Host Server on Win 10 without steam client? Please Help!

[ZachAttack080]

Here is my situation. Me and my girlfriend are hooked on Ark (I know a little late). We have put a quite a few hours into it now but the 200m tether distance when playing local or split screen is driving me absolutely INSANE! I did some reading and I am trying to figure out if I can set up a dedicated server on Windows 10 WITHOUT using steam client since I have the game only on Win 10 and Xbox One. Here are some details and my questions:

I only want to play locally without the stupid distance issue so I don't need a guide to open firewall ports and all that. My PC can handle being the host and being play on at the same time. She will play on the Xbox, me on the PC.

1. Can I set up and host a dedicated server on my PC without steam version of the game?

2. Can I transfer my current character and buildings and everything? I read that you can do that by copying the save file but everything I read says you need to change the name of the file to your steam ID but I am not using the steam version so.... can I do this with my current filename since I am not playing through the steam client?

3. If 1 and 2 are successful, Can I transfer my girlfriends character with her levels to the new dedicated server without her losing her progress? She has only played in my local/non dedicated game with me.

Maybe I am making this to difficult for myself? but ultimately what I would like is for me and her to play on the map together without the tether issue. but would love to keep our current progress. we have only played on the island so far.  any help would be great!

[Juggernaut]

1. You can host from PC using windows store and play with Xbox players. As far as playing and hosting from the same PC, you will need to host in virtual enivorment under a separate game install and Xbox gsmertag.

 

2. You can't transfer any save files from Xbox to PC given you can't access the game files on Xbox. You will lose all your progress. Once you start hosting on PC, you can access those files and do whatever. 

[KokuRyu]

On 4/11/2019 at 10:26 AM, Juggernaut said:

1. You can host from PC using windows store and play with Xbox players. As far as playing and hosting from the same PC, you will need to host in virtual enivorment under a separate game install and Xbox gsmertag.

 

2. You can't transfer any save files from Xbox to PC given you can't access the game files on Xbox. You will lose all your progress. Once you start hosting on PC, you can access those files and do whatever. 

How exactly do I do this? There are 0 tutorials or guides for this to be found. I've been trying to get this working for the last week and I'm getting pretty frustrated at it. I have a spare PC I can run Ark on, I can launch the Dedicated Server, but I can't connect to it on the Xbox.

[Juggernaut]

On 3/28/2020 at 3:48 AM, KokuRyu said:

How exactly do I do this? There are 0 tutorials or guides for this to be found. I've been trying to get this working for the last week and I'm getting pretty frustrated at it. I have a spare PC I can run Ark on, I can launch the Dedicated Server, but I can't connect to it on the Xbox.

Are you hosting the dedicated via the windows store version of ark? Make sure you are not trying to use the steam client dedicated hosting method because that is not cross-play compatible with xbox. Otherwise if you can joint the server via xbox friend invite, make sure UPnP is enabled on your router/firewall and make sure you have an OPEN NAT. You can test for OPEN NAT by going to windows settings > xbox live test or in the xbox live app, test xbox live connection.