Recently we picked up Complexminded, an ARK Modder, to act as the new Community Mod Liaison. I recently had a chat with him about his new position, what it'll mean for the ARK Community and his mod, Primitive+.


Hey Jat!

We’re starting off with expectations already Jat? Nice welcome eh :) ? I have some really exciting ideas for mods in general and things we can do to organize the modding forum a bit but what I’m really interested in what the community wants out of a mod. Not only do I want to focus on the development side, but I’d also like to focus on the consumer side. Maybe we can give Drake that tornado he’s been wanting.

More importantly, I want to give people the same opportunity I had. Just a couple of weeks ago I wasn't working at a place that I never thought I'd have a chance to work with. It may sound silly, but that's due to a mod and the help of the modding forum and community. I hope to work with the mod community to figure out what makes sense and fill in the gaps with educational material where needed. There are already some helpful modders in the forums and I'd be looking to put them on an official team to help spread the knowledge and inspire other modders out there! There are also some things I know modders have asked for in the dev kit and I’ll be able to put a little pressure on the team :)

I'm also a big fan of modding and visit the workshop to try new mods. I'll be spotlighting things and talking with various mod authors because, let's be honest, I can learn too! I'm inspired by a lot of things I see and I love finding out the inspiration for some of the mods I see, particularly maps. Ideally, I'm here to be the voice, so it's about what the community wants.

On the Primitive+ side, it's going to be much of the same aggressive development cycle. It's a constant iteration. As the team adds more content into vanilla ARK, I will look to find primitive alternatives for accomplishing the same thing. It will continue to grow even as official content winds down. My hope is that the following and support for the mod grows which will allow me to make it the best primitive experience ever!




Lot's has happened since the last time we chatted. Shortly after entering the contest, that crazy thing we call life happened. I had a lot going on personally and at my job which took me away from Primitive+ and the community. While there are some things I know I should have done differently, thank you for all those who hung around. I think anyone who followed the mod before knows that I am very active and dedicated to the idea I'm trying to convey.

Winning the contest was unbelievable! There was a lot of good content and I'll be completely honest, I didn't think I would win. I really didn't! Actually I wouldn't have found out I won for a while. A co-worker was following the contest and asked me if I heard anything. It wasn't a few days later until they said "look in your spam folder", and there it was! I'd like to thank everyone who supported and now I get to support the next winner!

I always had plans to continue after the contest and the original mod was in the workshop before the contest was an idea. During the reboot of the mod outage I starting talking to Studio Wildcard about a position for the mod community and here I am! I'm excited to be a part of what's going on here at Wildcard and I can't wait to continue working on Primitive Plus.




The biggest thing I get is "This is primitive.... with guns???" Yes, this IS primitive with guns :) Keep in mind that this mod isn't based in a medieval era or a specific technology age. The premise looks at what would be possible with present day knowledge and the resources that ARK provides. What would be possible? You'd be amazed how things, like electric, that can be made with primitive resources. I started this mod looking for a more immersive and realistic experience. While in some ways it may feel more "grindy" than a traditional experience, it counterbalances that by the added immersion of the character you are playing.

Before I add content I do a considerable amount of research and think how it adds value to the mod and if it would be realistic. My friends laugh when they come over and see me watching some documentary about present day indigenous tribes that still live a primitive lifestyle.

Primitive+ is very similar to traditional primitive in terms of weapons and tiers of material, It's aimed to create an economy and a trade system by using specializations. Every additional resource or object relies on another "specialization" offered in the mod. You will find in Primitive+, that original ARK items have different art, names, or just work differently than you would expect. I'm constantly tinkering and re-thinking things based off the feedback I'm getting and educational material I review. At this moment, there are over 100 custom items, resources, and objects for you to explore and personalize your experience with!

Recently, we launched some official servers for Primitive+. That means you WILL be able to find me on official servers playing and getting feedback in person. My first time loading into the official server I announced myself and got punched in the face I'll take that feedback too!!

I would like for all those joining to keep in mind, that this mod will continue to grow and change much like the traditional content. There will be bugs and issues so be sure to check the workshop page and report what you are seeing. I make mistakes, but I also fix them. Usually ;) I have a lot of things in store for the future of Primitive+ (wagons, electric, more meals/seeds, lights, etc). More importantly, the fans know that a lot of these ideas came from them! Keep submitting your experiences!



For those of you who would like to give Primitive+ a shot, we've launched some Official Servers for you to play with!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=504360469

He'll also be creating a thread on both UE4 Forums & Our Workshop to keep you guys posted on all the latest news surrounding Primitive+, as well as the possibility for Official Supported mods!

