Why should I play Ark?

[SidVirto]

What's up guys?

I've been meaning to buy Ark for a long while now, but nearly EVERY review I saw about the game says it is not worth it. Well, still I'm interested, because I find the idea of the game pretty unique. So that's what I thought: why not ask the actual players why they enjoy the game?

First and more important: why do you play it?

Does it have lots of players?

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you?

Will it require a huge amount of my time?

Is it really full of bugs and crashes and server issues?

Feel free to add another topics. Since you guys know about the game, it will be easier for you to point out another good aspects and bad ones (feel free to talk about these too).

I think this is it. Please be nice and I hope to meet you all in the game soon! Thanks!

 

[Midnight_]

6 minutes ago, SidVirto said:

What's up guys?

I've been meaning to buy Ark for a long while now, but nearly EVERY review I saw about the game says it is not worth it. Well, still I'm interested, because I find the idea of the game pretty unique. So that's what I thought: why not ask the actual players why they enjoy the game?

First and more important: why do you play it?

Very fun and addicting.

Does it have lots of players?

PvP has plenty of players. PvE is currently over crowded. Difficult to find servers that are not overrun and unable to properly play the game as a result (can't tame dinos due to cap limits being reached). We are hoping they will add more servers soon to handle the number of players. Might want to wait till they add more servers if you want to play PvE. 

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you?

This is a common issue with PvP. Gotta be tough!

Will it require a huge amount of my time?

Absolutly. Hands down emphatic YES! Not uncommon for some people to put more hours into the game than a full time job.

Is it really full of bugs and crashes and server issues?

All games are. They have done much work to resolve most issues.

Feel free to add another topics. Since you guys know about the game, it will be easier for you to point out another good aspects and bad ones (feel free to talk about these too).

I think this is it. Please be nice and I hope to meet you all in the game soon! Thanks!

 

I play PvE my answers are geared more for that game mode.

[SidVirto]

 

1 minute ago, Midnight_ said:

I play PvE my answers are geared more for that game mode.

I would like to hear it, if you don't mind. And thanks for the answer!

[Midnight_]

Just now, SidVirto said:

 

I would like to hear it, if you don't mind. And thanks for the answer!

  I put my answers in the quote of your post. so your question.,..my answer in green underneath. Do you see it?

[Olivar]

One reason : DINOSAURS!

[Palenor]

First and more important: why do you play it? It is one of the best sandbox games out there, you get to ride T-Rex's and make them roar for raptor's sake, what else could be better?

Does it have lots of players? It has tons of players, sometimes too many on a server.

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you? Not true at all, you can play on any server you want, some might be more welcoming than others, some downright rude. Just do not let them know you are there for a while, if you do not want to encounter this. Find a spot and start building/taming. Before long you will be part of the server

Will it require a huge amount of my time? It will require as much as you want. chances are you will want to play way more than you have time for.

Even if you like PvP, I suggest you start on a PvE server on the Island Map, folks seem to be more friendly there... Find a low population server and start there.

This will also allow you to learn the game before you swap over to PvP, the learning curve is not too steep but the game has great depth as far as learning the workings of it. I have played for two years and still learn new things to this day.

Hit some trees, build a hut, tame a dino and you are on the way. Tame a T-Rex and make it roar for you, you are hooked.

Enjoy the game, ignore the complainers.

 

 

[SidVirto]

2 minutes ago, Midnight_ said:

  I put my answers in the quote of your post. so your question.,..my answer in green underneath. Do you see it?

oh I'm sorry, seen it now  thanks for that reply man! I'm thinking seriously about it, and you're helping me decide!

[LouSpowells]

I play it because I enjoy it. I can't really speak for others. Your best bet is to play it and see if you like it. If you don't, there's no reason you should play it.

[SidVirto]

9 minutes ago, Olivar said:

One reason : DINOSAURS!

That is indeed a good reason! 

8 minutes ago, Palenor said:

First and more important: why do you play it? It is one of the best sandbox games out there, you get to ride T-Rex's and make them roar for raptor's sake, what else could be better?

Does it have lots of players? It has tons of players, sometimes too many on a server.

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you? Not true at all, you can play on any server you want, some might be more welcoming than others, some downright rude. Just do not let them know you are there for a while, if you do not want to encounter this. Find a spot and start building/taming. Before long you will be part of the server

Will it require a huge amount of my time? It will require as much as you want. chances are you will want to play way more than you have time for.

Even if you like PvP, I suggest you start on a PvE server on the Island Map, folks seem to be more friendly there... Find a low population server and start there.

