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Concept Art Bonus Coloring and Color Regions 0: Body 1: None 2: Secondary shell patterning 3: Neck 4: Armor and beak 5: Armor highlights/patterning (Note: This submission has gained some popularity, which I do appreciate (#SpinToWin). With that being said, Please me ask for permission before using my artwork for Meiolania, as creatures tend to be resubmitted or showcased for these votes. You may submit Meiolania with your own idea in a future vote or showcase this creature, but either ask me for permission to include this concept art, or create your own art for the creature. Thanks.) Dossier WILD This lumbering giant is truly a sight to behold. Among the largest of the non-dinosaurian reptiles present on the ARK, Meiolania grows much larger than its distant, more common relative Carbonemys. With a reinforced shell, large cranial horns, and a bony fanged beak, Meiolania's appearance alone is enough to deter all but the largest predators of its habitat. Any unfortunate aggressors that do attempt to make a meal out of this creature will be met with the realization that one, the nigh bulletproof hide and indestructible shell of the animal isn't exactly the most pleasing to eat, and two, getting bitten by its razor sharp beak is even less pleasant. This also presents a few challenges when attempting to domesticate the animal. Not much happens when you shoot a tranquilizer at a wall, so expect similar results when attempting to tame Meiolania in a similar manner. DOMESTICATED Only the tribes that manage to domesticate such a hardy animal can truly grasp just how tough its carapace is. Meiolania is seemingly an immovable object in combat, and takes a serious amount of brute force to injure it, though is just as if not more susceptible to hazards such as gasses. Another drawback being, quite obviously, its mobility, though it's no surprise that a multi-ton stem turtle wouldn't be the best candidate for winning a race... or would it? Well, one survivor in particular designed a specialized saddle for Meiolania, of which is equipped with rocket thrusters and a platform connected using a gyro for stabilization. When activated, Meiolania tucks into its shell and begins spinning at rapid speeds. Its smooth underbelly allows the creature to be propelled with ease, not only making Meiolania rather speedy, but quite literally turning it into a mobile fortress of doom, capable of crashing into enemies and structures alike with unparalleled force. Introducing Meiolania Meiolania is an extinct genus of herbivorous stem-turtle that lived in Australia throughout much of the Cenezoic period, and is most recognizable by its two backward-facing head horns. While the animal's name means "Small Wanderer", the one in this submission is quite the contrary. With a size comparable to that of the game's Trike, Meiolania would be one of the largest non-dinosaurian reptiles in the game. Spin To Win The star gimmick of this submission, Meiolania's saddle would be equipped with rocket thrusters, while the platform you stand on uses a gyro to prevent the rider or potential passengers from spinning. Meiolania would be capable of tucking into its shell and spinning as extreme speeds (at the cost of gasoline), effectively turning it into a living Beyblade. An extra thruster attached to the top platform of the saddle moves the creature forward, but it acts much differently to a regular moving creature. Meiolania can be propelled in the direction you are facing, but it takes a bit of time to accelerate, and isn't very controllable, making Meiolania a much more reckless foe in combat, unique to the standard attack button spam most tames utilize. Meiolania can also be shot forward in a short burst. It has a cooldown and burns through Gasoline quicker, but can help with stabilization or makes the creature all the more deadly when ramming into its opponents. New, Realistic Knockback and Ricochet Physics The faster you crash into something, the more damage you deal, the less knockback you receive, and the more knockback the foe receives. Knockback is all determined by your base knockback and drag weight, the foe's drag weight, the foe's knockback, and the speed you are traveling. The faster you hit a wall or unbreakable terrain, the faster you will ricochet off of it. This makes battling feel less like button spam, and more like an actual Beyblade battle, and the presentation could be amplified extremely well through Unreal Engine 5 of which ARK: Survival Ascended will use. In-Depth Info Spawn Location Meiolania, being one of the ARK's tougher herbivores, often resides in areas with harsher climates or greater quantities of carnivores. It can be found along Ragnarok's desert rivers and canyons. Taming Meiolania is a more mid-late game tame, in a similar progression tier to Rex, Bronto, Spino, etc. To tame Meiolania, you first must battle it. With relatively high damage, armor pierce, and a significantly high natural resistance, Meiolania is difficult to take down without a larger tame or available explosives. When Meiolania drops to a certain health percentage, it will withdraw into its shell, akin to the Doedicurus. While withdrawn, Meiolania takes even less damage from creature attacks and completely deflects bullets. However, it's much more vulnerable to explosive damage and hazards. Poison Grenades in particular do heavily increased torpor to Meiolania, which can be used to knock it out. From there, it will require its preferred kibble or berries to feed. Attacks/Controls Bite - Primary (RT/Left Click) Meiolania extends its neck to bite the target, as a snapping turtle would. Has very little startup and damage comparable to a Spino, but with less AoE and a bit more cooldown. Can harvest bodies, but collects everything but meat from them. Also harvests fiber, berries, and primarily thatch from trees. Bypasses saddle armor. Withdraw - Secondary (LT/Right Click) Meiolania withdraws into its shell, granting it a 75% natural armor towards all affected attacks, and increasing health and stamina regeneration. Takes significantly more damage from explosives and torpor from Poison Grenades in this state. Bullets completely deflect off its shell, and auto turrets will not target it. Creatures will lose aggro after a certain amount of time, giving up their attempts to take Meiolania down. Rocket Spin - Tertiary (RS/C) whilst withdrawn and with Gasoline in Meiolania's inventory Meiolania begins spinning at rapid speeds via activating the thrusters on its saddle, damaging anything that touches it. Press again to stop spinning. This ability cannot activate underwater. Accelerate - Primary whilst rocket spinning Activates Meiolania's top thruster attached to the main platform, allowing for forward propulsion. Takes a bit of time to reach full speed, and not very effective at turning, but Meiolania's collisions will deal more damage the more it has accelerated. Meiolania will skim on the water's surface while spinning. Let go to stop propelling with the thruster. Rocket Boost - Secondary whilst spinning Using the same top thruster, Meiolania will launch in the desired direction with a short burst of speed. Helps with handling and collision damage, at the cost of burning through Gasoline quicker. Inspiration/References Bowser's Whirling Fortress - Super Smash Bros. Blastoise's Rapid Spin - Pokemon games/show