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! Let's get started with some news.

Introducing the Otter!

A new Dino Dossier has been revealed, this one is everyone’s favourite furry friend, the Otter!

Common name: Otter

Species: Lutra Peloso

Time: Early Miocene

Diet: Omnivore

Temperament: Friendly

Wild

Found along the Island’s many inland waterways, Lutra Peloso have become exceptionally adept at hunting and foraging. This species of Otter has to be particularly cunning because of its diminutive size, and fierce competition for its preferred food source: fish. It is not a creature that excels at combat, and would not naturally pose an intimidating threat to any predators.

Finding packs of river Otters is simple enough: They are distinguished by their elongated bodies, bushy tails, and webbed feet. Their trusting and inquisitive nature ensures they are often hunted for their lustrous fur, but many prefer to tame them to become trusted companions.

Domesticated

There are few creatures which provide the companionship that Lutra Peloso does. Rather than traveling beside you, it would prefer to comfortably rest on your back, providing insulation. Once domesticated, it can be told to harvest fish on demand, with a specific goal in mind from the fish that it consumes, the otter has a knack for foraging silica pearls, and can even yield a slight chance at finding black pearls within!

For those of you living under the mesh and haven't been able to keep up with the news, ARK has entered its final stage of development towards Version 1.0 and will be Officially Launching on August the 29th 2017.

There has been a lot of questions regarding what will happen to the development of ARK. Whether there will be additional content added to the base game, in the vein of; new friends to tame, new engrams to learn, items to craft, QOL, gameplay, and optimisation improvements... the answer to all that is yes!

We will be continuing to work on the base game, as well as plans for future content in the form of free updates, and DLC (paid and free). Today we'd like to give you a bit of an early preview/tease of what you can expect for later this month on release (in addition to the mystery beyond the TEK cave).

As well as our otterly cute friend, we'll also be introducing some new TEK items:

The TEK Sword, with a dash-charge attack as well as armor piercing capability!

with a dash-charge attack as well as armor piercing capability! The TEK Shield, which can reflect incoming projectiles and bullets, and can completely stop splash damage!

which can reflect incoming projectiles and bullets, and can completely stop splash damage! The TEK Light, that can be attached or picked up to and from any surface, and is self--powered by elemental shards or can be linked to generators!

Our latest Official Mod, Ragnarok, will be receiving a large update which is approximately the size of The Island. Players can expect to encounter new biomes such as a Coastal Wyvern Canyon, a Tropical Desert, Lowlands, Tasmania, several iconic beaches, a hidden temple, a new cave, an epic boss encounter and more! Here are a few screenshots of the upcoming areas:

Players will also be able to tame Titanoboas! We know you've been waiting a while for them and we feel confident with our latest optimisation work in adding them to the ARK. Their taming method will involve alluring these terrifying snakes with the fertilized eggs to feed on.

We are still planning on our mid-month update which will resolve the current loading-crash on Console Player Dedicated Servers, introduce our DDoS Mitigation for all Official Servers, address the duping exploit and allow players to rent PC-Dedicated Console Servers.

PC-Dedicated Console servers will initially be rolling out on PlayStation 4 for the time being. We will be technically set up to launch them on both of our console platforms from a development point of view but are currently running into some business & pipeline questions with Microsoft which we hope to resolve in the coming weeks.

ARK Digest 47!

Here is our question and answer session with Lead Designer, Lead Programmer, Co-Creative Director of ARK: Survival Evolved, and Co-Founder of Studio Wildcard: Jeremy "Drake" Stieglitz!

Survivor, Blackwolfe asks, “In my opinion, building is one of the important pillars of Ark and the building system is long overdue for some love. Do you have any plans to improve the building system in the near future? (like with improved snapping, triangle pieces like in s+, decorations etc).”

Quote We’re investing the possibility of including Structures+ as an officially integrated feature -- beyond an Officially Supported Mod, directly into the core game itself. No promises yet though, it depends on how much of a clean implementation it proves to be.