This will also allow you to learn the game before you swap over to PvP, the learning curve is not too steep but the game has great depth as far as learning the workings of it. I have played for two years and still learn new things to this day.

Hit some trees, build a hut, tame a dino and you are on the way. Tame a T-Rex and make it roar for you, you are hooked.

Enjoy the game, ignore the complainers.

 

 

Very nice, thanks for the reply! You helped a lot!

[Midnight_]

Ok @Gluupor for some reason you "facepalmed" my post. Can you say why?

[Olivar]

29 minutes ago, SidVirto said:

First and more important: why do you play it?
I actually got dragged in by my girlfriend.
But I'm a sucker for building bases and things in this game. I can spent hours a day simply building and decorating one of hour bases/houses.
And there's a few people here on the forums I've gotten quite attached too, really love the community.

Does it have lots of players?
Oh yes! There's a big active player base, both on PC and console.
The question is where you're going to end up
There's official servers which run the game vanilla, and require a huge investment of time.
There's dedicated servers running a mariad of configurations and mods to tweak the playstyle.
Small gamble whether they remain up or not or have good admins.
Or you can play solo.

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you?
There's servers where this is the case, but it really depends on the server in question.

Will it require a huge amount of my time?
In short: Yes
Long : Depends on the server where you play, but overal achieving things in this game takes time.

Is it really full of bugs and crashes and server issues?
Honestly, it has it's problems.
But which game doesn't?
If you look past the issues, and learn to play with them/around them this game can be really fun.
The devs are constantly pushing out fixes and tweaks, even if their DLCs take longer then promised.  *cough* Abberation *cough*
But overal, I'm having  a blast.

Just to answer your questions as well

[Lancelot]

Most of the stuff was covered by above users.

One thing I will add. You always have the option to join a private server. There is a section on here that advertise them.

 

Private servers are good because:

Easy to start on as most are not saturated

Can have increased rate to lower the time you need to invest in the game

Negative point include:

Server closing down when admin gets tired of the game(you can solve this by being your own admin)

Server is closed to the rest of the playerbase, meaning no trades or transfert

 

[Demerus]

25 minutes ago, SidVirto said:

 

First and more important: why do you play it?

I'm a glutton for punishment, but it is a good game. Just needs some more care in certain areas.

Does it have lots of players?

Yes it does, in fact so many that most servers are tame capped, especially on breeding event weekends. You wont be able to start as a new player because you will constantly be battling other people over dino slots while taming and breeding.

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you?

See previous answer.

Will it require a huge amount of my time?

HUGE amount of time is an under statement if you want to progress, especially if you are solo. Prepare to lose a lot of sleep also.

Is it really full of bugs and crashes and server issues?

Bugs = Yes, but they are tolerable to a certain degree. Some have been fixed, some fixes still pending.
Crashes = Not as often but occasionally = Yes.
Server issues, depending on the server (especially Lagnarok) double yes. Lag, rubber banding, rollbacks on server crash, Screen freeze loading in and out of range of big structures. etc.

Buy it on a steam sale if you are skeptical, try it for yourself in single player for a little while, you will enjoy the peace and quiet. 
Learn the gameplay and if you don't like it, the blow wont be as large to your wallet.

 

 

 

 

[FlyinJapman4]

Why care about other people's opinions? If it looks good to you, then look into what it has and then decide for yourself. Not everyone agrees on everything about why a game is or is not worth buying. 99% of the gaming population says CoD sucks horse, but people still buy it.

[AngrySaltire]

Think most of the points have been covered here. DINOSAURS mainly lol. Would recommend trying it out single player with boosted settings first to get used to the game before delving into official if thats what you want or private servers with slower rates. Especially on official its a steep learning curve to learn the game. Private servers are an option too and might be better if you are worried about the time contraints etc etc.

Anyway the question should be. Why should I not play Ark ? 

Because the game will suck you in an wont let go I keep trying other games but keep coming back to Ark, theres so much to do. Its a really fun game !

[Joebl0w13]

One thing to consider.

The moment you build anything or tame anything in this game you intend to keep you will have to log into the game every 4-7 days to maintain it (unless on drastically altered unofficial servers).

For some people that's a bit of a rough time commitment.

[Nightchade]

As a piece of advice... as a newb, find a decent unofficial where the admins aren't abusive. Official servers are cancer for new players. WAY better chance of finding a group you can play/learn with on unofficial.

[Bugs5567]

Straight up, you shouldnt. The Devs spend all their time and effort adding new content without fixing old contents bugs. Yeah sure its a fun game at its core, but in the end it will just leave a bad taste.

