Ark Isn't Just Dying, It's Being Murdered

[Onimusha759]

4 hours ago, Thorium said:

Yes it is. What is you definition of playable? And you don't need to put it into quotes, i think the meaning of the word is very clear. For me it means the game can be played without any bugs blocking you from content of the game. And that is how ARK is and always was.

U cant even complete the main game without cheating on most servers and singleplayer because the skylord artifact doesnt spawn  that threw a wrench into your argument.  Then having to use a work around that isnt 100% full proof to finish the tek cave to keep your character, items, dinos, and rewards is another wrench into your definition of what is a playable game.  Then theres the roulette you play with your dinos every time you upload them because you dont know if it will give them back when you download em.  Iv lost 3 dinos to this recently.  That is technically a block in content because some of your content literally just vanished.  Now if your transferring rexes over to the island to ascend and this hits you your boss run content and ascension content just got blocked because you dont have a team anymore.

[Onimusha759]

9 hours ago, ZyraSeedling said:

Leonardo Da Vinci: "Art is never finished, only abandoned"

 

Anyway, there is no way wildcard could ever win this fight. I bought ark in the very early days, before their first creature additions. One of the things I enjoyed most about ark was that they had new content coming all the time. It made things exciting. If they never added content it would have stagnated like I have seen with other early access games lacking enough content and then not adding any. 

No new content added= people saying "boring, moving on"

New content frequently= "but I Want you to focus on THIS not that"

People will complain either way.

As for "game breaking bugs" I have some issues with rubberbanding sometimes and the occasional  strange bug (like moving knocked out creatures)has occurred over the years I have played.  But on the whole I do feel I have never had horrible buggy experiences with ark. Maybe it is because I do not play on bogged down servers, I do not know (i only do a private server, husband and myself). But crashing etc has not been an issue other than an outdated mod that I uninstalled and replaced with an up to date mod. Seems like the servers need work to me, not necessarily the game.

 

As for the video complaining about this being the company's first title.... shouldn't that be an amazing achievement, not a whining point? They have to start somewhere, don't they?

Nice job nailing the quote, and yes the fact this is their 1st game should be an achievement.  I also agree the repeated release of content does have its appeal to me, and that they did need to push out content to keep people playing.  There is a problem here tho.  Shoved out content will have bugs, forgiveable, but theres a point in a game when this shuved out content bugs becomes unacceptable.  There is a balance required here and its funny a studio so focused on balancing is failing to balance themselves lol.  I started on the ps4 baryonyx/troodon update.  As a semi pro level gamer(At least) with over 20 years of hardcore gaming experience, i can safely say at that stage in development that the game could of stood on its feet long enough content wise to have been revised and fixed quite a great deal before actually needing more content.  I remember reading somewhere that after aberration was released WC stated they were going to switch from shoving out content to fixing the game.  Since aberration weve had bout 2 minor patches focusing more on nerfs and less on fixes or only minor bug fixes.  To add insult now theres talk of extinction dlc...

[ZyraSeedling]

53 minutes ago, Onimusha759 said:

Nice job nailing the quote, and yes the fact this is their 1st game should be an achievement.  I also agree the repeated release of content does have its appeal to me, and that they did need to push out content to keep people playing.  There is a problem here tho.  Shoved out content will have bugs, forgiveable, but theres a point in a game when this shuved out content bugs becomes unacceptable.  There is a balance required here and its funny a studio so focused on balancing is failing to balance themselves lol.  I started on the ps4 baryonyx/troodon update.  As a semi pro level gamer(At least) with over 20 years of hardcore gaming experience, i can safely say at that stage in development that the game could of stood on its feet long enough content wise to have been revised and fixed quite a great deal before actually needing more content.  I remember reading somewhere that after aberration was released WC stated they were going to switch from shoving out content to fixing the game.  Since aberration weve had bout 2 minor patches focusing more on nerfs and less on fixes or only minor bug fixes.  To add insult now theres talk of extinction dlc...

Lol, I have the quote hanging up in my classroom. I am an art teacher.

