ARK: Survival Evolved on Steam

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 4:57 pm

It's why I stopped playing ARK on anything remotely PVP related, it's why a lot of these open wasteland type games never grow. The only people left are the a-holes, and the only gameplay you're left with is the passive aggressive base raiding where you're running around knocking over the bases of people who's work schedules don't match up with yours.

ARK makes for a pretty interesting PvE game though, and if they want that game to grow, they need to create a constant antagonist outside of the other players that isn't mitigated by how powerful you become.

Likewise, because the crafting is tied to levels instead of access and risk, newer players/groups literally have no answer to the high tech of others because they don't have the blueprints available.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:52 am

I don't think it's server transfers. It's likely a set of guilds that are all called Alpha.

And yeah - open-world PvP in games like this is just asking to have the game ruined. I would only ever play PvP with a small group of friends, with the mutual understanding that extreme dickery just isn't fun.

msduncan · Post by **msduncan** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 9:20 am

Paingod wrote:I don't think it's server transfers. It's likely a set of guilds that are all called Alpha.

And yeah - open-world PvP in games like this is just asking to have the game ruined. I would only ever play PvP with a small group of friends, with the mutual understanding that extreme dickery just isn't fun.

Yeah it's the Alphas Paingod. On one server they started wiping lower end buildups in the name of 'cleaning up the server' so that spawns would return so that they could feed their dinosaurs. I transferred off that rock and built up again only realize that the Alpha on the server I transferred to was a well known Chinese griefing guild. They wiped us again for no reason. Some other tribe had it happen the same day and asked 'why?' in chat and the bastards just said 'we are not safe. we may injure'.

So yeah. Anyway, an Alpha from another server took me in. We are building a new base right now and will be returning to those two servers to lay waste to these guys in revenge.

Victoria Raverna · Post by **Victoria Raverna** » Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:20 am

Bought it today but when I tried to play, it wanted to install some software that is like a spyware called Battleye?

Is that safe to install?

Reemul · Post by **Reemul** » Mon Feb 06, 2017 1:42 pm

Victoria Raverna wrote:Bought it today but when I tried to play, it wanted to install some software that is like a spyware called Battleye?

Is that safe to install?

It is but you can choose not to and play on your own server or single player or unoffical server without it.

Victoria Raverna · Post by **Victoria Raverna** » Tue Feb 07, 2017 4:55 am

Reemul wrote:
Victoria Raverna wrote:Bought it today but when I tried to play, it wanted to install some software that is like a spyware called Battleye?

Is that safe to install?
It is but you can choose not to and play on your own server or single player or unoffical server without it.

Thanks. So is there any good unofficial server to join? Is Freemute's server still online?

I wonder if my latency is good enough to play with OO's players. Tried to ping the ip address that Freemute posted and it was over 200 ms.

mori · Post by **mori** » Fri Feb 10, 2017 4:43 pm

I play on Fretmute's server almost every night.

Of the dinos released in the last couple of updates, the Pegomastax has changed the way I play the most. I never carry any more than I have to in order not to lose my stuff to these rat bastards. Luckily I have only lost food, tranq darts, and random resources so far. They steal what is in your last inventory slot first and for me that is food. They do make the Dimorphodon useful in PvE as I carry one almost all the time now to counter them. If a player is able to tame a Therizinosaurus, it eliminates the need for Stego, Trike, Megaloceros, and beaver. They collect wood, thatch, fiber, berries like crazy. Not a tank like a trike but an unmatched resource collector. The Baryonyx look incredible useful but I have not been able to tame one yet.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:20 pm

Victoria Raverna wrote:I wonder if my latency is good enough to play with OO's players. Tried to ping the ip address that Freemute posted and it was over 200 ms.

That server is hosted here in Dallas. I ping about 12.

[edit] - In other news, VR's sig sets off the filter at work, and I can't post in any threads that he's posted in from there.

Victoria Raverna · Post by **Victoria Raverna** » Sat Feb 11, 2017 8:55 pm

Fretmute wrote:
Victoria Raverna wrote:I wonder if my latency is good enough to play with OO's players. Tried to ping the ip address that Freemute posted and it was over 200 ms.
That server is hosted here in Dallas. I ping about 12.

[edit] - In other news, VR's sig sets off the filter at work, and I can't post in any threads that he's posted in from there.

Removed the joke sig.

