ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK: Survival Evolved

Kineko's Inventory Control System
52 Comments
Kineko  [author] 1 Apr, 2021 @ 11:19am 
I have released the V2 code. Note that they are "basically the same mod", so your server will probably crash if both are installed at the same time. Be sure to disable this mod before enabling the other mod.
Shadowpheonix 30 Mar, 2021 @ 2:36pm 
I think the new code should be released as a separate mod. There are enough differences between the two that I think people should be able to choose whichever best suits their playstyle (at least until an Ark update breaks the "v1" version).
XEN 26 Mar, 2021 @ 5:19am 
V2, Id love to test it.
Kineko  [author] 25 Mar, 2021 @ 8:17pm 
Requesting feedback: I've finished my update on my mod. But it functions fairly differently so that if I were to upgrade this mod with the new code, people would need to reconfigure all of their settings from scratch. So my question is this:

Should I just release the new code as a new "V2" mod

Or would people prefer to have this mod updated with the loss of all rules. People would need to:
1. Learn the new system
2. Build new control consoles (not too expensive)
3. Add back in all their dinos and storage
4. Create all new rules

I am leaning to just releasing a V2 because it is such a drastic change. Unless I hear good reasons otherwise to do so.

Thanks.
MickeyTJR 24 Jan, 2021 @ 2:21pm 
So is this one big network? Because I was trying to set up an unload and a forge as two different networks. But the forges don't seem to pull from the unload network or even send out the ingots and stuff to storage.

If you can combine networks is there a way to can do a simple example of how to set this up?
XEN 11 Jan, 2021 @ 12:09am 
Any way to make this more controller friendly? I'm trying to avoid grabbing the mouse or keyboard at all if possible.
Pup Mox Fox 26 Dec, 2020 @ 12:02pm 
I do have it in an inventory that uses ICS, and we have had the mod working for a week about.
I did a search in the ICS inventory management screen and i was able to find another Mod item of 'Dino Souls' and another item that was not in the list before, "golden Hesperornis egg" then after about an hour i was able to add it to the Inventory management screen so i can verify the "new resource' scan is working for other items. Is there a way to add it to the system. or maybe you have ideas?
Kineko  [author] 24 Dec, 2020 @ 2:09pm 
Just leave them in any container that is managed by ICS and it will learn about them over time. Depending on server settings, this is usually no more than an hour.
Pup Mox Fox 24 Dec, 2020 @ 7:50am 
I looked through the comments and even did a google search for the system tho i mostly get business inventory systems. but issue is it does not seem the system is picking up certain items.
the one my system cannot find is 'Hide Pants' I know the system is scanning new items as some Mod custom items are showing up in the item search. but Hide Pants are base game items and i do not know how to manually add it to the system register. i have several hide pants in an inventory that is managed by the inventory control system.
any help would be great.
xXBulletJusticeXx 20 Sep, 2020 @ 8:01pm 
this looks cool
XEN 4 Jul, 2020 @ 6:47pm 
Love this mod!
Kineko  [author] 8 May, 2020 @ 3:08pm 
You need to add the settings into the file manually while the server is down or via a utility such as "Ark Server Manager". They will not be there unless manually added.
ion 24 Apr, 2020 @ 3:31am 
Hello. First, I must say, this is a great mod, thank you!
And a question; where do I edit the file GameUserSettings.ini ? There is only one in game directory and it doesn't contain any parameter with ics.
VeggiePirate 7 Jul, 2019 @ 3:10pm 
@JyCS

The Alt-F hotkey will sometimes just open the normal inventory screen, so you might just need to close that and try it again. Try holding ALT a moment before pressing F to see if the KICS screen opens more reliably for you.
Youtep 20 Jun, 2019 @ 6:28am 
The "f" key close the inventory by default -.-
Youtep 20 Jun, 2019 @ 6:17am 
Wtf just HOW it works ? How to open the menu ? Oo
Kineko  [author] 19 Nov, 2018 @ 5:00pm 
Hi Temil2006. Perhaps you did not understand my explanation. The mod has always had the concept of a default destination. It would be a container with an overall "Accept" policy and no specific resource or folder rules. However, much like your suggestion, it does not work if either (a) the player fails to set it up or (b) it is full.

