Possible new player: Questions

[Cesmode]

HI,

I am considering buying the game but have a few questions:

 

1. Is this an online/multiplayer game or single player?  
   1. If it is online, is it in an open world similar to an MMO where you simply log in and can come across other people in their own adventures?
   2. If it is online, how does base building work?  Can you just set up shop anywhere you want with your base/house, whilst other people in the world can see it?  Can they destroy it?  How does the land grab wor
2. What is the overall objective?  Is there some sort of goal, or just sort of like Minecraft where you just build, explore, build, explore, be creative, etc.?  
   1. Is there any endgame?
3. Is there any PVP?
4. What are the things people do most in the game whilst leveling and at a high level?  
5. In your opinion, is it worth the purchase (I think I saw it on steam for $29.99). 
6. Are there any microtransactions?
   1. What are they?  
   2. Anything that can be remotely considered P2W?
7. How is the developer with updates/tweaks/content additions?  Frequent/infrequent?  Responsive and receptive?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Comanglia]

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Is this an online/multiplayer game or single player?  

1. If it is online, is it in an open world similar to an MMO where you simply log in and can come across other people in their own adventures?
2. If it is online, how does base building work?  Can you just set up shop anywhere you want with your base/house, whilst other people in the world can see it?  Can they destroy it?  How does the land grab wor(k)

Both, 1 no if you've ever played Minecraft/Rust/DayZ it would be quite similar to that. You pick a server (from thousands) make a character and login, for the most part characters or "survivors" are limited to 1 server and if you join a new one typically you have to make a new survivor.

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What is the overall objective?  Is there some sort of goal, or just sort of like Minecraft where you just build, explore, build, explore, be creative, etc.?  

1. Is there any endgame?

Objective is to survive, but it's mostly similar to minecraft but with non-procedural generated maps. Yes! Their's all kinds of endgame things you can do, taming a titanosaurus or giganotosaurus are good examples, but the best examples are the 3 bosses + the event bosses the game has.

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Is there any PVP?

Server dependent

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What are the things people do most in the game whilst leveling and at a high level?  

Building/Farming/Hunting/Taming/Breeding/Tribal Wars (Depending on server)

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In your opinion, is it worth the purchase (I think I saw it on steam for $29.99). 

I bought the game for myself, my fiance, and a friend of mine and I do not regret it at all.

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Are there any microtransactions?

No.

 

[CTMalum]

1. Yes.

a. It is an open and persistent world.  Your body remains unconscious wherever you log out. 

b. You can build your base nearly anywhere (geography is normally the limiting factor).  On both PVP and PVE, anyone can see it.  It can be destroyed by other people only in PVP, but you are under threat by the environment in both. 

2. I'd say it's like Minecraft in that respect.  You set your own goals.

a. There is an endgame stage.  It takes quite a while to get to true endgame.

3. Plenty, as long as you are on a PVP server.

4. Quite a list.  Tame, build, destroy, create, farm, kill.  As you progress, you continue to do these, just in different ways and frequencies.  Ark is a big game- there's lots of content to explore.

5. Definitely worth the money.

6. No microtransactions.

7. There's still plenty of content being added at a pretty good pace.  We tend to forget how much is being added, but when I think back to what has been added in the last six months, the game is quite different.  Usually major content updates occur monthly.  They've also done a decent job at listening to community suggestions and implementing what the community wants.  Some mods to the game have found their way into the full game.  A user created map is now being run on official servers.

[Jerku]

You know there are things that have all the information you need on google/steam/youtube. Even in the steam store you'll be able to see if its SP or MP or both. And the game is in beta so there are a lot of updates.

[Cesmode]

So at the start, I pick a server, create a survivor and log in.  Everytime I log in, its the same server, and pick up from where i left off?

[FeyGriffin]

1 hour ago, Cesmode said:

HI,

I am considering buying the game but have a few questions:

 

1. Is this an online/multiplayer game or single player?  
   1. If it is online, is it in an open world similar to an MMO where you simply log in and can come across other people in their own adventures?
   2. If it is online, how does base building work?  Can you just set up shop anywhere you want with your base/house, whilst other people in the world can see it?  Can they destroy it?  How does the land grab work

It's both, you can play single player locally or join one of may official or unofficial servers online, but you can only have 1 character on each server. Servers are separate worlds, with varying numbers & types of players. You can build anywhere that's not within a certain distance of other players' structures and all structures can be discovered by other players on the server.

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2. What is the overall objective?  Is there some sort of goal, or just sort of like Minecraft where you just build, explore, build, explore, be creative, etc.?  

