Oreochema

Updates regarding the Scorched Earth release are being added to this thread.

I'm pretty sure there was a crunch a few months ago that actually pegged April 1st for the Scorched release, despite also saying Q1. Just an observation. Not that it makes any difference to me, what with my download speeds. I wouldn't have been playing this weekend either way. lol

Quick question: Will the patch notes here on survivetheark.com be updated at all? I personally don't use the Ark Discord (I've heard how toxic it gets) and was curious if there might be anywhere else I can find those notes. Thank you many-much.

I'll be honest, mine would probably lean more toward fantasy creatures. (I've always wanted to build a sanctuary for griffons, drakes, phoenixes, etc.) And while I would certainly like to nod to Ark with some things, I'd definitely want to put my own spin on it. Something like a half-and-half critter-care and survival. I've got a bunch of notes on mechanics I'd like to include. The part I'm missing is the most important: The actual coding and game-making. lol

Look, I try to remain positive, I try to give you guys the benefit of the doubt. Games are hard to make, after all. I've told myself for quite a while that I love Ark. But I think the truth is that I love what Ark could be, if you guys would just knuckle down and work on fixing it. I've seen the negativity that abounds within the community. I think that some of it is deserved, especially for things like not fixing game-breaking bugs, relying on mods and modded content to fix/expand the game you should be developing, not being open and transparent with your community, and not realistically managing expectations in regards to release dates (seriously, just double whatever time you think it'll take and give that date; if you release content "early," that can only be a good thing).... Some of the bluster is just that: bluster. It's toxic negativity spewed by entitled children. Right now, I don't blame them. If/When you get around to fixing things, I'd expect a bit more leeway as you would be proving you're working on things. But despite my usual patience, I genuinely want to play your game, and I'm frustrated to heII that you effectively won't let me. I refuse to spend time playing a game where my progress is randomly wiped by numerous hours. I personally value myself and my own time too much to put myself through that. At this stage, I'm about to take that age-old advice that says "write the book you want to read" and use it to go make the game that I want to play.

The creatures are one of the things I really hope get updates/improvements. The updated textures look pretty good, and the fur/feathers look better, too, but the older models/rigs feel out-of-place in such a lush environment. And this is okay with me, as I know the focus has been on improving the creature AI, the building system, the menus, and the character creation system. WC had to pick their battles, and rebuilding all those things from the ground up was a big battle. The existing dinos are fine as placeholders, but given their choices to do TLC passes in the past, I'd wager WC doesn't want the existing models to be there forever.

I don't know if anyone still reads these, or if these get considered for any of the new ASA content, but I had a thought about wyverns the other day: Could we get a "fix flying trajectory" toggle for wyverns? This would be similar to the way the Amargasaurus can be toggled to run in a direction independent from the player's camera facing. Essentially, the idea would be to allow more controlled strafing with the breath. Set the wyvern on a path and aim the breath, which could help control post-attack trajectory and avoid putting the wyvern face-first into the ground (or other surface) during/after a breath attack which, in turn, would allow players riding wyverns to make full use of the fire and lightning breath attacks.

I was afraid the Dreadnoughtus was going to end up being another Titanosaur, but that design looks neat! Those pores almost look like a heat-dissipating mechanism. I'll admit to being intrigued!

I've seen a couple of people mention this, but the game is coming out at a discount when it releases. If you wait a month after release, you'll likely end up paying WC more money for the game. I suppose it would take a special kind of spite to buy the game and then just not play it for a few months to avoid paying for servers and such. (I'm personally quite hyped for the game and since I'm a singleplayer plebian, my playing the game on Day 1 doesn't really do much for WC, so I'm not sure I'd make that much of an impact on my end.)

Lots of folks complaining about the price. I get it. Lots of other devs do upgrades/enhancements for free. (Skyrim is sold under a new version every few years, for what it's worth. Legendary Edition, Anniversary Edition, etc.) But for those claiming they increased the price on the base game (Ark 2 aside), your math is a little.... off. Originally, the price was going to be $50 for the base game, plus $20 for each "pass." Total of $90 for The Island, Scorched, Abberation, Extinction, Genesis Part 1, and Genesis Part 2. Now, it's $60 for all those same maps. Is Ark 2 now going to be charged separately? Yes. But that's not necessarily a bad thing because it's a separate game. Furthermore, I imagine I'm not the only one who wanted to see some of the UE5 upgrades in the original game without also buying Ark 2. I don't plan to buy A2 on pre-order or even right after it releases, as there are some things about the gameplay I'm not too psyched about. I want to see other players' opinions of it first. And if that means paying for it separately (or not paying at all, if I decide I don't want it), then that's preferable, at least to me. Now, I'm not defending the decision to charge for the EU5 upgrade after WC allowed some inaccurate information to slip through the cracks, as this was miscommunication on a pretty big level. But I also think it's important to argue in good faith, and with correct information.

Just wanted to congratulate the artists featured this week! I always look forward to seeing the wonderful art created by the community! ❤️

Loving the look of both SOTF and the Animated Series so far! I've watched some folks play SOTF and I can say there's room for improvement, but it's looking awesome! I never got to play it before, so maybe this time around, I'll be able to jump into a game or two. Any chance there will be the option for Unofficial custom games? My little circle of friends aren't big PvP-heads, so we'd like to play amongst ourselves if possible. Even if not, I'll definitely be jumping in to get my butt kicked! Either way, I'm super stoked for both. Especially the Animated Series. The trailer looks phenomenal!

I want this so much. I've played on Xbox for the most part (because I can't really afford a crazy PC to run Ark), and I mostly want it for a couple specific dinos: the Deinosuchus for the stellar model and animations, the Acro for the phenomenal sound design and knock-out mechanic, and the Deinotherium for its neat aggro/tame mechanics. I also think the Brachiosaurus would be a great addition, with its unique silhouette compared to the other sauropods in the game already.

That's the first thing I look at whenever a Crunch comes out. I scroll straight down to the art. I love seeing what my fellow Ark players create.

It always warms my heart when a developer acknowledges a known player like this. I personally did not know Uri, as I'm not a PvP player and don't partake in that part of the game, but I think it's wonderful that WC is honoring him this way. I may not have been a follower/watcher, Uri, but thank you for what you've done for the community!