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  • Community Crunch 134: Small Tribes Servers, Upcoming Structure Changes, & More!

    Hey Survivors! Welcome to the latest edition of the Community Crunch! :Jerbhi:

    Upcoming Structure Changes!

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    Later this week we plan to roll out an update that will make some changes to our current structure decay rules. In essence, we are redefining what we consider a viable minimum base or set of structures. Structures which do not meet this definition will rapidly decay resulting in the ability to either destroy them by hand or have the server automatically destroy the structures when they are loaded/leave stasis.  Our intent behind this change is to address structure spamming issues (pillar/foundation spam) which often takes place when players attempt to claim or grief different areas of the map in both PVE and PVP. We anticipate that this particular update will be iterative and there most likely will be additional adjustments in the coming weeks as we work to resolve this issue.

    Code of Conduct Changes!

    Following our previous Crunch, the Enforcement Team are back again with another important notice regarding the Code of Conduct. We'd like to make Official Players aware of the following revision:

    Hacking and Exploiting

    Revision

    Exploiting - examples are not limited to but can include:

    • Attacking from, travelling through, or building in unintended game-zones (under the mesh or above the map)
    • Duplication of tames, items, or characters
    • Unintended building mechanics (such as floating structures, using the world barrier as a snap point)
    • Building a box on a platform saddled dino to completely prevent it from taking damage
    • Modifying your game files to remove key graphical components (water, fog, etc)
    • Attacking or blocking players through the terrain with dinosaurs
    • Intentionally crashing users or servers (through DDoS or otherwise)
    • Placing excessive quantities of C4 to prevent hostile C4 from being placed
    • Stacking multiple creatures inside each other's models via raising babies close together, teleporting them near each other, downloading them, etc (ex: multiple brontos in a 1x1 foundation area)

    Please remember that these rules are constantly undergoing change, and they are never exhaustive. In addition to the above change, it's recommended you check out the entire code here.

    Small Tribe Servers Tomorrow!

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    Tomorrow we will be releasing our first set of speciality servers on all platforms. These servers will be Small Tribes servers which limit the tribe size to 6 players maximum and alliances are not allowed. Server rates will be 3x (harvest, taming, experience) and will not be affected by Evolution Events. They will also have 2x maturation, 2x egg hatching, 2x gestation and 50% reduced mating interval. These servers will undergo a trial period of 60 days. If after the 60 days they remain active, we will continue to keep the servers active. If after the 60 days the player population is very low, we will try a new game mode type and online new servers for another 60 days.

    If you have other game mode ideas for Speciality servers that you think would be fun to play be sure to leave a comment in our suggestion collection thread:

    Community Livestream #3 This Thursday!

    A reminder for our stream this Thursday, we are accepting bases for our Base Tour! If you want to show off your base send some screenshots to the email below and include your server name/number. Unofficial server bases are also accepted as long as your server admin will allow us to come tour on your server. All platforms are welcome to participate. We look forward to seeing all of your base designs!

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    We are still accepting any type of ARK related fanart to be featured in the Showcase section of the stream and entries are always open. This can be drawings, videos, builds, ANSEL screenshots, handmade crafts, anything ARK related!

    You can submit your ARKwork to our streaming email address: arkfans@studiowildcard.com

    Be sure to follow us on our Twitch page so you don't miss a stream! twitch.tv/survivetheark

    We'll be hosting our next Community Live Stream on Thursday, June the 7th! We hope to see you there :)

    Countdown!

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    The countdown to our special event begins! You can watch the counter tick down at the top of the forums page. Survivors can look forward to some epic discoveries with new content and challenges, and we'll have even more exciting news coming in the middle of the month, so stay tuned! ;)

    Mod Community News!

    Zen here, with your dose of mod news!

    Word is that Eco is working on a new decor mod! She's shown us a preview of her Primordial Structures decor which you can see below. The mod is still a work in progress, so I can't say when it will be available, but we'll be including this in her already impressive lineup of sponsored decor mods.