Recently we picked up Complexminded, an ARK Modder, to act as the new Community Mod Liaison. I recently had a chat with him about his new position, what it'll mean for the ARK Community and his mod, Primitive+.


Hey Jat!

We’re starting off with expectations already Jat? Nice welcome eh :) ? I have some really exciting ideas for mods in general and things we can do to organize the modding forum a bit but what I’m really interested in what the community wants out of a mod. Not only do I want to focus on the development side, but I’d also like to focus on the consumer side. Maybe we can give Drake that tornado he’s been wanting.

More importantly, I want to give people the same opportunity I had. Just a couple of weeks ago I wasn't working at a place that I never thought I'd have a chance to work with. It may sound silly, but that's due to a mod and the help of the modding forum and community. I hope to work with the mod community to figure out what makes sense and fill in the gaps with educational material where needed. There are already some helpful modders in the forums and I'd be looking to put them on an official team to help spread the knowledge and inspire other modders out there! There are also some things I know modders have asked for in the dev kit and I’ll be able to put a little pressure on the team :)

I'm also a big fan of modding and visit the workshop to try new mods. I'll be spotlighting things and talking with various mod authors because, let's be honest, I can learn too! I'm inspired by a lot of things I see and I love finding out the inspiration for some of the mods I see, particularly maps. Ideally, I'm here to be the voice, so it's about what the community wants.

On the Primitive+ side, it's going to be much of the same aggressive development cycle. It's a constant iteration. As the team adds more content into vanilla ARK, I will look to find primitive alternatives for accomplishing the same thing. It will continue to grow even as official content winds down. My hope is that the following and support for the mod grows which will allow me to make it the best primitive experience ever!




Lot's has happened since the last time we chatted. Shortly after entering the contest, that crazy thing we call life happened. I had a lot going on personally and at my job which took me away from Primitive+ and the community. While there are some things I know I should have done differently, thank you for all those who hung around. I think anyone who followed the mod before knows that I am very active and dedicated to the idea I'm trying to convey.

Winning the contest was unbelievable! There was a lot of good content and I'll be completely honest, I didn't think I would win. I really didn't! Actually I wouldn't have found out I won for a while. A co-worker was following the contest and asked me if I heard anything. It wasn't a few days later until they said "look in your spam folder", and there it was! I'd like to thank everyone who supported and now I get to support the next winner!

I always had plans to continue after the contest and the original mod was in the workshop before the contest was an idea. During the reboot of the mod outage I starting talking to Studio Wildcard about a position for the mod community and here I am! I'm excited to be a part of what's going on here at Wildcard and I can't wait to continue working on Primitive Plus.




The biggest thing I get is "This is primitive.... with guns???" Yes, this IS primitive with guns :) Keep in mind that this mod isn't based in a medieval era or a specific technology age. The premise looks at what would be possible with present day knowledge and the resources that ARK provides. What would be possible? You'd be amazed how things, like electric, that can be made with primitive resources. I started this mod looking for a more immersive and realistic experience. While in some ways it may feel more "grindy" than a traditional experience, it counterbalances that by the added immersion of the character you are playing.

Before I add content I do a considerable amount of research and think how it adds value to the mod and if it would be realistic. My friends laugh when they come over and see me watching some documentary about present day indigenous tribes that still live a primitive lifestyle.

Primitive+ is very similar to traditional primitive in terms of weapons and tiers of material, It's aimed to create an economy and a trade system by using specializations. Every additional resource or object relies on another "specialization" offered in the mod. You will find in Primitive+, that original ARK items have different art, names, or just work differently than you would expect. I'm constantly tinkering and re-thinking things based off the feedback I'm getting and educational material I review. At this moment, there are over 100 custom items, resources, and objects for you to explore and personalize your experience with!

Recently, we launched some official servers for Primitive+. That means you WILL be able to find me on official servers playing and getting feedback in person. My first time loading into the official server I announced myself and got punched in the face I'll take that feedback too!!

I would like for all those joining to keep in mind, that this mod will continue to grow and change much like the traditional content. There will be bugs and issues so be sure to check the workshop page and report what you are seeing. I make mistakes, but I also fix them. Usually ;) I have a lot of things in store for the future of Primitive+ (wagons, electric, more meals/seeds, lights, etc). More importantly, the fans know that a lot of these ideas came from them! Keep submitting your experiences!



For those of you who would like to give Primitive+ a shot, we've launched some Official Servers for you to play with!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=504360469

He'll also be creating a thread on both UE4 Forums & Our Workshop to keep you guys posted on all the latest news surrounding Primitive+, as well as the possibility for Official Supported mods!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pHgfKKGe5U



Later today the ARK will be updated to Version 236 and with it comes everyone's favourite organic craftsmen and restraints to capture those pesky raiders!



