"End of ARK" - Suggestions now that the first saga is complete

[Cailean556]

Now that the final chapter of ARK: Survival Evolved has been released, there's still a few things I feel are lacking, or missing, to sustain players until ARK 2.

The suggestions I make below would preferrably be a server option/check box for single player, for the most part, as not everyone is likely to agree and some suggestions may destabilise PvP even further, which would result in them calling for nerfs or removal. At least having it as an option gives those who want to do so, the ability to turn such features on/off as desired.

1. Breedable Griffins, Rock Drakes and Basilisks - We can breed Wyverns, which are faster and considerably more powerful than Griffins and Rock Drakes. While the Basilisk is arguably stronger, it's nowhere near as mobile as the Wyvern. We can breed Araneos and Arthropleura, not to mention Mantis. And we can even breed the Voidwyrms (aka Tek Wyverns). So why not at least give servers the *option* to breed Griffins, Rock Drakes and Basilisks?

2. Electronic Binoculars added as an Engram and/or able to be obtained/utilised on all maps, not just Genesis Part 1 - This goes without saying. We can build/use Hover Skiffs on almost every map (I've not tried Aberration yet) but, for some reason, having Electronic Binoculars is a no no? How is having the expanded abilities of the Electronic Binoculars more advantageous than what is essentially an Element-powered flying raft? This suggestions should be default to 'enabled' across the board as opposed to just optional. Flying around on a Hover Skiff, in a suit that can fly, sense and see in the dark, yet using a hastily cobbled together spyglass made from bits of wood and unrefined crystal to identify things at a distance is a tad odd...

3. Tek in Boss Battles/the Tek Cave - For me, especially in Single Player, I want bring my best capabilities with me. Yet, for the most part, I can't utilise Tek in boss fights. This is also a complaint I hear from players on my server. We have the option to enable flyers and use of the Tek Suit in Genesis, but not to use Tek armour and weapons in boss fights. I feel this should be an option.

(EDIT) 3A. Enable/Disable Boss Arena restrictions - Flyers, Gigas, Thylacoleos... If the arena is big enough, and there's examples of Survivors from ARK's own lore managing to bring of these beasts into boss arena, with this option enabled, a player/server should be able to bring any dino they desire into a boss fight.

4. Add Ghost/Spectral Rock Drake to (what would have been) the Rock Drake nests on Crystal Isles - Rare spawn sort of tongue in cheek nod at what the map had as a mod seeing as almost nothing spawns in that area - it's essentially a 'ghost town/cave'. Can't be tamed, but can drop the Ghost/Skeletal skins.

5. Turn off the 'orange glow/cloud' for Alpha Dinos - This *used* to be a thing, especially in Single Player, which personally I liked. Having the option to turn the glow on/off on Unofficial servers/single player would be great and really increase the challenge/need for situational awarness.

The below are suggestions for additions, as opposed to changing/editing content already in-game. These could be released as part of a last Unofficial map (like Ragnarok, Valguero and Crystal Isles), or as a final 'thank you' before ARK: Survival Evolved goes into custodianship. 

6. Tek/modern Preserving Bin (Dehydrator) - Industrial Forge, Cooker, Grill... Staples in any bases in the mid-late tier and an upgrade of the Refining Forge, Cooking Pot and Camp Fire respectively. They look the part in my Tek Fortress powered by a Tek Generator, protected by Tek Turrets. Preserving Bin... The only way to make jerky, regardless. Even when you have robotic dinosaurs and plasma rifles. Using electricity, or Tek power (depending on whether it's modern/Tek) to do the job the Preserving Bin does but quicker.

7. A modern, or Tek, Cannon variant - I never really paid attention until I had to stick an 18th century cannon that fires a heavy metal ball using gunpowder on a futuristic anti-gravity flying vehicle powered by Element. Perhaps a Tek 'Pulse Cannon' that uses Element as ammo. Sure it's a bit late in the piece but better late than never.

8. Tek Genome Sequencer - Added to Genesis 2 and going further than the Incubator, the Genome Sequencer allows you to also tweak the baby dino whilst in the egg, in addition to incubating it. Powered by a Tek Generator and requiring Mutagel to make the changes, the Sequencer is able to ensure the baby hatches with the best stats from both parents, able to guarantee the colouring in what regions (based on the colouring of the parents) and, by spending a respectable amount of Mutagen, is able to guarantee a stat mutation.

To temper its misuse, there's a small chance (which stacks if the Sequencer is used again too quickly) the egg will become corrupted (players will be unable to tell) and hatch an 'Unstable Mutation' (weaker, smaller variation of the Experimental Giga) that cannot be tamed, is aggressive and hostile and grows quickly (like the Wyverns spawned by the Crystal Wyvern Queen), becoming a significant threat unless decisively dealt with. To prevent it being used maliciously, the Experiment will die after a short amount of time - but long enough for it to practically level the base it spawned from once it's full grown unless killed quickly enough.

