Jump to content
  • 1

creature idea Possible Additions to Existing Creatures: The Scorch (possible TLC's?)


SteinMon1920518
 Share

Suggestion

As continued from my previous forum "Possible Additions to Existing Creatures: the Island (possible TLC's?)" @ 

 

.

These are just ideas, and I'm sharing in the vague hope that Wild Card happens to see them eventually. I won't cover all the creatures that show up in Scorched Earth, as most of it would just be redundant from my last post. Instead, I'll be covering Scorched Earth specific tames, and likewise, specific tames that are affected by the addition of Scorched Earth, specifically where it's resources are concerned.

.

Argentavis: While I had nothing to add with the Island, with Scorched Earth, the addition of multiple resource types is considerable. Among those, the Argy should have a weight reduction similar to Stone, for Sand. Let's face it, it gets annoying to constantly end up with a bunch of sand while gathering resources, but even worse is when you need Sand and Stone, and you get the weight reduction on Stone, but not on Sand.

Beelzebufo: Add it to Scorched Earth in the river valleys. One thing that comes up frequently when I'm trying to gather Pearls on the river bed is an annoying amount of bugs constantly harassing me and my tames. Not to mention that frogs wouldn't be uncommon around watered areas in deserts. While it does make gathering Cementing Paste a little easier, it doesn't improve it by that much. Combined with my previous suggestions, it gives it a limited use and range on Scorched Earth, but still keeps it viable.

Ceratosaurus: Evidently this beauty was made official and imported from Garuga's Ark Additions Mods, and despite appearing on the Island, I've found it more frequently on Scorched Earth, so we're giving it a spot here. It's a nifty tame all-round, but I think it's ability to heal was over-hyped, and that left several players disappointed (I know I was). The healing ability only seems to proc by being hit, so I think it needs a more vampiric quality so it functions not just off of being hit like a Kentro, but also by dealing damage itself. If it needs a slower attack speed to balance this, I don't mind (too much, anyway). The charge windup is still a good ability, so no complaints there.

Deathworm: Problem one so far is the limited drops on them (and subsequently their Alpha variant). While easy enough to track down with strong enough and mobile enough mounts, the hassle constantly feels lackluster. I end up going around the edges of the Scorch once or twice before returning to base, and even then, it's usually with either a ton of more pointless resources (read: lots of Leech Blood) and far too few of the resources I was seeking (ergo: Black Pearls). If the problem is that they're resource drops reflect the challenge they present, then Wild Card needs to make them more challenging (especially for a creature that's supposed to be guarding the edges of the map). Lets also make it fun and have it generate a sandpit attack similar to an Antlion, where it disturbs the ground in a proximity, stunning Players and Creatures alike, before it lunges out of the sand.

- Side-note: I wouldn't mind taming a Deathworm.

Doedicurus: Since this guy is the main Stone gatherer across every playthrough I know of - like the Argy - the Doed needs weight reduction on Sand. Lets face it, Sand is cumbersome, and while it has a limited use (which is mainly for making Clay), it's still a resource you end up needing plenty of if you're base building anything in any of the desert biomes.

Fasolasuchus: The new kid on the block was supposed to be exciting, and granted, it sort of is. A unique taming method, with an interesting set of abilities is great. However, as far as utility... it does suffer a little bit. It's main attack seems to have sort of delay or wind-up compared to it's other crocodilian cousins (so reducing that would be nice), and while the ability to harvest large amounts of Flint while it's submerged underground is nice, I spend more time emptying it's Inventory than I do actually utilizing it (so weight reduction on that would be nice). Though I will admit, it's immunity to Torpor is a massive boon (primarily PvP and the Manticore fight). The only thing I can really think to add is to allow it to tunnel up steeper slopes instead of ejecting at small divots in the landscape. So yeah, just a few small tweaks, but other than that, pretty cool so far.

Jerboa: While a nifty little critter, even after years of playing Ark I still find it strangely difficult to memorize the sound ques. I wouldn't mind some word ques to go along with it at the top of the screen. Maybe also add a small insect buff similar to the Megatherium. It's a rodent that occupies the desert, which mean it has to get it's nutrition from just about any source it can, so maybe add specific buffs to the Player based on what it consumes from it's Inventory (be it Chitin from bugs, or Fiber, Thatch, Cactus Sap, Berries from the varies plants, etcetera).