The mod even has the concept of "push out the following item and then drop the remainder" (a red background).

The administrative fix that I came up with is the ability to "slow down" the scan by increasing the interval and/or changing the delay between each scan itself. Not that the mod only does one thing at a time, no matter how many players/tribes/networks or containers there may be.

As for the other, yes I should have been more clear that the mod only touches containers within the same network and stops once it has either pushed or pulled enough to satisfy the rules.
Temil2006 18 Nov, 2018 @ 5:55pm 
Kineko :: yea, I get what you are saying, but for servers with multiple players, 1 player screws up and doesn't set this up right, and it's lag fest. Then the process for an admin to find the one tribe/user that caused it is a real process.

Posted a "sugestion" would I think would rectify this. As a system/network engineer myself, all the systems we manage for large companies allways have a fallback/default route ..so that when everything else failes, it defaults to that location which isn't touched after unless it's manually moved. just a thought.

Also, little confused why the system would be opening every container in range? shouldn't it only be looking for containers within the network, and that are in range? or was that just a typo..

all in all, nice mod. few tweaks and I think it could become great ;)
Kineko  [author] 18 Nov, 2018 @ 5:29pm 
One thing to avoid is to not have a destination for something. Such as having a 'drop box' in which you place Thatch. But then no destination will accept it. This causes the mod to need to open the inventory of every structure in range, which gets replicated to the client. This gets worse for each resource for which there is no destination. I had this and it was really annoying.

Also, don't have two inventory control systems access the same structure (such as S+ gardener and ICS on the same crop plots). Instead, have ICS manage the other system (such as the S+ Gardener, not the crop plots).

Lastly, on large or busy servers - consider increasing either the delay between item movements or the overall interval.
Temil2006 18 Nov, 2018 @ 12:52pm 
Kineko :: thx for that, got it working with those details. Now the only issue I'm having is every 1-2 mins, getting a bit of lag, I think beause of the same issue you mentioned in a previous mesage, where it's rescaning a ton of items. So, curious what you think is best way to set this up...

Currently I have ....
VAULT 1 (set to reject) which I put all items into
Boxes for specific resources
there is left over items in the vault, I'm thinking I need to set a 2nd vault as a storage of Accept for all items that are in VAULT 1 >> VAULT 2 .. however when I setup a default of ACCEPT for VAULT 2, it puts a ton of items from all over that I didn't want, not just from VAULT 1. how can I setup vault 2 to only take items from Vault 1 not knowing all of what's in vault 1 and not pull from any other area? . .almost like a 1 time scan that that sends to all boxes, then to vault 2 for left over, vault 2 never gets looked at for any scan.
Kineko  [author] 16 Nov, 2018 @ 10:53pm 
I added a detailed example in the Quick Start discussion.
Temil2006 16 Nov, 2018 @ 10:24pm 
Kineko :: yea, if I set the Min to for example, 10 .. it works fine "IF" i place metal into the dump box, 10 goes to the forge.. rest goes to the metal storage box.. but, can't seem to get it to now pull from the metal storage box to the force as the metal is used up within the forge.
Kineko  [author] 13 Nov, 2018 @ 4:29pm 
The forge should have a minimum of the number you want there. So the first number should be 1 (or more) in the forge.
Temil2006 12 Nov, 2018 @ 8:20am 
not sure if this is covered in one of the pinned topics, but I'm not seeing it exactly, so figured i would ask. Here is what i'm trying to do ::

dump box >> storage box >> forges (10 items only)

5 boxes setup as Reject which all items go into (dump boxes) .. another structure setup to to only take raw Metal, all of it so 0/999/stacks/9 .. this is where i want all iron ingots to go .. now i setup my forges as 0/10/item/1 .. which works good to pull from the the dump box, but not from the metal box .. once it's placed into metal storage box, it never pulls from there to the forges. is there a way to set that up?
Kineko  [author] 26 Oct, 2018 @ 6:33pm 
A key element is to ensure that if you have any structures that are rejecting some or all of their inventory, that there is someplace for it to go. If there is not, the system scans every interval for a place to put each resource, which wastes compute power.

