Configuring Ark Imprinting Server Settings for Quality of Life
A 100% imprint provides a massive 30% stat boost and 30% damage resistance when the imprinter rides the dino. Server admins must balance timers so players can actually achieve this.
The Imprinting Problem
By default on official rates, raising a Rex takes nearly 4 days, requiring the player to log in exactly every 8 hours to feed/cuddle it for a small imprint percentage. On accelerated dedicated servers, if you speed up maturation without touching the cuddle interval, the baby will reach adulthood before the 8-hour timer goes off, leaving it permanently at 0% imprint.
The Golden Game.ini Equations
To fix this, you need to adjust multiple settings under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] in your Game.ini file.
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=10.0
BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier=0.1
BabyCuddleGracePeriodMultiplier=3.0
BabyCuddleLoseImprintQualitySpeedMultiplier=0.1
BabyImprintingStatScaleMultiplier=1.0How the Math Works
The BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier modifies the 8-hour timer. Setting it to 0.1 means care is asked for every 48 minutes (8 hours * 0.1). Because the dino is growing 10 times faster (BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=10.0), the ratio of Growth Time to Cuddle Intervals remains identical to official servers, allowing the game to naturally distribute the imprint percentages.
The Easy 1-Cuddle Imprint Trick
If you want players to get 100% imprint on their very first cuddle regardless of the dino species, you can use:
BabyImprintAmountMultiplier=100.0This setting multiplies the percentage granted by each cuddle. If a Raptor normally gave 50% per cuddle, a multiplier of 100 guarantees it will top out at 100% immediately upon the first success.