[Demerus]

the video raised a lot of valid points and maybe if it is seen by the right people, it will be a dose of reality for them.

here's to hoping.

[MadCow]

I think 99% of that video was just rehashing the old, but the 10 seconds at about the 13:35 mark where he summarizes his rant is pretty accurate:

 

Wildcard is clueless and has a history of not keeping promises and never, ever hitting any sort of deadlines.  So if you like Ark the way it is, great, enjoy, it can be fun.  But if you're playing it waiting because "any time now it will get better" you should really quit playing and move on, because if you're torturing yourself waiting for a better game you're probably screwed because it's not really going to get hugely better.  It might get incrementally better, but not hugely.

That being said, I still enjoy it now and then.  We'll see if they ever follow through on the S+ integration.

[Esquire1980]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 1:43 PM, invincibleqc said:

ARK is not dying. Still averaging ~40k players a day on Steam since 2015. You guys tend to forget that most of the players are playing unofficial servers and that most of the issues you are describing are only affecting officials. I personally had my share of officials both PvP and PvE and I can guarantee you that hosting my own servers was the best decision I've ever made. Players on officials are toxic. I personally don't think $60 is too much. Just check the amount of entertainment you got out of the game and you will realize that it is quite cheap for the amount of content offered. I paid some games $60 that was done in ~20 hours and there was nothing else to do once the story was over so yeah, ARK is cheap and well worth its price.

/agree 110%.

There is sooo much wrong with that video, from his stating that a developer violated a "law" due to a non-compete clause to the game being "unplayable".

Those screaming about a 20 buck expansion should of been around in 03 when games were 40-100+ and then studios charges a 14.99 subscription, per month, on top of that.  Imagine that, paying for just about an ARK "expansion" every single month.  And to add insult to injury, the expansions were about once per year and there was another 40-100 going out.  And in fact, I personally miss those days.  The sub/expansions were still a boat-load less expensive than micro-transactions and lock boxes.  Go try STO and fork out 100.00+ for a ship set and then go for that lock-box ship, with the P2W stats that has a chance of 1/5000 to drop.  If you can't afford the base game and a 20.00 expansion once a year or so, maybe it's time to reconsider your priorities for where you spend your cash and how much can be allotted to hobbies.

And if the playerbase is toxic on official, then go "unofficial".  Easy.  WC had the foresight to allow for "unofficials" and the abilities to set up a server/cluster the way you want it.  I wish SOE would of even thought about doing this with Star Wars Galaxies.  I would of loved trying to or countering CU, NGE, or C6CD.   I've countered WC nerfs in less than 5 minutes, the ones I didn't agree with.  Find a mod, change a setting, another deal that ends up as, Easy.  Maybe the playerbase has figured out the toxic nature of official, the cheats that happen, the griefing factor, and has moved to unofficial leaving nearly nothing except the toxic players.  So again, you have a "choice" on if to try and play with that toxic nature or just get away from it, period.  Again WC gave you that "choice", they didn't have to, other studios don't, but they did.

Bugs?  Sorry to inform, but ALL coded games have bugs.  SWG did and the Beetle Cave entry bug was there from the day that Musti hit to the day the servers closed.  Some bugs can be fixed and some, I guess, can not.  Still, I see people crying about all the patches in prime time, weekends, etc which include all those bug fixes that the same people cry about taking up their game time when WC does fix something and get it out.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Do I believe that ARK could be improved?  You bet.  But since I started with SWG in 03, I have yet to see that perfect game but WC gives me the options with my own server cluster to get it about as close as I have seen.  And if I can't find a mod or a setting to do what I want, WC has given me the dev kit to make it my own.

You don't like ARK, go play STO, TESO, TOR, etc etc etc. or any other of the lock-box MMORPGs.  Bring your credit card, you'll need it.  And after you get fleeced there, come back and maybe you won't try to gripe/cry so much.