If you create a "drop box", you may want to set up some resources as "Reject/Drop" versus just "Reject". That way, if you have enough in your target inventories, the excess is simply disposed of instead of repeatedly trying to be moved.

This can happen if you pick up the target structure, as ARK does not really "pick up" the item but instead destroys it and places a new one in your inventory. So when you place it again, it is not the same structure and the rules are no longer there to receive inventory.
Bizz 23 Oct, 2018 @ 8:11pm 
Been getting some strange lag, here's my .ini settings any tips to improve performance? Rubberbanding and such.

ICS_containerRangeInFoundations 75
ICS_ScanIntervalInSeconds 40
ICS_ResourceScanIntervalMultiplier 225
ICS_ScanDelayInSeconds 0.5
Kineko  [author] 7 Aug, 2018 @ 7:08am 
Thanks for the update about the priorities. I have corrected the behavior and also fixed another bug. Thanks to everyone testing this out and providing feedback. Please keep it coming.
Max 29 Jul, 2018 @ 6:13pm 
Update: Apparently the priorities do matter even in a folder vs item rule set. When I changed the resource storage priority to 4 (lower than the 5 for stone flint) only then did the stone and flint remain in the correct storage otherwise stone went to stone/flint bin and flint went to the resources bin resulting in a random sort outcome.
Max 29 Jul, 2018 @ 5:52pm 
I was able to complete the forge one successfully, I tried the dino one and noticed an issue.

For some reason flint is not going into the stone / flint storage, its going to the resource one, stone is however going to the right storage. I have triple checked all settings, stacks, priorities etc.

Is there a way we could get a manual scan for new resources button?
Would help greatly in getting things up and running quickly and in a controlled manner.
Max 29 Jul, 2018 @ 7:55am 
For some reason I wasn't subscribed here so I missed your comments, will test again in light of the new information and report back, thank you both.
Kineko  [author] 29 Jul, 2018 @ 5:53am 
The mod builds its list based on items stored in the inventories of creatures and structures. By default, the scan is once per hour and it will remember from past sessions. I should have added a warning that it can take a little while for the list to populate.

Note that this method is used so that it can learn about any item or resource added by game updates or others mods.
Calmaria 27 Jul, 2018 @ 8:20pm 
Hmm, (Not an expert) But, it recheks all network storage, on bootup, Put metal in a monitored storage (one set for Resources) and remoot the server, or singleplayer. see if "Metal" is there then, if not, Ill let the Mod author suggest whats ging on.

Max 27 Jul, 2018 @ 7:31pm 
I am trying to follow your forge example except when I start typing "metal" into the filter it does not show metal at all, the list of items is very short (134 items) when unfiltered.
Calmaria 23 Jul, 2018 @ 10:27am 
Just an update, Im using this on all 5 of my servers, and expanding the network every day, so far, things work great, with your previous guidance, Ive been able to do anything I want, including auto dino unloading, and reloading, personal loadouts, resource management, and recycling... All in all, Its a wonderful tool.
Kineko  [author] 6 May, 2018 @ 10:07am 
Two important changes in this release:
1. Activation key changed from Alt-F1 to Alt-F to prevent conflict with nVidia drivers.
2. Fixed issue where blueprints were "built" when moved
Kineko  [author] 19 Apr, 2018 @ 8:53pm 
I've added a lot of new functionality (as listed below) although the UI is still horrible (sorry, no good at graphics - any volunteers?). For the idea of manual triggers, that would not be possible because the mod uses a central "actor" to manage all of the inventories on the server at the same time.

However, users can enable and disable each structure at will. So there is something like manual use of the mod if you want.
WindUpHero7 13 Apr, 2018 @ 2:54pm 
Sounds cool, I'll be anxiously awaiting updates! I play single player, I don't know if that makes code make a bigger or smaller impact on gameplay, and I'm not entirely sure if it's your mod but I was experiencing some repetitive slowdowns the other day, around the interval that your mod might be scanning for new items. It may be useful to add an option for players to manually trigger the code, instead of having it run in the background. Of course, doing things manually is against the idea of the mod, but then players could opt to use it as a sorter (i.e. set up your network like normal, but instead of letting the code run constantly, a player can dump all his items in the "depot" box and then trigger the sort so it will spread everything out to the boxes you told it to.)
Kineko  [author] 12 Apr, 2018 @ 8:53am 
I am currently working to improve how the system works. One of the ideas being worked in is to allow users to specify the exact priority and also to specify a "min" and "max" quantity. This way, they can create a "Wood Vault". This would accept all woud (max >= container size) but also distribute it to higher priority targets as needed (min < current quantity [usually 0] and target priority > source priority).

