PingPong

The smallest plugin I ship. Type /ping, get Pong.

PingPong adds a /ping chat command that answers Pong at once, a tiny test plugin that proves your server really loads and runs AsaApi plugins properly.

One chat line of gameplay, and that is the point. A player types the command, PingPong fires back Pong in green, and now you know for certain your box loads and runs plugins. Think of it as the canary you drop on a fresh server. Load this first, watch the log, see Pong land, then install the big stuff with a calm heart. No database, no economy, no permission plugin.

Supported Features

• An instant answer: a player types the command and Pong comes straight back in green server text.
• Rename the command: one config key sets the word players type, so it does not have to be /ping at all.
• Rename the reply: another key sets the line they see, so it can say anything short you fancy.
• Switch it off: leave the command word empty and the chat command simply does not load.
• Reload while running: one console or RCON command picks up your config changes with no server restart.
• A debug line when you want one: turn Debug on and I write down who used the command, which is handy when you are testing.
• Nothing else needed: no database, no economy, no permission plugin and no nodes. Anybody on the server can use it.
• It states its own version: the load line names the exact build, so you can tell at a glance which copy is running.
• Even this one speaks your language: the reply and my few lines come from a language file in the config, so your test plugin answers in whatever language your server uses.

Console & RCON Commands

Command	What It Does	Where
PingPong.Reload	Reload the config and register the chat command again with the new word and reply.	Both

Player Commands

The name comes from config.json, so rename it or blank it out.

Command	What It Does
/ping	Sends the player a green Pong reply.

Permissions

No permission plugin needed. PingPong has no nodes at all and gates nothing, so anybody on your server may use the command the moment it loads.

Config

To see every configuration option, visit our docs. To edit your config files the easy way, open our configuration editor.

Requirements

• AsaApi v2.01 or newer
• A Windows server running ArkAscendedServer through the AsaApi loader

Installation

1. Unzip the download so you have a PingPong folder.
2. Put it in ArkApi/Plugins/, so you end up with ArkApi/Plugins/PingPong/. The DLL wants its folder to share its name.
3. Open PingPong/config.json and set the command word and the reply, if you want your own.
4. Restart the server through AsaApiLoader.exe.
5. Watch ArkApi.log for the loaded line, then type the command in chat.

Support & Help

If it will not load, or you just have a question, hop into the Discord and poke me. I will get you sorted: https://discord.gg/8GGaEzWk9p

Frequently Asked Questions

What does PingPong do?

PingPong adds one chat command that answers Pong. That is the whole plugin. Its job is to prove your server can load and run an AsaApi plugin, so you can rule your setup out before you start blaming something bigger.

How do I install PingPong?

Unzip the download and put the PingPong folder into ArkApi/Plugins/, keeping the folder name so it matches the DLL. Restart the server through the AsaApi loader, look for the loaded line in ArkApi.log, then type the command in chat.

Why would I run a plugin that only says Pong?

Because it is the fastest yes or no answer your server can give you. If PingPong loads and replies, then the loader, the plugin folder and the API are all fine. When something bigger breaks later, you already know the problem is that plugin and not your box.

Can I make it say something other than Pong?

Of course. Set the reply in config.json to any short line, and rename the command to any word you like. Run PingPong.Reload from the console or over RCON and the new word and reply are live without a restart.

I typed the command and nothing came back.

Check the folder first. It has to be ArkApi/Plugins/PingPong/ with the DLL inside, because the loader matches the folder name to the DLL name. Then look in ArkApi.log for the loaded line, since if it is missing the plugin never started and the log usually says why. Also make sure the command word is not blank, because blank means off.

Does it need ArkShop, Permissions or a database?

None of them. PingPong runs on AsaApi alone, with nothing else to install and nothing to set up. That is rather the point of a test plugin.

Was any AI content used in the making of this?

The source code itself was fully created by myself. I do use ChatGPT occasionally to generate product images, and I do use ChatGPT to generate the website descriptions. I do this because I don't speak native English perfectly. I am natively from Sweden, so I use GPT to help translate and write product descriptions. I also will sometimes use GPT to write better English logs. Majority of my Free plugins are open source, so you can review the code yourself and freely fork and edit it to your liking.