The final boss cinematic for Aberration showed a new Ark that the developers confirmed would be the Extinction DLC. A release date has been slated, so it's time to start a discussion about the potential addition to the HappyDiggers servers or not. I want this to be an open forum for everyone in the HappyDiggers community about whether we should consider adding a new Ark DLC server.

Here is why this thread is necessary:
We have a limited amount RAM available and between 4 Ark Survival Evolved servers and 1 PixARK server we have maxed out our allocation of RAM. This is under the assumption that PixARK will require more RAM than it currently is operating with considering that only a few players have played the world at any given time and that the game is still in early access.

How do we add another Ark DLC server?
  • One solution is to increase our RAM. In order to do that we need more donations. InsaneJ would need about 700 euros to properly upgrade our RAM another 64 Gigs. Currently we have allocated 36 Gigs for use with the 4 Ark and 1 PixARK servers.
  • The next solution would be to remove one of our Ark servers and install the Extinction DLC in its place. This isn't exactly my favorite option as I feel each map has something to offer, but logistically it makes sense considering some maps are much more popular than others. The downside to this method is that we will lose access to certain map specific resources such as special dinos like Phoenix on Scorched Earth or map specific bosses.
  • Another possible solution would be to do a sort of map swap once a month or perhaps once every 3 months. This would allow all map access over time. Character, tribe, and alliance data would transfer between the swapped servers and the saved server worlds would be held in stasis while not in use. When the stasised world is selected again it would be exactly as it was when it was last saved.


Ark server information:
Not all Ark servers are created equal. Each Ark server uses a different amount of RAM and each server has different and unique resources to offer. Here is some information to consider in your responses.
  • The Island - Averages 7 Gigs of RAM. The longest running HappyDiggers Ark server. Has Ascension and all of the original bosses. The game was designed and built around The Island.
  • Aberration - Averages 4.5 Gigs of RAM. The newest official DLC. A unique map, creature, and environment experience. A whole set of special items, dinos, engrams, and boss rewards.
  • Scorched Earth - Averages 4.5 Gigs of RAM. Another unique experience to Ark illustrating the brutality of the desert environment. A whole set of special items, engrams, and boss rewards. The only map that has wild Phoenix (Can currently be bought with our shop plugin though).
  • Ragnarok - Averages 8 Gigs of RAM. Has unique Tek engrams and a dual boss fight. Largest map we're operating with. Every biome in the game is available.


During peak times when we have many players online expect another 3-4 Gigs of RAM shared between all of the Ark servers. Add on that the current test server average for the PixARK is 2-3 Gigs with the assumption that it will be using upwards of 7 Gigs when it becomes modded and has been developed further.