9. Blueprints to build/create Tek dinos - Using a special function in the Cloning Chamber, turning creatures into Tek versions of themselves (for those that have a Tek version). Or, similar to Enforcers, obtaining blueprints drop from Tek dinos you've destroyed to build your own. Resourced appropriately to inhibit mass production.

10. (Personal Request) Tek Saber/Direwolf - The ultimate argument between cats and dogs of the future...

 

Thanks for reading.

[SapphireSam7]

There were so many suggestions under titled suggestion I decided it would be easiest to step back to my previous method of addressing them and responding to each individually as done so below;

• Now that the final chapter of ARK: Survival Evolved has been released, there's still a few things I feel are lacking, or missing, to sustain players until ARK 2.
  • This is something that concerns me greatly. They have hinted that there are items that will be added, changed, and adjusted to continue the interest until Ark 2, but beyond the hinting towards another map being added, they have given no other point of direct thought towards what that may be. A list of items being worked towards or looked at would be nice. The last time I checked the google document that had a suggested list of items had very little to go off. 
• The suggestions I make below would preferably be a server option/check box for single player, for the most part, as not everyone is likely to agree and some suggestions may destabilize PvP even further, which would result in them calling for nerfs or removal. At least having it as an option gives those who want to do so, the ability to turn such features on/off as desired.
  • Agreed. There should be more server/single player customization options for the host to adjust.  I ran multiple crossplay maps for nearly 3 years and have since moved to steam maps and one thing that I have learned is how little you truly can customize on console maps in comparisons to the items you can adjust for steam maps via mods and such. I am not asking for mods mind you, but there are a few that accomplish simple things that could have just as easily been added to server setup options. 
• 1. Breedable Griffins, Rock Drakes and Basilisks - We can breed Wyverns, which are faster and considerably more powerful than Griffins and Rock Drakes. While the Basilisk is arguably stronger, it's nowhere near as mobile as the Wyvern. We can breed Araneos and Arthropleura, not to mention Mantis. And we can even breed the Voidwyrms (aka Tek Wyverns). So why not at least give servers the *option* to breed Griffins, Rock Drakes and Basilisks?
  • At this point I really do not understand why all creatures cannot be breedable. Most of the strongest creatures are and only a few remain un-adjusted or un-effected by said changes.  And if the concern is that doing so would make the "too OP", getting creative with the process could fix that. We have Giant Turtles that can only breed in the depths and a lava spewing beast that can only breed in the lava trenches, so why can't we have a Rock Drake that must breed in Radiation? A Basilisk that breeds in the Swamps? Or a Griffin that can only be bred at the highest of elevations?  A rock Golem or Phoenix that will only breed during heat waves? There are ways to make it more difficult so that breeding them is not as easy as breeding other creatures. 
  • And if making them all breedable isn't a goal or wish to have in the standard game, then having a setting options to allow them to do so would be the next best step in my opinion. 
• 2. Electronic Binoculars added as an Engram and/or able to be obtained/utilised on all maps, not just Genesis Part 1 - This goes without saying. We can build/use Hover Skiffs on almost every map (I've not tried Aberration yet) but, for some reason, having Electronic Binoculars is a no no? How is having the expanded abilities of the Electronic Binoculars more advantageous than what is essentially an Element-powered flying raft? This suggestions should be default to 'enabled' across the board as opposed to just optional. Flying around on a Hover Skiff, in a suit that can fly, sense and see in the dark, yet using a hastily cobbled together spyglass made from bits of wood and unrefined crystal to identify things at a distance is a tad odd...
  • Agreed, and to simplify my response to #2 - If you learn the engram, regardless of the map, you should be able to utilize said engram on any other map. Period. This includes the full use of tek on Gen1. And the reasoning is pretty basic.
  • You may not be able to gather the resources there to craft it, and that is okay, but you should be able to use it. Saying that a person can't simply because they are on a different map is like saying you even though you may have been invited to your friends how to play a video game, and all you need and the permission to do so is there, you cannot because you learned it at your house and not theirs... It is ridiculous and truly not thought out to do otherwise. 
• 3. Tek in Boss Battles/the Tek Cave - For me, especially in Single Player, I want bring my best capabilities with me. Yet, for the most part, I can't utilise Tek in boss fights. This is also a complaint I hear from players on my server. We have the option to enable flyers and use of the Tek Suit in Genesis, but not to use Tek armour and weapons in boss fights. I feel this should be an option.
  • The response to this one basically pulls from the last. If you have learned it, you should be able to use it. If they didn't want you to, they probably shouldn't have included it or had it added prior to the item or abilities availability. It is not the players fault that they want to use the things they have worked for to make their lives a little easier. Sure having this be a game or ini. option would help, but at the end of the day - I don't think that adjustment should be necessary. 