    Last week we concluded the submission period for the fifth mod tutorial contest. I will be announcing the winner for that next week. In the meantime, we got some pretty exciting submissions. The quality of these tutorials have increased considerably due to the increased time to work on them, and for that, I want to thank everyone who participates in the tutorial contest.

    I received tutorials for ballistic missiles that have an impact on the environment, remote-controlled spy drones, a dynamic creature skin, and a mapping tutorial on cave creation (Something that a lot of people have struggled with).

    Tutorial_005_Missile.pngTutorial_005_Drone.JPGTutorial_005_Skin.JPGTutorial_005_Cave.JPG

    Links to all of these tutorials are available in the contest thread.

    This month the theme for the mod tutorial contest is "Beach and Ocean Fun" and the submission period is currently open until June 30th. Tutorials for this contest could easily range from map level content to maybe some fun mini-games for the summer. We'll have to see what the mod community thinks up! ?

    The Great Migration #3: ETA June 12th!

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    Just a reminder that there are just under 2 weeks left for the next stage of our Legacy migration. 

    Here is a quick breakdown on how this process works:

    Taking Down Low Pop Servers
    With calculations based on sustained player-count as well as the popularity of game mode, we will be removing lower population legacy servers, most of which retain a 0-1 player concurrent population. These servers will be taken offline on June 12th. Any existing server that is not considered a low pop server and is not taken down at this time will still exist on the Legacy network.

    Legacy servers will continue to remain on a separate cluster from the new cluster, which means you will not be able to transfer anything between Legacy servers and the new servers.

    Servers Up for Deprecation
    Below is a complete list of the LEGACY servers that will be deprecated come June 12th. You have from now until then to move your belongings onto a server not present on this list. Please click one of the links below. They are separated by platform (PC, Xbox, and PS4).

    Most Popular Servers
    To avoid players having to move again in future, we're publishing the most popular servers across all platforms. These servers are the top 30 most active Legacy servers on each platform and are ones most likely to be safe from any future server removals.

    PC:

    Quote

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    thesapveofficialserver505
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    theeuragnarok24
    theeupveragnarok59
    ocpveragnarok39
    theasiapveofficialserver526
    pveeuaberration905
    primitivepvpofficialserver455
    naragnarok45
    naragnarok2
    pveeuaberration904
    theeuragnarok26
    ocragnarok38
    naragnarok47
    naragnarok1
    theeupveragnarok34
    ocpveaberration909
    theasiapveragnarok41
    theasiapveofficialserver523
    theeupveisolatedragnarok60
    theasiapveofficialserver511
    officialserver5
    officialserver37
    thesaofficialserver501
    theeuragnarok21

    Xbox:

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    pveeuxboxofficialragnarok4
    euaberration1100
    pvenaxboxofficialserver302
    euxboxofficialragnarok3
    naxboxofficialragnarok1
    pveeuxboxprimitiveplus4
    euxboxcrossarkcluster2ragnarok
    naxboxofficialragnarok9
    naaberration1109
    euxboxofficialragnarok6
    pvenaxboxofficialserver76
    naaberration1113
    pveeuxboxofficialserver168
    pvenaxboxofficialserver400
    officialserver3
    pveeuxboxofficialserver27
    pvenaxboxofficialserver70
    naxboxthehundredcrossark7ragnarok
    naxboxofficialserver415
    pvenaxboxofficialserver91
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    naxboxthehundredcrossark4ragnarok
    naaberration1115
    naxboxofficialserver63
    pveeuxboxthecenter729

    PS4:

