Reasons to not make Ark2 and expand Ark

[Guest chancho33015]

We have all heard the news that this Extinction  DLC might be the last expansion to Ark. It sounds like they might be thinking bout putting their focus on perhaps Ark2 or maybe that Pirate game that got "leaked". Sounds very similar to #DEADPOOL leaked movie...right? lol  

But I think most companies make the basic mistake of trying to make series (expecting more money on the next installment )when they can just expand the current game to allow the player to have a major game experience in a world that never ends. Game companies are starting to see that!
That is why now games such as Ark (sandboxes) are so attractive to play now. 

 

Imagine WildCard adding DLC to ARK where you can transfer you character and is a total different game play server. Maybe you like a world where you like to have missions and NPCs walking around like SKYRIM. Or maybe imagine a world where you can posses a Dino..."Primal" (waiting lol)...WE ARE STILL WAITING  

 

I think Ark 2 might be a 2 step back than a step forward when you think about it. There are pressures of having now a perfect server security (hacks/abuses) and stability (offline issues and crashes), there are expectations in a perfect story line or "told story through actual game play (where they massively failed in Ark), so Ark2 might be the worst option when you think deeply about it.

However, expanding Ark with DLCs with different game mechanics or simply story-lines might actually benefit them as they will always be without that heavy expectation of having the perfect game which they will definitely not deliver in Ark2 in the eyes of current players.

It is worth noting that Ark is not the perfect game but it is definitely the perfect idea for a game and that is what keeps it alive. All is forgiven as long as they are always improving the base content with DLCs or Patches. Something that might not be forgiven in Ark2 if its not at least 2x better than Ark.

Ark developers should think is what is Ark and where is it going? With that "leaked" footage it looks like they might be thinking on a Skyrim kinna game. NPCs, story, and game tasks where you have a more traditional RPG. That might be a great addition on this current game rather than selling it as a new game. Atlas can be that server where you could transfer your current character and for once maybe interact with NPCs that tell a story. Imagine how great that might be?! finally a story told in the actual game play if that were to happen!

Also the Multiplayer aspect is totally ignored in Ark at the moment. We have the tribe mechanics but there is not really an essential  part in which each player takes part of. There is nothing on the breeding in which a player maybe has perks to breed better dinos than other. There is not a necessity to play a different role! which is a shame because in most MMOs that is a big part that Ark hasn't been able to get right!

 

Definitely the things i am expecting on the NEXT DLC EXTINCTION: 

1. Pokeballs (or what ever they will call it): i expect that to solve the CAP issues. How? Maybe while dino is in pokeball dinos can be counted as structures (similar to Bhive mechanic).

2. Vehicles: Ark dinos are great but as this tek tear keeps growing it can be a good idea either to add now vehicles that run on element that are better faster and perform tasks better than dinos or have these new "Tek Dinos" have perks.

3. BIGGER MAP: Map size is always a problem...but i think when i refer to bigger map is not only in its physical size but in  the DINO CAP LIMIT and PLAYER LIMIT. Ragnarok suffers from being a map that is way to big and its treated like the Island. where dino cap is the same and halve the map is not use because only 70 players can play at the same map. So if the map is bigger perhaps more players should be allowed to play at the same time.

4. Crash protection on bosses: sometimes it has happen where you are in the middle of a boss fight and...your pc of X reason crashes or has that "FATAL ERROR" and you lose everything...specially when you are playing solo. So...yah...there should be some time of protection for that.

5. TEK dinos should have a different mechanic! IT is absurd that they DON'T at the moment...cause why should you tame a TEK DINO that does the same as a regular version? I know the rumor is that those dinos will be the only transferable dinos but I don't know if i am 100% sold on that theory. Cause WC. 

 

I think we the people of ark (the players) have high expectations on this last DLC if its indeed the last one for Ark Survival Evolved. We are definitely expecting new game mechanics, new character options, new tools, new costumes, and a new map that tells the Ark story a lot better than just random notes around the dam map. 

