Akherousia Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 Is it just me, or is there little to no interest in the 'storyline' of ARK? Perhaps, it's because the explorer notes are rather difficult to collect (simply by their sheer numbers) making it hard to get a grasp of what's going on. That being said, after reading through all of the Helena notes and a solid chunk of various other scattered notes, I find the unfolding story around this game to be pretty intriguing. There's a point in Scorched Earth (I believe it's the first or second Helena note) where it's suggested that Scorched Earth is one of many 'specialized' biomes one can choose from after completing the boss fights. Obviously, the boss fights aren't necessary for us to access Scorched, but from a canon perspective, that seems to be the idea: that you conquer the 'guardians' on The Island, and then choose a new environment to be tossed into. It's a bit cyclic and not overly fascinating, but the implications of specialized regions is pretty intriguing. I would have imagined this would have sparked discussion regarding what the upcoming expansion packs will provide, but aside from rather vague and somewhat silly suggestions (ALL AIR!/ALL WATER!) I have a hard time coming across any speculation. I suppose ARK is literally just about the survival, combat, and taming for some people and the reason we're here is irrelevant - which is fine, play the game as you wish, but if anyone could point me towards any theories or speculation on what's to come, or provide some of their own with any evidence they may have found, I'd be super interested. I tried combing through the explorer notes to find more evidence or hints towards what those other biomes could be, but I haven't found anything. Didn't exactly look through them all, though, so maybe someone noticed something I haven't. It'd be interesting to get an idea of what's to come. Based on what I've heard regarding Scorched Earth (that it was provided as an Expansion because they couldn't find a way to comfortably fit it into The Island), I imagine they will be unique biomes not found on The Island. Though, the possibility of a full Ice, Redwood, or similar expansion isn't entirely improbable. What do you guys think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldogfrag Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 Tough to get excited over this aspect of the game with all the other problems. I don't know if they changed it but read the dossier on Quetzal, says it never needs to land but we know better since flier nerf. Might look into lore a bit more after they finish the polish of the game and finish nerfing what their going to nerf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamagh Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I loved reading those notes. Just need to find Helana #30 and Rockwell #29 now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnePotatoChip Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 1 hour ago, Akherousia said: Is it just me, or is there little to no interest in the 'storyline' of ARK? Perhaps, it's because the explorer notes are rather difficult to collect (simply by their sheer numbers) making it hard to get a grasp of what's going on. That being said, after reading through all of the Helena notes and a solid chunk of various other scattered notes, I find the unfolding story around this game to be pretty intriguing. There's a point in Scorched Earth (I believe it's the first or second Helena note) where it's suggested that Scorched Earth is one of many 'specialized' biomes one can choose from after completing the boss fights. Obviously, the boss fights aren't necessary for us to access Scorched, but from a canon perspective, that seems to be the idea: that you conquer the 'guardians' on The Island, and then choose a new environment to be tossed into. It's a bit cyclic and not overly fascinating, but the implications of specialized regions is pretty intriguing. I would have imagined this would have sparked discussion regarding what the upcoming expansion packs will provide, but aside from rather vague and somewhat silly suggestions (ALL AIR!/ALL WATER!) I have a hard time coming across any speculation. I suppose ARK is literally just about the survival, combat, and taming for some people and the reason we're here is irrelevant - which is fine, play the game as you wish, but if anyone could point me towards any theories or speculation on what's to come, or provide some of their own with any evidence they may have found, I'd be super interested. I tried combing through the explorer notes to find more evidence or hints towards what those other biomes could be, but I haven't found anything. Didn't exactly look through them all, though, so maybe someone noticed something I haven't. It'd be interesting to get an idea of what's to come. Based on what I've heard regarding Scorched Earth (that it was provided as an Expansion because they couldn't find a way to comfortably fit it into The Island), I imagine they will be unique biomes not found on The Island. Though, the possibility of a full Ice, Redwood, or similar expansion isn't entirely improbable. What do you guys think? I think it might be difficult to get into the lore due to the simple fact of how it's given to us. That and most people really only care about PvP or 'Look at my pretty mutations ecks dee', but how it's given to us is also a factor, I think. It's just... the lore has almost no impact on the game; it's just there. You get EXP boosts from the Explorer Notes, but that's about it until you manage to Ascend. Maybe when we're hit with the Ascension cutscene, folks will become more invested in the ARK's story, but, as it stands, we don't have much to get invested in beyond the animals. There's also the possibility that folks aren't entirely thrilled with the alien plot. I'm kinda glad that's been cut from Ragnarok's personal lore and that it's a bit less Mass Effect and more Dragon Age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jostabeere Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I