[Royalstar]

25 minutes ago, Bugs5567 said:

Straight up, you shouldnt. The Devs spend all their time and effort adding new content without fixing old contents bugs. Yeah sure its a fun game at its core, but in the end it will just leave a bad taste.

“In the end it will just leave a bad taste.”  

You mean like your comment? 

[Arkasaurio]

5 hours ago, SidVirto said:

What's up guys?

I've been meaning to buy Ark for a long while now, but nearly EVERY review I saw about the game says it is not worth it. Well, still I'm interested, because I find the idea of the game pretty unique. So that's what I thought: why not ask the actual players why they enjoy the game?

First and more important: why do you play it?

There's nothing like it, and it's pretty much the game that I've wanted since I was little kid (decades ago). The open world and it's size (due to transfers) are incredible, the persistence of the servers (official) is amazing, and the challenge of surviving/competing is super rewarding and intense. Dinos are pretty cool too.

Does it have lots of players?

For the most part yes - if it turns out your favorite game mode is not a crowd favorite you might have issues, but generally plenty of people play the game.

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you?

Depends entirely on the server. As a general rule, official servers are not friendly to knew players; PvE you're taking up room and room in the tame slot, and for PvP you could be a cross server spy or a griefer. Like many online games, there are plenty of folks that love to harass newbies, but also some that are helpful. Is it difficult to get started, definitely, especially on official PvP servers, and probably impossible on some. However, it is possible, just difficult.

Unofficial servers with few mods and reasonable rates (so it's similar to official vanilla) are a great place to get your feet wet, and very likely could end up being your permanent home. Tons of fun to be had on the unofficial side.

Will it require a huge amount of my time?

Yes, at least until you're established and have friends. If you learn the ropes, join a big and stable tribe, and pay your dues, you can log in occasionally and have a good time. Until that point, yes this game is a HUGE time suck. Single player is also a solution to this, but to me misses most of the fun of Ark.

Is it really full of bugs and crashes and server issues?

Having played since about halfway through EA, it feels so much better, but also yes. WC definitely bit off more than they can chew and bugs and crashes are a major issue. A lot of this can again by circumvented by going unofficial, as a good admin can circumvent a lot of these issue. WC support for official servers is laughably garbage though, fair warning on that.

Further, dealing with these issues is more than worth it in my opinion, but if you only enjoy highly polished games, Ark is probably not for you.

Feel free to add another topics. Since you guys know about the game, it will be easier for you to point out another good aspects and bad ones (feel free to talk about these too).

I think this is it. Please be nice and I hope to meet you all in the game soon! Thanks!

 

For the record, I've played most of my time on Official PvP generally as a solo player or in small tribes (i.e. total masochist), I've also done a couple stints in much larger tribes.

Recently I've been playing more unofficial servers, because TBH I think that's the future of Ark, but that's a whole separate conversation. It's fun and much more approachable but I do miss being part of this huge world (the official cluster of servers).

Last thing, be careful getting started in the next couple of weeks. Poke around the forums and you'll see several threads about the upcoming turret change (nerf), it is very likely to completely shake the game up on the PvP side and my feeling is that it will make official PvP servers extremely hostile to most unknown players until the dust settles. In a nut shell, that change (though details not final) will likely make bases harder to defend for large tribes. Large tribes tend to kill anyone that see as a threat and if static defense become significantly weaker that means pretty much anyone that's not part of their alliance.

[Runia]

So long as you consider the official servers to be public test realms, or a sneak preview of the game, and realise that dedicated servers are where only actual gameplay can take place (I'm sorry, but with the state of the game and the official servers right now, the are not playable to new people) you're golden. It's absolutely true that a lot of the officials have powerful people with vested interest in chasing you off by any means necesarry. You might be considered a spy, mole, or simply a nuisance for the fact that you use up "their" resources, space, and more importantly tame slots on "their" server. Find a nice dedicated server with rates and rules that will suit your needs and please spare yourself the nightmare that is official servers.

[rororoxor]

7 hours ago, SidVirto said:

What's up guys?

I've been meaning to buy Ark for a long while now, but nearly EVERY review I saw about the game says it is not worth it. Well, still I'm interested, because I find the idea of the game pretty unique. So that's what I thought: why not ask the actual players why they enjoy the game?

First and more important: why do you play it?

Does it have lots of players?

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you?

Will it require a huge amount of my time?

Is it really full of bugs and crashes and server issues?

Feel free to add another topics. Since you guys know about the game, it will be easier for you to point out another good aspects and bad ones (feel free to talk about these too).

I think this is it. Please be nice and I hope to meet you all in the game soon! Thanks!

