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[JambiBum]

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As a man or woman stranded naked, freezing and starving on the shores of a mysterious island called ARK, use your skill and cunning to kill or tame & ride the leviathan dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the land. Hunt, harvest resources, craft items, grow crops, research technologies, and build shelters to withstand the elements, while teaming up with or preying upon hundreds of other players to survive, dominate... and escape!

The game will include 60 dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, some gargantuan in nature and you can tame some of these beasts to aid you in your survival, but it’s not just the animal life you have to worry about. Other players will be organising rebel tribes with the aim to destroy anything they see as a threat. Hope and pray this isn’t you as the tech tree spans the primitive stone-age all the way to the modern electric-powered era and beyond.

Announcement Trailer

Screenshots

GAF Server Info
Name: Neogaf Unofficial Ark Server, Quote to see password. You'll need to use the Steam server browser to find it easily. (Open Steam > Click 'View > Click "Servers". Change filter to Ark Survival Evolved and refresh server list).

Features as of now

I'll try to update this part of the OT as larger features come out but for now here's a quick list:
- Extensive leveling system that continues to progress when you die.
Unlike most survival games, you don't lose out on all of the progress you have made just because you die. Your character levels as you play which allows you to raise stats and unlock new recipes for crafting using the games Engram system
- Base building that is easy to understand and more importantly even easier to build
- Dinosaur Taming: Start off by taming a tiny little Dodo Bird and work your way up to Mammoths and even your own T-Rex that you can even ride and customize
- The most important feature so far: Human and Dino Defecation. Feeling a little bloated? Hit that Z key to make your character defecate and then force feed your fecal matter to other player characters or use it for fertilizer for your garden.

Impressions

So far, Ark is a really fun game with some unfortunate performance issues. The game isn't optimized very well yet but the devs have been updating the game like mad since its release to fix the optimization issues. There is already a ton of content in the game that can keep you coming back for more. With that said, it needs to be iterated on that for most people the game will run at around 25-30 fps with frequent dips. The devs deserve credit for as much as they have been updating the game since release and how open they have been on the steam forums about what's going on with the game. If you don't want to deal with performance issues then wait to purchase the game, but if you are used to early access games and can handle playing with said issues then by all means come join us on the Gaf server for some Dino fun.

I decided to put this OT together because the other thread we have been using is just a trailer thread and thought it might be good to get an actual OT up for the game. I took some info from the trailer thread and threw some other stuff in as well.

 

[Klyka]

This game has real time, physics enabled defecation for players AND dinosaurs.

GOTY?

 

[Alcoholikaust]

Nice Job!

Looking forward to this-

#DinoHype

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

I'm interested in this game but the UI itself is really, really turning me off it

 

[AwesomeMeat]

I like the idea of the OT but I don't think we're supposed to have OT for games that aren't officially released - unless specifically approved by mods. You might check in to that and have it changed to whatever won't get it locked.

 

[CryptiK]

I like the idea of the OT but I don't think we're supposed to have OT for games that aren't officially released - unless specifically approved by mods. You might check in to that and have it changed to whatever won't get it locked.

Plenty of EA games have OTs.

 

[Sikamikanico]

I'm really liking this game so far. Just showed my twitch stream from last night to a bunch of friends at work, will be a few more people playing it tonight!

 

[JambiBum]

I like the idea of the OT but I don't think we're supposed to have OT for games that aren't officially released - unless specifically approved by mods. You might check in to that and have it changed to whatever won't get it locked.

Like Cryptik said, plenty of EA games have had OTs. We weren't going to use a trailer thread for discussion about the game over the year it is supposed to be in EA.

 

[abracadaver]

Did todays patch improve the performance?

 

[JambiBum]

Did todays patch improve the performance?

Last I checked the patch hasn't went live yet. We're supposed to go to 171 at some point this morning.

Speaking of the new patch:

Added code now for flyers to not follow you into water, and land creatures to have a depth limit they're willing to follow you to

Best patch note. Fuck birds.

 

[Slightly Live]

Performance has gotten better (up to v170). Still miles to go.

