Noone is better suited for the apocalypse than a laser-shooting Ceratopsian.
Quote
WILD
Nothing prepares you for your first sighting of a Machairoceratops.
These Ceratopsians have not been corrupted... yet. Evidently the process is close to coming to fruition.
The beams of light emitted from its horns, directed at those who have angered it, are a terrifying though beautiful spectacle
Lighting up the wastelands as an ultimate warning to all who do not fear the Machairoceratops enough, the lasers burn through skin and scale.
...And probably a few other materials.
Once we found out what the Machairoceratops routinely eats, a lot of things started making sense !
DOMESTICATED
Needless to say, we didn’t need to think twice about trying to get one of these beasts on our side.
The lasers proved to be an invaluable asset as we were faced with aerial attacks, in particular.
And don’t get me started on its thick skin !
Its sharp beak also has its advantages, brutally digging into the carcasses of metal creatures to extract oil.
The Machairoceratops we kept at Camp Omega also seemed to take to the various Velonasaurs that we raised there.
Am I crazy or do they make the perfect pair ?
Note : Theodore Maiman is credited as the first person to build a laser.
Original paleoart : Mark P. Witton Additional "art" : me and Photoshop 😅
So, why should you vote for the Machairo ?
Well I mean, look at it :
...ok but seriously, here's my thought process for this suggestion, if you want more text and fewer pictures
- I've always wanted a mobile fabricator in Ark. We have creatures/saddles that act as smithies, as mortar & pestles, as forges... Why no fabricator ? One of my core beliefs in Ark is that anything that is doable, should be doable with a tame. It's much more immersive to use a dino than a piece of machinery !
- I also happen to be a huge proponent of nomadic gameplay, which has gotten too little love from WildCard in my opinion, when the potential is there.
- But it could not do just that. Look at the horns of the Machairo, don't they scream "laser" ? They do to me ! And indeed I thought lasers offered a wide range of possibilities, ability-wise.
- Of course, only a high maintenance creature could pull such a function ; I tried to make owning a Machairo a bit expensive. Initially I wanted it to consume large volumes of element dust... but then figured that it's not that hard to get element on Extinction ! So gasoline it is, which fits the fabricator aspect anyway. It all worked out !
- Naturally, the Machairo is unable to harvest gasoline, but I gave it a better harvesting potential for oil when eating the corpses of Tek dinos. It can, however, not harvest oil from nodes. I almost gave it the ability to do something with oil pumps, feel free to discuss it below !
- I expect WildCard would make this a slow dino, with a painful turn radius. It's chunky and carrying a lot of gear, afterall. Try being light on your feet while carrying a fabricator, see how you like it.
- It's a bit outside of my comfort zone (those of you who have seen my Aquilarhinus for The Center, for instance, know I like non-OP herbivores), so I also balanced it with a vulnerability to cold (two Extinction creatures are ice-based afterall), and to water (thus preemptively making Tropical Wyverns an interesting option once they are reintroduced with Crystal Isles, though they'll be no good for taming). Fenrirs and Ice Wyverns are also included in its foes. If any ice-based creature is added in a further community vote, I hope it'll be a de facto Machairo counter too.
- About that : I wished to make the Machairo vulnerable to ambient temperature, because few creatures seem to respond to extreme weather conditions the way survivors do. It's fun to add one ! Tribes based in the snow will now have an upside for it, as the Machairo will have a harder time raiding them. The large harness might provide additional warmth (the way armor does to survivors), though.
- If WildCard is feeling fancy, they can also nerf it further when it rains or if it walks in water ! Not that there's a lot of that on Extinction, but you know, transfers are a thing.
- Speaking of creatures, I made sure it includes gameplay mechanics that involve most of the other Extinction tames, for better or for worse. I could not think of a good and cohesive one for the Gasbag, so go nuts with suggestions in the comments !
- The Machairo as proposed is also vulnerable when facing ranged attacks, specifically bullets, because it's very likely that PvP players would use it for raids. As such it's not designed to soak turrets, but its laser shield should provide temporary support when you want to launch a rocket into a turret wall, or aim at Plant X crops. Maybe if you play your cards right it could even help you place some C4 shielded by it ? But it's unable to walk while shielding, so your progress with it won't be the same as when using a traditional soaker. It could also be designed to have lower base health than Trikes and Stegos to further that objective. And in general, since I play PvE, make sure to give me some feedback about how such a creature would affect the PvP meta as we currently know it !
- Because it carries gasoline, it's also possible to increase its vulnerability to explosions (rockets, C4, Magmasaur attacks, etc.). I didn't include this possibility here, but if the community thinks its a good choice, I'd love to have your opinion on it ! Again, I play PvE, so make sure to give me some feedback about how such a creature would affect the PvP meta as we currently know it !
