PertySlick

I don't see anything about when we will be able to deactivate the Winter event without losing all the stuff built during the event.  Has this been addressed and I missed it?

On 1/12/2024 at 10:54 PM, keiran70 said:

All you have to do to save is click exit to main menu wait till you're at the menu then close the game, it will save every time.

This is not the case.  The current "workaround" is to do a wild dino wipe via commands to ensure a save.  But I can attest to this not working every time.  It does however make the game save more often when exiting.

Spent days looking for a max-level Thylocoleo on The Island and finally found one!  Tamed it up then went back out to go after an Argentavis I saw previously.  On the way got pounced in the air by yet another max-level Thylacoleo!  Lol!  All that searching to have one just "fall from the sky".  I did have to spend about 10 minutes searching for it after the pounce due to the annoying flee mechanic they have after pouncing.  But I got it and have bred my new super Thylacoleo and it looks like a white tiger.  His name is Tommy

Wrapping up my new workshop/storage facility design in my new base.  It's the best feeling when I finish my main workshop and can finally get organized.

7 hours ago, Ownz1nR34LT1M3 said:

It had a release date in December, and January, and now February.  As to why we don't pack up the day Genesis comes out? I will let you figure out the answer to that because it should be obvious.

I'll take the non-answer as an admission that your trying to blow this out of proportion and make it seem worse than it is.  There is no reason you couldn't have flipped your server anytime after the release when you were ready.

16 hours ago, Ownz1nR34LT1M3 said:

I will be honest here.  I am not going to be "that guy" who says this is for the best and I am fine with waiting for a "more finished product".  It just isn't true, the game will be MORE FINISHED, but probably not as finished as it should be in any case.  That is very sad to say, especially since this is the only "game" I play, and I don't consider what I do in Ark to be a game.  I will wait as I always do, but I am not going to call anyone names, or say I am shocked at such an announcement.  I will say that the game releasing in February now as opposed to the initial target date of December really does plenty of harm to me and my group I play with.  Being a full time student with a high work load, February may be the worst time for the game to come out for me.  Not just that, but my group closed shop on our Valguero server to switch it over to Genesis, and now all of those efforts were done prematurely by 2 or more months.  We "rushed the move" because Genesis was on the way, and now we did all that rushing and spending more time than necessary when it wasn't even a priority at that time.

THAT BEING SAID,

I have already experienced the release of one expansion before Christmas time with extinction.  The addition of raptor claus, gacha claus, and the subsequent valentines day event really dumbed down the early progression of Extinction in many ways by granting very easy to obtain breeding lines and blueprints.  I was going to use the Valentines day even on Genesis, because I would be a fool not to take advantage of that opportunity, but I am actually really glad that the event will NOT be occurring on a Genesis map until next year.  That is a very good thing for anyone who plans to play Genesis as a fresh start with no transfers. 

Last but not least, @Wildcard

Don't actually answer me here, because I don't want you blasting your companies business to the public.  I only care so far as the question actually being considered properly.  How much time are you guys even devoting to contingency time? Normally with a design, especially with an ambitious one, there would be weeks, months, hell you could even have years of contingency time dedicated to all the things that could go wrong.  If you say a game is done by December, that game should be done and getting tested 6 months or more before then.  You already said too much to the public when you claimed Genesis will be ready late January and closed testing at the beginning of January.  Seriously?! This isn't a shot at your company or business to make you look bad or be negative, but did you really give yourselves 2 weeks to work out the kinks and bugs of a game from closed testing to release?! You need to do some research as a company on proper design phases and planning because that is absolutely absurd.  There are some bugs in the live game that weren't address for years, or still go without being fully dealt with! 2 weeks on a new ambitious map such as Genesis to weed out these potential bugs?!

./end rant

I love this game, I really do and I fear for a world with an Ark that is too perfect.  I am also in fear of your business falling apart if you maintain this current course.  Please change for those of us who believe in this thing you have created.

You packed up your Valguero server in a "rush" to prepare for an unreleased DLC with no concrete release date or even recent information?  And this is Wildcard's problem?  Why wouldn't you wait for the actual release and then pack up for the switch?  That way you can also evaluate all the inevitable bugs with the release and decide if it's worth the risk to move.  And I sympathize with trying to play during a school schedule but no release window is ideal for everybody.

1 hour ago, VeeTea said:

You'll come back. Haha.

 

I am also excited for Winter Wonderland 4. People complain and whine about WC doing a sh** job, but none of those people have been in the gaming industry. I'd like to see all of you aforementioned make a game as successful as Ark and manage everything you ask for.

I am in the software industry.  I thoroughly test updates and patches before I deploy them.  People test my patches after I have tested them just to make sure I didn't miss anything because hey, nobody is perfect.  I schedule updates and patches to release to multiple platforms and app stores simultaneously.  I'm pretty confident I would be fired if I released a negligent patch that took down our apps or services in any way.  Just because Wildcard is a game developer doesn't mean they're doing it right.  I give them credit in that this is a very complex game.  But people paid money for a game and they have every right to complain when it doesn't work as intended or at all.  I can understand in-game bugs and glitches and I'm willing to work around them.  I don't even get mad about exploiters because that happens in every game.  But these constant updates that bring the game down for at least 2 days every time are frustrating and unsustainable in a game as high-maintenance as Ark.  And there is no reason for it if the updates are done right.  Windows 10 users had a two-day outage recently because of a patch that only added three Genesis HLNA explorer notes in a patch.  Three explorer notes I don't have access to because I currently have no plans to buy Genesis.

