe in this workflow.
Host panels, versions, and configuration differences
No official Studio Wildcard PGARK guide was identified for this procedure. The available setup details come largely from hosting-company guides and community forums, many of which are undated or informal. As a result, menu labels, INI editors, and launch-command fields can differ by game version and hosting provider.
That variation changes where you enter the values, not the core sequence: generate in ASE single-player, copy the three generated keys, paste them into the server’s Game.ini, and launch with PGARK first. If a panel uses different labels, look for its advanced configuration editor and its map/launch-argument fields rather than substituting an ASA workflow.
Before contacting a host
Collect the details that distinguish a configuration problem from an unsupported setup:
- Edition: ASE or ASA.
- Executable name shown by the server.
- The exact map argument and options submitted to the panel.
- Whether Advanced Mode was enabled.
- Whether all three PG keys are present in the server
Game.ini. - The current
PGMapNameand whether its save data already exists.
Providing those details avoids treating an existing-save issue as an INI syntax issue or trying to repair ASA with ASE-only settings.
Quick Recap
A repeatable checklist for a clean deployment
- Confirm that the server runs ARK: Survival Evolved.
- Create the world through Local Game → Create Procedural Ark.
- Open the resulting single-player
Game.ini. - Copy
PGMapName, the completePGTerrainPropertiesString, andPGLastPreset. - Stop the dedicated server and open its
Game.ini. - Enable Advanced Mode if the host panel requires it.
- Paste and save all three values without changing line breaks or punctuation.
- Back up any existing save for the same
PGMapName. - Use a new map name or remove the old map’s save data if regeneration is intended.
- Launch the ASE server as
ShooterGameServer.exe PGARK?listen, with any additional options placed after the question mark. - If the result is unchanged, check the existing-save condition before editing the terrain string again.
Key takeaways
- PGARK is an ASE feature; it is not available for ASA.
- The procedural world is authored in single-player and transferred through three INI keys.
PGTerrainPropertiesStringmay span multiple lines and must be copied in full.PGARKbelongs first in the server launch command.- Changing the INI does not rebuild a save that already exists for the same
PGMapName. - The seed is stored as
MapSeed, but claims about an exact seed range remain unverified.
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