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Understanding Prevent Hibernation in Ark: Survival Evolved

What does prevent hibernation do in Ark? The -preventhibernation command, when used in the launch options of Ark: Survival Evolved, completely disables the game’s hibernation system. This system, by default, essentially “pauses” areas of the game world when players are not nearby. By disabling it, the entire game world remains active, even when you are not in the vicinity of specific areas or bases. This means that dinos will continue to grow, resources will continue to respawn, and actions like wyvern egg laying can occur even when you are far away. However, this benefit comes at a cost: significantly increased server performance demands and memory usage. In essence, -preventhibernation ensures the game world runs continuously, not just when players are present, leading to a more dynamic but more resource-intensive experience. This is crucial for specific playstyles and server settings, but it’s essential to understand the trade-offs involved.

The Mechanics of Hibernation in Ark

What is Hibernation in Ark?

In Ark: Survival Evolved, hibernation isn’t simply a cosmetic sleep state; it’s a fundamental game mechanic. When you’re not close to a particular area, the game essentially puts that section of the world “to sleep.” This means:

Dinos don’t grow or mature unless a player is within rendering distance.
Resources don’t respawn while an area is hibernating.
Events, like egg laying by wyverns, might not occur if a player is not nearby.
The game does not process changes in a hibernating area.

This is a crucial performance optimization; without hibernation, the game would need to constantly calculate the state of the entire map, placing an immense strain on server and client resources.

Why Use Prevent Hibernation?

The main reason to disable hibernation is to allow for continuous game progression even when not present. This is particularly relevant for:

Breeding Dinos: If you’re raising baby dinos, disabling hibernation will allow them to grow continuously, even when you’re off gathering resources or exploring the map.
Resource Management: With hibernation off, resources will regenerate regardless of player proximity.
Advanced Game Mechanics: Features like passive egg laying and certain events become functional regardless of player location.
Offline Raid Prevention (indirectly): Disabling hibernation in conjunction with other server settings can be leveraged to implement more robust offline raid prevention measures, as it ensures the game state changes when players are offline.

How to Enable Prevent Hibernation

Enabling Prevent Hibernation on a Non-Dedicated Server (PC/Steam)

Navigate to your Ark: Survival Evolved game in your Steam library.
Right-click on the game title and select “Properties“.
Click on “Set Launch Options“.
Type -preventhibernation into the text box and click “OK“.
Start your Ark game.

Considerations when using `-preventhibernation`

Increased Memory Usage: Disabling hibernation puts more strain on both your server and client. This results in increased memory usage, which may be a problem with lower-end systems.
Performance Impact: This command can significantly impact performance, especially with large maps or a high population of structures and dinos.
Server Stability: For dedicated servers, this can put extra strain on system resources, potentially leading to crashes or slowdowns if not appropriately configured and maintained.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is it safe to disable hibernation in Ark?

Yes, disabling hibernation is safe in that it will not corrupt your game data. However, it is essential to consider the performance implications on your system or server. If your hardware is not robust enough to manage it, you may encounter issues.

2. Does prevent hibernation affect solo play?

Yes, it affects solo play. If you disable hibernation in single-player mode, your Dinos will continue to grow and resources will respawn even when you are not nearby, just like on a server.

3. Does `-preventhibernation` affect my PC’s hibernation settings?

No, -preventhibernation only affects the Ark: Survival Evolved game. It has no influence on your computer’s general hibernation or sleep settings.

4. What is Torpor and is it related to hibernation?

Torpor is a temporary sleep-like state induced in creatures within Ark through narcotics or certain attacks. It is not the same as hibernation. Torpor is a temporary, often involuntary state, whereas game hibernation is a mechanic that pauses world updates.

5. How can I keep dinos unconscious longer in Ark?

To extend the time a dino remains unconscious, use narcoberries or narcotics to increase their torpor. This is essential during the taming process.

6. What happens if a dino wakes up while taming?

If a dino wakes up before it’s tamed, you will lose all taming progress and resources used. You will need to start the taming process over.

7. Will my dinos still eat if I disable hibernation?

Yes, your dinos will still consume food even if you’re not close, assuming you have sufficient food available in their inventories or in a nearby feeding trough. This will occur with and without -preventhibernation enabled, however, it will not occur in the absence of player presence.

8. What is the offline raiding prevention option mentioned with `-preventhibernation`?

The article references implementing offline raid prevention. This typically involves server settings such as implementing a 15-minute grace period after a player logs off where their structures and dinos become invulnerable. Disabling hibernation is a prerequisite for implementing robust offline protection in combination with other settings.

9. Does hibernation affect resource respawn rates?

Yes, hibernation can affect resource respawn rates. When an area is hibernating, resource nodes will not respawn in that location. This is one of the main reasons to use -preventhibernation.

10. What are the alternative methods of offline raiding prevention?

Offline raiding prevention methods can include server settings that cause player structures and dinos to become invulnerable after a short time after the player logs off. Some mods may also allow this.

11. How do I disable my PC’s hibernation mode?

To disable hibernation on Windows, open a command prompt as administrator and type powercfg.exe /hibernate off followed by pressing Enter.

12. Does hibernation cause PC performance problems?

PC hibernation generally does not cause performance problems. It is a built-in feature that reserves some disk space for its hiberfil.sys file, but this has minimal impact on general performance.

13. Is it okay for my PC to hibernate frequently?

Yes, it is perfectly safe to allow your PC to hibernate frequently. It does not harm the hardware or software.

14. How do you wake a dino up faster?

Use stimulants to rapidly raise a dino’s torpor, waking them up quickly.

15. What is a Shadowmane and how does it relate to hibernation?

A Shadowmane is a creature in Ark used for transportation and combat. It is unrelated to hibernation, except that its growth would be affected if hibernation is enabled. With hibernation off, a baby Shadowmane will continue to grow even when the player is not around.

By understanding the role of the hibernation system and the effects of the -preventhibernation command, Ark: Survival Evolved players can make more informed choices about their gameplay experience, adapting it to their specific needs and server capabilities. Remember to carefully consider the performance and memory implications before disabling hibernation, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable game for everyone.