Ark 2 will be Primarily Primitive-themed

[Zayisha]

Would love to see Animals not simply spawn in.

The possibilty to hunt down and extinct dangerous predators to make your new home more civilized would be something i like to see.

[Ymhotep]

Ark 2 is promised to be primitive oriented. The question is, for how long? Ark 1 started more or less prim oriented. 🙃 Thing is, the Ark comunity is split to two. Primitive and Tek players. Since Aberation the prim side of Ark was practilaci abandoned, like the Prim+ mod and the games focus was oriended to Tek. With Ark 2, the situation seams to switch. Good for prim players, but bad for Tek. I think there sould be 2 Ark games. Ark 1 could continue the space adventure and next expancison will be about colonization of new planets. Ark 2 could return to Earth after the Arks cleans it from element for prim playstyle.

[TheDonn]

On 6/15/2021 at 11:37 AM, Infernal568 said:

You "think" ok xd

Kinda seems like everyone is just saying what they think, because we have so little info on what will actually be in the game! 

On 6/10/2021 at 2:56 PM, spacefiddle said:

And at the same time, "there's no Tek it's all primitive :D" and then still having a progression, or gear, or taming, or other system that still results in a huge power gap between new players and 1000-hour players will - guess what - result in exactly everything you hate being the same as with Tek, just with less shiny scifi armor and pewpew.

ARK has built a passionate playerbase.  I think that passion will carry over to ARK II, but time will tell.  ARK was pretty successful because despite the bugs and problems, there are a lot of things to do, TEK or not.  Taking TEK away will be double-edged, certainly, because people are interested in that but many people think it ends up in a huge disparity of power between the top and the bottom.  It does contribute certainly, but the pre-TEK items seem to add just as much!  When we are talking about the power gap though, to be clear, I think its important to establish where it lies.  I feel like the biggest target for the negative affectation of that gap is early game players in PvP only.  Well-established tribes aren't facing the same threat from this power gap, and people in PvE aren't facing any kind of threat in the same sense at all, so they aren't worth consideration in the discussion of power gap ONLY.

C4 and BP-crafted-Flak are the go-to for beach-bobb'ing, not TEK.  But not even necessarily beach-bobs exclusively.  The power gap exists also because of how easy it is to raid people, when compared against defending your base.  Structures are just...  Very easy to blow up.  With C4.  Level 65, get a quick note-run partway done and you are making C4, and as long as you can make it (and have time), any base is eventually your oyster.  There is a bigger skill curve in successfully defending your base, regardless of how you look at it.

With this in mind, it is important to think about how we imagine they can try and solve that problem:  Harder-to-blow-up structures?  Increased survivor resiliency?  I don't know.

On 6/8/2021 at 4:03 AM, Fresiki said:

I will say the general UE5 engine preview looked pretty amazing, so if nothing else, it will probably look really cool.

Hopefully part of the delay in release is planned UE5 release (but I swear I've heard UE~4.5 will be used for ARK II).  That'd be nice, as long as it means a more capable engine and less of the instability we all see in loaded-down and built-upon servers that we do now!

[Joebl0w13]

27 minutes ago, TheDonn said:

(but I swear I've heard UE~4.5 will be used for ARK II)

This is pretty much right. I was told by the devs it's being developed on UE4 for now and will be moved to UE5 when it becomes officially available.

[L4D2]

Quote

Ark 2 will be Primarily Primitive-themed

hope you are right , i d like to see no metal structures 

for weapons nothing higher than longneck shotgun, 

i would like to see a game oriented at taming dino not tek sci fi oriented

[Zayisha]

Ark 2 will be Primarily Primitive-themed (at release)

fixed/completed with the part they don't want some people to hear.

[RealNomad]

On 6/17/2021 at 9:31 AM, TheDonn said:

Kinda seems like everyone is just saying what they think, because we have so little info on what will actually be in the game! 

ARK has built a passionate playerbase.  I think that passion will carry over to ARK II, but time will tell.  ARK was pretty successful because despite the bugs and problems, there are a lot of things to do, TEK or not.  Taking TEK away will be double-edged, certainly, because people are interested in that but many people think it ends up in a huge disparity of power between the top and the bottom.  It does contribute certainly, but the pre-TEK items seem to add just as much!  When we are talking about the power gap though, to be clear, I think its important to establish where it lies.  I feel like the biggest target for the negative affectation of that gap is early game players in PvP only.  Well-established tribes aren't facing the same threat from this power gap, and people in PvE aren't facing any kind of threat in the same sense at all, so they aren't worth consideration in the discussion of power gap ONLY.