 

[tamaster92]

Loving this game. There are some serious tech issues that seem to be getting fixed bit by bit with every patch.

The gameplay is solid and there is SO much content for a EA game, plus modding very soon too. MY community (which focuses on roleplay) is growing quickly and people enjoy it a lot

 

[S0cc3rpunk]

this game is really amazing i'm enjoying it a lot but you always have to be watching your back, someone can just come behind you and knock you out :/

 

[Sevenfold]

It's so good, but so fucking jerky.

 

[Jarrod38]

So is this game basically a survival game mixed with crafting elements just with dinos?

 

[Sevenfold]

So is this game basically a survival game mixed with crafting elements just with dinos?

As far as I can tell, the crafting isn't discovery based. You unlock recipies as you progress (you get XP for everything including simply existing) but yeah you start out punching trees and crafting spears amd I haven't got much further than that. It's loads of fun and very pretty and there's an intriguing sci-fi aesthetic to the map. The dinos are deadly but some(?) can be tamed and ridden/used as combat pets.

 

[Mirk]

For those of you with Nvidia cards I saw this POST to gains some fps. I have yet to try it. It seems like its a mixed bag if it will help or not.

 

[Karak]

Thanks so much for the official thread man!

 

[Canis lupus]

What's the chance of a discount on the steam summer sales?

 

[spk]

^ Doubtful considering it's already discounted and only just released in EA

As far as I can tell, the crafting isn't discovery based

Engrams are learned through leveling but other things like cooking recipes and food preference for taming are discovery based. There might be more

 

[Raticus79]

Wow, 3700 servers in the list for this game. Looks like it's doing all right!

Thanks for setting one up. I'll be in there as soon as I finish up this character creation...

 

[slash3584]

Anyone has tips on taming dinos? I managed to tame a Dodo but when I tried to tame a Tike it took like 20 min to fill 1/4 of the bar and then a Carnotaurus appeared and I had to run for my life (and my dodo's life).

 

[JambiBum]

Anyone has tips on taming dinos? I managed to tame a Dodo but when I tried to tame a Tike it took like 20 min to fill 1/4 of the bar and then a Carnotaurus appeared and I had to run for my life (and my dodo's life).

The larger the Dino the longer it takes to tame. Trike's can take 40-60 mins depending on how you manage the effectivness. T Rexes take hours.

 

[Florida_Man_5000]

Anyone has tips on taming dinos? I managed to tame a Dodo but when I tried to tame a Tike it took like 20 min to fill 1/4 of the bar and then a Carnotaurus appeared and I had to run for my life (and my dodo's life).

Haha, the comments and stories on this game so far are great! I can't wait for the console versions.

 

[Seventy_X_Seven]

Hopefully this patch will finally fix the damn birds. Last night a guy in my tribe tamed a sabertooth, asked me to watch over it, left him at base to go hunting on my raptor to fetch food,come back and he's getting killed by a bird and I'm too late.

Everyone in my tribe is just now hitting level 25,already have a fence foundation around our claimed land ready to put up the real barriers! And start hunting blue light drops!

 

[Seventy_X_Seven]

Anyone has tips on taming dinos? I managed to tame a Dodo but when I tried to tame a Tike it took like 20 min to fill 1/4 of the bar and then a Carnotaurus appeared and I had to run for my life (and my dodo's life).

So taming took me awhile too. Turns out each animal has a type of food it prefers. The more it likes the food the more each item of food increases the tame bar. Carnivores are easy they like meat and prime meat is better than regular. Herbivores all have their preferred berry type so experiment. The less food used (meaning using as much preferred food over lesser foods) the better initial stats you get.

Taming tips:
Carnivores like their meat raw, not cooked.
Placing narco berries in an animals inventory doesn't do anything unless you select Remote Use
If you are out of berries you can use your fists to keep them knocked out, hurts initial stats.
Items in an animals inventory lasts longer before spoiling. Added as a means for long term pet maintenence, do exploit this for other purposes. I stash all my parishables in my pets inventory. Get a small pet first and use it to hoard all the food you'll need for bigger animals.