Jug Bug: I'd like to see a couple other types of Jug Bugs. Maybe a Nectar Jug Bug that collects Nectar from flowers, that can be used as a Honey substitute. While not tamable, I'd still like it if Jug Bugs could be corralled or baited in some way that makes them livestock.

Lymantria: The big moth is still a nice tame, if reduced more to the role of a PvP support tame. But, it's Dossier states that it plays a role as a pollinator, so I think having it give a Toggleable Idle Crop Growth speed buff in an area would be nice, both as a Tribe passive, and for Single-Players (with an animation that as it rapidly flicking it's wings and producing a small pollen cloud every once in a while). Also, passive Silk generation wouldn't be too bad either. (Maybe have Silk also function like Fiber, similar to how Fungal Wood functions as a unique resource and as Wood in Aberration?).

Mantis: Still a top-tier tame. Only thing I can think to add is a more targeted or measured 'Leap Attack'. Other than that, one of the few creatures I take the time to breed a better version of, especially since it's harvest diversity is amazing due to it's tool usage. I dunno. Maybe an ambush-related skill, similar to Praying Mantis's IRL? The Dossier also mentions that the Mantis's seem to communicate, so maybe an ability similar to the Player's Whistle Attack ability, but strictly for tamed Mantis's.

Megalosaurus: I don't know how rare these guys are supposed to be, but I haven't encountered a single one in Scorched Earth. Similar to my previous comments, they need a spawn rate buff. I don't really use them, but some people do. Maybe Wild Card is just saving all this lack of Megalo's for Aberration?

Morellatops: They added some new Irrigation features for the Morella with Ascended, which adds spectacularly to it's tamability. Not only that, but with the addition of Cactus Sap providing Hydration, it can refill it's water levels from Cactus Sap it consumes, which is a dope feature! The only thing that would make it better is a small Pack buff. While this might make them more difficult to tame, if I'm gonna get trampled by a group of them, I want an excuse to tame a group of them.

Oasisaur: Another new creature, but restricted behind a small paywall. I have one complaint right off the bat, and that's the name. The "-saur" suffix implies "lizard", and it is most certainly not a lizard. Maybe just me being nitpicky, but it was the first thing I noticed, and it rubbed me wrong right off the bat. Another thing that bothered me was the lack of an attack, or even just an ability that dissuades attackers, similar to the Lymantria. It has no defenses other than a large Health pool, and the last thing anyone wants to do is spend time taming something up, just for it to die to some relentless attackers. Again, maybe just me. The main crux of this creature is in the massive amount of food you have to feed it, and it all has to be from a filled Potted Plant, which, while it's an interesting tame and concept, makes it a massive liability when you have to spend most of your time just trying to keep it fed; something that the "roaming the desert" concept should have made it a slower drain. My suggestion is either to reduce the Food drain significantly, have the Potted Plants give more food, or give it an attack to harvest trees for that sustenance. If the flight has to drain more Stam (and consequently, Food), I would understand, especially since it can recover Stam mid-flight.

Phoenix: The Phoenix is another creature that Wild Card improved and optimized and I gotta say, I'm really happy that they can now land. But, even with optimizations, I have some suggestions. The Phoenix is super difficult to find/obtain. Thereby, I think being able to find and relocate a wild one's ashes would be awesome (insta-death if you're carrying the ashes in your Inventory when a Super Heat starts). Not only that, but given that it's mostly a bragging-right tame, it needs some better features to make it usable. My suggestion is that it should be able to forge Sand in it's Inventory into Pearls (as a unique feature, and not for every forge). Not only that, but for a such a difficult tame, I think when it dies, it should release of a burst of fire (damaging attackers) and start off again as a baby that will hop onto the Owners shoulder (as a priority shoulder-pet, meaning it'll knock off other shoulder pets) and will eventually return to a ridable adult (similar to the Oasisaur rejuvenation process, but more closely related to it's original mythology) (dying while an "infant" will perma-kill it though). I'm not sure how that would come about, I'm just making suggestions.

