Game Unplayable for New Players

[zken]

Survival of the fittest. I'm happy when I see another baby has been driven off of the server they play on or the entire game completely.

Honestly, it is totally possible to get started from scratch on new servers. I've done it a couple times. Yeah, it is hard, but that is the fun of it.

You put the work in, stick around, or you die off like the rest of the weak. The Island and its inhabitants have no mercy or sympathy for you. I don't understand why you noobies complain so much, you're not special. 

[Gluttonist]

On Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 3:33 AM, BrockSamson400r said:

 I haven't had a good size (Trike and up) dino last more than 24 hours cause of some jerk coming along with there big flying dino and taking off with my stego

Make a roof

19 hours ago, D4u2s0t said:

Don't confuse "not good" with "inexperienced".  Experienced players can go into a server that has already been established and make do.

Exactly. My friend and I, just the two of us, joined an official server a month and half after it came out and within the span of 2 days had a 7x4x2 metal base with a sizeable stone fence around it (Roughly 600 walls total, 3 high) This also being before beaver dams giving out good chunks of CP. You have to adapt to survive. Personally I can't see why people would play PvE but that is just preference on my end.

[D4u2s0t]

17 minutes ago, Gluttonist said:

Make a roof

Exactly. My friend and I, just the two of us, joined an official server a month and half after it came out and within the span of 2 days had a 7x4x2 metal base with a sizeable stone fence around it (Roughly 600 walls total, 3 high) This also being before beaver dams giving out good chunks of CP. You have to adapt to survive. Personally I can't see why people would play PvE but that is just preference on my end.

Yep, and our 2 man tribe would be the same.  We know the ins and outs, are not going to waste time on unimportant things, and within a few days would have a nice setup I'm sure.  

We started on a PVE server, mainly due to ignorance, thinking since other players can't do anything to us or our stuff, it would just be like a social island with people building.  And that's how it was, till people started learning the exploits.  Knowing what I know now, I'd probably avoid a PVE server, it's just too troll friendly and doesn't seem to be the way it should be.  I was expecting a peaceful, minecraft like experience but with other people around doing the same.  Oh well lol.  

[IDNeon]

On 3/12/2016 at 11:43 PM, SallyAnn said:

We're these official servers?  If so they should not have been able to pick up any of your dinos.

The lesson a lot of the people learned from the start was to find a nice Unofficial server with good active admins, it will make the world of difference.

Foundation spam and kiting wild dinos is definitely a big PvE problem and there's been lots of discussion to try and suggest ways to fix this on these forums.

This pisses me off.

This game is GOING TO FAIL, if the only answer to new buyers of a "finished product" is to "find an unofficial server because otherwise our game is GARBAGE".

What would make a difference is nerfing the quetz/Gigga.

Give them like hard to hit snipable "kill spots" that bring them down in a few well placed shots with specific rounds only (not explosives or something AOE).

[Jerryn]

A few thoughts, for what they are worth.

Saw a comment on the game being unfinished.  Well, yeah, it is an early access game that is still in development, so that revelation should have been clear before purchasing the game.  That is like buying a car that only has a primer coat and then claiming it has not been painted.  

Official vs Unofficial - Yes, unoffical servers can go poof; big deal.  Pick up and move on.  Done it a few times myself, but now have been on the same server since October.  On the flip side, a good griefer or alpha tribe can make you wish your official server would go poof; and in some cases, can be just a worse the 'admin with a god complex' that is the cause of so much anxiety.  Ironically, the issue I have seen with some server admins is that they try to please everyone, and that just does not work.

And, as far as I am aware, you are buying the rights to play the game.  I could be wrong, but I saw no guarantee that you would be granted unlimited, self-entitled use, to a server that is run exactly the way you think it should be run, for free.  You can play SP.  You can play official(unless you get VACed, Battle Eye banned, and/or blacklisted).  You can play unofficial(and some will not care if you are banned/blacklisted from offical).  You can play non-dedicated.  You can run your own personal server(no extra cost for the game to run in server mode).  You can rent a server.  

So, good luck suing, much less winning, when something like this is presented in court; any lawyer that took on this case would really have to be hard up for work.

Ironically, WC needs some servers that run the way they are, so that the issues with game mechanics, bugs, and exploits can be uncovered, and hopefully fixed, or minimized.  That is why this is EA.  If you wanted to purchase the full game, you should have waited for the release version and paid full price.