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    pveeups4officialragnarok5
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    naps4officialragnarok9
    eups4officialragnarok6
    naps4crossarkcluster7ragnarok
    pvenaps4officialserver644
    naps4officialragnarok3
    pveeups4thecenter192
    eups4thecenter581
    naps4officialragnarok10
    eups4officialserver16
    eups4thecenter582
    pveeups4aberration900
    pvenaps4thecenter325
    pvenaps4officialserver627
    pveeups4officialserver676
    naps4primitiveplus6
    eups4officialserver780
    pvenaps4officialserver632
    eups4primitiveplus11
    pveeups4officialserver182
    pvenaps4officialserver630
    pvenaps4aberration912
    eups4officialserver20
    pvenaps4scorchedearth329
    eups4crossarkcluster2ragnarok
    pveeups4thecenter188

    How To Move Servers
    If you are unfamiliar with the process, you are able to upload your items, creatures, and player through the Obelisk terminal, supply drops, as well as the Tek Transmitter. Survivors are advised to use Cross-ARK immediately to relocate their belongings onto a server that is not included in our take-down list above.

    Allocation of New Servers
    Our new method of onlining new servers has been through what we call "FRESH" servers. These servers are added to the main network but have downloads disabled for a period of 60 days. After 60 days that restraint is removed and they are officially joined to the main network. We plan to online set of Fresh servers on a monthly basis for all platforms so stay tuned for more information on when new ones will be added if you're looking for a fresh start.

    Server Saves of Deleted Servers
    We will make the save files available as soon as we can. We will host the PC files which anyone can download and then you are welcome to re-host the save file for your own use. We'll include a link to where you can download server saves in this post when they are available. Nitrado will also be able to provide the saves for use on Nitrado servers for console, as they have done in the past.

    ARK: Super Fan Edition!

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    The Collector's Edition of ARK: Survival Evolved is available for purchase without the game or seasons pass included, for those who already own the game. This special edition includes:

    - HANDCRAFTED, LEATHER-BOUND EXPLORER'S NOTEBOOK: featuring the Dossiers of every creature you'll encounter in "ARK: Survival Evolved", with tips on capturing, taming and training them. With 100+ creatures in the game currently, there's plenty to read up on in this fantastic tome.
    - THE OFFICIAL ARK LOGO NECKLACE: to show your dedication to being a Survivor.
    - A CLOTH MAP OF THE ARK ISLAND: so you'll always know where you are!
    - COLLECTOR'S EDITION CHEST: All of this Ark-themed booty comes packed in a faux-wooden chest that will impress your friends and fellow players!
    - A POSTER FEATURING THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM BEHIND ARK
    - ARK OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK CD

    You can purchase it world-wide today on our website: playark.com

    ARK: Evolution Event!

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    Survivors across ALL Platforms will be receiving a special Evolution Event perk this weekend! It will be active from the Friday the 8th of June at 1 PM EST until Monday the 11th of June at 3 PM EST. All Official Servers across each platform will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

    2x Harvesting Rates
    2x Taming Rates
    2x EXP Rates

    That's it for this post guys! As always if you’ve got anything to share you can find us at:

    Twitter: twitter.com/survivetheark
    Facebook: facebook.com/survivetheark
    Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark
    Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark
    Twitch: twitch.tv/survivetheark
    Steam: steamcommunity.com/app/346110
    Youtube: youtube.com/survivetheark

    All the best,
    Studio Wildcard

    Edited by Jen


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    What is considered minimum for structures now so we can fix what we have down?

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    Great so instead of making pillars with ladders that do not affect (and often protect) resource spawns, people will now (have to) build small houses that will block them...

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    Just now, Eanaya said:

    Great so instead of making pillars with ladders that do not affect (and often protect) resource spawns, people will now (have to) build small houses that will block them...

    Sounds like it. Or some ridiculous pillar mess that causes more lag and unintended consequences. But I’m hopeful the master race PC crew will not suffer too much from this so the console players can see this change quickly. Our SE server literally has over 10000 pillars covering the blue ob and desert towards green. 

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    Devs, you seem to be ignoring one very valuable use of pillering:  to protect valuable spawn areas that everyone uses.  When a player builds on a high resource area then everyone loses out.  We are not claiming land, we are trying to protect it.