[Guest DJRone89]

5 hours ago, HavenDuuk said:

Wildcard is clueless and has a history of not keeping promises and never, ever hitting any sort of deadlines.  So if you like Ark the way it is, great, enjoy, it can be fun.  But if you're playing it waiting because "any time now it will get better" you should really quit playing and move on, because if you're torturing yourself waiting for a better game you're probably screwed because it's not really going to get hugely better.  It might get incrementally better, but not hugely.

Addiction certainly comes into play with Ark though. No sane person would put themselves through unnecessary hardship for the sake of a game. But it seems hard for some to just put the game down and uninstall.

People just need some self control. Stay up to date but don’t willingly carry on playing if you feel so negativity about the game because it’s unhealthy and breeds toxicity. Don’t painfully wait for something that may never happen or is too far in the future that you could be enjoying your time in a better fashion.

Me: I’m fighting my addiction of Ark. I’ve taken a step back and enjoying other games as a result. I still host for a few friends but thanks to that option, none of these issues really get to me. I just use the forums for tips, opinions and balance discussions.

[Zederia]

8 hours ago, HavenDuuk said:

I think 99% of that video was just rehashing the old, but the 10 seconds at about the 13:35 mark where he summarizes his rant is pretty accurate:

 

Wildcard is clueless and has a history of not keeping promises and never, ever hitting any sort of deadlines.  So if you like Ark the way it is, great, enjoy, it can be fun.  But if you're playing it waiting because "any time now it will get better" you should really quit playing and move on, because if you're torturing yourself waiting for a better game you're probably screwed because it's not really going to get hugely better.  It might get incrementally better, but not hugely.

That being said, I still enjoy it now and then.  We'll see if they ever follow through on the S+ integration.

 

They're STILL repeating the same mistakes, and they still haven't fixed anything. Where's flier V3 that was PROMISED? where's the TLC for the ptera and other creatures that need it? Why is it that fliers are still capped at 100% (for the most part) Why is it that turrets are limited to 100, and still can't track?

 

If heavy turrets can track just fine (and believe me 200%+ gally says they can) why can't the regular ones? oh right.. it's a reason to nerf more

[H3dgie]

I feel the devs to cop a lot of crap they dont deserve....at the same time they absolutely do deserve certain poop thrown at them.

 

Im not sure the devs actually play this game the way the players on official do and want to. They are disconnected from the majority player base and thus make decisions on what the minority want. 

 

Devs primary way of 'fixing something' is to nerf it. Cant fix turret tracking? Oh lets nerf the flyers. Cant get decent performance..oh lets nerf turrets. And when its obvious the nerfs have outraged the community and havent had the desired effect we get told 'youll learn to deal with it' 

Everything the devs have done since i first played a couple of years ago has slowed the game down and made it more of a grind and less fun. More of a job. 

Lets not forget the untested patches which for a full released game with a full price tag is 100% unacceptable. 

 

That said, they have created a great game which is addictive as anything ive ever done. This is a passionate fanbase and i wish the devs and the team as a whole just listened to its core players a little more. 

 

 

 

[Zederia]

 

ok 260%, on buffed hp, and more levels to raise the speed cap. still took it down no problem, and that was only 4  (quick note before anyone says anything about killed "their griffin", I spawned that one in too)

 

edit: miscounted, it was 4, not 5

[KimoBitz]

ded game, move on 

[GP]

1 minute ago, KimoBitz said:

ded game, move on 

Whenever someone, on a games official forums, says "ded game, move on" clearly shows it is not a dead game because if it was then you would have moved on yourself instead of keep coming back to the official forum for a supposed dead game to say that it is a dead game and to move on. So clearly you still play, so there is no point in saying it is a "ded game, move on".

[Zederia]

1 hour ago, GP said:

Whenever someone, on a games official forums, says "ded game, move on" clearly shows it is not a dead game because if it was then you would have moved on yourself instead of keep coming back to the official forum for a supposed dead game to say that it is a dead game and to move on. So clearly you still play, so there is no point in saying it is a "ded game, move on".

way to feed the troll

[WClovescheaters]

The latest wingsuit nerf has really made me wanna stop playing, its hard to just cold quit, but im gonna get off this game eventually, they use bait and switch they dont care about their customers, they grant amnesties for cheaters, they still didnt even fix body bag glitch yet, they allow tribes to completely spam official servers with foundations so no-one else can build, its a broken game. 