1. Is there any endgame?

It's a sandbox game, so there's no real objective as such, other than to become more powerful, tame or breed more/better dinos, build better bases etc. There are "endgame" bosses, but defeating them doesn't stop you continuing, just gets you trophies.

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3. Is there any PVP?

There are both PvP and PvE servers, the amount of PvP on the PvP servers varies - some it's constant war, others there's hardly any conflict - it can take a little while to find a server with the right mix for your play style.

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4. What are the things people do most in the game whilst leveling and at a high level?  

For my tribe, we mostly build, tame, and hunt wild dinos, with the odd little war thrown in when it's justified - I play on a fairly peaceful PvP server as part of the Alpha alliance on that server, so war is usually due to other tribes griefing and needing dealt with.

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5. In your opinion, is it worth the purchase (I think I saw it on steam for $29.99). 

In my opinion it's one of the best value games I've ever bought - I have around 2800 hours in game now and am still really enjoying playing it.

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6. Are there any microtransactions?

No

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7. How is the developer with updates/tweaks/content additions?  Frequent/infrequent?  Responsive and receptive?

With the game still in alpha/early access development there are frequent updates, both bug-fix and content. The developers are very receptive to user suggestions, a couple of user mods have/are being released as official content (The Centre map & Primitive+) and response to bugs is usually really fast.

Hope this helps, also, as others have said, look at the ark wiki to get a better feel for the game. You could also try ARK SOTF which is free, but this is faster paced and not going to be such a good place for someone new to the game IMO.

[FeyGriffin]

20 minutes ago, Cesmode said:

So at the start, I pick a server, create a survivor and log in.  Everytime I log in, its the same server, and pick up from where i left off?

Yes, but you might want to try single player for a bit first to get a feel for the basics before joining a server, also be prepared to try a few servers before you find one that suits you - it took me 4 before I found what I consider to be the perfect home :-)

[Tatsu86]

38 minutes ago, Cesmode said:

So at the start, I pick a server, create a survivor and log in.  Everytime I log in, its the same server, and pick up from where i left off?

Yup, for the most part. It's also very important to know, when on an official (or a player-dedicated running all the time) that when you log-out, your body, your tames & everything else continues to persist without you. Dinos will eat, plants will use fertilizer, gasoline will be used up to run generators, so-on and so-forth. Single-player is a great idea to start-off because you're not held hostage to unknown elements I.E - other tribes raiding you, predatory dinos wandering into your base & eating tames, things like that.

Chances are you will need to look through a bunch of servers before you settle on just one, many times the Alpha tribe will wipe other tribes & noobs just for joining. Sometimes you get cool tribes that will help you out & give you some starter-kit tools, gear and even loan dinos, or loan them for pay off. We gave out low-level Doedics in exchange for harvesting some  stone for us - that sort of thing.

Just have fun and expect to die. A LOT!

[Cesmode]

Will dinos die, plans die, etc while im logged off?

 

[Tatsu86]

18 minutes ago, Cesmode said:

Will dinos die, plans die, etc while im logged off?

 

On official servers, if you leave them for extended periods of time (weeks / months) yeah, they will eventually die. If you're talking single-player, your own world, that you start-up, no. Time essentially freezes on single-player / non-dedicated servers when you (the host / admin) log off.

[d1nk]

20 minutes ago, Cesmode said:

Will dinos die, plans die, etc while im logged off?

 

Yes. If you're on pvp they can be killed. Pve you can protect them with walls and such and they won't die provided you feed them before logging, or someone doesn't lure a big dino to your base 

[Jerryn]

1 hour ago, Cesmode said:

So at the start, I pick a server, create a survivor and log in.  Everytime I log in, its the same server, and pick up from where i left off?

You can play on multiple servers, and your survivor will be unique to that server.  The game usually tracks which server(s) on which you have a survivor.

The game is a persistent sandbox, so it still goes on while you are a way; unless you are SP or a dedicated that you take down when not playing.  

If you are on a PVP server with aggressive players/tribes, you can be raided and/or your dinos killed.  There are private PVP server that have rules or protections against certain PVP styles, such as no PVO or KOS.  Some are role playing servers, so you need to have a good RP reason for killing/raiding.  Some servers prefer a concensual PVP, which allows other players to PVE.  And, some have no rules and the only rule is that those that can rule the server can make the rules.

Lastly, this game is Early Access/Alpha.  Because of that, you are getting in at a price that should be less than the full release price; and you also get to play earlier and help find bugs or give your own suggestions.

But, at this point, the devs are mainly adding new content and place holders for features; some of which will probably be developed more in beta.  Beta will also be were performance tuning and certain bugs/issues will be resolved.

