Hey Survivors! Welcome to the latest edition of the Community Crunch!

The Community Crunch is where we share important things going on with ARK, as well as host contests and showcase creations made by the community!

Dino TLC Phase 2 Preview!

In our previous Dino TLC updates, we showed you our progress on Phase 1 of the Dino DLC pass, which includes the: Direbear, Procoptodon, Gigantopithecus, Direwolf, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. We are targeting the release of Phase 1 to take place during the week of February the 18th on PC. The plan is for the Dino TLC pass is to roll out these changes in multiple phases. Throughout the next few months, some creatures will receive visual changes, as well as functional/gameplay changes.

Today, we'd like to share some screenshots and provide some insight into what we're planning for Phase 2 of the TLC pass. We've been reading all your feedback and suggestions regarding the creatures; our artists and gameplay team have found it to be beneficial in the decision-making process. Something to keep in mind is that not all creatures will receive a visual update, but we will cover ones we feel (with your feedback) need it. Sometimes there may be function gameplay changes which weaken certain aspects of creatures; however, if we take anything away, we always plan to add to it through another dimension.

Please remember that these are still works-in-progress and are therefore subject to change before final release, which includes both visual redesigns, as well as gameplay changes.

The Argentavis!

The Argentavis has long since been a favourite flyer to many. With its high health, weight, and stamina it's an essential air mount that now will be getting a bit more love. The Dino TLC will grant the Argent a new saddle that will receive reduced weight capabilities on obsidian and various other materials, and the ability to craft smithy items within the saddle.

The Argent will now be able to carry two additional passengers, one with its claws and one in its beak. The Argent will be carrying heavier than current creatures in its talons, while its beak will be able to support the weight of smaller creatures.

Lastly, upon consuming a corpse the Argent will receive rapid health regeneration, making this vulture a formidable aerial tank!

The Spinosaur!

The quadruped stance of the Spinosaur has been a hotly debated since it first joined and ever since. Those for the stance enjoyed its dog-like run while those against felt like it was not true to the real-world version of the dino. With the TLC pass, the Spinosaur will now be able to operate in both a bipedal and a quadruped stance. When on two legs the Spino will move slower but be able to bite and use its claws to do increased damage, while on four legs it will be able to move faster.

Due to its affinity to water, the Spino will receive a buff which applies a bonus to movement speed, turning radius, attack damage, and health regen when fighting in water, and will last for some time after exiting the water. It will also prefer prime fish for taming (over prime meat) and have an increased chance of gathering prime fish meat.

But before we can do all of that in Phase 2, we have to get through this upcoming patch first!

TLC Phase 1/v277 Tentative Patch Notes: PC ETA Week of February 18th!

Please keep in mind that these notes are tentative, some parts of it may change before release (such as the values for creature-balance), as well as more general fixes included for Patch Day.

Dino TLC - The Procoptodon!

- Receives a model update, animation update, sound pass, and some new abilities:

- Will take reduced fall damage

- Carry weight will be noticeably increased

- Can carry small creatures and baby dinos in its pouch

- A knockback kick which can affect significantly larger dinos

- Added an aimed jump which can be used by holding down the Jump key

- Carried characters in a pouch have reduced food consumption rate when carried by Mate-Boosted Female Procoptodons.

- Babies imprinted while in a carried Procoptodon pouch receive more affinity

Dino TLC - The Gigantopithecus A.K.A Bigfoot!

- Receives a model update, animation update, new fur, sound pass and some new abilities:

- The Bigfoot will receive an armour-degrading attack; this means when it fights, it'll do more damage to your armour's durability. It is important to note that the armour-degrading attack will not affect the Yeti creatures found in the game.

- Added the capability to climb ziplines (but not jump between them)

- Added a jump

- It can now carry and throw small creatures

- Throwing has been made more accurate, similarly to crabs with targetting cursor

Dino TLC - The Direbear!