C4 and BP-crafted-Flak are the go-to for beach-bobb'ing, not TEK.  But not even necessarily beach-bobs exclusively.  The power gap exists also because of how easy it is to raid people, when compared against defending your base.  Structures are just...  Very easy to blow up.  With C4.  Level 65, get a quick note-run partway done and you are making C4, and as long as you can make it (and have time), any base is eventually your oyster.  There is a bigger skill curve in successfully defending your base, regardless of how you look at it.

With this in mind, it is important to think about how we imagine they can try and solve that problem:  Harder-to-blow-up structures?  Increased survivor resiliency?  I don't know.

Hopefully part of the delay in release is planned UE5 release (but I swear I've heard UE~4.5 will be used for ARK II).  That'd be nice, as long as it means a more capable engine and less of the instability we all see in loaded-down and built-upon servers that we do now!

this has been a big problem for a long time. The gap in power between attackers and defenders. Ive been around since day 1 early acess so i have seen the game shift to it's current state over the years, and I can say definitivly that the ease of raiding vs the difficulty of defending is entirely due to WC continuously giving raiders new, better, and more efficient tools to raid people while doing very little at all to help people who are on the defensive. 

I saw the decisions that caused the meta to shift and force people into rat holes and caves. That specifically is due to 2 major reasons and a few minor ones. First was the introduction of the turret limit. this was a monumental nerf to base defense (granted, people were putting absurd numbers of turrets on their bases, numbering in the thousands. It was too much for the servers to handle, but this begs the question, why did people need so much turret density in the first place? The answer is soakers were and still are ridiculously overpowered.) Keep in mind cryopods hadent come out yet when this first hit, bases were much larger back then for dino storage reasons, and the bigger the base, the more turrets you needed to defend all the blind spots. at this point in time a base could not be adequately defended with 100 heavies. for many tribes there was no other choice but to move into places with 1 way in/out where they could focus all of their defenses at.  The second reason was titans. they could evaporate any base they could get at in just a couple of minutes. With their release, it really marked the utter end for those people who still managed to have their base out in the open world. For them it was move or get titan wiped. 

Compare the way things are today vs how they were in 2015-2016. Sure the game was newer, less game knowledge ect ect, but raiding back before the beaver came out was very expensive due to the scarcity of some resources like polymer, and cementing paste. This may have been the most feature incomplete version of the game but it is also unquestionably the most balanced. expensive to build a base and expensive to defend, but also very expensive to raid. You used to actually incur some risk when commiting to raid someone with sinking all those resources into it. if things went sideways, it wasn't like you could snap your fingers and poof you got 100 stacks of c4/rockets. No, it was a real loss.

WC let this problem fester for a long time, and  though you could argue it is possible to successfully defend a base, I still stand by my opinion that it is extremely unbalanced. If attacking vs defending were balanced then you wouldent have people stuffing themselves into every hole or cave they can find. 

Edited June 20, 2021 by RealNomad

[spacefiddle]

Nomad and Donn have some good points - I guess it's not so much the power gap in technology level itself as where those technologies are applied. It's easier to smash stuff than to stop it from being smashed right now, so if they can even that up, it might be more competetive.

[Gafgarion]

So what ? No 100 Cloning Chambers with 1k Giga Clones infront of it ? I cant even imagine this...

Edited June 21, 2021 by Gafgarion

[Blackgemlord]

As in many other games, they can make main maps where there is no Tek (or even limit by stages) but that you can migrate your same character to other maps where there is, not allowing you to take any of these technologies or you could not use them.

With this, you could have players who want the primitive base feeling in an initial map, then another the same but with all the technologies you want, in the same way with specific PVP maps where also the rates are much higher to compensate for the risks. Or even that the PVP is only activated at certain hours, days, scenarios.
Another option again with this PVP is that it limits what you can transfer resources, dinosaurs and / or technologies (it would be something to analyze) in and out of those worlds, for example allowing you only to transfer limited amounts and equipment / mid-tier dinosaurs.

There are a thousand ways to satisfy everyone and without limiting ourselves, being able from the beginning to have basic servers and PVP servers and later other themes with new technologies ... but being able to continue playing with your friends on the base map without affecting anyone ^^.

Personally, I would like the base server to be like a "Beginner" or "Primitive +" but then you could go to others with hardsurvival, PVP, casualPVP, Hardcore, allTech, "Survival of the fittest" (missions with their rewards), etc functions with your same character and only transfer limited things without greatly affecting your main map

Every variety is good, we all want to try different things at some point, being for some more common to use one or the other ^^.