Survivor Cynanic Ember asks:

Will the two upcoming Expansion Packs included in the Season Pass round out and complete Ark's story entirely, or is there a possibility for additional Expansions beyond those?

Quote We’ll see how the next two Expansions go, and if there’s more interesting story to tell and survival mechanics to explore beyond that. I’m hopeful!

Has the TLC pass for Legacy dinos been scrapped or pushed back to post launch updates?

Quote Post-Launch update. I will not be able to rest until those initial launch dinos get their due.

On that subject, will post-launch updates be in much the same format as pre-launch? Or will we have larger themed updates like "Farming and Flora Update"?

Quote Same format as pre-launch, at least for the rest of this year. Namely, firefighting and individual feature updating. Next year, will probably settle into a groove of less frequent, bigger themes.

Will the Ice Wyvern ever get a distinct model, texture, and breath weapon instead of a re-skin?

Quote Yes, at the end of August! And it will be transferable.

Will we be getting a more robust TEK Arsenal? The current TEK Rifle is the successor to the Assault Rifle, but what about a TEK Heavy Weapon like the rocket launcher (plasma cannon or railgun maybe?), or a sidearm, sniper rifle, or close-quarters weapon? (i.e Shotgun, not Tek Sword)

Quote Yep, you will, stay tuned. I’m a big fan of ‘Eraser’!

Now that the game's full launch is approaching, will you be taking a look at any of the content that you originally wanted to implement, but was cut for various reasons? (Such as oil lanterns, primitive saddle mounted cannons, bean-bag ammo for shotguns, grapeshot for primitive cannon, etc...)

Quote We plan to continue to add content post-launch, so I’m optimistic most if not all of these ideas will be realized in the months ahead.

Survivor Waterkeeper asks, “How's the kibble tree rework coming along?”

Quote It’s nearly ready for public feedback, just trying to decide whether I want to put it out now or wait until the Experimental branch is live post-launch. Leaning towards Experimental branch to enable us to have more time to collect live feedback before it affects Officials, in case we don’t get some of the values right.

IGNWhyt asks, “Are there any plans to make a colorblind-friendly mode? It's 2017, as such its not a new concept game wise. Or at the very least make supply drops different colors (red/green and blue/purple) if you can?”

Quote Yes, we will deal with this in the coming months, before the end of October. It’s important!

Scrysis asks, “Is Primal Ark still being developed? You know, the total conversion that allows players to play as the dinos?”

Quote The team working on it had to put it on the backburner to help with completing our UWP and multiplatform launch goals (along with infrastructure improvements). We hope to return to it post-launch.

xKingPheonix asks, “Is the phoenix permanently scrapped or will you guys add it to another dlc?”

Quote It’ll be added into Scorched Earth on August 29, as a thank-you for everyone making that Expansion such a success. We really do appreciate it!

Steyoung89 asks, “Where do you stand with the Windows 10 version of the game?”

Quote It’s nearly ready -- with Crossplay and Windows-hosted Dedicated Server and cross-buy and cross-platform transfer of data etc -- and it should release on August 29 or near that (depending on whether Microsoft can certify it for launch quickly enough!).

ColossuS asks, “Extinction Servers have been dead for a very long time now and I have seen countless posts and tweets asking for the map to be reverted back to The Island; will this ever happen?“

Quote Yep, we’ll likely make that change on the August 29 new-launch.

Survivor CarpeAmare asks:

Will console see a return of tether distance?

Quote Nope, though we’ll see about widening it as we get on. It was an accident to allow that slider on console, and it did cause issues (they may have been subtle, but were quite serious and irresolvable).

Will console be able to place items straight from orbit camera similar to PC?

Quote I don’t see why not, we’ll take a look at why it isn’t behaving like PC in that regard.

Will console see a system where you can download paint prefabs for Dino's, canvases, etc. like PC?

Quote We’re currently investigating the possibility of allowing players to trade templates inside the game itself. Odds are good this will work out.

