How to Stop Hibernation in Ark: A Comprehensive Guide
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Stopping hibernation in Ark: Survival Evolved is crucial for maintaining consistent server activity, especially when dealing with baby dinos or wanting to prevent offline raiding vulnerabilities. The primary method to disable hibernation on a non-dedicated server involves adjusting the game’s launch options. You need to add a specific command line argument which signals to the game to constantly keep the game world active, even when no players are actively nearby. Here’s how it’s done, along with important considerations and additional related information.
Disabling Hibernation Through Launch Options
To disable hibernation, you need to alter the launch options of Ark through Steam:
- Open your Steam library: Locate Ark: Survival Evolved in your game library.
- Access properties: Right-click on Ark: Survival Evolved and select “Properties”.
- Navigate to General tab: In the Properties window, ensure you are on the “General” tab.
- Set launch options: Click the “Set Launch Options…” button.
- Add the command: In the text box that appears, type
-preventhibernationexactly as shown, including the hyphen. - Confirm and close: Click “OK” to save your changes and then close the Properties window.
After making these changes, the server won’t hibernate. This means that the game world will continue to operate as normal, even when no players are nearby. This change is crucial for anyone running a server where consistent activity is important, like ensuring babies can grow up uninterrupted, or to prevent the offline raiding protection from triggering.
Understanding the Implications of Disabling Hibernation
While disabling hibernation is essential for many server setups, it’s important to understand the impact on your system. Using the -preventhibernation command essentially keeps the server constantly running.
- Increased resource consumption: This continuous activity significantly increases the server’s performance and memory usage. Your CPU and RAM will work harder.
- Impact on low-end systems: If you are running the game on a system with lower specifications, disabling hibernation can result in performance issues such as lag or crashes.
- Offline raiding protection: By disabling hibernation, you enable the offline raiding protection system, which typically imposes a 15-minute timer before a tribe’s structures and dinos become inactive and invulnerable after all players log off.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 commonly asked questions about hibernation in Ark, along with detailed answers to help you fully understand this game mechanic:
1. What does -preventhibernation actually do in Ark?
The -preventhibernation command prevents the game world from going into a paused state when no players are nearby on a non-dedicated server. Without this command, the game “hibernates,” pausing almost all activity. Using the command ensures that the game world runs continuously.
2. What happens when a dino is in hibernation in Ark?
When the game hibernates, all non-player activities in the game world effectively freeze. This means that baby dinos won’t grow, crops won’t grow, and any other background processes will stop until a player is actively near the area.
3. How do I disable hibernation using console commands?
You can’t disable hibernation directly through console commands. The -preventhibernation is a launch option that is only available when starting a non-dedicated server from within Steam’s Library.
4. What is offline raiding prevention, and how is it linked to disabling hibernation?
Offline raiding prevention makes structures and dinos belonging to a tribe invulnerable for a period (usually 15 minutes) after all tribe members have logged out, provided hibernation is disabled. By enabling -preventhibernation, you also enable this system of protection.
5. Can I disable hibernation on a dedicated server?
Dedicated servers, by their nature, run constantly. Hibernation does not exist on dedicated servers in the same way. There are server settings in dedicated servers that achieve a similar goal.
6. How do I turn off hibernation (computer system-wide) on my PC?
To disable Windows hibernation, open Command Prompt as administrator and type powercfg.exe /hibernate off. This disables the operating system’s hibernation feature, which saves a snapshot of your system to disk.
7. How do I configure the hibernation settings in Windows?
You can adjust your PC’s hibernation behavior in the Power Options settings. Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable. There, you can enable or disable hibernation and specify after how many minutes to trigger it.
8. How can I keep tames asleep in Ark?
To keep a tamed dino unconscious, use narcoberries or narcotics. Place these items in the dino’s inventory, and their torpor will gradually increase, allowing you to maintain unconsciousness during taming.
9. How do I wake up an unconscious dino in Ark?
Use stimulants to rapidly reduce a dino’s torpor, waking them up quickly. Force-feed stimulants to an unconscious creature.
10. What are the benefits of using a Shadowmane in Ark?
Shadowmanes are versatile creatures excellent for both combat and transport. They have great offensive capabilities, can be ridden without a saddle, and move very quickly.
11. What is the significance of the Unicorn in Ark?
The Unicorn is a rare, passive creature that is a variant of the Equus. Only one wild Unicorn may exist at a time, and they will run from humans. They are very difficult to tame, making them an uncommon prize.
12. What are the capabilities of Terror Birds in Ark?
Terror Birds are fast, agile predators with powerful beaks designed for tearing and crushing. They are very effective for both hunting and transport, as they can jump high and move quickly.
13. Can hibernation be interrupted in Ark?
When the game is in hibernation, it’s a paused state. The game resumes when players enter the area again, “interrupting” the hibernation. There’s no way to intentionally or accidentally interrupt the hibernated state within Ark. The term “interruption” is more relevant to real-world hibernating animals.
14. What does sleeping in beds actually do in Ark?
Beds in Ark act as respawn points and fast travel locations for players. They also provide faster healing if the player rests in them. Beds have a 5-minute cooldown period between uses.
15. How do I know if hibernation is enabled in Windows?
Check by clicking the power button in the Start menu. If “Hibernate” is an option, it’s enabled. If the option is absent, it’s disabled on your system.
Conclusion
Disabling hibernation in Ark: Survival Evolved is usually essential when running a non-dedicated server, mainly for consistent world activity and enabling offline raiding prevention. However, be aware of the increased resource usage, and implement it only on suitable systems. By following this guide and understanding the FAQs, you’ll be well-equipped to manage hibernation effectively on your Ark server and ensure the smoothest possible gameplay.