Rock Elemental: Still a pain in the butt to tame, and still decent, but I think giving it a feature similar to the Gacha would be cool. It'll grow nodes that drop any one of the resources you can harvest from a dead Rock Elemental (metal, crystal, obsidian, oil, and stone I believe). I think the main fuel for this method (since it can already "eat" Stone) should be by consuming Sulfur. Also, a Guard/Bunkering ability similar to the Forest Titan from Extinction. Maybe even an additional Saddle type that allows you to mount an additional catapults/cannon on it (might as well go all-in on that Seige function).

Thorny Dragon: The spiny beaver is my best friend, but even then, he needs some changes. I have no complaints about it's Wood Harvesting or weight reduction. My main issue (and as has been pointed out to me by some previous commenters) is in it's secondary attack. The Torpor inflicted by it's spines is abysmal to the point of pointless (HA! Quill joke). So I have a couple suggestions. Mainly, either improving the Torpor ability of it's quill-throw, give it another affect other than Torpor (since the Dossier says it's supposed to be a lethal toxin, maybe give it a damage tick instead), or ignore it completely and make it's damage more similar to arrows. My other (and probably less likable) solution is to remove the quill-throw ability completely, and replace it with a tail-sweep that lodges quills into dinos (similar to how an actual porcupine would operate) that slows them and deals a small amount of DoT for a short amount of time or does the normal (but improved) Torpor. The quills would have to be removed (similar to Leeches) before the slow affect fades. Dinos with natural damage reduction, or above a certain drag weight, would be immune to this affect. Heck, even being able to harvest it's quills as regenerating arrows would be a dope feature.

Vulture: Add the ability to observe/track wounded dinos similar to Direwolf, since Vultures are supposed to be attracted to wounded/dying animals. Maybe also had a corrosive vomit spray that slightly and temporarily debuffs (but doesn't damage) armor.

Wyvern: Best for last honestly. For something that's supposed to be an amazing apex battle-mount, it's stat growth got rapidly outpaced with the addition of other creatures (especially the Rhyniognatha and the Reaper King), even with flight and breath attacks, so lets start with that. Next, giving the Wyvern a more agile flight would be nice (I wouldn't mind a aesthetic update to go along with it), including diving, gliding, and banking (with a more weighted feel behind it compared to the Griffin or Snowy Owl, since it is a large flying mount); even a slower version of the Tropeognatha's 180 turn-around would be appreciated. Maybe a flight Dash? It's a Wyvern, so it should feel like a faster, more agile, less tanky, less imposing version of a Dragon.

- To couple with that, maybe a more weighted and smoother landing animation (I know it's aesthetic, but it would be an improvement and I'm invested in my flying scaly babies). Along with it's breath attack, giving it a "bombing run" ability where it holds a leveled out flight path and lets the Player aim at the ground under it with it's breath while it flies by would be super cool and hella useful. Wyverns have massive fore-claws and live in deep cavernous trenches, so they should also have an ability similar to the Tapejara, so they can grip and perch along the side of cliff-walls and even redwood trees.

- And finally, I think the Wyverns should get a couple types of Saddles. First, the two-seater. Mostly light, and for a miniscule amount of armor, but mostly so this apex battle-mount can actually feel like a battle-mount. While you can't use weapons while riding a Wyvern bareback, that becomes possible with this saddle equipped, since the Survivor is now strapped in, and also has a passenger seat for a buddy to launch arrows or machine gun fire off of. The second, isn't really a Saddle, but functions as a full-blown set of dragonesque Armor. Doesn't allow the Player to use weapons like the first, but provides a greater bonus to Wyvern's armor than the first saddle. Because if I'm gonna ride a wyvern into battle, what better way to feel badass than to have it decked to the nines in it's own plated armor. Of course, I'm not opposed to a Tek Saddle either.

.

.

So yeah. My opinions in a nutshell. If possible, check out my original Island post, and just let me know what you guys think, or if you have improvements to my improvements. Stay cool! Thanks and have a good one!

Edited by SteinMon1920518
Link to comment
Share on other sites

0 replies to this server topic

Recommended Posts

There have been no replies to this suggestion yet

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...