- Lastly it also comes with a proposition that is more related to the map itself. Assuming maps get a bit of TLC with their ASA release, I'm hoping we extend the usefulness of the Sludge Basin I never understood how we can drink "water" that looks like this ! We should instead die from ingesting it XD Maybe it wasn't always the plan but would have taken more work than WildCard had time or budget for ? Regardless of what happened, ASA is a chance for Extinction to premiere liquid oil in Ark, and it feels logical that a place called "sludge" on such a futuristic map would include oil residue. The Machairo is the perfect creature to accompany this potential map improvement !
Suggestion
ladyteruki
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Noone is better suited for the apocalypse than a laser-shooting Ceratopsian.
So, why should you vote for the Machairo ?
Well I mean, look at it :
...ok but seriously, here's my thought process for this suggestion, if you want more text and fewer pictures
- I've always wanted a mobile fabricator in Ark. We have creatures/saddles that act as smithies, as mortar & pestles, as forges... Why no fabricator ? One of my core beliefs in Ark is that anything that is doable, should be doable with a tame. It's much more immersive to use a dino than a piece of machinery !
I never understood how we can drink "water" that looks like this ! We should instead die from ingesting it XD Maybe it wasn't always the plan but would have taken more work than WildCard had time or budget for ? Regardless of what happened, ASA is a chance for Extinction to premiere liquid oil in Ark, and it feels logical that a place called "sludge" on such a futuristic map would include oil residue. The Machairo is the perfect creature to accompany this potential map improvement !
- I also happen to be a huge proponent of nomadic gameplay, which has gotten too little love from WildCard in my opinion, when the potential is there.
- But it could not do just that. Look at the horns of the Machairo, don't they scream "laser" ? They do to me ! And indeed I thought lasers offered a wide range of possibilities, ability-wise.
- Of course, only a high maintenance creature could pull such a function ; I tried to make owning a Machairo a bit expensive. Initially I wanted it to consume large volumes of element dust... but then figured that it's not that hard to get element on Extinction ! So gasoline it is, which fits the fabricator aspect anyway. It all worked out !
- Naturally, the Machairo is unable to harvest gasoline, but I gave it a better harvesting potential for oil when eating the corpses of Tek dinos. It can, however, not harvest oil from nodes. I almost gave it the ability to do something with oil pumps, feel free to discuss it below !
- I expect WildCard would make this a slow dino, with a painful turn radius. It's chunky and carrying a lot of gear, afterall. Try being light on your feet while carrying a fabricator, see how you like it.
- It's a bit outside of my comfort zone (those of you who have seen my Aquilarhinus for The Center, for instance, know I like non-OP herbivores), so I also balanced it with a vulnerability to cold (two Extinction creatures are ice-based afterall), and to water (thus preemptively making Tropical Wyverns an interesting option once they are reintroduced with Crystal Isles, though they'll be no good for taming). Fenrirs and Ice Wyverns are also included in its foes. If any ice-based creature is added in a further community vote, I hope it'll be a de facto Machairo counter too.
- About that : I wished to make the Machairo vulnerable to ambient temperature, because few creatures seem to respond to extreme weather conditions the way survivors do. It's fun to add one ! Tribes based in the snow will now have an upside for it, as the Machairo will have a harder time raiding them. The large harness might provide additional warmth (the way armor does to survivors), though.
- If WildCard is feeling fancy, they can also nerf it further when it rains or if it walks in water ! Not that there's a lot of that on Extinction, but you know, transfers are a thing.
- Speaking of creatures, I made sure it includes gameplay mechanics that involve most of the other Extinction tames, for better or for worse. I could not think of a good and cohesive one for the Gasbag, so go nuts with suggestions in the comments !
- The Machairo as proposed is also vulnerable when facing ranged attacks, specifically bullets, because it's very likely that PvP players would use it for raids. As such it's not designed to soak turrets, but its laser shield should provide temporary support when you want to launch a rocket into a turret wall, or aim at Plant X crops. Maybe if you play your cards right it could even help you place some C4 shielded by it ? But it's unable to walk while shielding, so your progress with it won't be the same as when using a traditional soaker. It could also be designed to have lower base health than Trikes and Stegos to further that objective. And in general, since I play PvE, make sure to give me some feedback about how such a creature would affect the PvP meta as we currently know it !
- Because it carries gasoline, it's also possible to increase its vulnerability to explosions (rockets, C4, Magmasaur attacks, etc.). I didn't include this possibility here, but if the community thinks its a good choice, I'd love to have your opinion on it ! Again, I play PvE, so make sure to give me some feedback about how such a creature would affect the PvP meta as we currently know it !
- Lastly it also comes with a proposition that is more related to the map itself. Assuming maps get a bit of TLC with their ASA release, I'm hoping we extend the usefulness of the Sludge Basin
I'm hoping this is a creature that will make very different kinds of players happy. I sure had fun coming up with it
In any case, thank you for at least considering it.
If you like the Machairo, spread the word !
EDIT : here's a gif to demonstrate how the laser shield would work in practice
Enjoy !
NEW ! Check out the art made by Drawolf (and make sure to follow him on Twitter !)
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Edited by ladyterukiLink to comment
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