But i think Aberration has teach us a lesson... bigger is not better. I think Aberration biggest problem was the lack of "adventure" the map offered. Other than getting pregnant from the Queen Reapers and dropping on the Drake pit there was not a sense of danger anywhere in the map. I dont know if its fair to say but one of Ark biggest problems is thinking of maps as just land...rather than making the map tell a story and control the player's tension with unknown dangers which could come from either dinos that spawn in special parts of the maps or a precise location where maybe  it becomes poisonous and you have a timer which if it runs out you lose your dino and you gear...

 

I think there is a lot to be done before WC can move to Ark2 if this is indeed the last DLC for Ark Survival Evolved. This is still a undeveloped idea and as far as i can tell its not even a polished idea. I think WC should definitely hire better writers as the ones that currently worked on Aberration FAILED. Same mistakes were made with Aberration story wise as all the other maps...which is a shame. So much could of been improved if someone told them NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT THAT AGAINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN 

More content doesn't always mean more ITEMS/DINOS...more content means also a better told story, a new player mechanics, dino perks, player perks for performing a special role in the tribe, and new dino mechanics. We all have to agree how useless roars are in Ark...other than the Yuti's roar lol
 

IT IS TIME TO CHANGE ARK...IT IS TIME TO.... MAKE ARK GREAT AGAIN #MAGA lol

[d1nk]

Man that formatting reminded me of old Nexopia and Myspace profiles..

 

I dont think many agree with you about the Ab story. You started off in a good direction, then after the mention of Primal you go off the handles lol

[Tattare]

Unreal engine is not far enough down the pipeline to justify coming out with ark 2.  Ark 2 is something id look at 8 years from now and ride the nostalgia hype train.    Sure they need revenue and a new game will give them that and they can use some newer unreal engine mechanics and rehash a lot of old code with new skins and hopefully disable whats broken with ark as well as new content.   Hopefully not another sandbox survival game.  I dont think wildcards next venture will yield as much revenue but maybe enough so they give us something new every 4 years and room to grow.

[Guest chancho33015]

Dk1, I definetly don't know how the way WC tells stories is a good thing? I mean, where in the caves of aberration or in any part of the map there is a clear exhibition of any kind of information that tells the ark story?  

IF anyone can tell me they have actually follow the story of ark playing the game...THAT WILL BE A FIRST. 

I saw the video of the guy that put the entire story together...and it feels empty and fragmented to a point that the lore is more like, "i think this is how a pike works" lol just random fragmented information. I think they can tell the story better with the environments they create. Is a bit of a shame to just create a map for the sake of creating a map for us to build on...

I hope that Extinction is a map that has to do more with the story of "where do we come from and were are we going with ark" ...and just not another map to build on and tame 3 dinos then "breed" till we bored lol

I mean, that is not too much to ask right? lol 

[Guest chancho33015]

3 hours ago, d1nk said:

Man that formatting reminded me of old Nexopia and Myspace profiles..

 

I dont think many agree with you about the Ab story. You started off in a good direction, then after the mention of Primal you go off the handles lol

I mean, i have played aberration and 4 months into it...all things that could be done were done within a week. I think adding more story to maps or  implement the lore into the map better could add so much more. Think about it...Aberration caves are small (as most caves with the exception of center) and dont tell any particular story or there is 0 information in which we are put in a position to be invested.  

I think it is fair to say that all DLC has been very...empty. 

Scorched earth...even a new player can pass that map within a week on official.

Centermap...too.

Perhaps island and aberration are a bit trickier cause you need to Asc...which are a bit harder than the usual bosses and collecting the things to do boss take a bit of time.

But i mean, Ragnarok all you need is rexes...Same as SE...Center too... and is not like they have to be base of 500 melee to pass it in hard with a small tribe.

If there was more content in terms of story and "things to find (lore)" that lead to finding cool things...wouldnt that be much better?