Because of this, a patch could cause an issue, such as losing dino, or items, or even a base(think major map update).  Even without a patch, glitches and bugs can, will happen.

However, if you understand that concept and accept it with the right mindset, you can have a lot of fun with this game.  There are so many ways to play, that you might even find yourself starting over on purpose.

I have started over multiple times, for different reasons, and used what I learned to build/tame bigger and better than previously.  And with over 3,100 hours in the game, the value I got for what I spent is huge.  If they deleted the game tomorrow, I really could not complain; I would not be happy, but I can't think I got ripped off.

[Janna3921]

Since some have already answered your questions, I will give my personal opinion about what you can expect and need to consider before buying the game.

It is worth buying, if you realize what you are getting into; an early release game that has bugs, glitches and we are the guinea pigs to do the testing.   That you have to have patience in finding the right servers.   That where you spawn affects how hard/easy it is to survive and if you don't find a place to start a base, just keep looking, it could take searching, walking for quite a while to find a empty spot.  A already established server will have all the good spots already taken. 

When you go to play, pick the south area to spawn at, it is the safest area and you will have a better chance of surviving.  As suggested, start in single player mode, you can pick the levels you want in areas such as collecting, stamina, health and more.  This makes it easier at the start as you can build your base faster than the default; such as have collecting at 5x and you pick up five stones when you pick up a stone instead of the default of one stone for a stone you pick up.

It is a good training area, unless you are used to multiplayer sandbox type games. 

Another suggestion, is to use the search here.  I'm not trying to sound snotty, it is a great feature and you can find a lot of info here, see what others see as good and bad, make your own decision on what you read, such as the comparison of official vs unofficial servers.  There are all kinds of players, some are great, some are jerks who think it is fun to kill on sight new players, or infect them with swamp fever (there is no "maybe", it is evil, mean, it just plain is); but you learn also of some who are helpful, will give guidance and provide assistance. 

Someone suggested YouTube videos, which is good idea, but take it with a grain of salt, and be prepared to do some searching, some are of idiots who what to show how stupid they are. 

Ask questions here, the forum members are great to help out, for the most part.  Some can be snotty, sound rude, be a smart-mouth, have a superior attitude but that happens in every forum, unfortunately. 

 

[Jerryn]

I will add to @Janna3921 and mention, if you have a steam account, to check out people streaming the game.  Some of them can be very good.  Checking on Twitch also.  Some will answer questions for you and sometimes even show you a few things, if they can.

[HamerTime]

3 hours ago, Cesmode said:

Will dinos die, plans die, etc while im logged off?

 

They can, if you do not return in time or did not leave enough food/fertilizer for them. Animals and equipment that you lose are gone forever.

It's a persistent world. Everything keeps running for the most part, whether you're logged on or off.

As others mentioned, it's strongly recommended you experiment in single player or join a private server with adjusted settings to make starting easier before you jump on a "vanilla" public server. This game has a gigantic learning curve and is extremely punishing.

If you're not interesting in fighting other people, you might want to consider a PVE only server. PVE servers do not allow players to do any damage to other players or their structures/dinos. This makes it harder for people to harass ("grief") you, although people still find ways to harass others even on PVE servers.

 

[Cesmode]

Thanks for all of the responses, very helpful.

Will there be a beta wipe?

And is there any talent building?

 

[Jerryn]

1 hour ago, Cesmode said:

Thanks for all of the responses, very helpful.

Will there be a beta wipe?

And is there any talent building?

 

There are no plans to wipe servers, even on launch, with the exception of recycling serves with low populations/utilization, even on launch.  However, even then, private servers, dedicates, and single player should not be impacted.

For your other question, there are basic skills that you can improve with your level up; same for the animals you tame.  There are also things that you can learn to build or make, and most require what are called Engram Points, which you need to use to purchase the correct Engram; like learning how to make a Raft or build a Smithy.  On official server or any other server without modified level ups, it is not possible for a single player to learn all of the engrams.  But there are blueprints you can find, which can be used in the place of certain engrams.

[LokiTDD]

https://survivetheark.com/index.php?/forums/topic/28328-1001-things-to-do-in-ark/&page=1

Check out this link for what to do 

[selfishtoaster2]

On 7/22/2016 at 7:52 AM, Jerku said:

You know there are things that have all the information you need on google/steam/youtube. Even in the steam store you'll be able to see if its SP or MP or both. And the game is in beta so there are a lot of updates.

this isnt help. he asked a simple question 

[Ranger1]

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Someone suggested YouTube videos, which is good idea, but take it with a grain of salt, and be prepared to do some searching, some are of idiots who what to show how stupid they are. 

I resemble that remark!

