ARK Digest 24!

[Jatheish]

Hey Survivors!

Welcome to the twenty-fourth issue of the ARK Digest! It’s a week of firsts for us! Not only is this the first Digest to be dedicated on the new Community Hub, or the first Digest to really feature Xbox One content but also..

We are the first ever online survival game to come to consoles and ARK is available for download on the Xbox Game Preview program!

For those eager survivors, you can pick up a copy of the Xbox One game here! 

ARK Survival Evolved - Game Preview!

As always, your feedback remains important to us and we highly encourage you to leave your comments, concerns, suggestions and reports on our new Community Hub! More specifically, any bug or technical reports to be made can be directly posted on our dedicated Xbox report sub-forum here.

And with the arrival of the game on this new platform, we're also celebrating with some contests! In addition to our regular Community Crunch, we shall be offering prizes for awesome Xbox One screenshots and also to the first Survivor who tweets at us (@survivetheark) a screenshot of the Bionic Rex on an Official PvP Server! You can check out more details below.

 

 

Alienware Modding Contest!

We’re excited to finally announce the winners of our Alienware ARK Modding Contest! It’s been a few months and we had a lot of entries who all worked very hard on their mods. It was pretty difficult to narrow it down to a top 3 from our initial top 10 and the results were incredibly close, but without further ado let’s give a big congratulations to our finalists!

Here are the winners as announced by Alienware

3rd Place: ARK Pirate World!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=547377246

Congratulations! ARK Pirate World takes home the third place prize of $2,500 USD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 Graphics Card!

We spoke to the developers of the mod a little whilst back and featured them in a Community Crunch which you can check out here

2nd Place: Valhalla

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=504122600

Congratulations! Valhalla takes home the second place prize of $5,000 USD, Alienware X51 Desktop, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 Graphics Card

We spoke to the developers of the mod a little whilst back and featured them in a Community Crunch which you can check out here

1st Place: Primitive+

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=504360469

Congratulations! Primitive+ takes home the grand prize of $15,000 USD, Alienware Area-51 Desktop, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 TI Graphics Card

We spoke to the developer of the mod a little whilst back and featured them in a Community Crunch which you can check out here

We’ll be announcing the details for an upcoming mod contest soon in which everyone will be able to enter! Stay tuned for more details

ARK Digest Q&A

Survivor, Bo*****s asks, “What's with the delay on the Therizinosaurus and Dimetrodon? You had the models, animations and even a bit of texturing done! What gives?”

Quote

They’ll be coming soon, but we wanted to add some of the more mechanically interesting creatures first. Can you say Procoptodon?

Survivor, DeadlyPaws asks, “Any ETA on the dino perches for dimos, monkeys and possibly compys?”

Quote

Soon! (™) 
(They’ll actually be little cages that you transfer the creature into and then it remains attached, similar to how the player sits in a chair).

Survivor, Dinogirl4Ever asks, “When more character customisation comes into play could we get a plastic surgery machine so we can modify our characters? Will we be able to change hair on the spot?”

Quote

Aye, you’ll be able to give yourself a new haircut using a certain new item.

Survivor, King Barney asks, “Do you guys plan on adding animals, not bosses, that are somewhat mythological? Perhaps the power oozing from the obelisks has an effect on the animals, like a mutation.”

Quote

Yes, but not on the primary ARK.

Survivor, Jona | Hugh Idiyout asks, “What will happen at the upcoming "Christmas Event"?” 

Quote

Presents, Santa, Snow, Coal, Stockings full of Loot, Decorations, Candy Canes, and more. Stay tuned for the full reveal!

Survivor, austingillespie asks, “What are your thoughts currently on contracting diseases? is it a random chance while in the swamps or jungles? would it be affected by overheating? could coming into contact with certain animals help spread diseases? and when you die does the disease reset or does it stay with you until it's cured?”

Quote

Diseases will be caused both by the environment as well as certain creatures, and they will persist even after respawn, thus making it imperative to investigate the correct cures.

Survivor, the_british_kiwi asks, “What do you plan to add and to what dinos in your tlc pass that you said you planned on doing?”

