Ark Survival Ascended Server Versions Save

excited to announce the release of POK-manager.sh v2.0, bringing you enhanced backup management capabilities and various quality-of-life improvements to streamline your Ark Survival Ascended Server management experience.

Key Features:

1. Backup Management:

   • Introduced the -backup command to create backups of server instances.
   • Added support for backing up specific instances or all instances at once.
   • Implemented a configuration system to set the maximum number of backups to keep and the maximum size limit for each instance's backup folder.
   • Automatic backup rotation to maintain the specified limits and optimize storage usage.

2. Restore Functionality:

   • Added the -restore command to easily restore server instances from existing backups.
   • Improved user experience with a selection menu to choose the desired backup archive.
   • Automated restoration process to replace the current saved game data with the backed-up version.

3. Quality-of-Life Improvements:

   • Enhanced error handling and validation for user inputs.
   • Improved logging and feedback messages for better user awareness.
   • Optimized script performance and resource usage.
   • Updated documentation and examples in the README file.

4. Bug Fixes:

   • Resolved issues with file permissions and ownership.
   • Fixed compatibility issues with certain Linux distributions.
   • Addressed minor bugs and inconsistencies reported by the community.

We highly recommend updating to POK-manager.sh v2.0 to take advantage of these new features and improvements. As always, we appreciate your feedback and contributions to making POK-manager.sh even better.

Please refer to the updated README file for detailed instructions on how to use the new backup and restore commands, as well as the configuration options available.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for future enhancements, please don't hesitate to reach out to us on our GitHub repository or join our Discord community for support and discussions.

@everyone New Features & Updates

Message of the Day (MOTD) Integration MOTD Functionality: Server admins can now set a custom "Message of the Day" directly from the docker-compose.yaml file. This feature allows for dynamic updates to the server message without manually editing game files.

Configurable Duration: Along with the message, the duration for which the MOTD is displayed can also be set in the docker-compose.yaml file.

Enable/Disable Option: The MOTD can be enabled or disabled as needed. Disabling this feature will remove any existing MOTD from the GameUserSettings.ini file.

Rich Text Support: MOTD now supports rich text formatting, allowing for more visually engaging messages with color and style.

Simplified Game Configuration Default Game.ini/GameUserSetting.ini Provision: To simplify the setup process, a default Game.ini file is now provided. This removes the necessity for server admins to copy this file from a single-player game.

Customizable Settings: Despite the default settings, admins retain full control to customize the Game.ini file as per their server's needs.

Detailed Feature Descriptions

1. Message of the Day (MOTD) Set up via docker-compose.yaml. MOTD and MOTD_DURATION variables introduced to define the message and its display duration. ENABLE_MOTD flag added to enable or disable this feature. Supports multiline and rich text formatting.

2. Default Game.ini File A pre-configured Game.ini file is included to ease initial server setup. Customizations can be made to this file to suit specific server requirements. Reduces the setup complexity for new server installations.

Implementation Notes:

If you want to enable MODT you just have to add this to the docker compose.yaml file

  ```
  - ENABLE_MOTD=FALSE                    # Enable or disable Message of the Day
  - MOTD=                                # Message of the Day
  - MOTD_DURATION=30                     # Duration for the Message of the Day```

you can even put complex MODT like this example below

<RichColor Color="0.65, 0, 1 ,1">Welcom To Our POK Server</> \n <RichColor Color="1, 1, 0, 1">Current Server Rates 1.0X Taming/Harvest/Maturation/Hatch/XP/Imprint</> \n <RichColor Color="1, 0, 0, 1">Join Our Discord discord.gg For Server Updates</>

Always make sure to remove older images and get the latest image with the command below

Open a terminal or command prompt.

romove old docker image

docker rmi acekorneya/asa_server:latest

then run this command downloads the latest version of the Ark: Survival Ascended Docker image from Docker Hub.

docker pull acekorneya/asa_server:latest.

Restart the Docker Container

I feel like I have accomplished all of my goals for this project, so I will probably leave it like this for a while. It seems that we have all of the features needed to have this script install, auto-update, monitor, and gracefully shut down the Ark Ascended Server. We have also added some nice features, such as MODT/Rcon Messages, etc. The next update will most likely be when we are allowed to do server transfers, as that cannot be tested until the developers allow it.

I value your feedback. Please reach out with any suggestions or issues encountered.

New Features and Improvements:

1. Improved Countdown Notifications: Updated logic in rcon_interface.sh and monitor_ark_server.sh for better countdown notifications. Server restart countdown now sends notifications at 5-minute intervals, switching to second-by-second notifications in the last 10 seconds.

2. Dynamic Update Checks: Integrated CHECK_FOR_UPDATE_INTERVAL in monitor_ark_server.sh. Allows server admins to set a custom interval (in hours) for checking server updates. The server now only checks for updates at the specified interval, reducing unnecessary checks or having to manual update the server.

3. Enhanced RCON Interface: Updated rcon_interface.sh to handle restarts and world saving more effectively improving the countdown logic.

Technical Changes:

1. Docker Compose Configuration: Added new environment variables to docker-compose.yaml for better script control. Variables like CHECK_FOR_UPDATE_INTERVAL and RESTART_NOTICE_MINUTES enhance the customizability of the server's behavior.

   • UPDATE_SERVER=TRUE # Enable or disable update checks
   • CHECK_FOR_UPDATE_INTERVAL=24 # Check for Updates interval in hours
   • RESTART_NOTICE_MINUTES=30 # Duration in minutes for notifying players before a server restart due to updates

2. Script Refinements: such as monitor_ark_server.sh have been refined for improved reliability and functionality. POK_Update_Monitor.sh script added for dedicated update monitoring.

I'm are thrilled to announce the release of Server Manager 1.0, a significant update bringing new features and improvements to enhance server administration and user experience. Key highlights of this release include:

Graceful Shutdown: When the docker compose down command is issued, players on the server will be notified of the imminent shutdown. More importantly, the script now ensures the world is saved before the container shuts down, preserving all progress.

RCON Manager Script: This new feature allows server admins to send a variety of commands to the server, including restart, saveworld, chat, and custom commands. It enhances control and interaction with the server directly from the command line.

Server Monitor: A robust monitoring script automatically restarts the server in the event of a crash. Additionally, it ensures that after certain RCON commands like restart or Doexit are executed, the server is automatically brought back online, minimizing downtime and maintaining server stability.

Custom Map Names for Mods: The update now supports the use of custom map names, particularly useful for mods. This allows for greater flexibility and customization based on user preferences or mod requirements.

Additional Server Arguments: Server admins now have the ability to add more server arguments, offering more control and customization options for server settings.

This release represents a significant step forward in my commitment to providing a powerful and user-friendly server management tool. While I believe this is a solid foundation, the Server Manager is still a work in progress. I'm welcome to suggestions and feature requests to continue improving it.

Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy the new features and enhancements in Server Manager