[Jerku]

On 1-8-2016 at 11:15 PM, selfishtoaster2 said:

this isnt help. he asked a simple question 

Copy paste the question in google and you'll find the solution in less then 10sec... How cant this be help if its faster and you can read reactions if it worked or not... 

[NukeZX]

On ‎22‎-‎7‎-‎2016 at 3:18 PM, Cesmode said:

HI,

I am considering buying the game but have a few questions:

 

 

Just to mention this: a little fact that is quite important:

 

this game is still not officially released, it is pre-release, testing stage, alpha, beta, whatever.

So you will run into bugs, lag issues (server savelag), new content releases: which might result in your assets being lost overnight, dinos being boosted OP or nerfed to the ground.

Plus be aware that you have to log in at least once/6.9 days if you are playing solo, if in a tribe one of your tribemates must visit your assets vicinity at least once/6.9 days, and you need to replenish the food supplies to feed your animals. There are structure timers and animal timers that count down to 0, when it reaches 0 other players can destroy your assets and/or claim your prescious animals and take them away. (if on a server that runs 24/7). being ingame near the animals and your assets resets the timer untill you leave the area.

So that you realize that before buying that it can be a timesink.

 

And yes, imo it is worth it.

Just have fun without racing through all the content asap.

[selfishtoaster2]

On 8/4/2016 at 3:17 AM, Jerku said:

Copy paste the question in google and you'll find the solution in less then 10sec... How cant this be help if its faster and you can read reactions if it worked or not... 

because he wanted the answer from formum memebers. people who are suppose to provide help in these cases 

[d1nk]

8 hours ago, selfishtoaster2 said:

because he wanted the answer from formum memebers. people who are suppose to provide help in these cases 

We're supposed to provide help? I thought this was a community forum to discuss the game 

 

 

[Tatsu86]

You don't have to provide help, or any feedback at all. We're all here by choice and you have the choice to provide info & help the OP. It's a nice gesture & goes a long way to saying "Hey, I went to that one forum for ARK: Survival Evolved, and they actually answered my questions isntead of being mean & accusing me of asking the same question or necroing threads.

1.) - Yes, it has both Single Player, complete with an actual pause function, along with options for hosting limited range multiplayer (non-dedicated) & full server function (seperate Xbox One - player-dedicated)

2.) - Yes, it is similar to an MMO in many ways. You log in with a character you create, each server makes you create a new character. You will often encounter other people on both PVE & PVP in both Primitive & Non-Primitive modes & Primitive + coming soon to Xbox One.

3.) - Base Building is simply a matter of, place your foundations or pillars down (PVE has loads of pillar problems) and you can lay claim to that land. You can upgrade your dwelling over time as you progress from Thatch, Wood, Stone & finally Metal. Yes, other players can see your buildings if they get close enough.

4.) - The overall objective is to make yourself as large & as strong as possible, while advancing through the various trees of items to make your base fit your needs. Progressing from things like cooking pots to making kibble, all the way up to Industrial cookers which can literally make 100's of kibble in minutes - as an idea. Overall, it's about growth & advancing to make yourself stronger & taming dinos that you like & will help you.

5.) - Yes & No. There's no actual end to the game, you don't hit an Game Over screen, so-to-speak. But there are endgame goals, things like fighting the Broodmother, Megapithecus & the Dragon. Again, back in my previous point, building up a strong base & obtaining high-end items could also be considered endgame.

6.) - Oh yes, quite a large portion of this game is designed around PVP.

7.) - That depends, do you mean in order to gain more levels? Or do you mean in their day-to-day activities? For me it was cooking kibble, crafting metal & polymer-based items & feeding dinos, along with farming materials from around the map. Everything gives you Exp though, even just literally staying alive gives you tiny amounts of Exp.

8.) - Considering most on the Xbox One paid around.. $34.99, yeah, $5.00 off is not bad, and they have it for even cheaper sometimes. When this game is fully released, I expect it will be the standard $59.99 or so in North America.

9.) - No, and thank god for that, bless Wildcard for not falling into that soul-less & foul trade of biliking people out of money for pitiful things. Curse companies that do that crap.

10.) - There are none & no, nothing in this game has any sort of Pay-2-win system.

11.) - Updates for this game are very regular, atleast once a month, and they are indeed constantly recieving & using feedback to adjust the game to players wants & needs. Across both PC & Xbox One, with the PS4 soon to be realized as well. Yes, I would say the Devs are indeed responsive & receptive, just not as much as we'd like them to be here on the forum. Hopefully that will change though. All-in-all, it's a solid experience that challenges gamers to survive & is worth putting $30.00 into.