I mean, think about LEGEN OF ZELDA OCARINA OF TIME...20 years later that game still relevant...and is not because it has dinos or it has great graphics. But we all remember the story in that simple beautiful game. I know is a solo player game...but if you can pull off telling a simple story...and make the story resonate 20 years later....shouldnt WC at least try something like that lol I mean, the blueprint is there XD 

[d1nk]

1 hour ago, chancho33015 said:

I mean, i have played aberration and 4 months into it...all things that could be done were done within a week. I think adding more story to maps or  implement the lore into the map better could add so much more. Think about it...Aberration caves are small (as most caves with the exception of center) and dont tell any particular story or there is 0 information in which we are put in a position to be invested.  

I think it is fair to say that all DLC has been very...empty. 

Scorched earth...even a new player can pass that map within a week on official.

Centermap...too.

Perhaps island and aberration are a bit trickier cause you need to Asc...which are a bit harder than the usual bosses and collecting the things to do boss take a bit of time.

But i mean, Ragnarok all you need is rexes...Same as SE...Center too... and is not like they have to be base of 500 melee to pass it in hard with a small tribe.

If there was more content in terms of story and "things to find (lore)" that lead to finding cool things...wouldnt that be much better?

I mean, think about LEGEN OF ZELDA OCARINA OF TIME...20 years later that game still relevant...and is not because it has dinos or it has great graphics. But we all remember the story in that simple beautiful game. I know is a solo player game...but if you can pull off telling a simple story...and make the story resonate 20 years later....shouldnt WC at least try something like that lol I mean, the blueprint is there XD 

This is a sandbox game. You make your own adventures and goals. The bosses arent "the end" but rather an additional element to the map.

Four months seems like a pretty good amount of time for a 20$ expansion. Even if you only played 20h a week thats still 320 hours. I know I sound like a WC advocate here but some of the points brought up are silly. Comparing a single player story based game to an online sandbox.. 

[Kimodo]

I'd be 100% happy with ARK if the building system got an overhaul. It's pretty basic and clunky compared to newer games like 7 Days To Die and Conan Exiles. Building in either game is like driving a Ferrari compared to ARK's Ford Feista.

[Sphere]

One thing I would love to see happen if there was an ARK 2. The ability to move between both games. How rad that would be. You change servers to an ARK 2 server, and the game closes and opens up the new one, and next thing you know, you're on a new ARK, and fetching your stuff to transfer over at the next beacon drop. To be honest, a lot of content could be converted over to a new engine quite easily, so as long as the base functionality is there.

[RipRavage]

1 hour ago, Kimodo said:

I'd be 100% happy with ARK if the building system got an overhaul. It's pretty basic and clunky compared to newer games like 7 Days To Die and Conan Exiles. Building in either game is like driving a Ferrari compared to ARK's Ford Feista.

Remember when S+ was promised to be implemented in the vanilla game... it seems so long ago...

[Kegachu]

I can definitely agree that an overhaul needs to happen

[RowletAlex]

How many times must I say it, THEYRE NOT GOING STRAIGHT TO ARK 2 AFTER ARK IS DONE. There was a single interview where Jeremy (iirc) mentioned he was open to the idea, but that’s never really how it works. If they DO make an ark 2 they’ll wait until the industry has advanced a few years so they have better stuff to work on and it’s not the same consoles all around. ARK hasn’t even been out of early access for a year and people already want a sequel. Wait at LEAST 4 years before you start clamoring for ARK 2. If they begin sooner, great. But they’ve still got stuff they wanna do for ARK 1 (official mods, bug-fixes, etc etc) The Last DLC isn’t even out yet!

And I expect we WONT’ get the ability to transfer to the new game. A benefit of a sequel would be that everyone starts fresh, plus this is probably impossible especially if they switch engines.

A building rehaul is pretty likely, however.

Also, of all the games to compare ARK to, you chose Ocarina of Time. The problem is these are two TOTALLY different games. ARK is a sandbox survival game with a story distributed in a pretty good way for a sandbox. I like that the story isn’t shoved down my throat in a game like this, because with sandboxes it’s partially you making your own story and doing as you please. If I want to be a butcher who sells fresh-cut phiomia meat, I can. I don’t have to be the ultimate survivor or main character if I don’t want to.