Quote

For starters, the T-Rex needs to have a creature-frightening roar, and the Trike needs to have a proper charge attack ;-)

Survivor, TheLogicalCow asks, “Shine some light on how beer will work/be made?”

Quote

Get the right ingredients, put them into a cooking pot with water, and wait a lonnnnnnnng time (but the time can be accelerated based on the ambient temperature!). Beer itself is extremely nutritious and basically causes you to not have to eat for a while, but has some side effects.

Survivor, Wulfsige85 asks, “Aside from better items, will we have any reason to fight the bosses multiple times? Will it have unique items like lets say you defeat the dragon boss and it drops blueprint to craft a badass dragon armor or weapon ala monster hunter?”

Quote

Actually yes, each time the boss will become substantially more difficult (well, each Ascension cycle) with some new tactics, and to Ascend again, you’ll have to beat the new more-difficult boss again in your next cycle.

Survivor, _Nordic asks, “Can we get the ability to "favorite" items in our inventory, so they do not transfer out when we hit "Transfer all"?”

Quote

Sounds like a good idea!

Survivor, Zeta1127 asks, “What other defensive plants like Ampullaria Pilobolus (Plant Species X) are planned?”

Quote

A Venus Fly Trap, of sorts.

Survivor, Jona | Hugh Idiyout asks, “Will there be a wipe near the new caves? Just rebuild my snow base after the last wipe and while watching the xbox trailer i was wondering where these snow areas (looked new for me) will be.”

Quote

We do plan to have some major biome adjustments coming up, but the exact areas will be denoted in-game substantially before they take place this time.

Survivor, -=Justicel=- (Firehawk) asks, “Someone asked a few digest back and you had said would add it next patch but it hasn't been added. Can we get the items numbers updated instead of using the long spawn strings. “

Quote

Check v227 notes

Survivor, WeIRdLifE asks, “Hey ark since you are releasing on the xbox would it be possible to get new controller control scheme on the pc version at the same time. my tribe mates and myself all play with xbox controllers but have to keep switching to a keyboard for lots of things.”

Quote

Yeah we will be merging the vastly improved gamepad controls from Xbox to PC in the near future.

Survivor, Taffle asks, “Hey Ark Team! questions about the Xbox release will we ever be able to rent a server and have Friends to join instead of 5 players and having 2 Xboxs”

Quote

We’re looking into doing that. Should be possible but requires going through some processes with Microsoft and Server Hosting Companies first (security related).

Survivor, COGSCREAMSRAGE asks, “Will there be any type of Cross-platform with the Xbox and PC versions?”

Quote

Alas ARK will not be cross-platform. Each version of the game will have their own Official Servers and receive the content updates at different times, as well as have some technical differences, so cross platform would not be possible.

Survivor, Pellzrr asks, “Will I be able to have mods such as Valhalla on Xbone eventually?” 

Quote

Not directly, but if a Mod is popular enough (like SotF  then it might be possible with the consent of the mod creators to release it as an official free content. (Therefore, maybe Valhalla ;))

Survivor, DiksDiezel asks, “How often do you plan to update the game on the xbox one? Do you plan to keep the contents on the console up to date with pcs?”

Quote

Xbox One updates are planned at a rate of approximately one every two weeks.

Survivor, Seghs asks, “How will saving the game work? Will me and my mom and dad be able to save separate "games"?”

Quote

Singleplayer or Non-Dedicated Savegames are per-Xbox-profile. Dedicated Save Data is per console.

Survivor, That rock over there asks, “Will Survival of The Fittest be available on Xbox One?”

Quote

We are intending to port it to Xbox One once it’s refactored into a separate game mode rather than a Total Conversion, a process that is currently taking place.

Survivor, candi_4687 asks, “Split screen?”

Quote

 

Yes! Split screen is something we’re currently working on, and we’ve got it working internally. It won’t be ready for the launch, however expect it some time in early 2016. This will be for both console and PC! You can read more about it here:

 

 

Survivor, Bo*****s asks, “At 30 seconds into the Xbox trailer, there is a shot of a snowy mountain range. PLEASE tell me that's not an Xbox exclusive feature.”