I am not defending all comments made at Wildcard as some people take it way too far.  But Wildcard needs to answer for the constant down time caused by patches and the SERIOUS lack of communication with it's user base.  There is no way I am buying into more DLC or anything else related to Wildcard, including Atlas, when I know this is what to expect.  I would love to be pleasantly surprised by Wildcard and not have to miss the first two days of the Christmas event as a result of the patch initiating it this next week.  But as you can imagine, like all other Win10 users, my expectations are otherwise...

May I just point out that Nitrado at least provides some level of customer service?  They are experiencing difficulties with this recent server patch not applying correctly and this is what I find on my server dashboard.  It's small but it is at least something.  It lets me know that they acknowledge there is a problem and that something is being done about it.  Meanwhile Wildcard hides when there is trouble and seems to be unaware of,  or ignore the fact that Windows 10 users have not been able to play consistently for some time.

1 hour ago, WarpSpasm said:

Will the extra crafting slots and reduced fuel costs be introduced with Winter Wonderland? I foresee a lot of narcotics and tranq darts being produced during this event, in my game at least.

Most likely.  Win10 users have that right now.  Apparently our update was pushed too early (the irony...) and that's why we cannot connect to servers currently.  I fired up a single player game and saw most, if not all, the QOL changes Cedric mentioned previously.

1 hour ago, Greatchawhee said:

I agree some of the problems NEED to be fixed, however I have spent most of my time playing on single player or private servers. I have given both PVP and PVE a few chances. Each time I work up the curiosity to give it another try I find trolls and bitter little angry children. Please don't mention " well it is PVP". Most people on PVP do not want a challenge. They truly do NOT. Most "alpha" tribes are so afraid of a worthy opponent they storm down on a fresh spawn in cloth with a rex or wyvern. All because they are to afraid to allow anyone to become a true challenge. Cowards. 

PVE is just as toxic I don't know how many times I have joined a server and find a forest of pillars or foundations placed over tames, which you can't destroy because it is PVE. So I guess if I had invested hours and hours in to building and playing on official I would be more upset with WC, with the bugs, with people. Thankfully I gave up on multiplayer of this game way back in early access. I do feel bad for most of you guys, but you can't say you haven't gotten your money's worth. Just compare it to any other AAA title. Where you may get 30 to 40 hours of fun for 60$. On good games like Skyrim maybe 100 to 150 hours for 60$. Here with ark I have gotten 6000 hours, well maybe 4000 enjoyable hours, of fun for 60$. So case in point, hour of fun per dollar is still pretty good.

I'm sorry but none of that excuses the fact that I cannot play for a week straight without days of down time.  And writing off people that like to play with others as toxic and not worthy of attention isn't the answer.  They (assumedly) paid for their game as well.  I'm happy for you that you have enjoyed many more hours in this game.  But I completely disagree that any sort of enjoyment fulfilled makes it okay for Wildcard to constantly take the game I paid for away from me with this bad update procedure, sometimes rendering "time enjoyed" nullified as a waste.  If it were just in-game bugs, I would still be just as understanding as I was previously because I could still be enjoying the game around them.

I was understanding until recently.  I get it, this is an extremely complex game.  That is a major part of the appeal for me.  I love this game!  But my frustrations stem from Wildcard's actions and not any bug in the game.  Win10 users just got through a two day downtime because we got an update well after everybody else, thus preventing us from connecting to servers.  Now we are in day two of yet another outage because we apparently got the QOL update too early.  So in exchange for bigger meat stacks and more fuel efficient cookers, we cannot connect to servers again.  I have also gotten numerous hours of entertainment from this game.  But the results of that time are currently being killed and destroyed while we cannot connect to our servers thus making it a waste.  Every update is a hassle and usually breaks something.  And there are so many little and sometimes useless updates instead of periodic "substance" updates.  This game is too high-maintenance to afford so much down time.  And now Win10 users have the holiday event update to look forward to next week which will probably keep us from connecting again right after the current outage is corrected.  Couple all this with the fact that Wildcard seems to go into hiding when some (ANY) information would be appreciated.  But they have plenty of time to keep advertising Genesis.  Why on Earth would I buy into Genesis when I cannot even play my current maps?  And isn't it unethical to entice gamers to buy a DLC with all these super amazing additions and new dinos just to nerf them all to being near useless after they purchase?

I paid my money.  I want to play my game please.

I just started a single-player Abberation map because I'm on the Windows 10 client and cannot connect to any servers.  First time playing Abberation.  I started in the first (assumed easiest) spawn location and had to endure about 15 Raptor/Basilisk deaths before I could finally get on my feet and tame my own Raptor pack.  Just kept telling myself "gotta get to those tranq arrows".  So many Lystos, Moshops, and Parasaurs lost along the way as well.  I felt pretty competent at Ark until I tried starting Abberation.  Lol!