I guess I have to try to know if this game require very low latency. Some games are playable with 200 ms - 250 ms latency.

I'm still trying to play the game offline (single player). First try, I got killed less than 30 seconds in. Spawned near aggressive dinosaur. Second try, I got killed less than 5 minutes because I tried to attack a dinosaur after I harvested stuffs and crafted a weapon.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 12:51 am

Growing tired of dinos spawning in my base and destroying my greenhouses, at the risk of framerates, I built the great wall of Zed. Set all my non fliers to wander thinking they will evenly occupy the space keeping the unwanted out. But nope, they all want to occupy the same small piece of sand near the beach. F this game! But I will play again tomorrow.

Reemul · Post by **Reemul** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:01 am

I built an Aerie for my birds. On top of my house keep them all in there, doors on 2 sides so they can fly in and out with food storage, saves lots of hassle

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Mon Feb 13, 2017 6:00 pm

Victoria Raverna wrote:
Fretmute wrote:
Victoria Raverna wrote:I wonder if my latency is good enough to play with OO's players. Tried to ping the ip address that Freemute posted and it was over 200 ms.
That server is hosted here in Dallas. I ping about 12.

[edit] - In other news, VR's sig sets off the filter at work, and I can't post in any threads that he's posted in from there.
Removed the joke sig.

Thanks! I can get back in now.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 5:42 pm

Fretmute I assume you will not mind if I borrow your Quetzal cage for me to tame my own Quetz? Just have to get a few more Rex kibble and I am going to give it a go.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Sun Feb 26, 2017 7:44 pm

mori wrote:Fretmute I assume you will not mind if I borrow your Quetzal cage for me to tame my own Quetz? Just have to get a few more Rex kibble and I am going to give it a go.

Be my guest!

mori · Post by **mori** » Sun Feb 26, 2017 11:32 pm

Fretmute wrote:
mori wrote:Fretmute I assume you will not mind if I borrow your Quetzal cage for me to tame my own Quetz? Just have to get a few more Rex kibble and I am going to give it a go.
Be my guest!

Did get a Quetz. It was troublesome. By the time one spawned and I located it the game would start lagging badly. Then by the time I got everything organized for a tame attempt, it was almost a slide show. Not sure how you guys did it using the cage, but the wild Quetz would just clip through it when I attempted to coral one. The second try I just shot at one off the platform. Almost had it down until I fell off the platform and to my death. The third attempt I dropped a low level one. Unfortunately it landed near some troodons and I lost some taming effectivity. But I got him in the end. Returned your guy safe and sound. I want to start exploring the sea environment and taming some of those creatures next. I am sure many deaths await me.

KDH · Post by **KDH** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 9:16 am

Ark: Survival Evolved developer will pay modders $4,000 per month to complete their mods

15 modders each month will receive a stipend from Studio Wildcard, and completed mods may become official DLC.

a third of the article:

Paid mods was one of 2015's most contentious issues, with Valve and Bethesda abruptly introducing, and just as quickly dissolving, a system in which modders could sell their Skyrim mods to players through the Steam Workshop. While this paid mods system was a failure for a number of reasons, Valve recently stated that it may reintroduce a paid mods system in the future, with Valve's Gabe Newell saying of modders, "...absolutely they need to be compensated."

Studio Wildcard, developer of Early Access dino-survival game Ark: Survival Evolved, is in agreement with Newell's sentiment about modders being paid, and are launching their own program that will allow Ark modders to earn some money. Not by allowing the sale of mods to players, but instead by paying modders directly on a monthly basis to work on and complete their mods.

In a call with Ark's lead designer, lead programmer, and co-creative director Jeremy Stieglitz last Friday, he explained how the new sponsored mod program will work. Each month, Studio Wildcard will select 15 modders and pay them each a stipend of $4,000 to work on their mods. Each month, the mods will be evaluated and it will be determined if those modders will continue to be paid for the next month, or if a mod will be dropped from the program and a new one added. There's also the potential to expand the number of modders being paid this monthly stipend.

"If we have to expand the program because the 15 mods are all doing so well that we don't want to cut any of them," Stieglitz said, "then we'll expand the program to more mods every month.