Quote

This isn’t an Xbox Exclusive feature! It’s just a sneak-peak of our upcoming Boss Arena

Survivor, Up From the Depths asks, “Will hosting a private game be able to support more than 4 players in the future?”

Quote

We’re hoping to eventually get it up to 8, as we get on with the key optimizations!

Survivor, DarthGizmo asks, “Is Development on the Xbone gonna slow down the development of the pc version?”

Quote

 

The development of Xbox will not slow down the PC version, in fact it will help it improve. Due to the work we’ve done on the console so far, we’re able to port over a lot of optimization changes and have uncovered many new things to improve the current state of the PC game, some things which have already been implemented.

Right now we’ve just released the console version, so it’s in a little busy-period, but once things stabilize this week we’ll be back on track with updating the PC version of the game. From there, we’ll port over those updates to consoles - however PC will still have its rapid development! 

 

Survivor, LAZR asks, “Will there be text chat support? and in regards again to server hosting, how about changing server setting such as taming and day night cycles?”

Quote

 

There is text-chat support! You can access this by holding your left-bumper key and your back button! We’re also going to have tribe-chat setup in the upcoming patch which will be accessible by using the left bumper key alongside the start button.

As for changing server settings, you’ll be able to do that in the Host GUI, similar to what’s currently setup on PC for Single Player and Non-dedicated games! Just change the sliders and select the settings to your liking before hosting the game. However, we do need to expose the rest of the server options to the GUI, and expand the range of the sliders, so we’ll be doing that in an upcoming Xbox One update!

 

That’s it for this week’s ARK Digest! Thanks for tuning in and hopefully you’ve walked away learning something new ;). Thanks for all the support, engagement, and feedback so far! 

All the best,

Wildcard Jat & The ARK Survival Evolved Team! 
 

 

View full article

 

[Neizan]

 

Quote

 

Survivor, -=Justicel=- (Firehawk) asks, “Someone asked a few digest back and you had said would add it next patch but it hasn't been added. Can we get the items numbers updated instead of using the long spawn strings. “

 

Quote

Check v227 notes

 

I can't see any info on v227 patch notes

[GP]

Thanks for the answers! Looking more forward to the Winter Wonderland event now!

[HighFlyer15]

"This isn’t a Xbox Exclusive feature! It’s just a sneak-peak of our upcoming Boss Arena  "
Yeeees, "semi" called it  It was a wishful guess and I'm incredibly pleased to hear it's true  

[Tom]

2 hours ago, Neizan said:

I can't see any info on v227 patch notes

Coming soon. It was forgotten.

 

Btw.: German translation of the Q&A part: http://arkforum.de/blog/index.php/Entry/33-ARK-Uebersichtswoche-24-ARK-Digest-24/

[BootyScoop]

Hey Jat, just wondering what the turnaround times are for getting a stuck dino "unstuck"? I know you guys are super busy right now, I am more or less just curious. I pm'd you and nubs a couple weeks ago and also filed a ticket here on the hub a few days ago.

Keep up the good work, good luck with the whole xbox launch, looking forward to trying Ark on my ps4.

[Index154]

Digests are always awesome!

[Medusa]

    Quote:

    Aye, you’ll be able to give yourself a new haircut using a certain new item.

Thank you!  

Right now we need to use console commands to change a character's appearance in game.

So this is indeed great news!

 

[Zadira]

Congrats to the winners! 

Thanks for all the great info.  I am looking forward to what the devs are going to bring us.  Always so exciting!

[thexunseen]

so will it always be you have to have a 2nd xbox to host a dedicated server? or is there like a time frame of when we can rent servers? 

[Bobler]

Survivor, Jona | Hugh Idiyout asks, “Will there be a wipe near the new caves? Just rebuild my snow base after the last wipe and while watching the xbox trailer i was wondering where these snow areas (looked new for me) will be.”

 

Quote

We do plan to have some major biome adjustments coming up, but the exact areas will be denoted in-game substantially before they take place this time.