 

If you're gonna play the game, you have a right to know: if you have a life outside of ark and if you value your own sanity, then avoid the official servers. I believe they make up the majority of the bad reviews (officials have most lag, duping, etc.) Find a good private server; you can do so by posting a request on this site.

One thing that you need to know is that this game requires an fairly large amount of dedication. This can't be just a pastime, you'll have to visit regularly to feed ur dinos, etc (once a week minimum). Recently, the devs made it so that creatures drain their food faster when you're away. Idk if there's an admin command to fix this that doesn't affect the food drain of wild dinos as well. If you want to take a break, get some friends to join ur tribe. Some tasks can be very tedious, such as making fertilizer/gathering, but with good mods and server rates, this shouldn't be a problem.

Other then that, play the damn game. Not only is it insanely rewarding and addictive, but few other games carry the same level of badass-ery as this one.

As for the number of players, it's currently one of the top 10 most played games on steam, for a reason.

[Rondorf]

The ratings online are BS. This game is worth it!

[Destro]

I agree! Although it's buggy sometimes. You get angry when you can't do something even after trying over and over again. When you can't find a good level dino that you really, really want. People wipe your base every once in a while. And sometimes you may just end up in a cage. The price greatly increased, and more purchasable content is being released.

 

This is still my favorite game.

[Zahlea]

12 hours ago, SidVirto said:

What's up guys?

I've been meaning to buy Ark for a long while now, but nearly EVERY review I saw about the game says it is not worth it. Well, still I'm interested, because I find the idea of the game pretty unique. So that's what I thought: why not ask the actual players why they enjoy the game?

First and more important: why do you play it?
Dinos sounded cool. 

Does it have lots of players?
Indeed. However, judging by the forums and my very few experiences with official servers, people are quite toxic. Add to that the ability for huge tribes to transfer between servers as locusts, devouring everything and everyone in its path. Really, if you intend to play the game - stay as far away from officials as you can! And, as others have said - finding a good unofficial can be tricky as several of them have admins that abuse their powers. I have yet to find an unofficial that works for me. Which has left me with my own private server, but since I don't have friends that want to play for any extended time, I'm pretty much playing solo which is a pity. But no matter how boring soloing is, I find it much preferrable to officials!
Honestly, I love the game. And it keeps breaking my heart every single second I play. It breaks my heart that the game so encourages people to play in a way I totally despise, it breaks my heart that I have to play solo, it breaks my heart that there are so many bugs, it breaks my heart that the devs totally ignore all players not on Official PvP when they balance, so the rest of us get walked all over every time.
But I still play it. So yeah... the game definitely has something, but you should know that it's really a double edged sword, and you really have to love the game not to be broken by the many issues and horrible sides to it.

Is it true that you can't even start on a server because the other players wont let you?
A lot of servers seem to be like that, judging from the forums. But then again, only the complaints get to the forums so that's a skewed appearance.

Will it require a huge amount of my time?
YES!!!!! The devs seem to think "more grinding" = "harder game", so when people got too good, they introduced more grinding. The game is insanely heavy on grinding. But, if you don't play official, you can find servers with the rates raised and the grinding is not too bad (although you still have to get the same amount of stuff which quickly fills up how much you can carry, so the number of gathering trips is not lowered, just how long each trip takes - unless the server also changes the weight stat).
If you don't care about, or can get over, the grinding, the dinos take a ridiculous time to tame. Like several hours! But then you can breed the dinos, which is a lot of fun!! Only, if you're on an official server, that takes days. People frequently write on the forums about how they do it on the weekend and only get 4-5hrs sleep in one go in order to get it done.
And, as has previously been said, once you do have dinos - it's like a tamagochi that you need to constantly check back with or your dino dies. But then again, it probably dies anyway as on officials people kill your dinos and destroy your houses when you're logged off.

Is it really full of bugs and crashes and server issues?
SO many bugs! The game often crashes at startup, but I've been blessed with very few crashes once in game. There are so many issues though. Like yes - all games have their problems but this really has more than most! I keep hanging around hoping they'll fix the game, again I keep getting my heart broken by the game. It really is like an abusive relationship - I can't really leave it, but it sure isn't a good one!

Feel free to add another topics. Since you guys know about the game, it will be easier for you to point out another good aspects and bad ones (feel free to talk about these too).

I think this is it. Please be nice and I hope to meet you all in the game soon! Thanks!

 

Wow, I had a lot to say. I'm sorry I rambled on for so long, but I really want to convey two important things: Be prepared to invest huge amounts of time and unless you really love the game, all the issues will make you hate it, but if you really love the game, you'll keep getting heart broken by it xP