And, what is a newbie server?  How do you know who is and is not a newbie?  And, at some point, where you are no longer a newbie, should you be forced to leave, to go to a non-newbie server?

Now, I am not saying that are not jerks on officials, as there certainly are.  I am not saying some private server admins are not jerks, as there certainly are some.  

Now, if you want WC to run certain types of servers with certain guarantees(no pillar spamming, no PVO, etc.), then you should put forward the suggestion, along with how much you would be will to pay each month for them to run those extra servers and employee admins to police them 24/7.  Who knows, maybe when they launch, they will be willing to take you up on that.

[IDNeon]

2 minutes ago, Jerryn said:

A few thoughts, for what they are worth.

Saw a comment on the game being unfinished.  Well, yeah, it is an early access game that is still in development, so that revelation should have been clear before purchasing the game.  That is like buying a car that only has a primer coat and then claiming it has not been painted.  

Official vs Unofficial - Yes, unoffical servers can go poof; big deal.  Pick up and move on.  Done it a few times myself, but now have been on the same server since October.  On the flip side, a good griefer or alpha tribe can make you wish your official server would go poof; and in some cases, can be just a worse the 'admin with a god complex' that is the cause of so much anxiety.  Ironically, the issue I have seen with some server admins is that they try to please everyone, and that just does not work.

And, as far as I am aware, you are buying the rights to play the game.  I could be wrong, but I saw no guarantee that you would be granted unlimited, self-entitled use, to a server that is run exactly the way you think it should be run, for free.  You can play SP.  You can play official(unless you get VACed, Battle Eye banned, and/or blacklisted).  You can play unofficial(and some will not care if you are banned/blacklisted from offical).  You can play non-dedicated.  You can run your own personal server(no extra cost for the game to run in server mode).  You can rent a server.  

So, good luck suing, much less winning, when something like this is presented in court; any lawyer that took on this case would really have to be hard up for work.

Ironically, WC needs some servers that run the way they are, so that the issues with game mechanics, bugs, and exploits can be uncovered, and hopefully fixed, or minimized.  That is why this is EA.  If you wanted to purchase the full game, you should have waited for the release version and paid full price.

And, what is a newbie server?  How do you know who is and is not a newbie?  And, at some point, where you are no longer a newbie, should you be forced to leave, to go to a non-newbie server?

Now, I am not saying that are not jerks on officials, as there certainly are.  I am not saying some private server admins are not jerks, as there certainly are some.  

Now, if you want WC to run certain types of servers with certain guarantees(no pillar spamming, no PVO, etc.), then you should put forward the suggestion, along with how much you would be will to pay each month for them to run those extra servers and employee admins to police them 24/7.  Who knows, maybe when they launch, they will be willing to take you up on that.

Look you guys keep IGNORING my statement which is important.

If you want ARK to succeed, the OFFICIAL server needs to be fixed.  "Go to a complex mega-mall of choices called Unofficial Servers and find the one that you like best when you don't know how the game is supposed to be played or what you'd like" is ---

NOT A GOD DAMNED ANSWER.

[Jerryn]

13 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

This pisses me off.

This game is GOING TO FAIL, if the only answer to new buyers of a "finished product" is to "find an unofficial server because otherwise our game is GARBAGE".

What would make a difference is nerfing the quetz/Gigga.

Give them like hard to hit snipable "kill spots" that bring them down in a few well placed shots with specific rounds only (not explosives or something AOE).

Your feelings are you own issue....sorry.

Considering the game has not been finished, much less launched yet, there is no way to predict what will or will not be the condition of the official servers at launched.  That is why this is EA.

The whole snipable "kill spots" sounds like a new opportunity for griefiing.  No thanks.

[Jerryn]

3 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

Look you guys keep IGNORING my statement which is important.

If you want ARK to succeed, the OFFICIAL server needs to be fixed.  "Go to a complex mega-mall of choices called Unofficial Servers and find the one that you like best when you don't know how the game is supposed to be played or what you'd like" is ---

NOT A GOD DAMNED ANSWER.

And, obviously, you did not bother to read mine, because that is not what I said.

You only make yourself look stupid when you do that.

[IDNeon]

2 minutes ago, Jerryn said:

Your feelings are you own issue....sorry.

Considering the game has not been finished, much less launched yet, there is no way to predict what will or will not be the condition of the official servers at launched.  That is why this is EA.

The whole snipable "kill spots" sounds like a new opportunity for griefiing.  No thanks.