A better Zelda game to compare ARK to is Breath of the Wild and even then they’re both MILES apart. It’s still story-driven by a lot, while ARK has a segmented story that gets gradually more important as you go along. And if you’ve gotten through the DLC maps in a week doesn’t mean everyone has. I took several months to do SE on single player even with boosted rates because I LIKE taking my time to chill and do random stuff rather than advancing as soon as I finish one thing. This is a problem with your play-style, not the game itself.

Also, how the heck are the aberration caves small?!? (unless you mean artifact caves, but they’re not intended to be big and open) 

I’m not at all gonna take your post seriously because you seem to want ARK to become a totally different game, rather than enjoying and wanting to build upon its existing features. You ask for Skyrim-like quests, which generally isn’t a sandbox/survival game thing. Just because it’s not story-focused doesn’t mean the story is bad.

This concludes my rant.

[Darkholis]

I am always surprised to see the amount of people asking for an Ark 2 when the actual game needs more than just 'polishing'.

- Dino AI is ridiculous.
- Low level fatal erros & failed assertion crashes are more than common, even on high end PCs.
- Rampant duping, hacking, exploiting, etc : They could with minimal effort implement a token/timestamp system to link servers with the main server(s) that provide transfer services. If the server crashes or is crashed by players, everything in the obelisks/drops for that server is unaccessible until the next resync -> full ark network restart.
- Building system in desperate need of an overhaul.
- Crafting system in general needs to be improved and complexified. For example, crafting a firearm should require the user to craft all the subparts (trigger, barrel, stock, etc.).

Regards.

[Paroxyde]

13 hours ago, chancho33015 said:

Dk1, I definetly don't know how the way WC tells stories is a good thing? I mean, where in the caves of aberration or in any part of the map there is a clear exhibition of any kind of information that tells the ark story?  

IF anyone can tell me they have actually follow the story of ark playing the game...THAT WILL BE A FIRST. 

I saw the video of the guy that put the entire story together...and it feels empty and fragmented to a point that the lore is more like, "i think this is how a pike works" lol just random fragmented information. I think they can tell the story better with the environments they create. Is a bit of a shame to just create a map for the sake of creating a map for us to build on...

I hope that Extinction is a map that has to do more with the story of "where do we come from and were are we going with ark" ...and just not another map to build on and tame 3 dinos then "breed" till we bored lol

I mean, that is not too much to ask right? lol 

Just google ark explorer notes. Read the wiki's note in order of map (island>SE>Ab) and read the note in chronological order. If you are too lazy, there is a channel where someone reads it for you but he is only halfway through SE. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8g5B91wjjP-7jCVXqPw9Lg

[Demerus]

this thread should be called:

"Reasons to not make Ark 2 and expand your support department."

[Guest chancho33015]

I dont know how to react to this...but when people say...just read the notes...i think is just being condecending and this is the attitude that WC takes when it comes to fixing anything lol  

Example SKYRIM:

Yes, there are books that tell stories that are part of the lore and history of the map you are part of. However, the MAIN quests are told in such way that you know what are you dealing with. That helps the player get into caring about the story you are in. Ark has one freaking story...and no one really cares bout that cause the format of delivery is...LAME! lol

Why do people complain all the time about ark when their attitude is...whatever, the story is there...just read the notes lol Dam, is pretty impressive lol 

[Guest chancho33015]

3 hours ago, Paroxyde said:

Just google ark explorer notes. Read the wiki's note in order of map (island>SE>Ab) and read the note in chronological order. If you are too lazy, there is a channel where someone reads it for you but he is only halfway through SE. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8g5B91wjjP-7jCVXqPw9Lg

Solution to a poorly delivered story...Go google it! lol

[Lockjaw]

As others have said, you're comparing apples and oranges. In an adventure game like Ocarina of Time you're the hero of the story and the story is unfolding as you play.

Ark on the other hand is meant to be a foundation on which you can write your own story. The explorer notes are just a little side thing which has nothing to do with your character and can be completely ignored if you don't care about them.

[Mikessnow]

This won't happen because they will probably release a new ark game when the new generation consoles come out. If they release it before that then I'd suggest not buying it.