"The hope is that with this kind of stipend, these authors, who really are hobbyists and have day jobs so they can't really afford to spend as much time as they'd like on modding, that this will let them spend more time on modding, and ideally, hopefully, take some of these mods to completion."

mori · Post by **mori** » Sun Apr 02, 2017 4:47 pm

Interesting changes with the latest patch. Really like the improved interface and streamlined menu. Looks a lot better as well. They nerfed the fliers. I bet that got everyone on official servers howling. I understand why the developers did it but it will take a while to get use to the new way to make ones way through the world. Pteranodons I think got hurt the most. Their speed is capped and stamina lowered. I had a speed one, a hauler, and a battle one with a backup for each. Not sure I need any of them anymore.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Sun Apr 02, 2017 9:52 pm

I picked this up during the weekend sale. Played 10 minutes, almost killed myself punching a tree. Punched a brontosaurus, died.

I think I need to look up some tutorial videos...

msduncan · Post by **msduncan** » Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:33 pm

mori wrote:Interesting changes with the latest patch. Really like the improved interface and streamlined menu. Looks a lot better as well. They nerfed the fliers. I bet that got everyone on official servers howling. I understand why the developers did it but it will take a while to get use to the new way to make ones way through the world. Pteranodons I think got hurt the most. Their speed is capped and stamina lowered. I had a speed one, a hauler, and a battle one with a backup for each. Not sure I need any of them anymore.

The flyer nerf is utter and complete BULLSHIT. Especially for those of us that play on the impossibly big "The Center" map. It's agonizing getting around to the different biomes now.

mori · Post by **mori** » Thu Apr 20, 2017 10:34 pm

After playing for some extended periods with the latest patch, something has been fixed or else a driver update cured some things. Whatever happened it restored my performance to pre patch 246 levels.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 7:43 am

msduncan wrote:The flyer nerf is utter and complete BULLSHIT. Especially for those of us that play on the impossibly big "The Center" map. It's agonizing getting around to the different biomes now.

Yup. Even as a solo player, that's stupid. I'll be looking for mods to correct this the next time I play.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat May 13, 2017 10:05 pm

For those that have played on Fretmute's server, you might want to check on your critters if you want to keep them. Two of Fret's quetz's have starved to death. I put a stack of meat in everyone's trough that I know of so it should be good for the short term.

I got a new PC so I have been on a building and taming spree. Too bad I cannot see a project through before I realize I need to do something else. Current project is trying to organize my critters to take up less space. Still need to figure out the way to build an elevator from beach level to my upper building level. I cannot get the tracks oriented the way I want them without doing a lot of construction. I am getting use to the flyer nerf. But the nerf to the pteranodon still seems especially harsh. Yes slow it down so it cannot go faster than the game engine can render, but no need to bleed stamina so quickly.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Sun May 14, 2017 9:33 pm

I was going to make it back in, but the flier nerf really puts a damper on my enthusiasm. I understand their reasoning, but I feel that the Center is entirely predicated on being able to get around by air or boat, and now that both of those have issues, you're more or less stuck in the ecosystem where you built your base. At least on the Island I could hike from the swamp to the snow.

mori · Post by **mori** » Mon May 15, 2017 10:22 pm

I do not think the flyer nerf is as bad as a lot of people are making it out to be. But there is a lot of balancing left to do in the game and I am hoping a reasonable compromise will be met. I still fly my quetz from my base to the other biomes all the time. It just takes a little longer. But I also do not visit my other outposts anymore and I am not going to build anything away from my base just for the hell of it.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Fri May 26, 2017 9:04 pm

Made it back on today. Poor flyers are slower than molasses.

mori · Post by **mori** » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:16 am

Fretmute wrote:So I heard you like Dimetrodons . . .

Since this has happened, I have not seen a Dimetrodon on the map. Did you disable them spawning on the map? Can you do that? I don't care, just curious if they never spawn or they get wiped out by the predators as soon as they spawn.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Fri Jun 09, 2017 10:01 am

mori wrote:
Fretmute wrote:So I heard you like Dimetrodons . . .

Since this has happened, I have not seen a Dimetrodon on the map. Did you disable them spawning on the map? Can you do that? I don't care, just curious if they never spawn or they get wiped out by the predators as soon as they spawn.

Yeah, I disabled them and forgot to turn them back on after the fix. Sorry!

