Moving to my own server

[KyrieCatteneo]

Im working towards making my own server to play online. When I do get up and running, will I have to start a new character? Can I import any of my solo characters, where Im already well established? Can I start a char online, then move it to my own server?

[DirkInSA]

There is no (to my best knowledge) "in game" method of transferring from either official on-line or single player into a server.

If you are playing steam, it is possible to copy your single player character file into the servers save game directory. And then once there rename this character file to be YourSteamID.arkprofile. You should then be able to play your old single player toon on the server. But this is just the character - no kit or dinos.

If you are not on steam - or if you do not have "real" access to the server file system (i.e. you rent a server that gives you some kind of interface to manage the Ark server - but no way to copy or rename things on the server file system), then I think you are stuck.

[Pipinghot]

20 hours ago, KyrieCatteneo said:

Im working towards making my own server to play online. When I do get up and running, will I have to start a new character? Can I import any of my solo characters, where Im already well established? Can I start a char online, then move it to my own server?

You ca not export characters from Official servers, which means you also can't import them to your private server (this applies to both dedicated private servers and local/host games). And, of course, you can not upload your private characters to the Official server.

Having said that, if you have a character that you've been playing in local/host mode, yes you can transfer that character to a private-dedicated server that you own. And you can copy characters from your private-dedicated server to your local/host game. For that matter, you can transfer your entire map back-and-forth between your local/host game and your private-dedicated server, and the other direction also.

Once you set up your "own server to play online", you will have to take some time to learn where the files are stored for the game, and then you can transfer your character/tribe/map back and forth as you wish.

[DaddyMike72]

Yep.  Just what Pipinghot said.  I never played official, but when I first switched from singleplayer to server (through Steam), I was able to upload myself and any items/tames at the obelisks, switch games, then download them.  There were some restrictions though.  If memory serves (probably not), you could upload empty cryopods, but not loaded ones, so you had to upload all your tames in limited groups (20 or 25?).  I seem to recall you had to upload tames and their saddles separately too. 

You also can not upload any artifacts, trophies or element or its derivatives.  You can make tek things from the element and upload that, but you will have get new element on the server.  This limit also applies to clustered servers. 

 

You will also be transferred nekkid.  So make sure you take all your gear off and out of your hotbar and upload them before uploading yourself.

 

For that matter, if you so choose, you can have your character on your singleplayer map and a different character on your server map and pass tames and such back and forth.  If you ever get to the point of running a cluster of servers, you lose this ability I believe.  There's a server option for preventing downloads, but even with it turned off, I've never been able to upload/download without first disabling the cluster.

 

Of course, moving all your save files from folder to folder might circumvent all of this, but I have never tried myself.