- Receives a model update, animation update, new fur and some new abilities:

- When riding a Direbear, players will be immune to bees. They won't be able to knock you off your bear, and they will target focus the bear instead of the player.

- The Direbear will also be able to harvest honey from wild beehives without attracting bees or hurting the hive. Plus the amount of honey it receives will be 2x the standard amount.

Dino TLC - The Direwolf!

- Receives a model update, animation update, new fur and some new abilities:

- Howl now activates a pack buff for 5 minutes (with a minute cooldown). When the Alpha howls, the pack also howls. The pack buff strengthens the Alpha, as well as its pack (reduced amount vs Alpha)

- Hunter's Instinct passive buff which will allow it to sniff out people/creatures with less than 50% health

- Sniff tertiary ability to indicate nearby explorer notes, or to detect buried/stealth creatures

Dino TLC - The Rex!

- Receives a model update, animation update, and some new abilities:

- Its roar should receive a CD and make non-allies (under a certain dragweight) poop to act as a small stun/interrupt. There will be a cooldown on victims so that they cannot be pooplocked continuously.

- The roar will not be able to scare anything above its level

- Roar will cause players to poop but not stun them

- Rex's ability to climb over small rocks and steeper slopes have been improved.

Creature Specific Bug Fixes & Balance Balance

- Dragon's Fire Breath direct impact damage reduced by 50%

- Fixed a bug which caused Rock Drake and Wyvern eggs to sink below their nests over time.

- Added Rock Golem Saddles to Scorched Earth Loot Table

- Added Basilisk and Rock Drake Saddles to Aberration Loot Table

- Uploaded Creature stats now display Movement Speed and Melee Damage

- Fixed a case where certain creatures would get stuck under the map/inside the map when colliding with larger creatures (most noticeably seen the Rock Drake and Basilisk)

- Fixed an issue which was causing a desync with the Reaper's collision

- No longer need pheromone to claim Reaper Kings

- Moschops will no longer flee when told to harvest dino corpses

- Fixed a bug where some creatures would not be able to attack at low server FPS

- Bronto's and Paracer's breeding time have increased by 50% (equivalent to Quetz)

- Reduced Bronto HP gain per level by 33%

- Reduced Bronto base HP by 10%

- Reduced Paracaratherium base HP by 10%

- Reduced Paracer HP gain per level by 25%

- Reduced Tuso Base HP by 20%

- Reduced Tuso HP gain per level by 25%

- Reduced Dunky resistance to bullets to 40%

- Reduced Dunky other resistances to 60%

- Stego Plate Resistant reduced to 30%

- TEK Tapejara no longer inflicts raid damage (how you inflict torpor on titan, krab, and golem)

- AI Option for Dinos to only attack conscious targets added to Titanboa

- Skittish Stance added to tamed dinos

General

- Creative Mode building

- Server option to disable fog

- ARK will now scan your steam achievements and update your local profile accordingly to restore any lost skins/hairstyles.

- Add messages to tribe logs with information about uploading and downloading creatures

- Made a respawning player not targettable by Wild AI

- Option to hide learned engrams

- Players can now directly go from Proning to Crouching position

- Ambient Sounds have their own volume slider

- Right Click Context option added to folders to equip everything insider, allowing for rapid gear switching

- Created a "Use Last PIN Code" so players can quickly access secured structures

- Silencer now hides the name of the player who has killed you from the kill message and tribe log

- Server Option to make Supply Crates random (?RandomSupplyCratePoints=true)

- Option to enable NVIDIA Ansel on Servers (-ServerAllowAnsel)

- Prevented specific graphical flags from being invited via .ini files

- AxisMapping is now taken into account when underwater

- Cooldown added to tribe's changing their name

- 5 Second character and base immunity added to ORP servers when first logging in

- Fixed a collision issue affecting some dino gates that allowed unintended entry

- Fixed multiple unintended mechanics (will explain in a bit more detail after the update drops ;))

- Fixed an issue where the Tek Teleporter built on pillars/ceilings would push players and creatures beneath it.