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    For the Small Tribe Servers for the Ps4 or all platforms do you have to start from scratch or can you transfer your character and  equipment over. ? 

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    Grief spamming will become grief paving. This won't solve the problem it will only make it worse. Now it will be harder to even prevent any enemy from paving ur territory because pillar+ladders aren't going to last long enough.

     

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    I swear you devs are the biggest morons ever. You are just going to make things much worse because everyone will find out what the minimum is and just spam that instead. Also tribes wouldnt find a need to spam so much if you guys actually gave defenders more tools to use.  Spamming is one of the few things that can slow down a raid or give some warning at the very least.

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    If the pillars go you may need to consider expanding the no build radius between tribes and make more no build zones to ensure there will still be dino spawns. This is main reason most players use the pillar method.

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    What does this mean for fences, gates, spikes, curved/triangle structures, large enclosed yards with pillars to keep others from building inside fencing....

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    Say goodbye to all metal, stone, wood, obsidian, ext. Spawns in ark, also this is going to make th e lag issues  even worse, there is nothing that causes more of a DC zone tha n two massive basses right next to each Other, and now there will not be a way to keep morons from building two feet from your front door.

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    Yeah pretty much every server will be void of territory for meat runs or resources. And good luck trying to get around on any big land dinos because your gonna get stuck on the huts spammed everywhere, if you can even get it out your base with all the newb thatch huts that will be outside our gates. Not that you'd ever want to leave your base for fear of being killed by the Godzilla sized Laggosaur from the trillions of new structures built to replace the pillars.

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    1 hour ago, Andy95 said:

    For the Small Tribe Servers for the Ps4 or all platforms do you have to start from scratch or can you transfer your character and  equipment over. ? 

    Small tribes servers will be completely fresh and only have transfers between the other small tribe servers. This goes for PC and consoles. Transfers will however be both ways between the ones in the cluster (allowing transfer in and out).

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    Thanks for the feedback regarding our structure announcement folks, we appreciate it. Keep it coming. 

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    1 hour ago, chrissytheblesser said:

    Devs, you seem to be ignoring one very valuable use of pillering:  to protect valuable spawn areas that everyone uses.  When a player builds on a high resource area then everyone loses out.  We are not claiming land, we are trying to protect it.

    im agree with this... some people dont know(cant use english/never chat) and will build close to Valuable thing... 

    we protect resource

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    I can only see this being a bad thing, people need to be able to protect their land and important resources, if you take this away from us you are just asking for every server to get ruined by trolls and people who do not care that they are stopping everyone else from playing, ie: killing resource spawns, dino spawns, and building so close to each other that the lag constantly crashes your game

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    In the worst case, it also means that those pillars which protect areas which should be (arguably) unbuildable in the first place are now unmaintainable.  Case and point, I've had to pillar off a great deal of charge nodes on our aberration server to prevent unresponsive tribes from completely enclosing all the easily available charge nodes.  It would be nice if you could at least fix problematic situations like that prior to wiping out those protective structures!

     

    (PS @lilpanda on an unrelated note, ping's been great on PVE NA Ab 380 since you took a look at it.  Thanks for all the help!)

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    My server is at constant tame cap almost every single day, one of the only things keeping the flood of constant new people from keeping us at game cap ALL THE TIME! Is the pillars stopping them from building in the first place. So basicly WC just wants the money for people buying the game without anyone being able to actually play the game. If y'all want noobs to have more places to go maybe you should open new servers or increase the quality of the ones you have so they can actually handle having more people on them instead of crashing all the time

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    1 minute ago, TyphoidBeaver said:

    My server is at constant tame cap almost every single day, one of the only things keeping the flood of constant new people from keeping us at game cap ALL THE TIME! Is the pillars stopping them from building in the first place. So basicly WC just wants the money for people buying the game without anyone being able to actually play the game. If y'all want noobs to have more places to go maybe you should open new servers or increase the quality of the ones you have so they can actually handle having more people on them instead of crashing all the time