Challenge is to keep the code simple so it doesn't bog the server down.
WindUpHero7 10 Apr, 2018 @ 11:43pm 
I love the idea of it, I've been using s+'s transfer tool but you still have to manually put in destinations. I think a container-based selectable priority system would make things a whole lot easier for most uses, especially because categories don't cover specifics (like my previous system, but with hide, is impossible without also accepting other resources). If you can set one container to accept everything but with a super low priority, you can have a universal dumping point that will then filter out to anywhere with individual filters and priorities, which can then feed workstations with the highest priority based on specific amounts. This way, if the workbench is empty, the items can go straight from the dump to the bench instead of filtering through storage.
Kineko  [author] 10 Apr, 2018 @ 10:58pm 
I have been working on resolving a long term performance issue, which I believe I finally fixed (Thanks to the folks at the Modding Discord). So I can now look at other items. Please give it a try and post any suggestions.
One challenge currently is if you set a container to collect "Wood", it doesn't want to give it up. I am hoping to find a way to identify containers to be "Storage" which will accept and distribute it as needed. Still trying to figure out what method would work best.
As you can tell, it is already a very complex mod to use, so I would love it if this also simplified how it worked... :-)
WindUpHero7 10 Apr, 2018 @ 10:03pm 
Ah, nevermind. I just didn't read hard enough- the category system makes a bit more sense now.
As a suggestion, the UI could use two giant labels saying Folders on one side and Specific Items on the other, for new users.
Also, a straight number-based priority system that we could set from the UI would be awesome. i.e. These containers both accept only the primal item wood and only 10 stacks in each, but this one is set to 5 while that one is set to 4 so it will take from a specific one to fill a specific other.
WindUpHero7 10 Apr, 2018 @ 9:53pm 
I can't find the option for container priority in the alt-F1 interface. I have the containers set up to accept wood and have them on the same network, (ideally one will be permanent storage, one will be the deposit, and one will be the "easy access" that just holds a few stacks), but without finding the priority button it just stays in the permanent storage.
DirtyPudding 31 Mar, 2018 @ 9:15am 
Alt+F can work. Players use F already to quick access container inventories so it will be a quick thing for us to press alt to access ICS
Kineko  [author] 30 Mar, 2018 @ 8:18pm 
Any suggestions on an alternate? Almost impossible to avoid all conflicts, however.
DirtyPudding 29 Mar, 2018 @ 8:48pm 
Just an FYI but ALT+F1 is the shortcut to take a screenshot for Nvidia users with Geforce exerience so pretty much everyone who is not ATI. All they gotta do is turn off the in-game-overlay in settings and ALT+F1 will work as you intended.
Kineko  [author] 27 Mar, 2018 @ 6:26pm 
Mod appears to be working normally. Please enjoy and provide feedback with your thoughts. Thanks.
Kineko  [author] 26 Mar, 2018 @ 10:26am 
Added filtering to resources due to connection timeout issues attempting to load all resources when UI opens. Resolved issues with dedicated servers being unable to properly open UI. Added ability to discard (not drop) items in excess of desired quantity [such as limited the amount of spoiled meat].
Kineko  [author] 17 Mar, 2018 @ 12:20pm 
Testing seems to be pointing towards something intercepting the activation key sequence when run on a dedicated server. I am presently testing to see if I can confirm and to detemine a possible alternative set of keys.
Oni Bytes 17 Mar, 2018 @ 10:31am 
okay thanks, yes it was one I built myself.
Kineko  [author] 17 Mar, 2018 @ 10:01am 
Ok, I've verified that there is an issue. I will post an upate shortly.