  • In fact, the best of both worlds could be to make if available two ways in tame. Tek cave with tek and Tek cave without tek. As the survivor you choose before you go in. One may be harder than the other and as such, could have a larger amount of element available as a reward at the end.
• (EDIT) 3A. Enable/Disable Boss Arena restrictions - Flyers, Gigas, Thylacoleos... If the arena is big enough, and there's examples of Survivors from ARK's own lore managing to bring of these beasts into boss arena, with this option enabled, a player/server should be able to bring any dino they desire into a boss fight.
  • This would bounce off the last. A game or ini option would help, but the best practice may have been to simply have two options. One for any creature and one for accepted creatures. Again the more restrictive of the two including more rewards in the end. 
• 4. Add Ghost/Spectral Rock Drake to (what would have been) the Rock Drake nests on Crystal Isles - Rare spawn sort of tongue in cheek nod at what the map had as a mod seeing as almost nothing spawns in that area - it's essentially a 'ghost town/cave'. Can't be tamed, but can drop the Ghost/Skeletal skins.
  • I both agree and do not and following are my reasons why,
    •  I like the idea of having a Rock Drake added to the map. They were there before and should have remained. If they didn't want to use the Rock Drake from Aberration they could have created a map fitting drake (much like the wyverns) to keep the creature involved, but not a direct copy of the previous. By which I mean they could have easily created a Crystal Drake that was smaller and perhaps acted a bit differently from the original, making it unique but now a power to power match of the original. 
    • In the same way they could have added a Pebble or Chalk Drake to Valguero, who also had the Rock Drakes pulled simply because they were on a paid for map and WC didn't want them on something that didn't come with a cost to keep their maps unique. 
  • As for the concept that it couldn't be tamed, not a fan. As noted on #1, I believe that this point, all creatures should have some method that allows them to breed, even if it is incredibly inconvenient to use. So adding a creature that specifically cannot be bred is somewhat besides the point. Regardless of what it drops. 
• 5. Turn off the 'orange glow/cloud' for Alpha Dinos - This *used* to be a thing, especially in Single Player, which personally I liked. Having the option to turn the glow on/off on Unofficial servers/single player would be great and really increase the challenge/need for situational awareness.
  • This one I am on the fence with. It could easily get some earlier players into some trouble and make the game far more difficult later on for those that may be hunting them. So as a standard item I would say no, as an option as suggested, it could work. 
• 6. Tek/modern Preserving Bin (Dehydrator) - Industrial Forge, Cooker, Grill... Staples in any bases in the mid-late tier and an upgrade of the Refining Forge, Cooking Pot and Camp Fire respectively. They look the part in my Tek Fortress powered by a Tek Generator, protected by Tek Turrets. Preserving Bin... The only way to make jerky, regardless. Even when you have robotic dinosaurs and plasma rifles. Using electricity, or Tek power (depending on whether it's modern/Tek) to do the job the Preserving Bin does but quicker.
  • One of the posts I created when I was far more active on the suggestion forum was for an full tier of Tek crafting, cooking, and storage items. https://survivetheark.com/index.php?/forums/topic/429894-tek-fridge-tek-smoker-tek-vault-tek-chemistry-station-and-tek-grinder/
  • The reasons why? It is bad enough that that the lower tiers are incomplete. They takes leaps and bounds where they could have been far more progressional in the crafting of tiered items, but to also skip out on the end game items? It bothered me badly as a Xbox player, and now playing with steam mods and seeing those that are available, I am far more disappointed. I know that is out there and what could be added, but they decided that not to. 
  • It is hard to say which is worse. Building with Metal and having to use wooden items that didn't upgrade or Tek and using metal because the tek variants don't exist. Nothing like having a basic wooden bookcase following you everywhere is it? 
• 7. A modern, or Tek, Cannon variant - I never really paid attention until I had to stick an 18th century cannon that fires a heavy metal ball using gunpowder on a futuristic anti-gravity flying vehicle powered by Element. Perhaps a Tek 'Pulse Cannon' that uses Element as ammo. Sure it's a bit late in the piece but better late than never.
  • This goes hand in hand with the previous. I take is as talking about progressional follow-though. If it exists at a base level it should be upgraded along with the player and other items. So if it doesn't exist somewhere in the line, it should be added/included. 
• 8. Tek Genome Sequencer - Added to Genesis 2 and going further than the Incubator, the Genome Sequencer allows you to also tweak the baby dino whilst in the egg, in addition to incubating it. Powered by a Tek Generator and requiring Mutagel to make the changes, the Sequencer is able to ensure the baby hatches with the best stats from both parents, able to guarantee the coloring in what regions (based on the coloring of the parents) and, by spending a respectable amount of Mutagen, is able to guarantee a stat mutation.