 

[Insane Metal]

I wish I had a gaming pc to play this. Too bad pc parts in my country cost an arm and a leg. ;(

 

[Skyzard]

Anyone have some in-game screens (or a video clip) from something relatively high-end on playable settings?

Some of the shots I've seen have looked really bad. Some saying it's possible to get those graphics with amazing rigs...others saying they captured it frame by frame and fooled people.

IIRC angry joe has a decent rig now...and it looks alright but nothing as impressive as the live online gameplay footage. Maybe some areas aren't as well done yet...but the lighting and motion blur is missing...maybe he doesn't have it turned up?

 

[Shining Sunshine]

Anyone have some in-game screens (or a video clip) from something relatively high-end on playable settings?

Some of the shots I've seen have looked really bad. Some saying it's possible to get those graphics with amazing rigs...others saying they captured it frame by frame and fooled people.

IIRC angry joe has a decent rig now...and to me it looks closer to the poor/more realistically achievable looking shots - or at least the graphics you've come to expect with these games, maybe a little better, and not as bad as some shots people were posting. Maybe he hasn't turned the settings up...

Here you go 8)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T5Fe9VWrn8

 

[Skyzard]

Here you go 8)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T5Fe9VWrn8

lmao

I've seen that before and it still got me when it switched.

That can't have been with a decent rig or decent settings

It said live online gameplay footage though too. They'd bluntly lie like that? Is there no awesome motion blur or lighting settings? The same areas don't look the same with the settings maxed on higher resolutions?

 

[JambiBum]

Anyone have some in-game screens (or a video clip) from something relatively high-end on playable settings?

Some of the shots I've seen have looked really bad. Some saying it's possible to get those graphics with amazing rigs...others saying they captured it frame by frame and fooled people.

IIRC angry joe has a decent rig now...and it looks alright but nothing as impressive as the live online gameplay footage. Maybe some areas aren't as well done...but the lighting and motion blur is missing...maybe he doesn't have it turned up?

Because of the optimization issues most people have the settings turned down. Motion blur is off for most people. This next patch is supposd to help with some stuff but it isn't out yet so we'll see how it goes once it is.

 

[abracadaver]

Anyone have some in-game screens (or a video clip) from something relatively high-end on playable settings?

Some of the shots I've seen have looked really bad. Some saying it's possible to get those graphics with amazing rigs...others saying they captured it frame by frame and fooled people.

IIRC angry joe has a decent rig now...and it looks alright but nothing as impressive as the live online gameplay footage. Maybe some areas aren't as well done yet...but the lighting and motion blur is missing...maybe he doesn't have it turned up?

Steamcommunity has tons of "real" screenshots: http://steamcommunity.com/app/346110/screenshots/

 

[Skyzard]

Because of the optimization issues most people have the settings turned down. Motion blur is off for most people. This next patch is supposd to help with some stuff but it isn't out yet so we'll see how it goes once it is.

I read about an optimization patch here, and fair enough it's early access and seems like it could be fun...but was the lighting fake? - maybe it was TOD... but I don't think so.
I'm glad the motion blur is at least there as an option already and hopefully it's a similar quality. But is the lighting gone?

970/980 not cutting it yet I assume?

I was hooked because of the graphics and because they said this is from the game. It seems like, okay, but I don't think I'd be as into it without the prettier graphics.

 

[Xyber]

I read about an optimization patch here, and fair enough it's early access and seems like it could be fun...but was the lighting fake? - maybe it was TOD... but I don't think so.
I'm glad the motion blur is at least there as an option already and hopefully it's a similar quality. But is the lighting gone?

970/980 not cutting it yet I assume?

I was hooked because of the graphics and because they said this is from the game. It seems like, okay, but I don't think I'd be as into it without the prettier graphics.

Game can look very different depending on the time of day, some are more flattering than others. And the game does look very nice at maximum settings, it just isn't playable at all with that right now.

970 with everything on low and extra stuff disabled PLUS resolution scaling turned down below 100% still don't get anywhere near 60FPS at 1080p unless you are at a beach where it doesn't need to render as much stuff. With those settings I get ~45FPS at best when in more demanding areas.

