Arambourgiania

That's what I haven't had the opportunity to test yet but in theory A:SA's localized rendering feature should help with the tethering issue.

Final verdict: there is NO option to host a local dedicated server. The only custom game options available are singleplayer and non-dedicated. I read somewhere the non-dedicated sessions have an eight-player limit, so if you have a small group of friends to play with that option should work fine especially with A:SA's instanced rendering feature which I can't yet confirm but suspect improves the tethering limitations that A:SE had. Unfortunately A:SA's initial release build is so unoptimized I actually can't play it right now despite having a PC that by all counts should handle it fine at least on moderate graphics settings, so I am currently unable to experiment with the non-dedicated feature further.

Well by now I think the answer is we'll just have to wait and see, so I'm probably gonna end up buying a Steam copy after it drops and experiment with the server hosting myself. I'll post my findings here for anyone else who wants to know.

Interesting, I missed where they had mentioned that. Hopefully it gets resolved soon?

The reason they are not enabling crossplay between Steam and consoles right now is because Steam is more efficient to update so they are going to use the Steam version of the game as a testing ground for working out any issues that come up after release, and when they are confident they have a fully-polished product they will at that point sync the Steam version with the console versions and enable crossplay. They explained this in their recent FAQ. Consoles having a delayed release is more of a side-effect to this. We can all agree this whole entire circus act has been done very poorly but it is what it is and at least we're getting A:SA soon and so far it looks great. I am definitely not holding my breath that it will be an absolutely smooth gameplay experience at first though, the whole thing seems so rushed.

I've been keeping my eyes open for information on this but as of yet I still haven't seen anything definitive so I'm taking to the forums. On the Xbox version of ARK: Survival Evolved there is an option in the Host\Local screen called Run Dedicated Server which uses that copy of the game to host a server on the machine the game is being run on. This local dedicated server can then be accessed from a second machine if one has such resources available to them. This is how my friends and I have been playing ARK for years because a couple of us have extra PCs we've ran dedicated servers on. Unfortunately on the Steam version of Survival Evolved, even though the Run Dedicated Server option appears to be available, it doesn't work. Hosting a local dedicated server for the Steam version of the game is much more complicated and usually requires third-party software to streamline. What I have been trying to figure out is what local dedicated server hosting is going to look like with ARK: Survival Ascended? Is there any good information available on this yet or are we waiting until the game drops before we learn such details? I don't want to buy two copies on Steam if the Steam version of Survival Ascended ends up not having easy local dedicated server hosting capabilities as is the case with Steam's Survival Evolved. Basically I want to know, for local dedicated server hosting purposes, if I should buy Survival Ascended on Steam or Xbox, or if it will matter at all?

LOL everyone, ASA will be out in like a week at this point so you don't have long to wait for gameplay. Chill out y'all. That Dreadnaughtus looks AMAZING.

I felt like some tags could really give this entry a hand so I've added a few to help people get a quick idea of what I designed here.

With so many entries to browse it seems tags can help quickly summarize an entry, so I've added a few to this one to give people a better idea of what they're clicking on.

I just added some tags to quickly summarize this entry for passers-by.

I tried to think of different ways a new creature could take advantage of Extinction's verticality and this is one of the solutions I came up with!

I fear I may be too late to gain enough traction, due to personal life issues I completely forgot about this contest and didn't get my submissions in as early as some others.

Common Name: Junzi Species: Junzi dongxue Time: Holocene Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Mischievous Wild: Few critters are more annoying to encounter in the Sunken Forest than Junzi donxue. If a careless survivor gets too close to a troop of these pesky gibbons, they will rob the survivor of several belongings before fleeing in different directions with the stolen items. Worse still, if one is attacked the rest of the troop will gang up on the assailant. A clever survivor may be able to use Junzi's mischievousness against it. If it steals narcoberries or narcotics off the survivor's person, the gibbon will greedily consume them as it normally does with food items, eventually passing out if it consumes enough of them. The survivor may then nurse it back to health with berries, after which they will have gained a valuable pet. Domesticated: Being an excellent climber, a shouldered Junzi will enable its owner to reach new heights. It is able to scale most walls and ceilings while keeping the survivor's hands free to use tools and weapons. Don't overwork this little ape, though. If it gets exhausted while climbing it will lose its grip and fall, a potentially fatal mishap for the survivor if the drop is severe. Ceasing movement while climbing will give the Junzi a chance to recuperate. Junzi is stronger in a troop. If multiple survivors set out with a gibbon on each of their shoulders, the creatures gain more endurance from each other. A pet Junzi also seems to keep wild troops at bay, preventing them from harassing and stealing from the survivor. Even other pickpocketers such as Ichthyornis and Pegomastax steer clear of Junzi. With many heights and even more dangers to overcome in the harsh world of postapocalyptic Earth, Junzi may prove to be a valuable companion.