[Esquire1980]

3 hours ago, WClovescheaters said:

The latest wingsuit nerf has really made me wanna stop playing, its hard to just cold quit, but im gonna get off this game eventually, they use bait and switch they dont care about their customers, they grant amnesties for cheaters, they still didnt even fix body bag glitch yet, they allow tribes to completely spam official servers with foundations so no-one else can build, its a broken game. 

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1315694497

Don't like the wingsuit nerf?  You don't have to live with it unlike we had to with CU, NGE, C6CD and pay a 14.99 per/mo sub for the ability to have to live with it.

The wingsuit nerf really didn't bother our players at all.  I set up Ab allowing wyverns and argents over on Ab, 1st thing.  

There's those "choice"s yet again that no other developer allows.

[SCEDeadeye]

13 hours ago, Esquire1980 said:

You don't like ARK, go play STO, TESO, TOR, etc etc etc. or any other of the lock-box MMORPGs.  Bring your credit card, you'll need it.  And after you get fleeced there, come back and maybe you won't try to gripe/cry so much.

with my credit card I can get proper support for my game like lost character support hahaha

[Onimusha759]

6 hours ago, Esquire1980 said:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1315694497

Don't like the wingsuit nerf?  You don't have to live with it unlike we had to with CU, NGE, C6CD and pay a 14.99 per/mo sub for the ability to have to live with it.

The wingsuit nerf really didn't bother our players at all.  I set up Ab allowing wyverns and argents over on Ab, 1st thing.  

There's those "choice"s yet again that no other developer allows.

Dude thats why there was runescape, which i liked better then WoW.  Not our fault you let yourself get suckered.  Heck there was enough free dedicated WoW servers out there that you should never of had to pay for anything besides the base game.  Most of these games also had fan crwated dedicated servers that were free, u could play without subscribing.

[Esquire1980]

5 hours ago, SCEDeadeye said:

with my credit card I can get proper support for my game like lost character support hahaha

Great idea, altho I already had that one when I set up my own cluster.

Sure, I pay a little over 70.00 per month for this game (all 5 official maps in a cluster), but I can set up my "servers" to auto back up and restore items, characters, etc etc etc.  While I've never had to restore a character, none of our players ever lost one, I have had to restore all items on 1 map.  Took me about 10 minutes and no1 else even had a clue that the problem happened until I said I did this in vent that night.  So I guess that "choice" is already there, also.

There was thread over here a while back wanting WC to set up a subscription (14.99 per/mo) that you might join in on and that cash could be used for a few more devs and more CSRs for official since you have no problem bringing your credit card to the mix. 

 

[Esquire1980]

17 minutes ago, Onimusha759 said:

Dude thats why there was runescape, which i liked better then WoW.  Not our fault you let yourself get suckered.  Heck there was enough free dedicated WoW servers out there that you should never of had to pay for anything besides the base game.  Most of these games also had fan crwated dedicated servers that were free, u could play without subscribing.

Tried it, liked it about as well as WoW which I tried also after NGE.  Guess I was "married" to star wars gaming just about the same as I am today.  I use all the Stark Wars mods on our servers.  Again. a "choice" in which game to play and style to play (never liked fantasy games all that much altho I stomached Skyrim with saber mods), only this time I'm not stuck with an NGE, a nerf, or any other change I don't /agree with..

And again, Thank you WC for making that choice possible.

[MadCow]

On 3/3/2018 at 10:42 PM, Esquire1980 said:

Those screaming about a 20 buck expansion should of been around in 03 when games were 40-100+ and then studios charges a 14.99 subscription, per month, on top of that.  Imagine that, paying for just about an ARK "expansion" every single month.  And to add insult to injury, the expansions were about once per year and there was another 40-100 going out.  And in fact, I personally miss those days.  The sub/expansions were still a boat-load less expensive than micro-transactions and lock boxes.  Go try STO and fork out 100.00+ for a ship set and then go for that lock-box ship, with the P2W stats that has a chance of 1/5000 to drop.  If you can't afford the base game and a 20.00 expansion once a year or so, maybe it's time to reconsider your priorities for where you spend your cash and how much can be allotted to hobbies.