The biggest problem in the game would be dealing with the problems of overpopulation, predatory / passive construction and others.

[Megalith]

Please No Tech in ark 2 PLEASE!

[TheRedRabbit]

On 7/2/2021 at 6:47 PM, Megalith said:

Please No Tech in ark 2 PLEASE!

What's wrong with tek? The purpose is to go from a primitive state and expanding to a more intellectual state of living. also to be fair this game is about simulations o tek is most likely gonna be in ark 2 regardless of how we feel or not.

[Expwaste]

Seeing as the Community crunch 271 says ARK 2 will be more primitive this is really nice

[DrOnionn]

Just because they said it was going to be more primitive  does not totally mean there wont be any tek. I'm hoping that the primitive stages in the level stay around longer and that the tek and metal stuff is harder to get to. I do not know about anyone else but getting to the metal stages in ark does not take long at all. Thatch in itself is hardly ever used anymore. I think if they can find some way to balance these primitive stages then it would make the over all game better. 

[ForzaProiettile]

If true this is fantastic news. TEK in many ways ruined the game and helped to create a huge gulf between alpha tribes and everyone else that due to the way TEK was obtained (Boss fights) made it near impossible for the little guy to catch up. Also seeing giant robots with swords was not only looked ridiculous but felt out of replace with the rest of the game which was dino focused.

Also stuff like Xray vision and magic radars ie Tek Parasaur and sniper rifles that shoot through walls remove the skill factor from the game and I sincerely hope that kind of dumbed down gameplay will not be found in the new game.

ARK was at its peak 2015/2016 before all the stupid crap was thrown in. The devs are good at creating content but very poor at balancing it. The fact dinos like a Dimetrodon or a Troodon takes more effort to tame then a T-Rex says a lot...

[ForzaProiettile]

On 7/3/2021 at 8:17 AM, Megalith said:

Please No Tech in ark 2 PLEASE!

Agreed. TEK ruined the balance in ARK 1 especially between the larger tribes and the smaller ones. Also seeing giant robots with swords looks absolutely stupid in a mostly dinosaur game.

[Diabolos]

Cryo pods have been essential in breeding and raising babies. A similar mechanic which allows you to walk away and pick up where you left off is essential imo.

[MonkForsaken]

Honestly not sure how I feel about this, in Ark one, Tek is what I've been striving to reach, adds an extra goal/element to the game, 
There are also several Tek items that became vital, like cryopods & fridges, makes raising dino armies much easier. 
Though I only play pve, Tek has been a big increase to quality of life, though it is possible to play without it. 

[Avisrex]

I personally fail to see how this would make sense...

That ring in Gen 2 landed on that planet along with all those ships bringing people and animals to the planet.

Where's the ring? What happened to the ships? If some crashed why not salvage them? Tek dinos, Voidwyrms, Stryders, enforcers, meks. Why have all that coming with you but only use a hatchet?

Do your best with what you have with you when you get on the planet rather than go straight on unga bunga.

I get it, I don't mind the early stages either, I personally like that middle area where you aren't on tek easy street but you aren't running and screaming every time you log on. I'd appreciate getting to a point where we got cloth, hide, and metal tier armor and a nice pistol rather than just try and take a rex with a spear and some feather decorations.

If they focus only on primitive without any updates to advance in tiers, I feel like Ark 2 would be a downgrade in play but an upgrade in visuals.

[Icuras]

I feel like Ark 2 should be a mix between Regular and Primitive Plus. I think that Tek items should be removed but not structures. What I mean by structures are environment structures. In the end of genesis 2, the pure ring detached and pods dropped. I think somewhere on the map we can find bits of the ring and pods scattered around. Also Pieces of the ship and equipment as well. Maybe add the feature to salvage metal or gear. More primitive doesn’t mean no modern items. Even in primitive plus, we have muskets, pistols and a radio. I think that ark 2 can just remove the tech tier. also from another standpoint, if you only stayed on, let’s say hide tier, you are still surrounded by advanced and modern technology. So have no modern technology just doesn’t make sense to me.

[Redxin]

On 7/20/2021 at 11:42 PM, ForzaProiettile said:

Agreed. TEK ruined the balance in ARK 1 especially between the larger tribes and the smaller ones. Also seeing giant robots with swords looks absolutely stupid in a mostly dinosaur game.