  • To temper its misuse, there's a small chance (which stacks if the Sequencer is used again too quickly) the egg will become corrupted (players will be unable to tell) and hatch an 'Unstable Mutation' (weaker, smaller variation of the Experimental Giga) that cannot be tamed, is aggressive and hostile and grows quickly (like the Wyverns spawned by the Crystal Wyvern Queen), becoming a significant threat unless decisively dealt with. To prevent it being used maliciously, the Experiment will die after a short amount of time - but long enough for it to practically level the base it spawned from once it's full grown unless killed quickly enough.
    • Personally, with this one I would take a slightly different direction. Mostly because the Hatchery has limitations. It only effects "hatching" creatures. So live births would be outside of its realm of care. 
      • To which I suggest the inclusion of the Structures Plus Tek Mutator. Essentially, one of its functions allows for the creatures to go through mutation phase for the breeding of both eggs and live births. A way to almost guarantee a stat mutation to the birth/hatching of a creature. To which I would say adding a function pulse that would allow for those breeding under it an increased chance to drop or pop out a max stat baby of the parents could be added for a reliable cost of use. This would be far more viable than relying on the hatcher which only effects one type of creature birth. 
    • As for the colors....
      • Color mutations are fun, and over time I have gone as far to collect those I have received on several varieties and have showcased them on the creatures I have selected to breed. However, I think that to an extent, as you work your way through the mutations and the colors, eventually you reach a point where breeding for a color to carry can be a bit much. Which is why I would like to add a Tek Creature Color Station.
        • Essentially when you get a color mutation on a creature, you upload it via cryopod and it pulls and copies the color for that region from the creature. So if an Argent gets a RED on Region One - you could have it pulled and uploaded into the station. Then, if you so wished, you could upload a Thyla to the station and copy that RED on Region One to the Thyla.
        • Simply put, once you upload a color for a region you can then apply that color for that region to any creature you wish. 
        • So you still have to do the work to collect the colors, and the more active you are during taming, breeding, and holiday events, the more you can get, and eventually you are able to color a creature however you wish. 
        • This would also help with the pesky "to-close-to-call" colors. Those that are hard to differentiate as the Colors Station could give the name and code for the color and tell you if you are seeing the same color or two variants that are similar. 
• 9. Blueprints to build/create Tek dinos - Using a special function in the Cloning Chamber, turning creatures into Tek versions of themselves (for those that have a Tek version). Or, similar to Enforcers, obtaining blueprints drop from Tek dinos you've destroyed to build your own. Resourced appropriately to inhibit mass production.
  • This is similar to another function of the Tek Mutator. It has a pulse that can mutate a creature to it's aberrant form. I can't recall if there is a tek pulse, but I can see where that could be made to work on those that have one. It makes taming a bit easier. Say you want to breed only Aberrant Ankylo's but the that are of decent level on the map are the normal variety, this allows you to switch the type with a reasonable cost. It is still at Tek Tier item so new players wouldn't have access, but it would accomplish what you are looking for. 
• 10. (Personal Request) Tek Saber/Direwolf - The ultimate argument between cats and dogs of the future...
  • Personally, to your Personal Request, I say yes. For a simple reason, Aberrant, Tek, X, R, and Crystal forms should exist for more creatures. 
    • Aberrant - we have more maps with aberrant areas and as such, for each we have a few new creatures should receive the form.  The form is soo cool to look at and there are many creatures who would look awesome flaunting the patterns. 
    • Tek - these creatures have made no real sense as far as their inclusion thus far, so including more is not far-fetched. They are rare and should remain such. 
    • X - In comparison to the number of aberrant creatures that existed... the count for X creatures was pathetic at best. There were other creatures in the regions that received the X  mark and they too should have received it.
    • R - Much like the X, this particular creature type was underused. And honestly, compared to the Aberrant and X variety - seemed a little rushed. 
    • Crystal - Though not a true variant like the others, the Crystal Wyvern concept should have been taken advantage of and used more fully. Crystal Drakes for example, would have been a good method. A Crystal Ankylo? With Crystal Spikes? That could have been a unique edition. And much like the Crystal Wyverns, the could have been made into smaller, slightly weaker versions of the originals that are bit quicker and easier to navigate. 
      • All in all, my preference would be to have each creature with each variety across all the maps. Each unique to each map as to increase the travel too and from them. 
      • I would then say that as they are implemented, the Tek Mutator should then be able to switch them at a cost per creature bases so you can shift them if you wish, but it will not be cheap to do so. The easiest way to do this would be to have a cost of element per creature or specific to the type of creature. Sort of like the cloner, some creatures would simply cost more to mutate to another type than another. 

Thanks for reading.

As for your final note, I enjoyed the suggestions and agreed with many. There are a few I would adjust slightly having played both on Console and Steam and from my own experiences, but otherwise I think they are good points that should be considered and discussed.