This post actually made me terribly, terribly sad, because I suddenly realized that two games I enjoyed could have survived if they had been around just a bit later.

 

SWG could possibly have survived (maybe not, due to the SW license, but possibly) but City of Heroes/Villains could 100% have survived as a DLC shop that only had unofficial servers, and my god it would have been glorious.

Thank you for ruining my evening by wishing for unofficial but game engine supported CoX servers.

[Theplaymaker]

Rip gliders

[GreenRoc]

While I watch the video in the first post, I am in-game, looking at this:

 

Still broken.

[Jamage007]

On 04/03/2018 at 8:50 PM, H3dgie said:

 

 

Im not sure the devs actually play this game the way the players on official do and want to. They are disconnected from the majority player base and thus make decisions on what the minority want. 

 

Devs primary way of 'fixing something' is to nerf it. Cant fix turret tracking? Oh lets nerf the flyers. Cant get decent performance..oh lets nerf turrets. And when its obvious the nerfs have outraged the community and havent had the desired effect we get told 'youll learn to deal with it' 

Everything the devs have done since i first played a couple of years ago has slowed the game down and made it more of a grind and less fun. More of a job. 

Lets not forget the untested patches which for a full released game with a full price tag is 100% unacceptable. 

 

That said, they have created a great game which is addictive as anything ive ever done. This is a passionate fanbase and i wish the devs and the team as a whole just listened to its core players a little more. 

 

 

 

Yeah the devs obviosly dont play on official and have always had very little knowledge on how their own game actually works. They rarely ever listen to the fans. The game is more of an unfun grind these days.

[Esquire1980]

5 hours ago, HavenDuuk said:

This post actually made me terribly, terribly sad, because I suddenly realized that two games I enjoyed could have survived if they had been around just a bit later.

 

SWG could possibly have survived (maybe not, due to the SW license, but possibly) but City of Heroes/Villains could 100% have survived as a DLC shop that only had unofficial servers, and my god it would have been glorious.

Thank you for ruining my evening by wishing for unofficial but game engine supported CoX servers.

I've had about the same moment with SWG.  But your right, I doubt LucasArts and/or EA would of stood for such at the time SWG closed.  However, with TOR down to 2 US servers and Disney reportedly looking at other gaming companies now, it might of just made a resurgence at this point in time.

But we're not all that much in dismay since finding ARK and the options it contains.  I ran a SWGEMU server for 2 years prior so I have most, if not all, of the .tre files separated now.  Another player on our cluster and I have this brilliant idea of trying to use the .tre files in the ARK dev kit but we've run into a bit of a snag as these files are .sat files and not compatible with blender.  We're still looking into this one to figure it out.  Interesting note, that the former SOE, now Daybreak, has given permission to use their assets as long as some1 doesn't try and make cash off of them and there are emulators for both pre-CU and the NGE, (the NGE one using actual SOE code).  The hang up with the emulators is the player must have the original disks in order to get the client.

There is already existing US statute for allowing the use of base code in games that have been abandoned, with the exception of MMORPGS.  However, I've now read where congress is re-looking at the exception so maybe COH is not a all-together lost issue either, after something like that gets done, if it gets done.

If we can work out the .tre file problem, I believe we'll have plenty of "STAR-ARK WARS GALAXIES" around to please even the most avid SWG fan.  The fun part will be to work that storyline, etc into existing ARK story/etc.  Could be a massive mod or more probably, series of mods to get that completed.

[RipRavage]

Look at this fine example of the love and care scorched earth has received.  This was taken today and its not the only beacon that does this, there are at least 3 others on the map that always do this.  This is a 2 year old bug that still hasn't been fixed and probably never will get fixed.  This kind of stuff is what the problem is, take a day to fix issues with the existing game and then worry about making more paid DLC and nerfing things into the ground.