    I think the point is that WC has determined that the excessive structures via pillaring are causing server lag issues, which none of us are in a great position to confirm/deny.  However, the sentiment's all the same, in that pillaring is a natural response to several other issues which need to be addressed at the same time (building on strategic resources, griefing via structure proximity, overpopulation of sections of map due to spawn zones, etc)

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    I also have to agree that this will only worsen the problem.  I have Swamp pillared off on my server simply because all the other nearby meat spawn areas are ruined due to bases.  I have at least 4 tribes and myself come and leave gigas in swamp just so that we can get meat.

    If you increase the structure requirements, we wind up having to build more to save what we own, therefor ruining the spawns and creating more lag.  If we don't build more, they decay and make it available for someone new or a troll to build on precious resource spawns.  For certain maps such as Ragnarok, we have to do this because we hit server cap constantly and we simply cannot afford to have more people on it.

    There are also portions of the map that need that land claimed just so that tribes won't get blocked in or have a neighbor only feet from their door.  I have a huge base, I try to isolate it so that one, people with their own bases don't add on to my own lag, two, so that if needed I can expand a little, and three, so that people don't fly overhead and get hammered with so much stuff loading in from multiple bases that they crash.  Also what does this mean for those with a yard that needs to be spawn blocked so we don't have stuff spawning and eating our dinos?

    It's a struggle, I know.  But right where it is, is a delicate balance of being able to claim land while not ruining the spawns and also being able to block the spawns for inside bases.  A balance that shouldn't be disturbed.

    Edited by Psychowing
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    Alright guys talking about buildings is terrific and all for you mega tribe fellas but like when do the small tribe servers go live 

     

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    Pillars are used to protect resource spawns. As many have mentioned. Some of those spawn points include: beaver dams spawn points. Spinosaur spawn points. Metal/obsidian spawns. Giga spawns. Oil nodes. Penguin spawns. (339 has a whole penguin island completely destroyed by a player building). Hidden lake. Smugglers pass. As suggested earlier in a post by another player. I will agree. Expand the no build zones around other players. Create no build zone for these resource spawns. Expand the no build zone around the obliesks. 339 has an issue with a massive build that has green obliesk nearly impassable on foot. And red obliesk and surrounding land is completely pillared and preventing new players from building anywhere near it. Plan to change build zones. Give us that 2 week warning like when you added the new snow zone to island. 

    On a side note. Rag maps stay capped with dinos. Its such a large map. Maybe consider something to fix it.

    Regards

    Aphy

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    4 minutes ago, Psychowing said:

    I also have to agree that this will only worsen the problem.  I have Swamp pillared off on my server simply because all the other nearby meat spawn areas are ruined due to bases.  I have at least 4 tribes and myself come and leave gigas in swamp just so that we can get meat.

    If you increase the structure requirements, we wind up having to build more to save what we own, therefor ruining the spawns and creating more lag.  If we don't build more, they decay and make it available for someone new or a troll to build on precious resource spawns.  For certain maps such as Ragnarok, we have to do this because we hit server cap constantly and we simply cannot afford to have more people on it.

    There are also portions of the map that need that land claimed just so that tribes won't get blocked in or have a neighbor only feet from their door.  I have a huge base, I try to isolate it so that one, people with their own bases don't add on to my own lag, two, so that if needed I can expand a little, and three, so that people don't fly overhead and get hammered with so much stuff loading in from multiple bases that they crash.  Also what does this mean for those with a yard that needs to be spawn blocked so we don't have stuff spawning and eating our dinos?

    It's a struggle, I know.  But right where it is, is a delicate balance of being able to claim land while not ruining the spawns and also being able to block the spawns for inside bases.  A balance that shouldn't be disturbed.

    I agree here. I have a large yard and have had to build cubes to keep wild spawns out and excessive boulders and trees out that showed up a year after I enclosed the yard.

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