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 Preview #2!

At the end of last year, we were very excited to share with you the early progress of our Dino TLC update. We know it's something you guys have been looking forward to for a long time, so here we are with another update!

The plan is for the Dino TLC pass to role out in multiple phases. Throughout the next few months, some creatures will receive visual changes, as well as functional/gameplay changes. We are targeting the release of Phase 1 to take place during the week of February the 18th on PC. In addition to Dino TLC Phase 1, we will also be rolling out our turret limit to all Official Servers.

Today, we'd like to share some more screenshots and provide some insight into what we're planning for Phase 1 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 (especially the fur!) and are therefore subject to change before final release, which includes both visual redesigns, as well as gameplay changes. Anywho, without further ado!

The Direbear!

We believe the Direbear is in relatively secure place at the moment. Though, we're still planning on making a few changes to it!

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.

In addition to this change, the bear 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.

The Procoptodon!

Right now, if you're using The Procoptopdon, it's primarily for transportation. We don't see it as a highly combative mount, more so a utility creature with its fantastic jump, and ability to carry a second person.

Here's what we're planning:

The Procotopdon will take reduced fall damage; its carry weight will be noticeably increased, and it will gain the new ability to carry baby dinos and small creatures in its pouch.

We figure that puts the creature in a decent spot, and the suggestion of using the pouch to carry babies was excellent, thanks /r/playARK!

Ah, we've forgotten something...

Oh yeah! We're going to give it a kick! It'll be a pretty tough, and even be able to knock back some significantly large creatures!

The Gigantopithecus A.K.A Bigfoot!

We had quite a few ideas pop into our heads when coming up with some additional abilities for the Bigfoot. Did it need more strength and fighting abilities? What about how well it moves? Could we provide it with some new features? Ultimately, here's what we've settled on:

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.

Its movement needed some work! So we'll be giving it the ability to jump, which is kinda critical, considering it will need to know how to hop on and off all the zip-lines it's going to climb! Yup, that's right. It'll be able to use zip-lines!

In addition to those changes, we'll also be improving it's throwing ability, so it's more accurate (similarly to the Crab) and providing it with the ability to carry (on its shoulder) small creatures and throw them!

The Direwolf!

It's a wolf.. and what are wolves good for? Hunting. Now if you're a wolf, and you're hunting, what exactly are you going to rely on the most? Your nose!

In Phase 1 of the update, we'll be introducing a new ability, a passive buff, as well as changing how it's howl and pack buff currently work.

First of all, the howl will activate the pack buff for a duration of time (we're thinking 5 minutes right now). This means it won't be active all the time, but to compensate, we'll be strengthing the buff to make the wolves stronger. As a little bonus is that when the Alpha Wolf howls, so will all the others! We're also planning for this mechanic play out with wild wolves too.

As for its nose, we're doing two things. We're providing it with a passive buff which allows it to sniff out people or creatures with less than 50% health, and this will be indicated via an icon. Think of it like the hunter's instinct.

Secondly, we'll be giving it a 'Sniff' tertiary ability to indicate nearby explorer notes, as well as detect stealth or buried creatures.

and finally...

The Tyrannosaurus Rex!

It's in a pretty strong place at the moment; it's considered one of the top-tier creatures. It is used continuously to fight bosses, as well as often seen in PVP . So we didn't want to give it too many changes to avoid making it overpowered, here's what our plan is:

We're going to improve it's movement/climbing ability so that it doesn't get stuck behind small rocks and can climb up steeper slopes.

We're also planning to change the Roar. When targetting an enemy and using the roar, the enemy will be forced to poop. There will be a cooldown on both the Rex and people who have recently pooped, so you can't pooplock them with 10 Rexes.

That pretty much covers it for Phase 1 of the TLC-pass, let us know what you think, whether we're missing anything glaringly obvious! We're also planning (not definite!) on carrying out more visual changes to the following creatures: Spino, Sarco, Carno, Raptor, Female Megaloceros, Plesio, and Argie. Let us know what you'd like to see improved with those, as well as any other creatures you think may need some love that we're overlooking.

Ragnarok!

Console Ragnarok Fans! We are expecting to deploy the 99% completed version of the map to PS4 the week of January 15th. The Xbox patch for Ragnarok is currently in the certification process. We don't have a precise date for Xbox as we're not sure on console Cert availability, but once we do we'll let you know.

NVIDIA Freestyle!

Check out the latest Nvidia GeForce® Experience™ and GameReady driver for exciting new ways to customize the look of your ARK with NVIDIA Freestyle! There are 15 available filters, 38 different settings, and many possible combinations, enabling you to create a truly unique look for your gameplay with just a few clicks! Check out this articles for all the latest details and how to use the Freestyle filters on your ARK!

New Freestyle Contest!

We'll also be introducing a new category to our Nvidia Ansel contests for all Freestyle entries! You can submit images or a video (up to 1 minute long) using the new awesome filters for a chance to win 200$ (double our normal Ansel reward). Check out our contest submission thread for all the details:

ARK Sales!

For those who've yet to experience the joys of ARK, nows your chance to get in as we have a huge host of discounts across various platforms and regions! The discounts and sale length may vary so please continue reading for further sales information!

ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK: Scorched Earth

ARK: Season Pass

ARK will be participating in this year's PlayStation 4 Winter Sale! Discounts may vary based on region, so please double check to ensure you can get it in time!

ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK: Explorer’s Edition

ARK: Season Pass

ARK: Scorched Earth

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 15th of January at 12 PM EST. All Official Servers will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

2x Harvesting Rate

2x Taming Rate

2x EXP Rate

2x Mating

2x Maturation

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:

Three Categories

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!

Super Resolution!

Winner!

SgtWest - Inside the Cave

Runners-up!

BlueDragon - Speed

Pollti – Glowtails have a clear view

EXFIB0 - Majestic

StateofMynd - The New Bat-Signal

Wolf Angelus - Call of the Mantis

Honourable Mentions!

BlueDragon - A new dawn

BlueDragon - Aberration Mystery

BlueDragon - Different kind of prey

BlueDragon - Hauntingly beautiful

BlueDragon - Island hopping

BlueDragon - Mysterious warning

BlueDragon - Rex vs Reaper

BlueDragon - Safe, for the moment

BlueDragon - This little light of mine

Domino - Here We Are

EXFIB0 - Let's go for a ride!

Jamie Weaver - Ragnarock Landscape

Norlinri - Artifact

Norlinri - Blue path

Norlinri - Buried Reaper Queen

Norlinri - Cave light

Norlinri - Crab

Norlinri - Dark alley

Norlinri - Gas vein

Norlinri - Plant Species Z

Norlinri - Reaper Queen

Norlinri - Reaper Queen and Waterfall

Norlinri - Reflexion

Norlinri - Rock Drake Nest

Norlinri - Seeker

Norlinri - Surface obelisk

Pollti – Aberrant Stegosaurus

Pollti – Aberration Cave

Pollti – Aberration Flowers

Pollti – Flying Featherlight

Pollti – Glowbug

Pollti – Rock Drake Nest

roguewolf91 - Unseen Peril

SgtWest - The Nameless

SgtWest - The Ruins

StateofMynd - A Peaceful Spot

StateofMynd - Flight Of The Navigator

StateofMynd - The Danger Zone

Valoule - They follow us

Wolf Angelus - Ancient Fortress

Wolf Angelus - Arabian Nights

Wolf Angelus - Soaring

Panoramic 360 Stereoscopic 3D!

Winner!

EXFIB0 - Zip Line Fun

Runners-up!

roguewolf91 - The Road Ahead

BlueDragon - Going with the tide

Honourable Mentions!

EXFIB0 - Blue Paradise

EXFIB0 - Dropping

EXFIB0 - Pink Rivers

EXFIB0 - Which Way

StateofMynd - Surrounded by Serenity

Valoule - Xylobones

Wolf Angelus - Adventurers Guild Main Hall

Wolf Angelus - Desert Home Pier

Wolf Angelus - Dividing Bridge

Wolf Angelus - Marshes of Aberration

Freeform!

Winner!

BlueDragon - Planet ARK - Freeform

Runner-up!

F1r3fly - The Hitchhiker's Guide to Aberration

Honorable Mentions!

BlueDragon - Ragnarok Estates Listing

EXFIB0 - Retro

Valoule - Seasons

Wolf Angelus - ARK Travel Agency

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 114 is...

ARK: Survival Evolved | Aberration | The Cinematic Experience by Jukari

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

REAPER QUEEN WON'T PAY CHILD SUPPORT by Lame Wolf Productions!

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 114 is…

Wolfy Tail: Adventurers Guild by Wolf Angelus!

and we'd also like to announce two runners-up...

Ark Survival Evolved Ragnarok Castle/Bridge Build Part 1 by Tlc138

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

Fan Feature!

THE EGG THAT RUINED CHRISTMAS - ARK Cinematic Skits by Lame Wolf Productions

Aberration comes to Ragnarok! by ArkPS4

ARK Aberration EPIC Reaper King tame and Reaper Queen Battles by Siduris

Aberration PvE Cliff Platform Base by Sitharias

TOWN OF THE DAMNED - Rise of the Achatina (Ep. 5) by Lame Wolf Productions

Ark Survival Evolved - Oh Deer by GeeKy gAMer no.1 & gOOgly Owl

Rebuild of Hotel ParARKdise by Valoule

Rock Drake Painting by HellaHezz



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1264176708

Reaper by WYF



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1247860601

aberration otter and sabertoothed salmon by Lethifold



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1264483379

Ravager by Klutz



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1262666443

ARK: Dream by Shockal



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1257161832

Compy Close Up by Trickle Down Snekonomics



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1253689002

Rock Drake by Naito



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1251784754

Quetz attack by Naito



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1258236644

"Say hello to my feathered friend!" by Naito



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1258217333

Bulbdog by Fletjek



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1250101056

A battle of two dragons by Shockal



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1244657080

Ghillie 'n Galli by Naito



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1258234745

Steggy the Derpasaurus by Ninja Bunn3h



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1259018013

Hellhound Ravager by Sharkcat



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1262006860

Forest Camo Ravager by Sharkcat



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1261912168

Giant Jaguar preview by milokamilo



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1265935543

Dracorex preview by milokamilo



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1263368789

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