Castoroides Feliconcisor is a large, mammalian herbivore that tends to live near water. Unlike other larger beaver species this one retains the chisel-shaped teeth of modern beavers.



As is typical for beavers, they build dams as habitats, but the larger creatures on the island have a tendency to trample them. As a result, finding unsullied dams in the wild is quite rare. The creature naturally gathers wood extremely efficiently, far more than most species on the island. It's not the strongest creature, so it can only carry limited amounts, however with its fantastic chisel-shaped teeth, survivors find it quite the handy mount to use for crafting on the go!



Patch 236 continues to adds more roleplaying fun, allowing Survivors to now handcuff each other and effectively enable them to wrangle prisoners! The patch also introduces a number of improved client and server side performance streaming improvements.



Hope you guys have a dam good time!

Wildcard Jat & The ARK Survival Evolved Team

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pHgfKKGe5U



Later today the ARK will be updated to Version 236 and with it comes everyone's favourite organic craftsmen and restraints to capture those pesky raiders!



Castoroides Feliconcisor is a large, mammalian herbivore that tends to live near water. Unlike other larger beaver species this one retains the chisel-shaped teeth of modern beavers.



As is typical for beavers, they build dams as habitats, but the larger creatures on the island have a tendency to trample them. As a result, finding unsullied dams in the wild is quite rare. The creature naturally gathers wood extremely efficiently, far more than most species on the island. It's not the strongest creature, so it can only carry limited amounts, however with its fantastic chisel-shaped teeth, survivors find it quite the handy mount to use for crafting on the go!



Patch 236 continues to adds more roleplaying fun, allowing Survivors to now handcuff each other and effectively enable them to wrangle prisoners! The patch also introduces a number of improved client and server side performance streaming improvements.



Hope you guys have a dam good time!

Wildcard Jat & The ARK Survival Evolved Team

A new Explorer Note has been discovered!

Survivors!

We’re excited to reveal the first of many Explorer Notes to be uncovered whilst living on the island and over the coming few weeks, the ‘Explorer Note System’ will be finding its way onto the ARK itself. You’ll be able to discover the stories of actual inhabitants that have lived on the isle, and follow what their fates are over time*. By studying their notes, learning through their experiences, and revealing the secrets they have discovered, you will be able to get closer to the heart of the mysteries surrounding the ARK.

* Not everyone can survive life on the ARK ;)

We’ll also be taking a break from revealing Dino Dossiers over the coming weeks as we spend some time catching up on implementing the Dossier backlog we have created for ourselves! We also want to see how the game evolves with further additions, so we can finalize what our remaining batch of creatures (Basilosaurus anyone?) will be and what they’ll bring to the ARK. Don’t worry though - we’ll still have a content reveal every Monday! Something new and mysterious will be unveiled ;)

So be sure to follow us on @survivetheark and check out our Community Hub to make sure you keep up to date on all the latest ARK Mysteries!

A new Explorer Note has been discovered!

Survivors!

We’re excited to reveal the first of many Explorer Notes to be uncovered whilst living on the island and over the coming few weeks, the ‘Explorer Note System’ will be finding its way onto the ARK itself. You’ll be able to discover the stories of actual inhabitants that have lived on the isle, and follow what their fates are over time*. By studying their notes, learning through their experiences, and revealing the secrets they have discovered, you will be able to get closer to the heart of the mysteries surrounding the ARK.

* Not everyone can survive life on the ARK ;)

We’ll also be taking a break from revealing Dino Dossiers over the coming weeks as we spend some time catching up on implementing the Dossier backlog we have created for ourselves! We also want to see how the game evolves with further additions, so we can finalize what our remaining batch of creatures (Basilosaurus anyone?) will be and what they’ll bring to the ARK. Don’t worry though - we’ll still have a content reveal every Monday! Something new and mysterious will be unveiled ;)

So be sure to follow us on @survivetheark and check out our Community Hub to make sure you keep up to date on all the latest ARK Mysteries!

A new Dino Dossier has been revealed, this one is everyone’s favourite life-draining leech, the Haementeria!




We are excited to announce that we have taken our stance against cheaters and hackers one step further by enabling BattlEye Anti-Cheat system on the ARK as a defense tool against cheaters!

BattlEye will be run on all Official Servers, and the new executable to properly play on Official Servers is ShooterGame\Binaries\ShooterGame_BE.exe, which we’ve updated the Steam Launch options to include. If you choose to launch ShooterGame.exe directly, you will be redirected to ShooterGame_BE.exe if you connect to any Official Server running BattlEye.