[Paroxyde]

6 hours ago, chancho33015 said:

Solution to a poorly delivered story...Go google it! lol

Nah, it's just that I know you are a lazy type of guy, so no way you went and collected the explorer notes. And if you did collect them, then you probably don't know there is a button to display the text in script english. Otherwise you would have known that the story is not disjointed... And you probably mean thick freedom as it's the most popular ark story video, however, he never read the notes himself and is just reading second hand info and he botches even that. I'm pretty sure he is just trolling... And the 9 years old just gobble it and spread misinformation. 

[MorbidAvenger]

On 8/5/2018 at 11:17 PM, chancho33015 said:

I mean, i have played aberration and 4 months into it...all things that could be done were done within a week. I think adding more story to maps or  implement the lore into the map better could add so much more. Think about it...Aberration caves are small (as most caves with the exception of center) and dont tell any particular story or there is 0 information in which we are put in a position to be invested.  

I think it is fair to say that all DLC has been very...empty. 

Scorched earth...even a new player can pass that map within a week on official.

Centermap...too.

Perhaps island and aberration are a bit trickier cause you need to Asc...which are a bit harder than the usual bosses and collecting the things to do boss take a bit of time.

But i mean, Ragnarok all you need is rexes...Same as SE...Center too... and is not like they have to be base of 500 melee to pass it in hard with a small tribe.

If there was more content in terms of story and "things to find (lore)" that lead to finding cool things...wouldnt that be much better?

I mean, think about LEGEN OF ZELDA OCARINA OF TIME...20 years later that game still relevant...and is not because it has dinos or it has great graphics. But we all remember the story in that simple beautiful game. I know is a solo player game...but if you can pull off telling a simple story...and make the story resonate 20 years later....shouldnt WC at least try something like that lol I mean, the blueprint is there XD 

The notes tells stories of past survivors. To many people want cutscenes anymore. The way the ark story is told leaves you wanting more ( if you actually pay attention to it and your surroundings) the maps, caves, and ruins actually do represents parts of the story. Outside of The Last Of Us this is one of the best stories I have come across, and I don't even know all of it yet. No one can tell me they didn't feel anything when they discovered what the Arks actually are.

[Guest chancho33015]

The notes tells stories of past survivors. To many people want cutscenes anymore. The way the ark story is told leaves you wanting more ( if you actually pay attention to it and your surroundings) the maps, caves, and ruins actually do represents parts of the story. Outside of The Last Of Us this is one of the best stories I have come across, and I don't even know all of it yet. No one can tell me they didn't feel anything when they discovered what the Arks actually are.

I couldn't disagree more. But I guess you are right in the fact that some games are staying away from cutscenes. However, my point was that the story is told terribly by the delivery system they used. Random notes take away from understanding the why or intriguing parts of the game story.
I mean, any game that gives an unorganized delivery system of the story will always have complain by most.
Also, caves don't have much of the story in their walls other than that one ocasional mural which happens to be a man ascending to an Ark. We can't call that "a story". Not even a part of the story! Is so vague it might as well be the resurrection of Jesus Christ himself lol

Jokes aside... it's hard to agree you since you admit you still don't know the complete story. And if you have more than 100 hours and still don't know the story that says something about how the game delivers the story.

[Chronosphere]

making ark 2 would be stupid, improve ark 1 and add stuff to it instead it is such a good game but hard working. if ark was smooth for low end pc it would be the best to play.! btw low end i mean 750 ti  +++ i know i shoud upgrade to 940 but i rather get a 1080ti but wondering witch is best

[Martellus]

@chancho33015, the argument went well for me until the Aberration portion, personally I really liked that expansion and felt a step forward in my experience. Although admittedly, I still hold Scorched Earth in a special place. 

With that said, I have repeatedly said I would not jump into an eventual Ark 2, starting from scratch after such a time investment is just not for me at all. So in my case your argument fits perfectly. I will stick around as long as they keep building on top of the current experience, once they move on, I move elsewhere.  