My feelings are not my issue, if I were managing a large project, and there was a STRATEGIC FLAW that was going to destroy ALL MY WORK...I'd fix it.  Right now ARK will launch and EVERY GAMING REVIEWER will give it a "great game, but sucks because you can't play it" review and tell people "not to buy it".

Do you think someone is going to pay $60 for a game that when they start the game they will either start in a prison, or their first new tames will be destroyed by a giant skybird from a tribe that laughs at the waste of their time?

They need to FIX Official Servers.

You know what sounds like an opportunity to grief?  Immortal lvl 200 Quetz with 24 miniguns on it flying around with Alphas shooting rockets at people to keep the server theirs so no one else gets out of the stone age.

"Go to unofficial server hyuck yuck".  You might as well play single player...go and ignore the problem.

[IDNeon]

2 minutes ago, Jerryn said:

And, obviously, you did not bother to read mine, because that is not what I said.

You only make yourself look stupid when you do that.

I did read yours, I addressed a VERY specific point because people like you (and I've heard them all the time) give excuses for why the horrible problem of Official Servers should be allowed to continue despite the fact it will make this game a "bomb" at the box office.

[D4u2s0t]

4 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

Look you guys keep IGNORING my statement which is important.

If you want ARK to succeed, the OFFICIAL server needs to be fixed.  "Go to a complex mega-mall of choices called Unofficial Servers and find the one that you like best when you don't know how the game is supposed to be played or what you'd like" is ---

NOT A GOD DAMNED ANSWER.

Many players find dedicated servers to be leaps and bounds better than Official servers.  I'm one of those players.  :-)  Why do official servers need to be "fixed"?  There are plenty of servers available with a variety of settings, and if you don't like them, you can even host your own with customized settings and rules.  So, in essence, everyone CAN be happy, if they just take a second to look for a server that fits their style.

[IDNeon]

3 minutes ago, D4u2s0t said:

Many players find dedicated servers to be leaps and bounds better than Official servers.  I'm one of those players.  :-)  Why do official servers need to be "fixed"?  There are plenty of servers available with a variety of settings, and if you don't like them, you can even host your own with customized settings and rules.  So, in essence, everyone CAN be happy, if they just take a second to look for a server that fits their style.

I'm sure they are better, but do you see what I'm saying?

A person going to a store, buying a game for the first time, doesn't want to have to read about a bunch of command line customizations, a bunch of mods, and read a 100 paged book on why "this is how your server should look to fit your style of game play".

They want a development team to do all that for them, and find the "best fit" and call that official server.

The Official Server is your "Debut" server.  It's your "Grand Opening".

If you went to a restaurant franchise for the first time, and the first restaurant you go to serves you hot wet dog poop...are you going to hunt down the rest of the franchise to find that perfectly cooked Beef Wellington?

Without a return policy this game is going to become toxic and become a barren player'less wasteland.  Because the people who wasted $60 and got pissed off by the mess on Official Servers are going to be THAT much angrier.

[Rickyh24]

The way this game is setup grieving and trolling is just way too easy. Best thing I've done for my tribe is start my own server. We are a small tribe and just play to relax and have fun. With the lag and grieving official servers just became more annoying than anything. I do agree it's a problem that will hurt the game though. I just wish I  would have bought another Xbox 100 hours of playtime ago. That's my only regret. You have not experienced ark until you see the island without foundations an pillars everywhere  my official server looked like a desert wasteland compared to the island I play on now  

 

If if you are a solo pve player or a small tribe just staring out hit me up and I may have room for you to do your own thing on my server. 

[D4u2s0t]

2 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

I'm sure they are better, but do you see what I'm saying?

A person going to a store, buying a game for the first time, doesn't want to have to read about a bunch of command line customizations, a bunch of mods, and read a 100 paged book on why "this is how your server should look to fit your style of game play".

They want a development team to do all that for them, and find the "best fit" and call that official server.

The Official Server is your "Debut" server.  It's your "Grand Opening".

If you went to a restaurant franchise for the first time, and the first restaurant you go to serves you hot wet dog poop...are you going to hunt down the rest of the franchise to find that perfectly cooked Beef Wellington?

The problem is "Best Fit" is subjective.  There is no one size fits all that will make everyone happy.  That's why you have the ability to customize.  Your comparison is off.  The correct restaurant analogy would be similar to "Ok, you don't like the menu options, tell me what you like and I can prepare any dish you want instead, based on your specific preferences"  How this can possibly be seen as a negative is confusing me.  

You have the options available to find a server that better fits you, but for some reason don't want to.  That's not a game flaw.