Stonefather asks “Will insects ever become breedable? I feel like they are outclassed by other creatures and being able to raise your own would help bring them closer in line with other creatures.”

Quote Not by us, their lifecycles are too different from animals so it’d be difficult to represent without a major amount of effort for each individual insect.

Oakwind asks “When are we getting the phiomia bacon we were promised?!?!”

Quote Dino TLC pass, this year.

Lewiatan asks “Do you plan to make AI overhaul before or after premiere? What will AI overhaul contain?

Quote Among other things, during the Dino TLC pass, for example, we plan to make various creatures biased towards being nocturnal or diurnal. So that, unless they are perturbed, you’d actually see them sleeping and recovering their vital stats during that time. This will provide more incentive for travel at a specific time of day or night, depending on where you’re going.

Survivor, SirMatthew asks “We will ever get banner/flag fixed in saddles, similar to the Tribe Flag from Survival of the Fittest?”

Quote Very possible, just haven’t got around to it yet.

Sponsored Mod Program Update!

Here's what Cedric had to say:

We are excited to announce some new changes to the Sponsored Mod Program for the month of August. It’s mind blowing seeing what our sponsored modders have accomplished in such a short time. As the program develops and the mods mature, we’ll be looking to see if any more mods have potential for a console release.

We are adding two new mods to the program this month. Keep in mind that originality and creativity is the way to get a mod sponsored. The two mods we are adding this month are two mods that are still early in development stages, but show lots of potential. Without further ado!

Dragonpunk: Tribe of Gods

Everyone here is really excited for what this Total Conversion will bring to gameplay. At the moment, this Total Conversion is split into several different mods, but there are plans to make it a one-stop shop. They are aiming to redefine the ARK. Be sure to check out their website for more information!

In the meantime, you can check out the Mythical Creatures for a little preview of what’s to come, plus they’ll be dropping a new magic mod later this month!

Call of the Wild

I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see new game modes being developed. Survival of the Fittest was originally a mod that was created in the dev kit. Call of the Wild summons a wave of creatures at a location you choose that are there for your blood. It reminds me of some of the popular wave-based game modes that are still popular in games today.

Right now, the sole focus is getting the mod stable, but I know there are some grand plans for this mod in the future.

That’s it for this month! Be sure to check out the mods steam workshop pages for information on social media. Most of the modders in the program are active on social media and will post a sneak peek of what’s to come.

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 7th at 12PM EST. All Official Servers will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

2x Harvesting Rate

2x Taming Rate

2x EXP Rate

2x Maturing

2x Hatching

2x Gestation

2x Faster Mating Interval Rates

Reminder: this 2x bonus is on top of the 2x rates that are now standard on our official servers!

Community Contests!

Player Procedurally Generated Maps!

The Procedurally Generated Map system allows players to make their own ARK maps by determining a myriad of landscape options from the heights of mountains, depths of valleys, and the number of lakes, rivers or oceans, to the kinds of each biome they want, and more! Let's check out the entries for this weeks contest! This week's contest winner is...

Drought by Wolf Angelus!

