Shobijim Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 I've built an web app that helps with creating experience-level curves. It exports the entries required for Game.ini, as well as CSV for use with ASM (Ark Server Manager). It is an early version, with looks that hail from the 1990s, but it's functional. Here it is Ark Level Config and this is how 1990s looked like Each of the three major sections Player XP (eXperience Points) Player EP (Engram Points) Dino XP has three ways to operate them, selected by clicking one of the three radio buttons: use multiplayer default values (bUseSingleplayerSettings=False or omitted) use singleplayer default values (bUseSingleplayerSettings=True) make an custom curve. That is the core idea behind this app. If you chose to make an custom curve, either start from scratch or use one of the two provided presets, which resemble the defaults for multi- and singleplayer, but with reasonable few curve segments. Speaking of segments: custom curves are defined by segments that can be a Line (x) Parabola (x^2) Exponential (a^x) Since it is easier to reason about, the curves are defined by how much XP is required to Level up from i.e. level 99 to level 100. The curve for Engram Points works the same way, just for EP instead of XP. The tool knows about Ascension. If you don't care about Ascension, then the tool generates something that just works. No matter if you start from scratch or modify one of the presets it is a good idea to select and use an reference curve at the right side of each section. This way you can keep track of how much different your curve is compared to i.e. the multiplayer defaults. You can even import LevelExperienceRampOverrides or OverridePlayerLevelEngramPoints entries as reference curve from an existing Game.ini by chosing "Import Game.ini" and clicking "Use". How to use the generated output If you're an experienced server admin, then I'm sure you'll know what to do with the generated output. If google pointed you this way and you've never touched your Game.ini, take a look at these videos for orientation first https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX-N9XQDhUE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQLeMVGFIpk If you want to know how to feed ASM with the generated CSV, try this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nklAmyp0agc Changelog 01.11.2018: Undo/Redo for each section. 27.10.2018: Major update. Plots allow choosing or even importing a reference curve. Each section can be skipped by choosing default values for single or multiplayer. Presets that are much closer to the default values, including ascension levels. 23.10.2018: First public version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuoMogAgain Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 That's a great tool, but can I suggest the default values to be closer to the ones used by Vanilla Ark please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shobijim Posted October 24, 2018 Author Share Posted October 24, 2018 1 minute ago, DuoMogAgain said: That's a great tool, but can I suggest the default values to be closer to the ones used by Vanilla Ark please. Right now the defaults are an approximation of the vanilla values for singleplayer, taken from https://ark.gamepedia.com/Levels I've chosen an approximation, because the default values are all over the place and hard to describe with a few segments. It would probably take dozens of line segments to get something really close. But I hear you, there needs to be a way to at least see how the current curve compares to default values, both single and multiplayer. It should also be possible to generate the exact default values at the export section. One use case for this is wanting to only modify the ramp for dinos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuoMogAgain Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Thanks Shobijim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shobijim Posted October 26, 2018 Author Share Posted October 26, 2018 Got so many ideas that make sense, in addition to yours. So much work to implement, refactor and tune the UI to not make it a confusing mess. I need a bit more time, but I am working. Promise ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shobijim Posted October 27, 2018 Author Share Posted October 27, 2018 On 10/24/2018 at 9:15 PM, DuoMogAgain said: That's a great tool, but can I suggest the default values to be closer to the ones used by Vanilla Ark please. I hope the last update is closer to what you have in mind than before. Above the plots in each section you can now select a reference curve, foremost the exact values for singple- and multiplayer. Btw, the plot for the singleplayer XP looks crazy, but I've tested it and can confirm that these values are correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuoMogAgain Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 12 hours ago, Shobijim said: I hope the last update is closer to what you have in mind than before. Above the plots in each section you can now select a reference curve, foremost the exact values for singple- and multiplayer. Btw, the plot for the singleplayer XP looks crazy, but I've tested it and can confirm that these values are correct. I think I'm being blind here... I'm getting "Max Level for XP and Engram points must be same. Can't Export" but I can't see which fields need to change. It might be worth having just one place where the max levels can be set, so this situation can't happen. OK : Emptying the cache and a page refresh sorted it. It would be good though to have the max level specified in just one place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shobijim Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share Posted October 28, 2018 On 10/28/2018 at 9:35 AM, DuoMogAgain said: OK : Emptying the cache and a page refresh sorted it. It would be good though to have the max level specified in just one place. Thank you for giving me this feedback, it's very valuable. I'll first explain what is going on, why it can't be this easy and finally what I think you are right about and what I could change to solve it. What is going on The warning is more of an information, that eventually each level needs an XP and an EP value. If you start messing with one of the curves then this warning is naturally always there, right until you're finished with it. If i.e the Engram Points section is left on of the two defaults (currently 105 regular levels, +30 ascenion levels) and you play with the XP curve, then the warning will be there until the last regular (non-ascension) segment ends at level 105, meaning 135 levels in total. Why can't we just set the max level Settings max level at once place doesn't work, because there is no sensible default of dealing with this. Other tools give you this option, because they've chosen the overall shape of the curve for you, just asking for a max level to scale it, plus a way to stretch or squeeze the Y-Axis. In this tool you've got much much more control. What could be better But I feel your issue is best summarized like this: I click the button I'm supposed to press and now I'm yelled at and nothing works. In my mind everyone knows to use one of the presets to fix this warning right away, but I agree, this is a bad experience. I might set the single segment, that is there when you chose the custom curve section, to be a single line that ends at 105, thus preventing the warning, but still communicating that there is some work to be done here. And the big one: Documentation. A few gifs or videos covering basic use cases, for example scaling up the default values to a higher level, would answer the perhaps most common question people find this be a good starting point for more interesting work, which this tool is meant to cover PS: What if I just want to scale the defaults to a higher max level I might built another app that does this, based on i.e. a singleplayer and multiplayer alike shapes that can be built with the help of this app. I've haven't yet, because there are many tools for this already in existence. But it would be natural progress. The simpler app gives most people what they want, at least at first. If the demand for more control arises, or just curiosity, then I can point them to this more general and thus more complicated app. PS2: sorry for this wall of text Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuoMogAgain Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 Thanks Shobijim. You have a valuable tool there, and I appreciate you releasing it. It would have saved me hours of work when I was setting up my server. I just have this mega-ability to break things for myself ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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