[IDNeon]

Just now, D4u2s0t said:

The problem is "Best Fit" is subjective.  There is no one size fits all that will make everyone happy.  That's why you have the ability to customize.  Your comparison is off.  The correct restaurant analogy would be similar to "Ok, you don't like the menu options, tell me what you like and I can prepare any dish you want instead, based on your specific preferences"  How this can possibly be seen as a negative is confusing me.  

You have the options available to find a server that better fits you, but for some reason don't want to.  That's not a game flaw.

Ugh, "Best fit" is not subjective.  There are entire sciences around finding "best fits" and a "best fit curve" is actually statistical quantification.  So it's quantifiable.

There is one size that fits most, and that's your "debut" server that everyone starts on to get a feel for the game.

Then there's unofficial for everyone else who doesn't like the best fit.  I can't believe I'm even having to explain this to you, this should be a no brainer.

People like  you and me don't mind starting out on Official Servers that are garbage because we bought a game for $15bucks on sale, signing up for an early Beta knowing that it's not finished.

I'm talking about what MUST happen before this game goes "public".

[IDNeon]

2 minutes ago, Rickyh24 said:

The way this game is setup grieving and trolling is just way too easy. Best thing I've done for my tribe is start my own server. We are a small tribe and just play to relax and have fun. With the lag and grieving official servers just became more annoying than anything. I do agree it's a problem that will hurt the game though. I just wish I  would have bought another Xbox 100 hours of playtime ago. That's my only regret. You have not experienced ark until you see the island without foundations an pillars everywhere  my official server looked like a desert wasteland compared to the island I play on now  

 

If if you are a solo pve player or a small tribe just staring out hit me up and I may have room for you to do your own thing on my server. 

I realize for people this is an option, but I might as well play a board game if I go and start my own server, etc.

[D4u2s0t]

5 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

Ugh, "Best fit" is not subjective.  There are entire sciences around finding "best fits" and a "best fit curve" is actually statistical quantification.  So it's quantifiable.

There is one size that fits most, and that's your "debut" server that everyone starts on to get a feel for the game.

Then there's unofficial for everyone else who doesn't like the best fit.  I can't believe I'm even having to explain this to you, this should be a no brainer.

People like  you and me don't mind starting out on Official Servers that are garbage because we bought a game for $15bucks on sale, signing up for an early Beta knowing that it's not finished.

I'm talking about what MUST happen before this game goes "public".

No, you're wrong, in a survival video game, what's "best" is based on opinion.  I would agree with you, IF there were not dedicated servers.  IF we had no options.  Literally all your complaints about this game could be gone right here, right now, but you fight against the available options.  Most that try dedicated servers, from what I have seen on these forums, are immensely happy with the way they play.  

In these types of games, players want to customize.  I have seen the devs say majority of PC users are playing on dedicated servers, which is amazing!  Why?  because if you have the options available to tailer a game to your desires, but choose not to do it for whatever reason, you are only selling yourself short.  You are basically saying "I don't like the first aisle in this store.  Aisle 5 has the things I like, but since aisle 1 doesn't, I'm not shopping here."  The options are there, it's up to us to use them.  

After playing on a dedicated, I would NEVER go back to official.  I certainly do not view that as a negative, if anything, I am so happy that we have these options available.  I didn't like all the grieving and whatnot on official servers.  I love having the entire island at our disposal, free to do what we like, with no worry of someone breaking all our stuff for fun while we're taking a nap.  

[IDNeon]

2 minutes ago, D4u2s0t said:

No, you're wrong, in a survival video game, what's "best" is based on opinion.  I would agree with you, IF there were not dedicated servers.  IF we had no options.  Literally all your complaints about this game could be gone right here, right now, but you fight against the available options.  Most that try dedicated servers, from what I have seen on these forums, are immensely happy with the way they play.  

In these types of games, players want to customize.  I have seen the devs say majority of PC users are playing on dedicated servers, which is amazing!  Why?  because if you have the options available to tailer a game to your desires, but choose not to do it for whatever reason, you are only selling yourself short.  You are basically saying "I don't like the first aisle in this store.  Aisle 5 has the things I like, but since aisle 1 doesn't, I'm not shopping here."  The options are there, it's up to us to use them.  

Lol you're just not getting it!

People, 95% of people are not going to go to Aisle 5.  This isn't a grocery store made super convenient.  Shopping for an "unofficial server" is a daunting challenging task to a person who never played the game and has no idea what they want to do in it.