don't need a story in a sandbox game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDynamicMan Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 28 minutes ago, OnePotatoChip said: I think it might be difficult to get into the lore due to the simple fact of how it's given to us. That and most people really only care about PvP or 'Look at my pretty mutations ecks dee', but how it's given to us is also a factor, I think. It's just... the lore has almost no impact on the game; it's just there. You get EXP boosts from the Explorer Notes, but that's about it until you manage to Ascend. Maybe when we're hit with the Ascension cutscene, folks will become more invested in the ARK's story, but, as it stands, we don't have much to get invested in beyond the animals. There's also the possibility that folks aren't entirely thrilled with the alien plot. I'm kinda glad that's been cut from Ragnarok's personal lore and that it's a bit less Mass Effect and more Dragon Age. Yeah. It's walk over here, a piece of paper pops up that you have to stop playing to read. Meh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perk8504 Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I think there's a combination of things that contribute to the lack of interest in the lore. one being that the real story line of the lore came after people had already been playing for quite a while, and were already immersed in their gameplay another part being how much it's lagged behind in the center map, and a lot of people not getting it and probably the biggest part is story line tends to be bigger in linear games where the story is told alongside your missions as you progress, whereas in a sandbox game like this, where there isn't a linear progression for pushing the story line, people have to go and search it out, without having any real push to do it. yes there's the xp boost, but you don't even have to read it for that to happen if there were cut scenes to go with some of the notes (tough to do, since you could be slaughtered in the middle of it...) or other benchmarks of the game to prompt it, there might be more interest I do think that other expansions will indeed follow the specialized/dedicated biome idea though. An all water one could be done really well, but would need some kind of twist to make it different than just a map of already existing ocean. I don't think an ice biome would be a great idea, I think it would end up being a reskinned version of scorched with emphasis on food/warmth rather than water/cooling. With the theory that the specialized biomes are related to the colors of the ark symbols, scorched being red, water being blue, it'd be interesting to see what green would be....could also be done well with an overgrown jungle concept, with interactive and carnivorous plants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewiatan Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I couldn't care less about the storyline that hasn't been developed since Day 1 of Ark and it looks like it was only added in the end, because people asked for one. Gameplay mechanics and a game is supposed to be built on lore and a storyline, not other way around. Discovering explorer notes gives me no satisfaction and has none impact on gameplay except for exp boost. (The handwrite style is also difficult to read sometimes ) "meh just another explorer note at a ruin which was placed randomly". Don't make me start talking about ascention cutscene... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngrySaltire Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 1 hour ago, OnePotatoChip said: I think it might be difficult to get into the lore due to the simple fact of how it's given to us. That and most people really only care about PvP or 'Look at my pretty mutations ecks dee', but how it's given to us is also a factor, I think. It's just... the lore has almost no impact on the game; it's just there. You get EXP boosts from the Explorer Notes, but that's about it until you manage to Ascend. Maybe when we're hit with the Ascension cutscene, folks will become more invested in the ARK's story, but, as it stands, we don't have much to get invested in beyond the animals. There's also the possibility that folks aren't entirely thrilled with the alien plot. I'm kinda glad that's been cut from Ragnarok's personal lore and that it's a bit less Mass Effect and more Dragon Age. 23 minutes ago, MrDynamicMan said: Yeah. It's walk over here, a piece of paper pops up that you have to stop playing to read. Meh Hopefully I havent waffled but these are my thoughts. To be honest I think these two comments hit the nail on the head. At the moment the lore has no impact on gameplay at all. In terms of game play I have no interest in the storyline at all, because in order to you have to read the notes which people don't need or want to do. The other point is that people (at least some arnt) are not digging the alien stuff which is completely understandable (people just want to play with prehistoric creatures) but it annoys me at the same time that people get annoyed by the tek/alien stuff (leaving aside potential tek gameplay issue). I mean the first thing you see in game when you first play is the implant in your arm and the obelisks, which screams aliens. What interests me the most is what is the point of these Arks and the story behind them. Ark implies a refuge, and with all these prehistoric creatures running around, I ask myself why are humans in the Ark. Are we an extinct species in the timeline and if so why ? And why would aliens (or advanced humans theoretically) be so interested in preserving specifically Terran species (leaving aside made up species such as wyverns and griffins) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manta Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 There's a story, ha ha ha ha ha... Right. Yeah, I don't care for it whatever it is. I do collect the notes if I see a box but I do not go hunting for them or even read them. It just doesn't matter in the grand scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
