about sponsored mods

[Umber0010]

so as I;m sure you guys know, ARK has the sponsored mods program, which as a modded player (and aspiring modder (curse my potato practically not being able to run the dev kit)) I love this idea, however, there is something about it that's bugging me. considering how much you're investing into this program(4k dollars a month for each modder, or 68,000 a month (and you wonder why they're pushing out DLCs)) you're not really capitalizing on it. sense it launched in February of last yea- wait, has it seriously been 11 months already?! jeez time flies. ehhem, anyways, in the 11 months that it's been out, only 1 thing has come out of it, Ragnarok, which while it is an amazing map, heck, it's basically all I play, is very little considering your investment. so how would I make it more worth your money? well I have a few ways

1. authenticate them for use on console. as you've said yourself, mods are a HUGE part of ARK's longevity, yet console players have no access to these mods, so while I would prefer a Skyrim-style mod nexus, having the sponsored mods available for console server hosts to use would be a HUGE plus for the platform.

2. I think there should be some official servers running these mods. you currently have 2 maps in the sponsored mods program, Shingo isles (a bit meh IMO) and ISO: Crystal isles (the goddess Aphrodite herself. you also have pseudo-TCs in Zooloogy(not really a total conversion, but it does shake things up and it's not something some players would want), Survival+ (literally just a total conversion in mod format), and Urban Deathmatch, which should just be replaced by a resurrected SotF, but that's a different topic. so, I would say get some servers running those two maps with the "vanillaish" sponsored mods (basically anything that keeps the core ARK game style, so Steampunk modtacular, Call of the Wild, Dragonpunk: Tribe of Gods, ect) and then some servers running zoology along with the less "major" mods (Structures +, Eco mods, basically the building/aesthetic mods). and some servers running Survival plus (this I would say is the big one, S+ is designed for high-population servers so it's hard to get a good experience with unofficial). to go 1 step further, you could give these servers increased rates, say 3-5x, and have them wipe every 3-5 months incase you want to switch out sponsored mods.

EDIT: and before you say that "there aren't enough servers for this" or "WC should add more vanilla servers", in my area I can connect to 421 legacy servers, almost all with low populations, (I think, it was pretty laggy for me). 0 for crystal isles, 50 for Shingo isles, 25 for zoology (again, I think this would be one of the less-popular mods) 25 for Survival plus (because high-population is actually good with that mod, and tame cap won't be an issue as long as it's not dramatically reduced). that's 150 servers dedicated to the sponsored mods program, and 271 that can be kept as legacy, or integrated into the main network.

3. add more sponsored mods to the game, there are many great features in these sponsored mods (if pillars anywhere where less glitch it could make a great TEK tier mechanic), and while I know that this kind of thing can cause massive re-processions through the game, I think it would be worth it. Castles and keeps would be great for PvE players, ISO: Crystal isles and Shingo islands would add more map Varity, the Eco mods would be Great for Decorations, even if they're mostly useless otherwise. Heck, there are some mods that would be great just being integrated into the game, such as the baby-raising (and impossible to pronounce) confuciusornis. and the best part? Because these where made by modders, people can't (intelligently) claim that you wasted time on these.

 

so yes, I absolutely love the sponsored mods program, though you're only at the tip of the iceberg for it's potential

[Guest DJRone89]

 

@Umber0010

Ragnarok may be the first sponsored mod but it was the third mod to get integrated into the base game.

- Edited, thanks to @PuffyPony for pointing out an error. I honestly thought The Center and Primitive+ were sponsored mods.

[PuffyPony]

45 minutes ago, DJRone89 said:

 

@Umber0010

Not sure where you are getting your information from, but The Center and Primitive+ were sponsored mods and they became official in May and July 2016. So no, Ragnarok is the third sponsored mod to get integrated into the base game, and the program has been going on far longer than what you think.

The fact Ced created Primitive+ and is now the head of the program is something you should have known prior to making this post.

Center and P+ predated the Sponsored Mod program, and likely inspired it, so Ragnarok is the only one to have been incorporated, technically. I do, however, agree with OP and would like to see the sponsored mods added for ARK on console, if not a full-on Bethesda-style mod nexus.

[Umber0010]

21 hours ago, DJRone89 said:

 

@Umber0010

Ragnarok may be the first sponsored mod but it was the third mod to get integrated into the base game.

- Edited, thanks to @PuffyPony for pointing out an error. I honestly thought The Center and Primitive+ were sponsored mods.

yes, as puffy pony said, those pre-date the sponsored mods program. I believe that they won some mod contest things