PGMapName=Drought PGTerrainPropertiesString=MapSeed=759;LandscapeRadius=1.0;Water Frequency=3.6;Mountains Frequency=12;Mountains Slope=1.90;MountainsHeight=.825;Turbulence Power=0.0125;Shore Slope=1.4;WaterLevel=-0.72;GrassDensity=1.0;JungleGrassDensity=0.05;ErosionSteps=1;TreesGroundSlopeAccuracy=0.5;DepositionStrength=0.01;ErosionStrength=0.02;OceanFloorLevel=-1.0;SnowBiomeSize=0.11;RWBiomeSize=0.15;MountainBiomeStart=-0.49;MountainsTreeDensity=0.06;JungleBiomeStart=-0.59;IslandBorderCurveExp=4.0;MaxSawnPointHeight=0.2;SnowGrassDensity=0.25;MountainGrassDensity=0.007;SnowMountainGrassDensity=0.15;UnderwaterObjectsDensity=0.5;SnowMountainsTreeDensity=0.03;TreeDensity=0.005;JungleTreeDensity=0.50;RedWoodTreeDensity=0.0135;SnowTreeDensity=1.25;RedwoodGrassDensity=0.07;ShoreTreeDensity=0.32;SnowShoreTreeDensity=0.04;DeepWaterBiomesDepth=-0.24;InlandWaterObjectsDensity=0.5;ShorelineStartOffset=0.035;ShorelineThickness=0.045;MountainGeneralTreesPercent=0.15;TerrainScaleMultiplier=(X=1.0f,Y=1.0f,Z=1.0f);SnowBiomeLocation=(X=0.7f,Y=0.7f);RWForestBiomeLocation=(X=0.4f,Y=0.4f);NorthRegion1Start=(X=0.25f,Y=0.0f);NorthRegion1End=(X=0.416f,Y=0.5f);NorthRegion2Start=(X=0.416f,Y=0.0f);NorthRegion2End=(X=0.582f,Y=0.5f);NorthRegion3Start=(X=0.582f,Y=0.0f);NorthRegion3End=(X=0.75f,Y=0.0f);SouthRegion1Start=(X=0.25f,Y=0.5f);SouthRegion1End=(X=0.416f,Y=1.0f);SouthRegion2Start=(X=0.416f,Y=0.5f);SouthRegion2End=(X=0.582f,Y=1.0f);SouthRegion3Start=(X=0.582f,Y=0.5f);SouthRegion3End=(X=0.75f,Y=1.0f);EastRegion1Start=(X=0.75f,Y=0.0f);EastRegion1End=(X=1.0f,Y=0.333f);EastRegion2Start=(X=0.75f,Y=0.333f);EastRegion2End=(X=1.0f,Y=0.666f);EastRegion3Start=(X=0.75f,Y=0.666f);EastRegion3End=(X=1.0f,Y=1.0f);WestRegion1Start=(X=0.0f,Y=0.0f);WestRegion1End=(X=0.25f,Y=0.333f);WestRegion2Start=(X=0.0f,Y=0.333f);WestRegion2End=(X=0.25f,Y=0.666f);WestRegion3Start=(X=0.0f,Y=0.666f);WestRegion3End=(X=0.25f,Y=1.0f)

If you'd like to learn more about PGMs, please check out our quick start guide:

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!

You’ll want to click on the image title to be able to download the maximum size image, we’ve resized them for display purposes

Super Resolution!

Winners!

FataL1ty - Silhou-view

StateofMynd42 - Sudden Impact

Blue Dragon - Shades of ARK

Runner Ups!

Blue Dragon - In limbo

Blue Dragon - Drink up

Squidge Meister - Onlooker

Wolf Angelus - Aquatic Day

Christopher Warburton - A land that time forgot

Honourable Mentions!

Blue Dragon - Decay

Blue Dragon - Above the clouds

Blue Dragon - Defeat

Blue Dragon - Cat fight

Blue Dragon - Dark Rex

Blue Dragon - Do you see me

Blue Dragon - Dragon's heart

Blue Dragon - Hunting party

Blue Dragon - Journey to the islands

Blue Dragon - New territory

Blue Dragon - Shadow Stalker

Blue Dragon - Shadows

Christopher Warburton - A snooze with death

Christopher Warburton - Manticore Mural

Christopher Warburton - The Power Within

Domino - Evolution in Progress

EXFIB0 - Entering The Cave

EXFIB0 - Going for it!

FataL1ty - Love Bites

FataL1ty - Patrol View

FataL1ty - Shadow World

Norlinri - Nom

Pollti - Angry Yutyrannus

Pollti - Mantis on fire

roguewolf91 - Cries Left Unheard

roguewolf91 - Griffin Arrival

roguewolf91 - Twilight

SgtWest - The Beauty of Crystal Isles

SgtWest - The Bionic Arrival

SgtWest - Wyvern of the Desert

Squidge Meister - Steampunk Tapejara

Squidge Meister - The Weak Spot

Squidge Meister - You Will Not Believe What I Saw Today

StateofMynd42 - Bound And Leap

StateofMynd42 - Mythical Morning

Wolf Angelus - Natural Habitat

Wolf Angelus - Summer Retreat

Panoramic 360 Stereoscopic 3D!