For Extinction: 

1.) There were some news which confirmed that the poke ball thing was going to happen, that we will be able to cube dinos into the inventory space but they will run on timer/expire, similar to what PixArk currently has but with expiration, would be my guess.

2.) I too hope for some form of vehicles to make it into the cut, the recent teaser seems to point to a mech/exosuit type thing which got me really excited for, maybe other forms of technological vehicles will join in as well. If the map has an old city, streets terrain could provide space for such strolls.

3.) They also mentioned NPC (Corrupted animal) sieges, one of Ark's competitors already does this, its not excellent but the idea exists, if they can make it work better, it will be awesome and provide some form of danger to fend off, the issue is how to make it fun and not annoying (think of the Nameless and how they after hours of play become pests rather than a fun challenge).

4.) I certainly have high expectations for Lore on this one, including talking to an NPC, I would prefer several. This is just me saying with out any evidence what so ever, but if the lore does not move beyond the dossiers, I will be disappointed.

5.) Finally, I really, really want a new character model for players. I have seen the work that other survival games have done, one in particular and their player models are fantastic, from the point you draw a tool or weapon to face expressions and overall character models, they are amazing. 

Cheers!

[TheDonn]

Ahhh on that trailer, a direbear.  LMAO...

 

EDIT:  OK, hopefully Atlas is just an internal joke for International Pirate's Day or something...  Equus and Direbear models, not to mention building assets lifted directly from ARK (stone walls).  What's next?  We might hear that while the trailer is shot in DX12, the game is being primarily developed in DX11 and they will release a DX12 version "soon".  Honestly, no thanks. 

No Atlas, no ARK2, and no Extinction till other crap is fixed.  I'm in no rush.  I'll hold on to my money.  And if it doesn't get fixed, I'll stay out of Extinction.

[Guest chancho33015]

1 hour ago, Martellus said:

@chancho33015, the argument went well for me until the Aberration portion, personally I really liked that expansion and felt a step forward in my experience. Although admittedly, I still hold Scorched Earth in a special place. 

With that said, I have repeatedly said I would not jump into an eventual Ark 2, starting from scratch after such a time investment is just not for me at all. So in my case your argument fits perfectly. I will stick around as long as they keep building on top of the current experience, once they move on, I move elsewhere.  

For Extinction: 

1.) There were some news which confirmed that the poke ball thing was going to happen, that we will be able to cube dinos into the inventory space but they will run on timer/expire, similar to what PixArk currently has but with expiration, would be my guess.

2.) I too hope for some form of vehicles to make it into the cut, the recent teaser seems to point to a mech/exosuit type thing which got me really excited for, maybe other forms of technological vehicles will join in as well. If the map has an old city, streets terrain could provide space for such strolls.

3.) They also mentioned NPC (Corrupted animal) sieges, one of Ark's competitors already does this, its not excellent but the idea exists, if they can make it work better, it will be awesome and provide some form of danger to fend off, the issue is how to make it fun and not annoying (think of the Nameless and how they after hours of play become pests rather than a fun challenge).

4.) I certainly have high expectations for Lore on this one, including talking to an NPC, I would prefer several. This is just me saying with out any evidence what so ever, but if the lore does not move beyond the dossiers, I will be disappointed.

5.) Finally, I really, really want a new character model for players. I have seen the work that other survival games have done, one in particular and their player models are fantastic, from the point you draw a tool or weapon to face expressions and overall character models, they are amazing. 

Cheers!

I like what you say!  

I am hoping for similar things. 

If the pokeball will be only to store them for just a moment...and it has a timer...this might be a huge turn off...FOR ME AT LEAST.

I do hope the lore is better inbeded in the game play...would be nice to hear the story from "a game character" that is mentioned in previews lore. I do doubt that...since the writer doesnt have much say in how that is implemented in the game...but i still feel that the story is very weak...where everythig is too vague.

I also agree that the character should be more costumizible...it is very poorly made. Seen better character creation on FIFA than this lol

I mean, i dont think anyone is asking them anything crazy... but will they do it... only time will tell.