If you wish to run your Unofficial Server with BattlEye, you can do so with the following launch option:

-UseBattlEye

We have a zero-tolerance policy for the use of 3rd party programs in ARK: Survival Evolved and will continue to work on Anti-Cheat measures to put a stop to cheating and catch those attempting to gain an unfair advantage over other survivors ;).

All the best,

Wildcard Jat & The ARK Survival Evolved Team

A new Dino Dossier has been revealed, this one is everyone’s favourite life-draining leech, the Haementeria!




We are excited to announce that we have taken our stance against cheaters and hackers one step further by enabling BattlEye Anti-Cheat system on the ARK as a defense tool against cheaters!

BattlEye will be run on all Official Servers, and the new executable to properly play on Official Servers is ShooterGame\Binaries\ShooterGame_BE.exe, which we’ve updated the Steam Launch options to include. If you choose to launch ShooterGame.exe directly, you will be redirected to ShooterGame_BE.exe if you connect to any Official Server running BattlEye.

If you wish to run your Unofficial Server with BattlEye, you can do so with the following launch option:

-UseBattlEye

We have a zero-tolerance policy for the use of 3rd party programs in ARK: Survival Evolved and will continue to work on Anti-Cheat measures to put a stop to cheating and catch those attempting to gain an unfair advantage over other survivors ;).

All the best,

Wildcard Jat & The ARK Survival Evolved Team

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb8eDpB7q3M



Later today the ARK will be updated to Version 235 and with it comes a plethora of new content, including our new terrifying friend, the Terror Bird!

The Terror Bird also known as the Phorusrhacidae Rapidesultor, is a ferocious but tamable avian capable of high-speed sprints and brief hover-like leaps. It is not a flying bird per se, as its flight is comprised of short, sustained “Joust”-like glides or leaps. At eight to 12 feet tall, the Terror Bird is aggressive, but still tamable and ridable, making it an excellent combat mount, particularly for harassing and scouting. Riders of the Terror Bird gain most of the benefits of a fast, mobile ground-based theropod, while also gaining some of the freedom of movement from a flyer. It is known to show traits related to theropods such as the Utahraptor, Carnotaurus and the ever formidable Tyrannosaurus Rex.



The Grappling Hook is a game-changing tool enabling Survivors the ability to scale cliffs, hitch a ride by attaching to a flying creature, wrangle other players/prisoners, or even small creatures to drag along! Learning how to regularly use this tool will alter the nature of your attacks and dramatically expand the range of your travels with greater ease and fun!

Today’s ARK update will also include:

• Tribe Alliances (PvE and PvP). Yes, finally, small Tribes can band together against larger ones!
  
• Fishing Upgrade! Coelacanth Nutritia, common name Coel, are now different sizes (and give different amount of resources depending on the fish size...gives the rare chance of a super-large catch!)
  
• Fully Localizable Game Text: Now you can crowd-source translation and dynamic fonts for any language without Modding/TC's!
  
• All current Items added to the Master Items ID array

Now new players can start the epic survival-adventure ARK: Survival Evolved during the Lunar sale on Steam for only $19.99 (33% off standard price)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb8eDpB7q3M



Later today the ARK will be updated to Version 235 and with it comes a plethora of new content, including our new terrifying friend, the Terror Bird!

The Terror Bird also known as the Phorusrhacidae Rapidesultor, is a ferocious but tamable avian capable of high-speed sprints and brief hover-like leaps. It is not a flying bird per se, as its flight is comprised of short, sustained “Joust”-like glides or leaps. At eight to 12 feet tall, the Terror Bird is aggressive, but still tamable and ridable, making it an excellent combat mount, particularly for harassing and scouting. Riders of the Terror Bird gain most of the benefits of a fast, mobile ground-based theropod, while also gaining some of the freedom of movement from a flyer. It is known to show traits related to theropods such as the Utahraptor, Carnotaurus and the ever formidable Tyrannosaurus Rex.



The Grappling Hook is a game-changing tool enabling Survivors the ability to scale cliffs, hitch a ride by attaching to a flying creature, wrangle other players/prisoners, or even small creatures to drag along! Learning how to regularly use this tool will alter the nature of your attacks and dramatically expand the range of your travels with greater ease and fun!

Today’s ARK update will also include:

• Tribe Alliances (PvE and PvP). Yes, finally, small Tribes can band together against larger ones!
  
• Fishing Upgrade! Coelacanth Nutritia, common name Coel, are now different sizes (and give different amount of resources depending on the fish size...gives the rare chance of a super-large catch!)
  
• Fully Localizable Game Text: Now you can crowd-source translation and dynamic fonts for any language without Modding/TC's!
  
• All current Items added to the Master Items ID array

Now new players can start the epic survival-adventure ARK: Survival Evolved during the Lunar sale on Steam for only $19.99 (33% off standard price)!