Winners!

Blue Dragon - Break of Darkness

EXFIB0 - Jungle Cave

Runner Ups!

Blue Dragon - Floating

Blue Dragon - Out of the ashes

Wolf Angelus - Science House Interior

Wolf Angelus - Summer Retreat Exterior

Honourable Mentions!

Blue Dragon - The canyon

EXFIB0 - Canyon

EXFIB0 - Ice Cave

EXFIB0 - Penguin Land

EXFIB0 - Redwood Lake

EXFIB0 - Symmetry

EXFIB0 - The Beautiful Ragnarok

FataL1ty - Cats and Dogs

FataL1ty - Misty Distance

FataL1ty - Nights Out, Lights Out

FataL1ty - Shadows and Silhouettes

FataL1ty - Shells

roguewolf91 - Echoes of the Forgotten

Wolf Angelus - Amphibious Habitat

Wolf Angelus - Modern Home Interior

Wolf Angelus - Modern Home Upper Interior

Wolf Angelus - Science House Upper Interior

Freeform!

Winner!

BatmanTDKR - Warrior VS Mammoth

Runner Ups!

Valoule - Choice

Blue Dragon - Limbo ARK Edition

F1r3fly - The Night is Dark and Full of Pteras

Honourable Mentions!

BatmanTDKR - Lurker

BatmanTDKR - Pose

BatmanTDKR - Profile

BatmanTDKR - Smokescreen

BatmanTDKR - Sunset

BatmanTDKR - Taking a break

BatmanTDKR - Thinking

Cheb - Ancient Treasure

Cheb - Deep Jungle

Cheb - Watch the Step

EXFIB0 - Retro

EXFIB0 - Saturated

Joe Lally - Out of the water

Kielbasa - Notable scene

Natsu - Flying Unicorn

Wolf Angelus - FRIDAY THE 13TH

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 99 is...

ARK MAKES NO SENSE - Weird Game Logic (ARK: Survival Evolved) by LameWolfProductions

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 99 is…

Treehouse Bungalow Workshop! :: Exploring ARK Ragnarok Official Map :: Awesome ARK Base Locations by SWChris

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

Fan Feature!

Ark SurvivaI Evolved - HOW HAS NO ONE FOUND THIS YET?! RAGNAROK'S BIGGEST SECRET! by nakedzombo

CAST AWAY! - ARK Cinematic Skits by LameWolfProductions

Dragontopia First Look by Dragonarcwar

ARK: Throne of nightmares by MissyPrime

Large Castle/Base Build using Floating Pillars and the new no clip mechanic on Ark Survival Evolved by Tlc138

Ark Survival Build- Swimming Pool/Lido PvE PS4 by runswithpencils

Tag vs Ark Survival Evolved: A tour of what I made by Tageon

Ark Survival Evolved - Bossy (PART 62) by GeeKy gAMer no1 & gOOgly Owl

Dododex Taming Calculator v1.13 by danleveille



Source: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1096334969

Alpha Wyvern by XxCrazyNyanCatxX



Source: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1097140606

Electric Storm Spinosaurus by Helena



Source: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1094479611

Creature design by mateaperic51



Source: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1097050398

Yutyrannus Sketch by Dead Nitr0th3Edg3l0rd



Source: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1095604635

bionic raptor the zoul



Source: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1095654514

Expeditions Diary by ThePilgrim



SNES Super Mario] Bowser-copter & Peach - Retro Pixel Art by Wolf Angelus



Scooby Pixel Art by Valoule



The Perfect Stable Location by eco



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1094275158

Horse-drawn Wagon by Tlc138



ISO: Crystal Isles Dossier by UwU



Source: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1097746791

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

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Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark

Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark

All the best,

Studio Wildcard