We have a change that's going to have to happen, and I want to make all of you aware of it as soon as I can so that you can begin preparations in whatever way you need to.

Our stack mod is going to have to be removed. This will lead to any an all materials that are in modified stacks to be deleted. Our stack mod is not really being maintained, and will almost certainly not continue to be updated for all future expansions. Therefore, it has great potential to cause backend issues for the servers. It could even possibly lead to save corruptions or unplanned/unpreventable loss of items. On the bright side, our stack mod's custom 3D meshes that occasionally lead to items not being able to be picked up after being dropped will be a thing of the past.

Our stack sizes will not change due to Wildcard's added .ini option for server owners to manually set stack sizes, but this will not save the items currently affected by the stack mod from being deleted. Changing to the built-in method for changing stack sizes also ensures that we will never have to go through this kind of large-scale material loss due to a mod again.

Some ways in which the blow can potentially be lessened:
- Element can be saved by converting it into Element Shards. Element shard stack sizes are not altered by the stack mod, so if you convert your element into shards, they will not be deleted and can then be changed back into element.
- Other materials can be at least partially saved by using them to craft items, then grinding them after the stack mod is removed. You will only receive 50% of the materials back, but that's better than losing it all!
- We will have an increased harvesting event for a minimum of one week following the stack mod removal. Harvesting will be doubled (6x) and dino weight per level will also be adjusted during this time.

When will this change take place?
We will be removing the stack mod from the main cluster one month after the release of Genesis (so roughly 2 months from now, give or take). Genesis will be launched without the stack mod, so players will be able to keep any items they collect on Genesis during the first month, but item/dino transfers between the other maps and Genesis will not be enabled until one month after its release.

We added new API plugins to the server.

Our new AutoDecay plugin makes it so that structures and dinos automatically decay (demolish) after 30 days of no logins from any members of the tribe.This means that from this point going forward, you will need to login within 30 days of your last login in order to keep your structures around. Admins are not responsible for anything lost due to failure to keep up with timers.

If the last active member of the tribe leaves said tribe, then the plugin will look at the next last active player and adjust timers accordingly.

If your tribe has varying members across the different maps, make sure that you are staying on top of your timers. Timers are only refreshed for tribes that the player who logs in is associated with, so if your tribemate on one map logs in, but they are not in your tribe on another map, your structures on the second map in this scenario will not have been refreshed.

You need to log in to ALL MAPS that you have structures on at least once for the API to learn who you are and what tribe you are associated with. Once you have done this, you will only need to log in to one map in the cluster to refresh your timers on all maps. Primitive Challenge is not part of the cluster; therefore, timers there need to be refreshed separately.

If you have any extenuating circumstances that are keeping you from logging in, please let an admin know and we will reset your timers for you. This is handled on a case-by-case basis and at the admin's discretion. We will not refresh your timers simply because you don't feel like updating/logging onto Ark.

If you have any questions, please ask them in the discord: https://www.discord.gg/tjwhrRh

We also have an API plugin that boosts wild dino level distribution on the Island, Extinction, and Aberration to match the level distribution on Ragnarok. The max wild dino level is still 150, but you will see higher levels more often on those three maps than you would typically.

Have you hit end game on NTBD? Are you sitting pretty, twiddling your thumbs until Genesis' release? Are you itching for a bit of a challenge?

Then, boy, do I have the announcement for you!

We are launching a "Primitive Challenge" server.

What is that? Well, it's an unclustered server in which all tek, guns, and electricity are inaccessible. On top of that, we have mods that change a few mechanics of the dinosaurs.

Large carnivores are now mini-bosses that spawn in mate-boosted pairs which you have to battle and lower the female to 10% health. At this point, she will lay an egg which you will have to retrieve and then raise to maturity. These carnivores are not tameable in any other way. Additionally, flyers are not tameable (ignore the argent eggs; you can't tame the babies) with... a couple of exceptions... See the mod page for Ark: Vanilla Enhanced for more info!

A large number of dinos have also been altered by Kraken's Better Dinos. Since we have two mods that remap dinosaurs, we have done our best to hand-pick which version of each dino is allowed to spawn for the best experience. If you notice anything amiss (multiple versions of the same kind of dino), please let me know ASAP.

This challenge server will utilize the mod map "Fjördur." It is a Nordic setting with harsh low temperatures. This map is still a work-in-progress and will expand with future updates.

Onto the topic of settings:
Harvest, Experience, and Taming: 2x
Hatching/Maturation: 3x
Difficulty Offset: 1
Everything else? Vanilla! Good ole' 1x.

We have some pretty fun mods on the server. In addition to Better Dinos and Vanilla Enhanced, we also have Advanced Rafts, Immersive Taming, and more!

Mod List:
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1884516957

Oh, and did I mention that the server is up? Right now? Well, it is! So if you're interested, go ahead and hop on. The I.P. is 54.39.132.170:7620

Auto-decay has been disabled since it was not working properly. It was randomly destroying bases that still had time left on their countdowns, so we opted it better to just discontinue auto-decay's use.

Ragnarok was rolled back to recover lost bases.

#times-up-notifications has been reinstated in the discord. Please post any demolishable bases that you find in that text channel.

Thanks to our patrons, we have been able to upgrade to our own dedicated machine!

The new I.P.s are:

• [NTBD] Ragnarok - 3-5x Rates - PvE Cluster: 54.39.132.170:7220
  
• [NTBD] Extinction - 3-5x Rates - PvE Cluster: 54.39.132.170:7320
  
• [NTBD] Aberration - 3-5x Rates - PvE Cluster: 54.39.132.170:7120
  
• [NTBD] The Island - 3-5x Rates - PvE Cluster: 54.39.132.170:7020
  
• [NTBD][Mod Mania] Valguero - 3-5x Rates - PvE Cluster: 54.39.132.170:7420

Please do not play on the old I.P.s. Any progress you make past this point will not be transferred.

Also auto destroy structures has been enabled. This will save our admin team time and help our server's performance.

Responsibility for timers on structures is not on players. If you do not keep your timers refreshed, your structures will be destroyed as soon as they become demolishable. We have a new channel in the discord for notifying people if their timers are getting into the danger zone. It is called #structure-time-bomb.

Structure decay multiplier has been increased to 3.5x, so structure decay timers are as follows:
Thatch - 14 days
Wood - 28 days
Adobe - 28 days
Stone - 42 days
Metal - 56 days
Tek - 70 days