There hasn't been a real dinosaur added in any paid dlc by wildcard, both the deinonychus and tropeognathus each a year apart and from free dlcs. The last dinosaur added to the game that hasnt been from a dlc was in 2017. I don't know if calling it a mostly dinosaur game is right at the current stage we are at. Ark was always advertised as a dinosaur game by Wildcard to pull in players that liked that genre but it was quickly forgotten with their dlcs. I personally really like the tek and sci-fi of ark, but also the primitive. But saying it is mostly a dinosaur game is kind of wrong. But I will agree it created a larger gap between larger tribes and smaller ones

[Kazaanh]

I like TEK, it gives you a nice goal however getting TEK it latest DLCs is far too easy and not as rewarding as before.

 

Fantasy dinos are great addition to spice up variety, but game could use more historical ones too in between. Reaper, ferox, rockdrake those are all great designs and honestly i couldnt see ARK without them or Wyvern trenches. It gave you a reason to progress.

Though developers support for historical/primitive content was all about adding useless engram and using that engram 2 DLCs later for unique taming method because no one used that item. ( hello fish basket, canoe, fishing net, wood elevator ).

Personally I do not care about PvP but from my explorations TEK PvP is much more fun and interesting to look at.

I do believe they went with TEK focus a little bit too much, since DLC dinos were basicaly powerhouses of features. With upcoming Lost Islands where we get 3 historical dinos, i think this is something we should get more often in between official maps.  You could say only SE was close to prehistorical.

[pakasuchus]

Yeah... TEK in this game was... kind of uncalled for. It's cool, I guess, but it's like they ran out of ideas. It's just so bizarre going from a normal human on the beach only knowing how to craft primitive tools and weapons to somehow finding the resources to making super advanced space technology. Sure, it's the game lore, but it's jarring and honestly the lore in this game is not that good. It's just not. They build on the lore however they want and you can tell that it was mostly not planned whatsoever. This game definitely was never meant to have a good story. Story, as a general rule, doesn't work that well in any survival-sandbox game.

I hope ARK 2 stays primitive and the gameplay becomes less grindy, but that's probably just me. I've always felt like this game could be way more fun if it wasn't so grindy though and focused more on actual survival WITH your tames, not just having them as tools, but as genuine companions and animals that you need to take care of lest they run away or die. Not being able to grind your way to the top of the food chain but rather remaining as a part of it and utilizing what resources you do have to stay alive.

[SarahMonette]

I hate the TEK tier it really divides the community into end game arrogant puff ups vs new players.  Adding to the hostile better than you non-coop attitude this game exudes.  TEK takes away from the dino caveman cooperation vibe.  Makes Ark look like every space age game out there and there are a lot of space age games.  More futurist games than primitive past culture.

I have no problem with the cryopod's function but I hate the look of tek.  I hate that tek hides behind a boss fight and isn't in the world proper.  I hate those stupid supply drops.  There is no reason to hunt around in caves because there is nothing to find in caves.  What would be cave chest loot is coming in crap sup drops.

Nother thing to note the decay timers are very annoying.  Decay should be removed from free dlc maps.  But kept on the main TheIsland Map and paid dlc's where crowding is a problem.  In addition all decay should be set at stone.  No extra time for tek.  No extra time for vaults.  No lesser time for oil pumps and thatch.  Wood/Adobe should be boosted up to stone's decay time.  

For Ark 2 I hope there is no tek but all wood, grass, stone.  But more variety in what you can build with the wood, grass, and stone.  

I want to see actual dungeons in Ark 2 where we can use the dinos we caught in dungeon fights.  A dungeon finder, no party kicking, allowed to take in one pet per, no trinity.  No supply drops but actual chests WITH FURNITURE blueprint rewards and clothing bp rewards.  

PLEASE NO MORE TEK !

And for C* sake give us an Auction House !!!

 

 

 

.

Edited August 1, 2021 by SarahMonette
ms

[L4D2]

glad to see that i am not the only one against tek in this game, to be honest i love some aspect of it like cryo pod incubator and tek trough. but overall i think tek killed what was a good DINO GAME, if i look at gen 2 i see mostly people flying around in tek suit or skiff, where are the DINOS, so many missions where you cannot use DINOS, and those missions are required to do the last boss that you kill with a exomek.

i miss the good old island/valguero boss fight

what id like to see in ark2 is a game where you cannot succeed without the use of dinos and a more complex use of them where you have to use different dinos abilities to succeed not just a yuty/rexes combination that can win any fight