- Fixed a crash caused by using ForceTame when riding a Dino

- Improved Red Crystal collision so they can be harvested more efficiently by Anky

- Corrected the Aquatic Mushroom description

- Removed collision from glowsticks which would cause movement problems with certain creatures

- Fixed multiple client/server crashes

- Fixed an issue where some zip line anchors were outside of replication range, preventing them from being used.

- Fixed a case which would allow players mounted on certain creatures to throw/place C4 a lot further (e.g. Stego)

- Corrected an incorrect icon with the Seeker Dossier

- Fixed a case where teleporting outside of a large base with the TEK Teleporter would show foliage that was harvested

- Fixed multiple map issues (holes and collision)

- Fixed a case where some foliage would not replicate appropriately on Aberration - Turrets now respect enemy foundation placement rules, and there is a 30-second spin-up time when being powered by a battery.

ARK Sales!

For those who've yet to experience the joys of ARK, nows your chance to get in as we have a discount available on the Humble Store for Steam!

ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK: Season Pass

ARK: 2x Evolution Event Weekend!

Survivors across ALL Platforms will be receiving a special Evolution Event perk this weekend! It's already live now and will remain active until Monday the 29th of January at 3 PM EST. All Official Servers will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

2x Harvesting Rate

2x Taming Rate

2x EXP Rate

Community Contests!

NVidia Ansel Photography Contest

Super Resolution Version: http://images.nvidia.com/ansel/SuperResolution/ARK-SuperResolution1/ARK__Survival_Evolved_HighRes_2016_09_01_-_14_38_36_55.html

ARK: Survival Evolved and the Scorched Earth Expansion Pack now include support for NVIDIA Ansel -- a revolutionary new way to capture in-game shots. Compose shots from any position, adjust with post-process filters, capture HDR images in high-fidelity formats, and share the screenshots in 360 via a smartphone, PC or VR headset.

Learn more about these features from the NVIDIA blog.

Now let’s get to the contest!

There were 3 potential categories for survivors to enter their shots into and they were the following:

Four Categories

*NEW* Freestyle: These can be images or videos taken using NVIDIA's new Freestyle filters! If videos are submitted, they must have a maximum duration of one minute. For the time being, the current prize is double our normal amount, so winners will receive 200$ and runner-ups will receive 100$.

Super Resolution: These should be taken at 8x Super Resolution. Players can optionally use Depth of Field effects accessible in Spectator mode by pressing the [Delete] key.

Panoramic 360 Stereoscopic 3D: These should be taken at 4x Super Resolution, in 360 Stereoscopic 3D mode. We will crop them to 2D for web display, while also providing the 3D version for viewing within VR display.

Freeform: Any settings, whacky and creative use of Ansel filters are encouraged. Adding humorous titles/captions in Photoshop is also acceptable for this category!

And now without further ado, here are your entries!

Freestyle!

Winner!

Blue Dragon - ARK Survival Evolved (Netflix's DARK theme)

Runners-up!

pitsmat - Ice

roguewolf91 - Fury of the North Wind

Honourable Mentions!

Blue Dragon - Camelsaurus

Valoule - Planer thrill 2

Mistakes Were Made - GP

Wolf Amaterasu - Olden Times Gaming Experience Filter

Valoule - Stare

pitsmat - Blue Blur

GP - Purest Pink

Blue Dragon - Star Trails

pitsmat - Majestic Soar

Blue Dragon - Dusty

Blue Dragon - Filtered Sunset

Blue Dragon - Rock Drake Sketch

pitsmat - Caveland

Super Resolution!

Winner!

pitsmat - Luminous Waterfall

Runners-up!

ShadowSword – Deeper Down

GP - I See No Drakes

Honourable Mentions!