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:28 pm

I don't have a lot of time to sift through gobs of patch notes, but something that bugged me the last time I played (aside from how useful fliers were) was that my tamed critters couldn't be kept in pens. If I left an went roaming, when I came back they'd be missing or wandering outside the pen. I think it had something to do with the game releasing some components from memory, but not others. Has that been fixed? I always felt bad locking down my pets to not move.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:29 pm

Paingod wrote:I don't have a lot of time to sift through gobs of patch notes, but something that bugged me the last time I played (aside from how useful fliers were) was that my tamed critters couldn't be kept in pens. If I left an went roaming, when I came back they'd be missing or wandering outside the pen. I think it had something to do with the game releasing some components from memory, but not others. Has that been fixed? I always felt bad locking down my pets to not move.

I believe that is still a problem. The game only renders walls when there are players there to see them.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sun Jun 11, 2017 8:31 pm

Everything I build turns into a barn. Making use of the S+ automatic torches. Just mostly used as storage and cooking now as manufacturing has moved uphill. No pipes leading up to the site as I use reservoirs for a water source for the greenhouses.

Some of my pets. You can see 3 of my Rex's. Most of my mega fauna and flyers are off screen. This is probably half of my pets. Added a few new ones as well. Gotta collect them all.

Been breeding Rexs in case we ever tackle a boss. Have 4 so far with 2 disposable ones. I need to tame a higher level male if I want to raise better ones. Been pretty disappointed in what I have raised so far. My dire wolf breeding program is pretty much a disaster. Thought I had the breeding thing figured out but I just get offspring with crappy stats. Will have to do a culling. Have gotten 3 stinkers in a row. But my sabretooth program has been an overwhelming success. Any one of my cats (and I have many) could solo anything short of a Giga.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 5:53 pm

It seems they've released Ragnarok as a free DLC official map, much like the Center. It's only 50% done, but already larger than the Island. I may spin up a new server and try it out; I like the Center, but I feel there are too many waterways to navigate conveniently now that flying isn't as valid of an option. Here it looks like you could at least trek overland to most of the places that you want to go.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 11:15 pm

New Ragnarok server is up at 64.94.95.66:27051. Same login info as the old server. I think I'm going to dial back the XP and gathering rate a bit as well. Since they doubled everything and I never modified things, it's a little absurd.

Kelan · Post by **Kelan** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 7:38 am

Thanks, Fret! A new map may get me back in game again.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 10:21 am

I haven't had a chance to explore much, since I'm level 20, but, if nothing else, I managed to spawn in an area where all of the dinosaurs are horses, sheep, or Diplodocuses, so that's nice for a change.

[edit] - If you log in, you'll almost certainly notice that when you open your "learn engrams" screen, your framerate drops to about 6. Research tells me that this is either due to mods or my over the top modification of the engram tree, but I'm not really willing to let either go, so you'll have to deal with it. Apologies. The good news is that for the first ten or so levels you get 200 engram points, so if you open it and just learn everything you won't have to stare at it.

mori · Post by **mori** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 5:39 pm

I played a little on the map in SP. Have not made it off the beach yet so I will hop over to your server and start over. The map looks like it has potential, so I hope the map maker sticks with it to a completed state.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 10:58 am

Fret's servers do not show up for me anymore. Steam detects them but they do not show up in Ark. Scanned local files and re downloaded any corrupted or missing files, still nothing.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 10:59 am

mori wrote:Fret's servers do not show up for me anymore. Steam detects them but they do not show up in Ark. Scanned local files and re downloaded any corrupted or missing files, still nothing.

They're in your favorites? They showed up for me when I logged in this morning . . .

[edit] - I found a safe spot and logged out, and now I can't see them either. I was just on it, so I know it was running. I restarted it to see if that may help.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:10 am

Fretmute wrote:
mori wrote:Fret's servers do not show up for me anymore. Steam detects them but they do not show up in Ark. Scanned local files and re downloaded any corrupted or missing files, still nothing.
They're in your favorites? They showed up for me when I logged in this morning . . .

[edit] - I found a safe spot and logged out, and now I can't see them either. I was just on it, so I know it was running. I restarted it to see if that may help.

I go in the server list and it says the Ragnarok one is not responding. The Center I get the Ark message saying to make sure the server is running the latest patch for mod content.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:18 am

I guess a mod updated sometime this morning at about 9:00 CDT. I restarted them both and now I can see them both in game again.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:37 am

I turned on the Extinction Core mod on the Ragnarok server. It doesn't seem to have done much, aside from requiring a 2GB download. I'll be out tomorrow night for my girlfriend's birthday dinner, but if you complain early enough in the day I'll be able to remote in and disable it. Be forewarned!