szabiferi Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 Honestly, I'm actually irritated by the lore in this game because: 1. It is not realted to the actual gameplay 2. The Center devs used it as an excuse to not to implement proper bossing and TEK cave, saying the map is not Canonic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyanicEmber Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 8 hours ago, Bulldogfrag said: Tough to get excited over this aspect of the game with all the other problems. I don't know if they changed it but read the dossier on Quetzal, says it never needs to land but we know better since flier nerf. Might look into lore a bit more after they finish the polish of the game and finish nerfing what their going to nerf. Wild ones never land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyanicEmber Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I am thrilled with the storyline, it's written extremely well and is quite intriguing. I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. Also Rockwell is a jerk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarKillerX Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I would be interested in the lore, but it needs to be made a little easier to get into, explore notes aren't a good idea to give all the lore through, instead we should get a major chunk of the lore when we start a character, or as you level up with explorer notes being used to fill in gaps, or answer questions that might arise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volunteer Moderator ciabattaroll Posted July 13, 2017 Volunteer Moderator Share Posted July 13, 2017 1 hour ago, CyanicEmber said: Also Rockwell is a jerk. Thank god someone else said it. I don't care how good a cook he is, he's still a jerk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilNastyGurl Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 The lore of the dossiers reminds me of how hilariously inaccurate the PokeDex entries for some pokemon are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockjaw Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I'm interested in the lore. It adds substance to the game, and gives you a reason to go out and actually explore. I've actually been thinking about writing my own story for the game which I would want to keep consistent with the established canon, so I've got some extra incentive to be interested in it. Something that I find kinda funny about it is that some of the lore seems to be based on feedback that WC has received from the community. For instance Helen saying that the island lost it's charm when she figured out that it wasn't natural, and the army guy (I forget his name) complaining that his men would rather use spears than guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rahthos Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I like the story and enjoy theorizing what future DLCs could be about. The gameplay in this game no doubt appeals to a much larger audience. I imagine a lot of people don't care at all about the story. This game makes me think of dinosaurs... and aliens. To put it simply. The device in the arm, the obelisks and strange tech scattered in the walls of caves. It's a bit in your face, but since no aliens have appeared, it's quite easy to get lost in the game and put that stuff out of mind. The ascension chair is so, so strange. At this point I think it could be aliens, but at the very least it's a simulation of sorts controlled by unseen outside forces. I'm very excited to see what the final boss is all about. With regards to future DLCs, I really have no clue what direction they'll go in. I would be okay with a well done frozen planet. I've yet to build in a snow area, so a detailed map with large snowy mountains, a desolate tundra, large glaciers and icebergs, would really be something special. Any WoW players may think back on Northrend and how much they did with those cold landscapes. While SE gets a lot of hate, I do think they did well with the landscape. I'm also interested in a water world with scattered islands or an alien or futuristic setting different than any map we've experienced yet. I read something about each crystal in the ARK logo being related to the three different DLCs. Red makes sense for SE, so I guess blue would have to be related to a water world or frozen earth experience. The green confuses me since there's already a lot of green. I know some people aren't a fan of tek, but I think it would be acceptable to have a technologically advanced planet come into the mix. Either way, I am very excited to see what the future holds for this game and its story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletForce Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Adding pointless lore and fictional stories would be a grand waste of the developer's time. There are far more pressing issues the devs to address such as major bugs and overall game balancing. In any case I'm pretty sure this forum has a creative writing section in which you write your lore and share it with other role players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRedExemplar Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 14 hours ago, Jostabeere said: I don't need a story in a sandbox game. Agreed. I'm here to survive, build and collect. If I want the story I'll watch someone else grind it out on YouTube or read explorer notes on ark wiki. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletForce Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 50 minutes ago, TheRedExemplar said: Agreed. I'm here to survive, build and collect. If I want the story I'll watch someone else grind it out on YouTube or read explorer notes on ark wiki. Don't forget about PVP.. You missed that one but yes well said. No one needs silly stories in a sandbox game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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