 

[Skyzard]

Game can look very different depending on the time of day, some are more flattering than others. And the game does look very nice at maximum settings, it just isn't playable at all with that right now.

970 with everything on low and extra stuff disabled PLUS resolution scaling turned down below 100% still don't get anywhere near 60FPS at 1080p unless you are at a beach where it doesn't need to render as much stuff. With those settings I get ~45FPS at best when in more demanding areas.

Wow that's crazy...but yeah I think you are right, TOD and if you are getting some bloom makes a big difference.

Was watching a video of it on max settings (duhhh) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfpaXDjKJFw (on a 970)

And it's seems close enough at times, they probably had it on a higher resolution too in the trailer, maybe some extra shadows, not sure.

Okay cool. There is hope 970 and everything on low though for 1080p...shitttttt. Will keep a close eye on this. All the footage looks fun.

 

[Ghizz]

Join us on the GAF Server! This game has so much potential, even in its current un-optimized state.

 

[MrCaliaztec]

Posted in the other thread a friend and I are playing on the gaf server.

Had a blast last night setting up our fort it was nice how quiet the server was to get things started but it's gonna probably blow up soon but let's definately keep the password on it and keep it legitimately gaf and maybe keep it a fun world instead of a weird griefing wild west like other servers

 

[Seventy_X_Seven]

Posted in the other thread a friend and I are playing on the gaf server.

Had a blast last night setting up our fort it was nice how quiet the server was to get things started but it's gonna probably blow up soon but let's definately keep the password on it and keep it legitimately gaf and maybe keep it a fun world instead of a weird griefing wild west like other servers

I'm playing in one of the official servers because I want some risk with shady people, but so far I've been griefed way more by the environment than anything else. Particularly the birds which are constantly getting nerfed.

 

[MrCaliaztec]

I'm playing in one of the official servers because I want some risk with shady people, but so far I've been griefed way more by the environment than anything else. Particularly the birds which are constantly getting nerfed.

Oh I'm fine with the whole dog eat dog ness of it. I just figure the gaf server will maintain a bit of order while still being fun and engaging Pvp.

With a lot of these types of games you'll have people just go from server to server destroying things not wanting to be a part of the server.

I merely like that it's password protected and that there is a step to get on and that maybe people will regard the world more like a place to settle and enjoy the game instead of just KoS and destroying.

 

[Vuze]

About to bite on this... looks good and I'm totally in the mood for some dino action.

- Could somebody post some maxed out png/HQ jpg screenshots? Just curious how it compares to the trailer and store page screenies. Similar question has been asked before but Steam community screens look rather meh... so I'd rather have confirmation from GAF

- To which degree are mods supported to date? Store page says workshop is in but I can't seem to find more info on this?

 

[Seventy_X_Seven]

Oh I'm fine with the whole dog eat dog ness of it. I just figure the gaf server will maintain a bit of order while still being fun and engaging Pvp.

With a lot of these types of games you'll have people just go from server to server destroying things not wanting to be a part of the server.

I merely like that it's password protected and that there is a step to get on and that maybe people will regard the world more like a place to settle and enjoy the game instead of just KoS and destroying.

I'm thinking it'll be hard to destroy. Imagine a fresh spawn joining just to destroy. First the have to make it inland to my base, then break down a fence, then survive against the angry raptors and dilos and carnos inside.

 

[MrCaliaztec]

About to bite on this... looks good and I'm totally in the mood for some dino action.

- Could somebody post some maxed out png/HQ jpg screenshots? Just curious how it compares to the trailer and store page screenies. Similar question has been asked before but Steam community screens look rather meh... so I'd rather have confirmation from GAF

- To which degree are mods supported to date? Store page says workshop is in but I can't seem to find more info on this?

Game looks good so far but really unoptimized so hopefully someone can help with the screens.

But so far no mod support is in yet. There's a button in game for them but I wouldn't be surprised if mods come closer to release. Or after some more builds. There are no mods tools yet that's for sure.