 

Imagine you walk into a grocery store, the first Aisle, is Aisle 1.  Seems reasonable.  You go to Aisle 1 to "window shop" and it's full of monkeys eating people and throwing poop in your face.

Are  you going to go "Oh maybe Aisle 5 will fit me better?"

 

You're just going to leave and ask for your $60 door fee back.

[Jerryn]

14 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

I did read yours, I addressed a VERY specific point because people like you (and I've heard them all the time) give excuses for why the horrible problem of Official Servers should be allowed to continue despite the fact it will make this game a "bomb" at the box office.

No, you didn't.  You few off the handle, again, and ranted.

I simply listed options and some facts; not my fault you cannot understand them.  I even listed one where you could get an guaranteed environment by being willing to pay a little. WC cannot run servers on an infinite basis when, by default, they will have a relatively finite income from the game; this is basic math.

I did not list them as justifications for anything; that is an assumption you made to support your rant, while still ignoring the fact this is EA and that you cannot fix exploits or other issues before launch if you do not have an environment to find them.   It is you that chooses to ignore, while making perdictions based on an EA environment without any knowledge of what WC will or will not do at launch.

 

[IDNeon]

Just now, Jerryn said:

No, you didn't.  You few off the handle, again, and ranted.

I simply listed options and some facts; not my fault you cannot understand them.  I even listed one where you could get an guaranteed environment by being willing to pay a little. WC cannot run servers on an infinite basis when, by default, they will have a relatively finite income from the game; this is basic math.

I did not list them as justifications for anything; that is an assumption you made to support your rant, while still ignoring the fact this is EA and that you cannot fix exploits or other issues before launch if you do not have an environment to find them.   It is you that chooses to ignore, while making perdictions based on an EA environment without any knowledge of what WC will or will not do at launch.

 

OK since you're having troubles grasping the whole situation.

YOU:  Support the status quo based on a typical response by most people whose response to "Official Servers suck" being "deal with it or move to an unofficial server".

ME:  You're 100% short sighted and apparently have no concept of marketing, statistics, mathematics and a host of other sciences that would otherwise lead you to conclude that ARK is heading for disaster BECAUSE of the Official Server situation.

[Jerryn]

2 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

OK since you're having troubles grasping the whole situation.

YOU:  Support the status quo based on a typical response by most people whose response to "Official Servers suck" being "deal with it or move to an unofficial server".

ME:  You're 100% short sighted and apparently have no concept of marketing, statistics, mathematics and a host of other sciences that would otherwise lead you to conclude that ARK is heading for disaster BECAUSE of the Official Server situation.

Last response...peroid.

No, I don't.  You can't even bring up my points and refute or discuss them.  You assume I do, when I don't.  I have clearly stated this is EA and this is how you find the issues.  Never once, not ever, have I said, that is how the would, should, or could launch.  

Period.

Bye.

[Rickyh24]

16 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

I realize for people this is an option, but I might as well play a board game if I go and start my own server, etc.

I'm not following you here. It's literally no different than an official server. Just about 100 times better. 

[IDNeon]

Just now, Jerryn said:

Last response...peroid.

No, I don't.  You can't even bring up my points and refute or discuss them.  You assume I do, when I don't.  I have clearly stated this is EA and this is how you find the issues.  Never once, not ever, have I said, that is how the would, should, or could launch.  

Period.

Bye.

So you are saying that Official Servers are TERRIBLE and need to be fixed because they will influence the opinion of first-time gamers who will make their decision on whether or not to continue playing this game based solely on their experiences of the Official Servers?

You are AGREEING with that statement?

Because if you are NOT agreeing with that statement, you are wrong.

[IDNeon]

3 minutes ago, Rickyh24 said:

I'm not following you here. It's literally no different than an official server. Just about 100 times better. 

It's different to the first-timer who just bought "ARK" out of the box.  I really don't understand what you people don't get about basic BASIC marketing principles.

[D4u2s0t]

Just now, IDNeon said:

 

8 minutes ago, IDNeon said:

OK since you're having troubles grasping the whole situation.

YOU:  Support the status quo based on a typical response by most people whose response to "Official Servers suck" being "deal with it or move to an unofficial server".

ME:  You're 100% short sighted and apparently have no concept of marketing, statistics, mathematics and a host of other sciences that would otherwise lead you to conclude that ARK is heading for disaster BECAUSE of the Official Server situation.

I love science.  Let's hear your science.