Common Name: Drepanosaurus Species: Drepanosaurus tinodus Time: Late Triassic Diet: Omnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: Adapted to postapocalyptic Earth's harsh environment, Drepanosaurus tinodus has graduated from its ancestor's insectivorous diet. It lurks in cavernous areas preying on small- to medium-sized prey, and like some kind of reptilian bear will supplement its diet by foraging for berries. This aggressive, thick-skinned brute is unpleasant to encounter in the wild, full of nasty surprises for any survivor unfortunate enough to cross paths with one. Drepanosaurus boasts an arsenal of tools for ambushing and subduing prey. It makes up for being slow on the ground by climbing with notable efficiency, and possesses an active camouflage ability both for getting the jump on unsuspecting prey and avoiding larger predators. With robust claws not only on its forelimbs but on the tip of its tail as well, Drepanosaurus can put up one heck of a fight if cornered. Domesticated: A captive Drepanosaurus offers its handler unparalleled versatility in navigating punishing environments. Though slow on the ground, it can climb very nimbly on most walls and ceilings. Its cloaking ability may also come in handy for avoiding the many dangers to be encountered across the wasteland. Drepanosaurus can carry small prey in its jaws, but more remarkably it can also use the claw on its tail to hook and drag larger prey, even straight up cliffs and across overhangs! Finally, Drepanosaurus has not completely forsaken its insectivore ancestry. With its long anteater-like tongue it can finesse bee hives and extract precious honey without aggrivating the buzzing residents. In fact, honey seems to be the best food to tame a knocked-out drepanosaur with, but meat and (albeit even less efficiently) berries also do the trick. Why is this a good fit for Extinction? Extinction is a fairly punishing map with a lot of vertical spaces, so it only makes sense that a new addition should match those characteristics. Drepanosaurus is a great candidate because its naturally bizarre anatomy offers a dynamic foundation on which to construct a creature tailored to the Extinction experience. From more efficiently navigating regions like the Sunken Forest, to being able to both evade and face danger when necessary, to the niche utilities it provides, this interpretation of the bizarre Late Triassic reptile Drepanosaurus addresses many of Extinction's core gameplay challenges.

Common Name: Arambourgiania Species: A. morsiconia Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: There are few things in this desolate wasteland that strike more fear into one's heart than the lanky silhouette of an Arambourgiania morsiconia appearing on the horizon. With little of value to eat in this apocalyptic landscape, Arambourgiania has developed a taste for carrion... But don't be fooled, it won't pass up on a helpless survivor out in the open. (Arambourgiania has a nasty habit of spearing smaller prey, including survivors, in its beak and running around with them impaled until it sees fir to consume them.) There is no chance outrunning this thing on foot, but being so large it is marginally less maneuverable in the sky than smaller fliers. A tamed Arambourgiania may serve as a fierce companion, but forget about subduing it with narcotic weapons. Being adapted to break down carrion, its body is too noxious for tranquilizers to affect it. Very much to the contrary it will greedily consume any spoiled meat or narcotics offered to it. Simply running up to an Arambourgiania with either of the aforementioned items at the ready should do the trick. That way when it impales you it will pick at the taming food before finishing you off. A good set of armor is recommended if you don't want to die too quickly. Several attempts may have to be made in order to successfully earn the Arambourgiania's loyalty, as it will need to eat a lot before feeling satisfied. Domesticated: Arambourgiania is a capable flier and an even better runner, navigating the harsh wasteland with ease. Being a carrion-eater, it prefers to eat spoiled meat. Its powerful beak thusly deals fairly potent blows, capable of poisoning and knocking out larger creatures. It can also spear and carry smaller creatures on its beak, gradually increasing their torpidity over time. Arambourgiania passively produces a noxious saliva that can be fed to unconscious creatures as a narcotic. Artist's Notes: As my username implies, azhdarchids have a special place in my heart. This entry is a refurbish of one that I submitted to either the Fjordur or Lost Island creature contests back in the day, being in fact the reason I signed up with this username. Although ARK already has a resident azhdarchid in the form of Quetzalcoatlus, it's no secret that its design is quite antiquated by comparison to our modern understanding of azhdarchids. They were not cumbersome, hunchbacked brutes. They were towering, galloping nightmares. I would really like to see an azhdarchid added to the game that does this infamous group of pterosaurs justice, and so I'm going to push for it almost every chance I get. Thank you for checking out my entry and I hope it's earned your vote!