 

[piratepwnsninja]

I'm really, really loving this. I have a private PvE server set up that I play on with my kids, but I'd like to get some more people on there. If you're not a creeper and would like to mess around on a PvE server, hit me up and I'll get you the server info.

Game looks good so far but really unoptimized so hopefully someone can help with the screens.

But so far no mod support is in yet. There's a button in game for them but I wouldn't be surprised if mods come closer to release. Or after some more builds. There are no mods tools yet that's for sure.

Actually, the first mod is coming with the next patch.

 

[charsace]

Am I wrong in assuming that the devs will put in randomly generated worlds?

 

[nictron]

Anyone playing with a 360 controller? I wanna play this on the couch

 

[hepburn3d]

I've been playing with a 360!controller. Is not too bad. Isn't smooth yet. Still needed a mouse and key board to split stacks and a few things. Semi good though

Not polished yet if your controller only.

 

[hepburn3d]

I'm really, really loving this. I have a private PvE server set up that I play on with my kids, but I'd like to get some more people on there. If you're not a creeper and would like to mess around on a PvE server, hit me up and I'll get you the server info.



Actually, the first mod is coming with the next patch.

My wife and I are looking for EU servers who aren't PvP focused if it's got a low ping we'll join

 

[Skyzard]

Check out antimicro to rebind the home key/other keys and set up macros, might help out a bit if you're using a pad, great with other apps too.

 

[ChosenPredator]

I'll probably jump in, in a few weeks and let the devs refine it a bit more so i can try a more optimized version but it looks great so far.

 

[JambiBum]

These are the patch notes for version 171.0. They keep adding stuff to the notes every couple of hours but ETA for the patch should be before the weekend is up.

- Fixed "Message of the Days" for hosted servers. They'll now work, specified here in the GameUserSettings.ini
- Added Sky for Direct X 10 Shader Model 4 rendering
- Tamed dinos now look at allies when they're nearby, to increase realism
- Added a loading progress meter to avoid the appearance of frozen game stalls, and fixed another blackscreen/infinite load case.
- Added a "Difficulty" slider for Local/Custom Servers that scales the levels of the creatures encountered, along with the quality of loot (but not quite linearly with each other, so you can expect a tougher challenge overall as that slider goes up!).
- Added the capability to choose respawn region upon each player respawn. Set 12 spawn regions, rather than 4.
- Added code now for flyers to not follow you into water, and land creatures to have a depth limit they're willing to follow you to
- Adjusted various Quality Group graphics settings to increase performance on each tier.
- You can now properly apply the ARK Founders' Parasaur Saddle Skin, to the Parasaur Saddle
- Increased the length of time for dead player bodies/inventories to decompose, to 20 minutes
- You can now whitelist specific SteamID's that will always be granted access to your server. Even if it's full.
- Console key can now be rebinded through the Options Menu
- All Host Game options are now visible in the in-game launch menu (which also affects single player), as well as saved in INI for easy access
- Fixed an issue where sometimes no servers would return
- Server Player counts should finally be fixed in-game
- Downloading ARK Data Characters into other Servers will no longer lose them
- You can now rebind the Arrow Keys properly (strafe, turn, whatever you want)
- On your server, you can now use 'cheat' or 'admincheat' to cheat after logging in as and admin. "cheat broadcast MessageString" will now let you broadcast a server message to everyone on your server (which also force displays the chat). Note that you can also set a Message-Of-The-Day here:

[MessageOfTheDay]
Message=Hello and welcome to my ARK Server! :-D

- Added an option to hide the Server Name from your Pause Menu, so that streamers don't have to give away what server they're playing on.
- Your last server filter settings now save and restore
- Argentavis now has a very limited (60% reduced) targeting range for live creatures, but his targeting range for corpses has been boosted by 40%. So watch out if you've got a dead body around, you might want to get out of the way . In any case, this is more true to their real-world likely behavior and will make them grief less.
- Your riding character now looks in the direction your camera is facing, along with your mount.
- Fixed a silly enemy pathing case that would make them needlessly turn around a lot in tight confines.
- Reduced default Dino following distance by 50%
- You can now craft directly from within your pet's inventory