Blue Dragon - Search for Water

roguewolf91 - Soaring Through a Sky Ablaze

ShadowSword – Fire and Ice Flight

ShadowSword – Flame Dimorph

ShadowSword – In the Cave of the Rock Drakes

ShadowSword – Parchment River

ShadowSword – Purple Waterfall

ShadowSword – Tree Cove

pitsmat - Shade

Valoule - Troubled water

Wolf Amaterasu - Gliding At Dawn

Wolf Amaterasu - Shadow in the Sky

ShadowSword – Portal Approach

ShadowSword – Radioactive Trench

ShadowSword – Ghost Forest

Valoule - Monster Hunted

Panoramic 360 Stereoscopic 3D!

Winner!

roguewolf91 - Over the Redwoods

Runner-up!

Blue Dragon - Crystal Pillars

Honourable Mentions!

Wolf Amaterasu - Watching The Sunrise

Valoule - Wedding

Blue Dragon - Full moon

Valoule - Rock ..... Well

Blue Dragon - Scorched

Blue Dragon - Broken

Freeform!

Winner!

F1r3fly - The Shape of Water (in Ark)

Runner-up!

Blue Dragon - Comic

Honorable Mentions!

Wolf Amaterasu - Despair of the Thunder God

Valoule - Comic Strip

GP - Alien Aberration

ARKVideo!

This contest is open to all types of video be they funny, epic, scenic, stories, whatever inspires you. Just a general reminder that they should remain safe for work, think of the children!

And without further ado, the ARKVideo for Community Crunch 116 is...

FLASH vs MYSTERY VILLAIN! PART 1 (Ark: Survival Evolved Cinematic) by SB4D!

ARKitect!

This is an award given to Survivors to celebrate the amazing structures you build. These bases are judged based upon a number of different factors such as their creativity, uniqueness, how fun of a base it is, the difficulty of building it, the functionality it provides and much more!

The ARKitect for Community Crunch 116 is…

it's a tie!

Congratulations to...

Wolf Angelus!

ARK Edition: Game of LIFE (Custom Signs & ARK themed experience / decor mod)

and...

captainfatdog!

Modern, Round, Cliff Platform House (No Mods) | ARK: Aberration | Base Build

If you want to know more about how this was built and are looking for some tips, you can check out this additional video with more useful knowledge from @captainfatdog

and we'd also like to announce a runner-up...

Massive Platform Base / Community Center Cave build Ragnarok Ark Survival Evolved by Tlc138!

If you'd like to check out the submissions from the rest of the entrants, you can do so here:

Fan Feature!

ARK SURVIVAL EVOLVED THE FUTURE OF ARK 2018 by Jade Plays Games

Ark Survival Evolved: Hidana Village Build by shockshrubs

HIDDEN CAVE BASES! CATWOMAN EXPLORES (Ark: Survival Evolved Base) by SB4D

Tutorial: Re configuring Ark: Survival Evolved Supply Crates (XBOX & PS4) by ArkPS4

ZERO TO HERO! NEW CREATURES AND ABILITIES! by UpFromTheDepths

Explore the Ark #16: Cheapest Paracer/Sarco Trap EVER!!! (Ark: Survival Evolved) by MrWhitehearth

Explore the Ark #15: Revenge of the Dodo Queen (Ark: Survival Evolved) by MrWhitehearth

Ark Survival Evolved - Shark bait (PART 64) by gOOglyOwl

Christmas Rock Drake by Violet



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1280050397

Waiting for Double XP Weekend by Shockal



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1282093677

Race through the air by Shockal



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1278936900

Murderchicken by Melnik



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1280419495

Ark Furries Evolved! by Hyena Lover



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1279438808

Dossier: Nanuqsaurus by Scanova the Carnotaurus



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1278612786

Dossier: Rugops by Scanova the Carnotaurus



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1278925577

Dossier: Primal Viper by Scanova the Carnotaurus



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1277975660

Dossier: Suprannotitan by Scanova the Carnotaurus



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1279531224

That's it for this post guys! As always if you’ve got anything to share please get in touch and be sure to follow us on:

Twitter: twitter.com/survivetheark

Facebook: facebook.com/survivetheark

Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark

Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark

All the best,

Studio Wildcard