Can we can get a General idea of where these changes will happen as ive just rebuilt an entire massive base and would rather not lose 50% of all the resources Again 

[Ktulusanders]

8 minutes ago, Bobler said:

Survivor, Jona | Hugh Idiyout asks, “Will there be a wipe near the new caves? Just rebuild my snow base after the last wipe and while watching the xbox trailer i was wondering where these snow areas (looked new for me) will be.”

 

Can we can get a General idea of where these changes will happen as ive just rebuilt an entire massive base and would rather not lose 50% of all the resources Again 

That's what he's saying

[Shotgun]

So will the host tether be expanded or removed later on?

[rpdmatt]

Wondering if you guys know about the bug with disappearing dinos on private (maybe also public) servers and plan to make a fix for it.  It's a pretty game breaking bug, IMO.

[lilpanda]

3 minutes ago, Ij999 said:

Also any plan to increase or just get rid of the tether distance issue? 200 meters is not enough space IMO.

This is being discussed here: http://survivetheark.com/index.php?/forums/topic/1526-xbox-co-op-tether-distance/ and also on the xbox FAQ.

[kr0nos]

Not entirely sure where to post this question, figured here'd be best;

Are there any plans in place to host official servers in other countries? I would want to play on an official, but the ping is a little rough for me at the moment.

[Medusa]

5 hours ago, kr0nos said:

Not entirely sure where to post this question, figured here'd be best;

Are there any plans in place to host official servers in other countries? I would want to play on an official, but the ping is a little rough for me at the moment.

 

I do not know in what country you are, but according to a post from TheRightHand,  most EU servers for example are hosted in Ireland:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/346110/discussions/0/523890681419507130/#c523890681419599410

[dragonlord]

13 hours ago, Ij999 said:

TBH I'm way more hyped for Dimetrodon and Therizinosaurus than Procoptodon

so am i

[OMDUK79]

@DrakeWill we be able to host non dedicated servers without having to be near the host all the time,

because this gets very annyoing please reply and tell wildcard thanks,

p.s it's just that me and my brother and sister want to live in different places in ark but we have to be close to the host,

thanks for your time to read this,

one last thing could u try and get this in the next digest or give the answer would be great,

kind regards,

OMDUK79

Xbox Gamertag: OMD UK79

[djhuckaba]

Love the game!!! I too am playing with friends and we don't like the meter tether at all as it gets very frustrating. Besides that, here are a few suggestions

-With the saddles, have a small white silhouette of the dinosaur it goes to in the lower right corner of something. I don't know the name to all the dinos and have to look them up every time just to know what the saddle goes with. Breaks immersion 

-Option to show a mark on where a tribe mate is no matter the distance. Maybe a small white diamond (or black with a white glow to show up in all environments) with a 3-4 letter tag and when they come in range the whole name shows up. Saves a lot of search time.

-I'm sure 2 person flying or riding saddles will come at some point but in case it hasn't been mentioned... Here ya go. 

-It would be a lot of work but maybe eventually have it to where we can dig/change environment areas?

-Plant grass?

Should be all right now. Tell me what you think if you get the time please.

[OptimusPrime204]

Hey Ark devs! Will you guys be planning on upping the graphics for the Xbox One? I noticed its only on medium graphics settings... Thanks!

[IguanaExorcist]

Hey Ark team, will their ever be PS4 early access since the Xbox one has it? I dont have a PC or Xbox One so it has been harrowing to hear the that both have early access.Thanks

[Karrane]

Survivor, DeadlyPaws asks, “Any ETA on the dino perches for dimos, monkeys and possibly compys?”

Quote

Soon! (™) 
(They’ll actually be little cages that you transfer the creature into and then it remains attached, similar to how the player sits in a chair).

 

I am SO disappointed in this !!!!!   In who's world are perchs and cages the same thing ??

I don't cage my animals.. any of them.  

I was so excited about the perches and now...................................................... blah yuck.

[Pandemik21]

When will it be available for ps4?

[Nubsly]

4 minutes ago, Pandemik21 said:

When will it be available for ps4?

We haven't yet announced a release date for PS4, But as soon as we have one ,you'll know

-Nubsly